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Charges Against Civilian, Military Leaders of TPLF Dropped: Ministry of Justice
Mar 30, 2023 160
Addis Ababa March 30/2023(ENA) The charges against civilian and military leaders of TPLF are dropped, a statement issued by Ministry of Justice disclosed today. In line with the peace agreement signed between the federal government and the Tigray People's Liberation Front, it has been agreed that crimes related to the conflict should be dealt with in the framework of transitional justice by taking into account international experiences, the statement noted. Therefore, it has been found necessary to drop the charges against the civilian and military leaders of TPLF accused of suspected crimes. Their cases would be dealt within the framework of transitional justice, it added. Therefore, the criminal charges that were presented in this regard and were in the process legal proceedings have been dropped in accordance with Article 6 (3) of Proclamation 943/2008.
"Dine for Generation" Initiative Would Significantly Contribute to Nation Building, Tourism Dev't: State Minister
Mar 30, 2023 140
Addis Ababa March 30/2023(ENA)The launching of "Dine for Generation" projects would significantly contribute to nation building and tourism development, Tourism State Minister Selamawit Dawit told ENA. Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed has announced this week that 8 tourism sites would be launched soon under the "Dine for Generation" initiative. The envisioned projects will be built in Afar, Amhara, Benishangul-Gumuz, Oromia, SNNP, Somali, and South West regions. Out of the 8 projects, 2 are going to be built by the private developers, it was learned. According to Tourism State Minister Selamawit Dawit, the projects would bring multifaceted social, economic, and political benefits to the country. However, she noted that the tourism sector has not flourished as expected due to inadequate facilities and infrastructures even if Ethiopia has both the potential and the capacity to develop and benefit from the sector. The projects to be built in selected sites where the environment is rich either in nature or culture would enable the sector to flourish, Selamawit added. Jobs, foreign currency, and good image are among the advantages the country would get from the development of the projects. The state minister stressed that being a country endowed with various types of heritages, culture, history and natural beauty, Ethiopia could significantly boost its tourism potential. With better facilities and infrastructures, they are also expected to create tourist boom, according to Selamawit. Noting that Ethiopia has various UNESCO inscribed historical and natural heritages, she underscored that developing new destinations would inspire tourists to visit Ethiopia. The would-be tourist destinations, together with the restoration of peace in the northern part of the country, will also help Ethiopia to become among the most attractive countries to tourists.
Int'l Community Providing Support To Nation's Effort of Lasting Peace: MFA
Mar 30, 2023 130
Addis Ababa March 30/2023(ENA) Following the Pretoria peace agreement, the international community is rendering support to the efforts of Ethiopia for ensuring sustainable peace, Spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Ambassador Meles Alem said. In a bi-weekly press briefing he gave to journalists today, Ambassador Meles Alem said Ethiopia is striving to consolidate peace and pursue strong economic diplomacy. He explained that after the Pretoria peace agreement, the government has carried out various activities including restoration of basic services, delivering humanitarian supplies which would consolidate peace. Accordingly, the international community expressed commitment to supporting Ethiopia's effort to achieve complete peace. “We need to strengthen relations with long term development partners. The relations with international organization are very good. They have demonstrated commitment to further strengthening the efforts of consolidating peace in the country,” he said. He added that the efforts being underway in ensuring peace have attracted the flow of many tourists to the country and this would also create good opportunity to lure investments to the country. Talking of the country's bilateral relations with the Middle East, EU and USA, the ambassador said that ties are very good and efforts are also underway to further strengthen them. In particular, the ambassador pointed out that the relations between Ethiopia and the Middle East are very strong and historical noting that they are among many countries which have been supporting Ethiopia's reform programs; the two sides have enjoyed strong economic and political ties. He also said Ethiopia-US relations are improving. As a result, he revealed that the Ethio-American Business Forum will be held next month. With regard to relations with neighboring countries, Ethiopia's foreign diplomacy gives priority to work together with them for peace, stability and shared prosperity. In this regard, the country is working in collaboration with its neighboring countries for mutual benefits. In citizen diplomacy, the spokesperson said some 125 thousand citizens who were in dire condition have been repatriated from Saudi Arabia in one year, he said, noting that this number doesn't include citizens repatriated from different African countries.
