Eritrea

Poverty Reduction:

Relatively, Eritrea is a poor country with an estimated annual GNP per capita of USD 200. The Country’s key socio-economic and demographic indicators depict the prevalence of low standards of living and income, and inadequate basic social services in health, education, and social protection.

In Eritrea, the poor constitute about two-thirds of the population of the Country and slightly more than one-third of them are extreme poor i.e., below the poverty line. The incidence of poverty is slightly higher among women. About 65 % of the poor live in rural areas and the incidence of poverty in Asmara is slightly more than 50%. The highest incidence of poverty in the Country prevails in small towns with 81% of the population below the poverty line.
The Government of Eritrea, with the assistance of UNDP and Capacity 21, has prepared a draft Interim Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper (I-PRSP) and a Food Security Strategy (FSS).

The principal long-term objectives of Eritrea's poverty reduction strategy is to achieve rapid, balanced and sustainable economic growth with social equity, that translates into improved standard of life for all citizens of the Country.

On-going Projects

1. 00071222 Food Security and Sustainable Livelihood Programme in Zoba Maekel
   The programme focuses to develop actions geared to enhance food security and related livelihood schemes. The programme aims to support national and regional structures including local communities to strengthen their capacities for the attainment of food security. The programme involves the construction of medium-and-micro-dams and irrigation schemes, provision of improved agricultural inputs; bee, dairy and poultry development; training and micro-finance, etc. Overall, programme aims to improve the lives of the targeted rural communities through integrated development interventions.

Closed Projects

1. 00061470 Improving Fishing Communities’ Livelihoods To Enhance National Food Security
   The programme aims to enhance food security at the household level by leveraging community-based productivity, and promoting government’s capacity to import food, to reduce national food requirement gaps in exchange of fish exports. The development of artisanal fishing and promotion of fish eating habits across the country are also the focus of the programme.
2. 00012446 Anseba Local Development Project
   The prime objective of the project is to reduce the state of poverty in the Region of Anseba through the installation of participatory planning process and efficient public service delivery as a basis for sustained self-development. The main components of the project are anchored on human and institutional capacity development complemented with the implementation of community –based micro-projects.
3. 00060654 Youth Employment Skills Development, Phase II
   The project is designed to create tangible and practical work and entrepreneurship skills among vulnerable youth in the drought and war affected areas of the country. It focuses in Keren (Anseba Region) and Barentu (Gash Barka Region) where there are high potential business activities with potential opportunities for employment. The project is meant to create employment opportunities for the youth through on job training supported by face-to-face training, which is the most appropriate way of acquiring practical work skills in a short period of time.
4. 00031504 Capacity Building of the Ministry of National Development, Phase I
   The project aims at supporting the Government in building the capacity of the newly established Ministry of National Development so as to better manage the complex task of planning and coordination at the national, sectoral, and regional levels and strengthening the capacity of the Ministry of Energy and Mines to effectively regulate exploitation of mineral resources and conduct negotiating of mining contracts with prospective investors. Also, the project aims to strengthen the planning and budgeting capacities of other sector ministries.