The Norwegian embassy has previously supported two feasibility studies for the hydropower development in Ethiopia and a new agreement is about to be signed with the Ministry of Water Resources on support to feasibility studies of Mandaya and Beko-Abo.
- Clean energy is a focus area for Norwegian development assistance and Ethiopia has a lot of water. Developing these water resources can make a huge difference for this country in the fight against poverty, says Bratholm. She has been assisting the embassy in developing a communication strategy for this particular cooperation the last week and the strategy was shared with the embassy’s partners in the Ministry of Water Resources and Eastern Nile Technical Regional Office last Friday.
Variety of tasks
Eva Bratholm has been working as a journalist and foreign correspondent for many years before taking up the position as information director in Norad.
Do you miss life as a journalist?
- It is not that different: you have to follow the news and think as a journalist and you have a wide variety of tasks – no day is the same, says Bratholm. However she admit it was strange to sit home in Oslo during the US president election last year - Bratholm has served as a foreign correspondent in both Washington D.C and New York.
Responsibility
One of Eva Bratholm's important tasks in Norad is to make Norwegian foreign aid more visible.
- Norway spends a lot of money on development cooperation, but it is not as visible as we want it to be in the public life. We hope to create more debate, more involvement and discussion; we want people to be critical to the work we do. Norwegians in general appreciate the fact that our country support developing cooperation and gives one percent of our BNP in aid. But this is the tax payers’ money – and we have a responsibility to show where we succeed and where we don’t succeed. The results are important. This is a clear strategy from Norad.
Proud heritage
What is your impression of Ethiopia?
- The poverty strikes me and at the same time this country’s proud past. When I went to the Piazza yesterday it was like walking in a Middle Eastern country, very fascinating indeed. The contrast between the poverty I see – and at the same time this proud heritage without the colonial past is interesting, says Bratholm.