AUC, Nutrition International Launch Advocacy Campaign on Reducing Malnutrition in Adolescent Girls
Mar 30, 2023 104
Addis Ababa March 30/2023 (ENA) The African Union Commission (AUC) and Nutrition International join forces to launch advocacy campaign focused on reducing malnutrition particularly in adolescent girls, the press release issued by the AUC said. Department of the African Union Commission and Nutrition International launched “With Good Nutrition, She’ll Grow Into It”, an advocacy campaign dedicated to improving the health, wellbeing and empowerment of girls in Africa through efforts to prevent iron-deficiency anaemia. The campaign was kicked off during the High-Level Dialogue on Nutrition Financing in Maseru, Lesotho. The press release pointed out that the two-year campaign aims to promote public awareness on the negative impacts of inadequate nutrition – especially iron-deficiency anaemia – on the health and education outcomes of adolescent girls, and galvanize the support of policymakers to prioritize investment in adolescent nutrition to scale up proven, low-cost, high-impact interventions for the prevention of iron-deficiency anaemia and improved nutrition education. Speaking at the launch event, Minata Samate Cessouma, the AU Commission’s Commissioner for Health, Humanitarian Affairs and Social Development, called for action advocacy for the prioritization of adolescent nutrition in AU member states. The commissioner urged member states to (among other things): prioritize adolescent nutrition in their programs and budgets, advocate for adolescent nutrition through the engagement of young people to reduce the prevalence of anaemia among girls, promote national policies and development plans that address iron-deficiency anaemia through multisectoral approaches, and mobilize resources for scale-up of proven low-cost, high-impact interventions for preventing iron-deficiency anaemia and improved nutrition education in adolescent girls. “Anaemia impairs cognitive functioning, compromises school performance, reduces productivity and affects current and future reproductive health,” said Samate. “This is why it’s imperative for all AU member states to make reducing it a priority, so that adolescent girls can reach their full potential, and be active contributors to strong, prosperous African economies.”
Sensitization Workshop on Transitional Justice Underway
Mar 30, 2023 115
Addis Ababa March 30/2023/ENA/ A sensitization workshop on transitional Justice Initiative, aimed at deliberating on the concept, practices, and stakeholders' role, is underway in Addis Ababa, at Skylight Hotel. The workshop has been co-organized by Ethiopian Civil Society Organizations Council (ECSOC) and Institute for Security Studies (ISS) as part of the country's efforts to reform and strengthen democratic institutes and lay the groundwork to sustain political stability and consolidate democracy. Ethiopia like many countries in Africa, Latin America and other continents has been experiencing political trajectory of post-conflict societies, it was indicated. Following the 2018 political transition in Ethiopia, deliberations on the need for transitional justice measures have resurfaced, it was learned. The government has also acknowledged the need to prioritize transitional justice and attempts have also been made to establish transitional Justice Framework. To this effect, the establishment of the Ethiopian Reconciliation and the Ethiopian National Dialogue commissions were mentioned as cases in point. Taking lessons from these and building upon the provisions under Article 10 (3) in the Pretoria Agreement for Lasting Peace through a Permanent Cessation of Hostilities, the Ministry of Justice has recently put out a draft policy document for a complementary transitional justice initiative. The one-day workshop has brought relevant stakeholders from federal and regional states to enhance their engagements in the transitional justice initiative, from inception to implementation.
Politics
Int'l Community Providing Support To Nation's Effort of Lasting Peace: MFA
Mar 30, 2023 130
Addis Ababa March 30/2023(ENA) Following the Pretoria peace agreement, the international community is rendering support to the efforts of Ethiopia for ensuring sustainable peace, Spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Ambassador Meles Alem said. In a bi-weekly press briefing he gave to journalists today, Ambassador Meles Alem said Ethiopia is striving to consolidate peace and pursue strong economic diplomacy. He explained that after the Pretoria peace agreement, the government has carried out various activities including restoration of basic services, delivering humanitarian supplies which would consolidate peace. Accordingly, the international community expressed commitment to supporting Ethiopia's effort to achieve complete peace. “We need to strengthen relations with long term development partners. The relations with international organization are very good. They have demonstrated commitment to further strengthening the efforts of consolidating peace in the country,” he said. He added that the efforts being underway in ensuring peace have attracted the flow of many tourists to the country and this would also create good opportunity to lure investments to the country. Talking of the country's bilateral relations with the Middle East, EU and USA, the ambassador said that ties are very good and efforts are also underway to further strengthen them. In particular, the ambassador pointed out that the relations between Ethiopia and the Middle East are very strong and historical noting that they are among many countries which have been supporting Ethiopia's reform programs; the two sides have enjoyed strong economic and political ties. He also said Ethiopia-US relations are improving. As a result, he revealed that the Ethio-American Business Forum will be held next month. With regard to relations with neighboring countries, Ethiopia's foreign diplomacy gives priority to work together with them for peace, stability and shared prosperity. In this regard, the country is working in collaboration with its neighboring countries for mutual benefits. In citizen diplomacy, the spokesperson said some 125 thousand citizens who were in dire condition have been repatriated from Saudi Arabia in one year, he said, noting that this number doesn't include citizens repatriated from different African countries.
