ADDIS ABABA – Experts have begun to circulate opposing views on the recent enacted Ethiopia’s refugees proclamation that include the right to employment, movement, basic services and land lease provision, among others.
Addis Ababa University Economics Lecturer Dr. Atilaw Alemu told The Ethiopian Herald that the law would affect country’s economy as it adds additional job seekers on the increasing number of unemployment. It would cause resource scarcity as the refugees are allowed to share basic services such as education and health with native citizens, he noted.
Therefore, he said the government ought to advocate the implementation of the law to the international community to raise more fund upon the international convention. The fund would compensate the cost to the refugees as they have a wide number and the financial assistance must be consistent, Dr. Atilaw underlined.
Legal Service and Refugees Acknowledgment Director at Administration for Refugee and Returnee Affairs Haileselassie Gebremariam disagreed with Dr. Atilaw’s thought noting that the law has more advantage than its cost.
Up on the international convention, the law would enable the nation to get more income to its economy more than its expenditure to the refugees, he said. Shortly, the convention allows Ethiopia to allocate international funds by 70 and 30 percent to its economy and the refugees support respectively, he stated.
Following the ratification, the country has gained about one billion USD from international organizations including European Union and World Bank in terms of grant and concessional loan, he disclosed.
The support is constant and it is significant to realize economic development by curbing forex shortage and enhancing the construction of development projects among others, according to Haileselassie. “The people claim in the impact of the law is critical but not logical since the law does not permits to the refugees to affect the lives of natives,” he emphasized.
The Ethiopian Herald January 29 /2019
BY YOHANES JEMANEH
