Ethiopia sees some debt cancelled

Ethiopia says it spends up to $100m servicing debt

The Paris Club of rich lending nations has agreed to cancel $758m (£419m) of Ethiopian debt to help end poverty and promote growth in the country.

The write-off is part of the Heavily Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) initiative to reduce the debt of the world's poorest nations.

Ethiopia's debts were estimated to be $6.8bn by the International Monetary Fund in 2003.

Ethiopia says it pays up to $100m a year in servicing what it owes.

Reform welcomed

The Paris club said Ethiopia's outstanding debt now stands at $153m.

Hard-hit by drought, famine, epidemics and wars, Ethiopia remains one of the poorest countries in the world African Development Bank Country profile: Ethiopia

"Paris Club creditors welcomed Ethiopia's determination to implement a broad-based and rigorous economic programme which should provide the basis for sustainable economic growth," the organisation said in a statement.

Australia, Austria, Belgium, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands, the Russian Federation, Sweden, the United States and Britain agreed to the deal.

The African Development Bank has also pledged to cancel $339m of Ethiopian debts, a report on the UN's news website, IRIN, said.

"Hard-hit by drought, famine, epidemics and wars, Ethiopia remains one of the poorest countries in the world," the African Development Bank has said.