Ethiopia, Latvia Agree to cooperate in Key Bilateral Areas
Mar 28, 2023 212
Addis Ababa March 28/2023 (ENA) Ethiopia and Latvia have agreed to cooperate in several key bilateral and multilateral areas, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ethiopia said. Director General of Europe and American Affairs Ambassador, Eshete Tilahun held political consultation with the Under-Secretary of State - Political Director at the Latvian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Andzejs Vilumsons on ways of enhancing cooperation at bilateral and multilateral venues. During the deliberations, Ambassador Eshete briefed Vilumsons on current affairs including the ongoing peace process and the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam. He said, Latvia plays an important role in the European Union as well as the Baltic Sea region stressing the need for Ethiopia and Latvia to work closely to elevate their relations. The consultation was concluded with the two sides agreeing to cooperate in key bilateral areas such as air service, agriculture, education, ICT, tourism and water resource management, ministry of foreign affairs said. They also reaffirmed the commitment of their respective Governments to work closely on global issues of mutual importance such as climate change, migration as well as peace and security.
Ethiopia Working to Solve Border Disputes Only Through Dialogue, Says Prime Minister Abiy
Mar 28, 2023 244
Addis Ababa March 28/2023 (ENA) The Government of Ethiopia is striving to solve border disputes with neighboring countries only through dialogue, Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed said today. Responding to questions from the House of People's Representatives (HPR) this morning, the premier said there has been disputes between Ethiopia and Sudan for over the past 60 years. To peacefully resolve the problem, the two countries have established ministerial commission, Abiy revealed, adding that sustainable solution could be attained after border demarcation. And to achieve permanent peace, the countries have established relations that enhance dialogue and comes up with resolutions which benefits both sides, he added. Recall that Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed and Transitional Sovereignty Council of Sudan Chairman General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan held discussion on the sidelines of the 39th IGAD Summit in Nairobi, Kenya, and they agreed to resolve issues through dialogue. The leaders discussed bilateral and regional issues and agreed to work together to solve differences between Ethiopia and Sudan peacefully. The PM, responding to a question related to the border with South Sudan, he said the Government of South Sudan doesn’t have the intention to attack Ethiopia and invade border areas. However, pastoralists with over 20,000 livestock have entered into Ethiopia in search of pasture land, he pointed out. He noted that the Government of Ethiopia has been engaging South Sudan to resolve the issue through dialogue.
PM Abiy Underscores Gov't Commitment to Settling Differences With Any Group Peacefully
Mar 28, 2023 207
Addis Ababa March 28/2023 (ENA) The government of Ethiopia is committed to resolving any differences with some groups through peaceful dialogue, Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed said. The Premier responded to questions raised to him by members of the parliament on six month performance report. Government wants to peacefully resolve and end the conflict induced by Shene, which has caused numerous destruction for the last couple of years, Abiy pointed out. According to him, Executive Committee of the Prosperity Party (PP) has set up a committee led by its vice-president that will oversea the peaceful talks with Shene. Discussions have been attempted with Shene over 10 times in the last two months, the premier said adding what made it difficult though is that it is a dispersed force, where different segments of the force come up with different stand and position. PM Abiy noted “we will work hard to resolve the issue through a peaceful dialogue.” Furthermore, Abiy said that better results have also been attained in the discussions with Beni Shangul Gumez, Gambella, and Qimant, Agew Shengo though some works still remain.
Ethiopia Enjoying Much Better Peace, Stability than Six Months Ago
Mar 28, 2023 241
Addis Ababa March 28/2023 (ENA) Ethiopia is currently enjoying a much better peace and stability than six months ago, Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed told members of the House of People's Representatives. Responding to the many questions related to peace and instability raised at the 11th regular session of the House of People's Representative today, Abiy said, though relative, the peace in Ethiopia has now largely improved, particularly in the past eight months. The end of the war in the north is one big steps to the improvement of peace in Ethiopia, he stated, adding that more efforts are needed to ensure complete peace in the country and that requires strong collaboration of the government and the people of Ethiopia. According to the premier, it would be naive to expect complete peace right after the end of the war as the post-war situations could not be healed immediately. Noting the destructive activities of some actors challenging the peace efforts in the country, he said that there are people who deliberately instigate conflict and instill instability in the minds of the people by fabrication. The premier pointed out that there is an old political attitude that has been in practice for over 50 and 60 years which is intrinsically related with conspiracy and violence instead of dialogue. He also criticized media outlets that instigate conflict and advised the audience to be selective. “We strongly believe that peace is very important. Peace requires bravery just like war. Peace cannot be realized without efforts. Positive peace cannot be attained with force. Since saving the life of one person is also about peace, we have to work in line with this motive,” the PM stressed.
Premier Abiy Responding to Questions from House of People's Representatives
Mar 28, 2023 209
Addis Ababa March 28/2023 (ENA) Prime Minister, Abiy Ahmed is responding to questions put to him by members of the parliament (MPs) at the 11th regular session of House of People's Representatives (HPR) in connection with the six-month performance report of the government. During the regular sessions, the representatives have raised a number of issues, among others, shortages of infrastructure facilities such as roads, electricity in some parts of the country; rising cost of living and inflation, economic development, impacts of climate change and drought-induced impacts as well as the efforts underway to mitigate drought in pastoral community. The premier is presently responding live to the questions raised by the members of the parliament.
