ADDIS ABABA / Ethiopia, 18 June 2025: With a view to modernize its agricultural sector, Ethiopia has secured a $3 million grant to implement its ambitious Digital Agriculture Roadmap (DAR). The funding, provided by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, will support the establishment of a Project Management Unit (PMU) under a new partnership between the Ministry of Agriculture (MoA) and international non-profit organization Precision Development (PxD).
The two-year initiative, set to run from December 2025 to February 2027, was formalized this week through a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed by Ethiopia’s Minister of Agriculture, H.E. Dr. Girma Amente, and PxD Chief Executive Officer Niriksha Shetty. The signing ceremony marked a significant step in Ethiopia’s efforts to harness digital innovation to increase agricultural productivity, build climate resilience, and ensure long-term sustainability for millions of smallholder farmers.
Under the agreement, PxD will take the lead in operationalizing the PMU, providing strategic oversight, technical expertise, and monitoring support for the roadmap’s implementation. The unit will coordinate various digital agriculture initiatives across Ethiopia, streamline collaboration among stakeholders, and support the development of scalable, data-driven tools for farmers.
“The implementation of the Digital Agriculture Roadmap is vital for our transformation goals,” said Dr. Amente. “This collaboration reflects our strong commitment to using technology to empower farmers and improve the performance of Ethiopia’s agriculture sector.”
PxD’s Niriksha Shetty emphasized the transformative potential of digital tools in driving inclusive growth. “We are honored to work with the Ethiopian government to turn this vision into reality,” she said. “Our goal is to ensure that digital solutions are practical, accessible, and impactful for farmers across Ethiopia.”
The initiative aligns with Ethiopia’s broader national strategy to modernize agriculture, improve service delivery to farmers, and reduce rural poverty. With agriculture employing over 70 percent of the population, digital transformation in this sector is expected to generate widespread socio-economic benefits.
By centralizing digital agriculture efforts through the PMU, Ethiopia aims to accelerate innovation across the agricultural value chain—from input distribution and advisory services to market access and climate-smart farming techniques. The project also places strong emphasis on monitoring and learning, ensuring that best practices can be replicated and scaled.
This partnership between the Ethiopian government and PxD, backed by Gates Foundation funding, positions Ethiopia as one of the leading African nations taking concrete steps toward building a digitally enabled and farmer-centric agricultural economy.
