Norwegian assistance to Eritrea mainly channeled through NOGs was provided during the liberation struggle, and bilateral assistance started after the liberation. The planning of several reconstruction projects was initiated in the early 1990s. Telecommunication was one of them, ref. the blue telephone boots found in the bigger towns. Other projects supported in the 1990s included mineral resource mapping, hydrocarbon exploration, human resource development in education and agriculture, support to refugees and returnees and university co-operation, as well as programmes in the culture, statistics and health sectors.
Continued support to several of these projects was well underway when the border war broke out in 1998, which caused severe delays in further progress. The setback in democratic development in 2001 caused further delays and a reluctance from the side of Norway to proceed with planning for bilateral co-operation. However, from 2001 to 2003 the assistance tripled from about NOK 41 mill in 2001 to more than NOK 152 mill in 2003. Since then the assistance has been reduced, and the total Norwegian assistance in 2010 was approx. NOK 60 mill.