Kazakhstan Keen to Deepen Cooperation with Ethiopia: Ambassador Barlybay
Mar 27, 2023 255
Addis Ababa March 27/2023/ENA/Kazakhstan Ambassador to Ethiopia and Permanent Representative to the African Union, Barlybay Sadykov said his country is desirous to deepen its cooperation with Ethiopia in various areas. In an exclusive interview with ENA, Kazakhstan ambassador Barlybay Sadykov said trade, investment, science and technology as well as cultural cooperation are the areas where the two countries can work together. In this regard, the ambassador said that the embassy will hold a number of events to develop bilateral trade with Ethiopia. Ethiopia and Kazakhstan are currently enjoying excellent relations, stressing that the need to strengthen cooperation in various areas. “Our relations, I would characterize as excellent and promising. We have common stance on many international and regional issues. We closely cooperate on international arena especially within the United Nations. And we have many promising areas where we can cooperate especially in the trade and economic sphere,” he said. Recently we had consultations of representatives of the parliaments and Institute of Strategic Studies of the two countries, he added. "We are planning to have trip for Ethiopian business people to Kazakhstan to participate at the international Astana Forum, which will take place on 8-9 of June in Astana. So, there are a lot of areas we can deepen and elevate our cooperation to a new level,” the ambassador said. He added that the forum will discuss global issues among others, economy, trade and climate change. He underscored that the two countries have all the possibilities to increase their areas of cooperation in various spheres. The ambassador conveyed message to the Ethiopian business community to explore possibilities in Kazakhstan as there are greater opportunities for cooperation. The Embassy of Kazakhstan in Ethiopia has been functioning since December 23, 2014.
PM Abiy To Present Six Month Gov't Report to Parliament Tomorrow
Mar 27, 2023 274
Addis Ababa March 27/2023/ENA/ Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed will present the government's six month performance report to the House of Peoples Representatives tomorrow. The house will hear the report of the premier on its 11th regular meeting tomorrow. The Prime Minister is expected to respond to questions raised from members of the parliament on various national issues.
Politics
Int'l Community Providing Support To Nation's Effort of Lasting Peace: MFA
Mar 30, 2023 130
Addis Ababa March 30/2023(ENA) Following the Pretoria peace agreement, the international community is rendering support to the efforts of Ethiopia for ensuring sustainable peace, Spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Ambassador Meles Alem said. In a bi-weekly press briefing he gave to journalists today, Ambassador Meles Alem said Ethiopia is striving to consolidate peace and pursue strong economic diplomacy. He explained that after the Pretoria peace agreement, the government has carried out various activities including restoration of basic services, delivering humanitarian supplies which would consolidate peace. Accordingly, the international community expressed commitment to supporting Ethiopia's effort to achieve complete peace. “We need to strengthen relations with long term development partners. The relations with international organization are very good. They have demonstrated commitment to further strengthening the efforts of consolidating peace in the country,” he said. He added that the efforts being underway in ensuring peace have attracted the flow of many tourists to the country and this would also create good opportunity to lure investments to the country. Talking of the country's bilateral relations with the Middle East, EU and USA, the ambassador said that ties are very good and efforts are also underway to further strengthen them. In particular, the ambassador pointed out that the relations between Ethiopia and the Middle East are very strong and historical noting that they are among many countries which have been supporting Ethiopia's reform programs; the two sides have enjoyed strong economic and political ties. He also said Ethiopia-US relations are improving. As a result, he revealed that the Ethio-American Business Forum will be held next month. With regard to relations with neighboring countries, Ethiopia's foreign diplomacy gives priority to work together with them for peace, stability and shared prosperity. In this regard, the country is working in collaboration with its neighboring countries for mutual benefits. In citizen diplomacy, the spokesperson said some 125 thousand citizens who were in dire condition have been repatriated from Saudi Arabia in one year, he said, noting that this number doesn't include citizens repatriated from different African countries.
Ethiopia, Latvia Agree to cooperate in Key Bilateral Areas
Mar 28, 2023 212
Addis Ababa March 28/2023 (ENA) Ethiopia and Latvia have agreed to cooperate in several key bilateral and multilateral areas, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ethiopia said. Director General of Europe and American Affairs Ambassador, Eshete Tilahun held political consultation with the Under-Secretary of State - Political Director at the Latvian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Andzejs Vilumsons on ways of enhancing cooperation at bilateral and multilateral venues. During the deliberations, Ambassador Eshete briefed Vilumsons on current affairs including the ongoing peace process and the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam. He said, Latvia plays an important role in the European Union as well as the Baltic Sea region stressing the need for Ethiopia and Latvia to work closely to elevate their relations. The consultation was concluded with the two sides agreeing to cooperate in key bilateral areas such as air service, agriculture, education, ICT, tourism and water resource management, ministry of foreign affairs said. They also reaffirmed the commitment of their respective Governments to work closely on global issues of mutual importance such as climate change, migration as well as peace and security.
