ERA Receives 2.4 Million Birr Training Equipment

Addis Ababa, January 30(ENA)-- The Japanese International Cooperation Agency (JICA) on Thursday handed over 2.4 million Birr worth of training equipment to the Alemgena Training and Testing Center.

Bulldozers, excavators, wheel loaders, road rollers, motor graders, construction equipment, maintenance facilities and laboratory equipment are the main items handed over to ATTC, which is under the Ethiopian Roads Authority (ERA).

ERA General Manger, Tesfamichael Nahusenay received the donation from JICA resident representative Yoshinori, Ebata.

The donation constitutes the first component of JICA-ERA cooperation for the center, the second being training to more than 1,700 operators, mechanics and supervisors.

The JICA-ERA training cooperation which was signed on 26 September 2002 lasts until 2006.

Accordingly, Japanese experts would be providing proper training in mechanized construction methods with a view to accelerating the execution of ERA's ten-year Road Sector Development Program (RSDP).

Ebata said on the occasion that the trainees would be able to handle and operate road construction machine and supervision activities in a more professional way.

Ebata also assured that JICA would continue to provide technical assistance so as to improve the capacity of ATTC, and thereby help develop the human capacity of the road construction sector in general.

Tesfamichael said on the occasion that strengthening and upgrading the existing capacity of the Alemgena Training and Testing Center was the only alternative in a bid to fulfill the necessary skilled manpower requirement in the sector.

The technical cooperation agreement with JICA is composed of provision of heavy construction training equipment and of training workshop and lab equipment, training of trainers in Japan Technical Advisory, he said.

JICA has dispatched five members of technical experts for the implementation of the project since 1st April 1, 2002, according to the general manager.

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