WLRC Holds Induction and Evaluative Meeting with the EU Development Cooperation Programme Financial Controllers and the EKN Team

[WLRC Nov 2024]: The Water and Land Resource Center (WLRC) held a high-level induction and evaluation meeting with the European Union (EU) and the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands (EKN) Addis Ababa on November 27, 2024. The meeting, held at the WLRC Meeting Hall, aimed to assess progress made and challenges faced in the Inception Phase of the BRIGHT project activities, and the ways forward.

Following a brief introduction, the Director General of WLRC Dr. Gete Zeleke presented an overview of the BRIGHT project’s implementation, emphasizing the baseline situation assessments conducted during the inception phase.

Then, the EU Support Facility delegate Mr. Martin Vander Burgt provided a presentation on EU regulations and financial management, referencing key provisions from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA), particularly articles 2.5, 3.7, and 16 of the Contribution Agreement. He outlined the requirements for proper financial management, documentation, reports, including the need for updated logical frameworks, activity summaries, and financial documents such as audit reports.

The meeting proved to be a valuable opportunity to ensure compliance with EU and EKN requirements for both activity and financial planning and reporting. The meeting was attended by WLRC technical staff, management members, and key EKN and EU delegates, including Mr. Aytenew Tatek (Policy Officer, EKN), Mr. Jelmer Van Veen (First Secretary, EKN), Mr. Tsegaye Gelgelo (Financial Advisor, EKN), Mr. Martin Vander Burgt, Hans Angenent, EU Controller, and Bernard Jaspers Fayer from the EU-Support Facility. The meeting provided important insights that foster closer cooperation between the BRIGHT project stakeholders and the funding institutions.