Ethiopia Working to Solve Border Disputes Only Through Dialogue, Says Prime Minister Abiy
Mar 28, 2023 244
Addis Ababa March 28/2023 (ENA) The Government of Ethiopia is striving to solve border disputes with neighboring countries only through dialogue, Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed said today. Responding to questions from the House of People's Representatives (HPR) this morning, the premier said there has been disputes between Ethiopia and Sudan for over the past 60 years. To peacefully resolve the problem, the two countries have established ministerial commission, Abiy revealed, adding that sustainable solution could be attained after border demarcation. And to achieve permanent peace, the countries have established relations that enhance dialogue and comes up with resolutions which benefits both sides, he added. Recall that Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed and Transitional Sovereignty Council of Sudan Chairman General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan held discussion on the sidelines of the 39th IGAD Summit in Nairobi, Kenya, and they agreed to resolve issues through dialogue. The leaders discussed bilateral and regional issues and agreed to work together to solve differences between Ethiopia and Sudan peacefully. The PM, responding to a question related to the border with South Sudan, he said the Government of South Sudan doesn’t have the intention to attack Ethiopia and invade border areas. However, pastoralists with over 20,000 livestock have entered into Ethiopia in search of pasture land, he pointed out. He noted that the Government of Ethiopia has been engaging South Sudan to resolve the issue through dialogue.
PM Abiy Underscores Gov't Commitment to Settling Differences With Any Group Peacefully
Mar 28, 2023 207
Addis Ababa March 28/2023 (ENA) The government of Ethiopia is committed to resolving any differences with some groups through peaceful dialogue, Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed said. The Premier responded to questions raised to him by members of the parliament on six month performance report. Government wants to peacefully resolve and end the conflict induced by Shene, which has caused numerous destruction for the last couple of years, Abiy pointed out. According to him, Executive Committee of the Prosperity Party (PP) has set up a committee led by its vice-president that will oversea the peaceful talks with Shene. Discussions have been attempted with Shene over 10 times in the last two months, the premier said adding what made it difficult though is that it is a dispersed force, where different segments of the force come up with different stand and position. PM Abiy noted “we will work hard to resolve the issue through a peaceful dialogue.” Furthermore, Abiy said that better results have also been attained in the discussions with Beni Shangul Gumez, Gambella, and Qimant, Agew Shengo though some works still remain.
Ethiopia Enjoying Much Better Peace, Stability than Six Months Ago
Mar 28, 2023 241
Addis Ababa March 28/2023 (ENA) Ethiopia is currently enjoying a much better peace and stability than six months ago, Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed told members of the House of People's Representatives. Responding to the many questions related to peace and instability raised at the 11th regular session of the House of People's Representative today, Abiy said, though relative, the peace in Ethiopia has now largely improved, particularly in the past eight months. The end of the war in the north is one big steps to the improvement of peace in Ethiopia, he stated, adding that more efforts are needed to ensure complete peace in the country and that requires strong collaboration of the government and the people of Ethiopia. According to the premier, it would be naive to expect complete peace right after the end of the war as the post-war situations could not be healed immediately. Noting the destructive activities of some actors challenging the peace efforts in the country, he said that there are people who deliberately instigate conflict and instill instability in the minds of the people by fabrication. The premier pointed out that there is an old political attitude that has been in practice for over 50 and 60 years which is intrinsically related with conspiracy and violence instead of dialogue. He also criticized media outlets that instigate conflict and advised the audience to be selective. “We strongly believe that peace is very important. Peace requires bravery just like war. Peace cannot be realized without efforts. Positive peace cannot be attained with force. Since saving the life of one person is also about peace, we have to work in line with this motive,” the PM stressed.
Premier Abiy Responding to Questions from House of People's Representatives
Mar 28, 2023 209
Addis Ababa March 28/2023 (ENA) Prime Minister, Abiy Ahmed is responding to questions put to him by members of the parliament (MPs) at the 11th regular session of House of People's Representatives (HPR) in connection with the six-month performance report of the government. During the regular sessions, the representatives have raised a number of issues, among others, shortages of infrastructure facilities such as roads, electricity in some parts of the country; rising cost of living and inflation, economic development, impacts of climate change and drought-induced impacts as well as the efforts underway to mitigate drought in pastoral community. The premier is presently responding live to the questions raised by the members of the parliament.
Kazakhstan Keen to Deepen Cooperation with Ethiopia: Ambassador Barlybay
Mar 27, 2023 255
Addis Ababa March 27/2023/ENA/Kazakhstan Ambassador to Ethiopia and Permanent Representative to the African Union, Barlybay Sadykov said his country is desirous to deepen its cooperation with Ethiopia in various areas. In an exclusive interview with ENA, Kazakhstan ambassador Barlybay Sadykov said trade, investment, science and technology as well as cultural cooperation are the areas where the two countries can work together. In this regard, the ambassador said that the embassy will hold a number of events to develop bilateral trade with Ethiopia. Ethiopia and Kazakhstan are currently enjoying excellent relations, stressing that the need to strengthen cooperation in various areas. “Our relations, I would characterize as excellent and promising. We have common stance on many international and regional issues. We closely cooperate on international arena especially within the United Nations. And we have many promising areas where we can cooperate especially in the trade and economic sphere,” he said. Recently we had consultations of representatives of the parliaments and Institute of Strategic Studies of the two countries, he added. "We are planning to have trip for Ethiopian business people to Kazakhstan to participate at the international Astana Forum, which will take place on 8-9 of June in Astana. So, there are a lot of areas we can deepen and elevate our cooperation to a new level,” the ambassador said. He added that the forum will discuss global issues among others, economy, trade and climate change. He underscored that the two countries have all the possibilities to increase their areas of cooperation in various spheres. The ambassador conveyed message to the Ethiopian business community to explore possibilities in Kazakhstan as there are greater opportunities for cooperation. The Embassy of Kazakhstan in Ethiopia has been functioning since December 23, 2014.
PM Abiy To Present Six Month Gov't Report to Parliament Tomorrow
Mar 27, 2023 274
Addis Ababa March 27/2023/ENA/ Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed will present the government's six month performance report to the House of Peoples Representatives tomorrow. The house will hear the report of the premier on its 11th regular meeting tomorrow. The Prime Minister is expected to respond to questions raised from members of the parliament on various national issues.
Social
Charges Against Civilian, Military Leaders of TPLF Dropped: Ministry of Justice
Mar 30, 2023 160
Addis Ababa March 30/2023(ENA) The charges against civilian and military leaders of TPLF are dropped, a statement issued by Ministry of Justice disclosed today. In line with the peace agreement signed between the federal government and the Tigray People's Liberation Front, it has been agreed that crimes related to the conflict should be dealt with in the framework of transitional justice by taking into account international experiences, the statement noted. Therefore, it has been found necessary to drop the charges against the civilian and military leaders of TPLF accused of suspected crimes. Their cases would be dealt within the framework of transitional justice, it added. Therefore, the criminal charges that were presented in this regard and were in the process legal proceedings have been dropped in accordance with Article 6 (3) of Proclamation 943/2008.
Sensitization Workshop on Transitional Justice Underway
Mar 30, 2023 115
Addis Ababa March 30/2023/ENA/ A sensitization workshop on transitional Justice Initiative, aimed at deliberating on the concept, practices, and stakeholders' role, is underway in Addis Ababa, at Skylight Hotel. The workshop has been co-organized by Ethiopian Civil Society Organizations Council (ECSOC) and Institute for Security Studies (ISS) as part of the country's efforts to reform and strengthen democratic institutes and lay the groundwork to sustain political stability and consolidate democracy. Ethiopia like many countries in Africa, Latin America and other continents has been experiencing political trajectory of post-conflict societies, it was indicated. Following the 2018 political transition in Ethiopia, deliberations on the need for transitional justice measures have resurfaced, it was learned. The government has also acknowledged the need to prioritize transitional justice and attempts have also been made to establish transitional Justice Framework. To this effect, the establishment of the Ethiopian Reconciliation and the Ethiopian National Dialogue commissions were mentioned as cases in point. Taking lessons from these and building upon the provisions under Article 10 (3) in the Pretoria Agreement for Lasting Peace through a Permanent Cessation of Hostilities, the Ministry of Justice has recently put out a draft policy document for a complementary transitional justice initiative. The one-day workshop has brought relevant stakeholders from federal and regional states to enhance their engagements in the transitional justice initiative, from inception to implementation.
Gov’t Exerting Efforts to Improve Education, Health Sectors: PM Abiy
Mar 28, 2023 169
Addis Ababa March 28/2023 (ENA) Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed disclosed that the government of Ethiopia has been working hard to improve the education and health sectors of the country. During the House of People’s Representatives 11 Regular meeting Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed has responded to questions raised by members of the parliament. The Prime Minister on the occasion said the government has been working hard in the social sectors. Abiy stressed the need to do more in the education and health sectors and anti-corruption campaign in Ethiopia. According to him, the government has carried out various activities to improve the services delivery of the education and health sectors, but more is needed to be done. Stating that the Ministry of Education has been implementing the education road map prepared four years ago, the Prime Minister said it is undertaking broad reforms accordingly. Based on the road map, the government is expanding educational facilities and improving educational services quality in lower levels, including kindergarten, primary and secondary schools. In the health sector, he pointed out; effort is continuing to expand basic health institutions and supply of medicines. Although foreign currency shortage is obstructing laboratories and pharmaceutical supply, the government and private sector are doing various works to address the challenges and more work is needed in the sector, he added. Moreover, the government is also embarking on the fight against corruption despite some challenges in fighting the complex corruption issue in Ethiopia. But the fight against corruption will continue to strengthen at any cost, the Prime Minister added.
Al Basar International Foundation Providing Free Eye Treatment Service at Alert Hospital
Mar 18, 2023 267
Addis Ababa March 18/2023 /ENA/ Al Basar International Foundation launched a volunteer service program to provide free eye check-up and cataract surgery at Alert Hospital. Some 10, 000 residents are expected to benefit from physical examination of eye treatment and about 400 cases to be operated for cataract starting from March 17, 2023. Manager of Medical Team of Al Basar International Foundation, Farhruddin Dakhan said the objective of the volunteer to Ethiopia is to provide free eye services to the people suffering of eye blindness. He added that in the future the organization plans to go out through Ethiopia and look forward to have permanent base in Addis Ababa for sustainable and quality eye care service. Speaking at the occasion, senior advisor to the Ministry of Health Dr. Daniel Gebremichael on his part said we have been working with Al Basir Foundation for more than two decades and more than half million people benefited because of this foundation. More than 50 thousand cataract surgeries have been carried out on our patients for free, enabling more than 50 thousand Ethiopians to have recovered from their sight problems.. He explained that this is very important humanitarian activities, in this round, more than 30 thousand patients will be benefited from this mission. Last week, they were in Jimma and Worabe Hospital where more than 20 thousand patients received medical treatment especially with eye drops., he said. “In Ethiopia we have around 1.5 million people with low vision; most of them are because of cataract and trachoma. And cataract is actually the leading cause of blindness in Ethiopia and elsewhere in developing countries which can be prevented with simple surgical service,” he said. According to the advisor, given the number of cataract centers we have and the number of ophthalmology in the country, we have huge backlogs, where we need support from partners like Al Baser and others to support the people in need of recovery from sight problems. As we have only five tertiary centers for eye surgery, we need support to build hospital in Addis and elsewhere. Head of the Department of ophthalmology of Alert Hospital, Dr. Solomon Bussa on his part said it is for the third time that this organization is coming and doing cataract surgery and management of ophthalmologic disease.
Economy
"Dine for Generation" Initiative Would Significantly Contribute to Nation Building, Tourism Dev't: State Minister
Mar 30, 2023 140
Addis Ababa March 30/2023(ENA)The launching of "Dine for Generation" projects would significantly contribute to nation building and tourism development, Tourism State Minister Selamawit Dawit told ENA. Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed has announced this week that 8 tourism sites would be launched soon under the "Dine for Generation" initiative. The envisioned projects will be built in Afar, Amhara, Benishangul-Gumuz, Oromia, SNNP, Somali, and South West regions. Out of the 8 projects, 2 are going to be built by the private developers, it was learned. According to Tourism State Minister Selamawit Dawit, the projects would bring multifaceted social, economic, and political benefits to the country. However, she noted that the tourism sector has not flourished as expected due to inadequate facilities and infrastructures even if Ethiopia has both the potential and the capacity to develop and benefit from the sector. The projects to be built in selected sites where the environment is rich either in nature or culture would enable the sector to flourish, Selamawit added. Jobs, foreign currency, and good image are among the advantages the country would get from the development of the projects. The state minister stressed that being a country endowed with various types of heritages, culture, history and natural beauty, Ethiopia could significantly boost its tourism potential. With better facilities and infrastructures, they are also expected to create tourist boom, according to Selamawit. Noting that Ethiopia has various UNESCO inscribed historical and natural heritages, she underscored that developing new destinations would inspire tourists to visit Ethiopia. The would-be tourist destinations, together with the restoration of peace in the northern part of the country, will also help Ethiopia to become among the most attractive countries to tourists.
AUC, Nutrition International Launch Advocacy Campaign on Reducing Malnutrition in Adolescent Girls
Mar 30, 2023 104
Addis Ababa March 30/2023 (ENA) The African Union Commission (AUC) and Nutrition International join forces to launch advocacy campaign focused on reducing malnutrition particularly in adolescent girls, the press release issued by the AUC said. Department of the African Union Commission and Nutrition International launched “With Good Nutrition, She’ll Grow Into It”, an advocacy campaign dedicated to improving the health, wellbeing and empowerment of girls in Africa through efforts to prevent iron-deficiency anaemia. The campaign was kicked off during the High-Level Dialogue on Nutrition Financing in Maseru, Lesotho. The press release pointed out that the two-year campaign aims to promote public awareness on the negative impacts of inadequate nutrition – especially iron-deficiency anaemia – on the health and education outcomes of adolescent girls, and galvanize the support of policymakers to prioritize investment in adolescent nutrition to scale up proven, low-cost, high-impact interventions for the prevention of iron-deficiency anaemia and improved nutrition education. Speaking at the launch event, Minata Samate Cessouma, the AU Commission’s Commissioner for Health, Humanitarian Affairs and Social Development, called for action advocacy for the prioritization of adolescent nutrition in AU member states. The commissioner urged member states to (among other things): prioritize adolescent nutrition in their programs and budgets, advocate for adolescent nutrition through the engagement of young people to reduce the prevalence of anaemia among girls, promote national policies and development plans that address iron-deficiency anaemia through multisectoral approaches, and mobilize resources for scale-up of proven low-cost, high-impact interventions for preventing iron-deficiency anaemia and improved nutrition education in adolescent girls. “Anaemia impairs cognitive functioning, compromises school performance, reduces productivity and affects current and future reproductive health,” said Samate. “This is why it’s imperative for all AU member states to make reducing it a priority, so that adolescent girls can reach their full potential, and be active contributors to strong, prosperous African economies.”
Media Personnel Visit Nation's First Free Trade Zone
Mar 29, 2023 216
Addis Ababa March 29/2023 (ENA) Local media personnel drawn from various media institutions have visited the Dire Dawa Free Trade Zone, Ethiopia's first free trade zone. The aim of the visit organized by Ministry of Government Communication Service is to show to the personnel the activities at the country's first trade zone since its inauguration in August, 2021. The Dire Dawa Free Trade Zone, which includes an industrial park and a dry port, would improve trade activities, create job opportunities, enhance transfer of knowledge, and reduce logistics cost. The free trade zone is expected to contribute toward facilitating the implementation of trading under the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA). The government is working to attract more investors to the strategic free trade zone with the objective of facilitating logistics and import-export trade and boost the economy of the country. The fact that Dire Dawa City is an industrial village, possessing dry port, railway, land and air transport makes it an ideal center for a free trade zone. The Dire Dawa Free Trade Zone, Ethiopia's first free trade zone, covers an area of 4,000 hectares and includes the Dire Dawa Industrial Park and a dry port.
Ethiopia Shifts To Wheat Exporter From Being Wheat Recipient Through Relentlessly Production: Minister of Agri.
Mar 29, 2023 416
Addis Ababa March 29/2023 (ENA) Ethiopia has become wheat exporter, shifting from being wheat recipient through its relentless efforts of wheat production., Minister of Agriculture, Girma Amente said. A chapter of history —where Ethiopia used to import 17 million quintals of wheat every year, earmarking more than 700 million USD to meet its citizens' basic bread consumption, has been closed. Following the reform process, wheat cultivation, Green Legacy Initiative and recently, ye Lemat Tirufat programs are among the initiatives that have registered successful results, according to the minister. During an exclusive interview with ENA, minister Girma Amente said wheat cultivation has become a great success that has moved Ethiopia to a new height. Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed's determination and success in wheat development has transformed Ethiopia from being a wheat recipient to a foreign market supplier, the minister added. Recall that Ethiopia, which is the birthplace of wheat diversity, was not able to achieve wheat self-sufficiency and imported wheat for centuries, adding that this chapter is now closed. The minister described the determination Prime Minister Abiy demonstrated in wheat development as a turning point in the history of Ethiopia. During the 11th Ordinary session of the House of Peoples' Representatives, the premier responded to questions raised to him by members of the parliament on six month performance report on Tuesday, saying that wheat was produced more than planned during the dry and summer season. The prime minister added that wheat production exceeded domestic consumption and it was for the first time that Ethiopia exported its products to the foreign market. “We have produced more wheat than we thought. There is no wheat problem in Ethiopia. There is enough production. We have cultivated more than 1 million hectares this summer,” he noted. The agriculture minister further stated that the success recorded in wheat cultivation in the past years of reforms demonstrated the collaboration, determination and commitment of the leadership as well as research institutes and producers. He pointed out that when Ethiopia has won international recognition in wheat during the last years of reform, the role of farmers was crucial. It was possible to export wheat production beyond domestic consumption to the foreign market because of the farmers who had never seen wheat beyond consumption and aid recipient, were able to work hard. Since then we have witnessed that the farmers have the desire and motivation to produce more and use the new technologies provided by the government, Girma said.
Technology
Ethiopia, Sudan Sign MoU to Cooperate on Telecom & Digital Transformation
Mar 16, 2023 328
Addis Ababa March 16/2023 (ENA) Ethiopia's Ministry of Innovation and Technology and Sudan’s Ministry of Telecommunication and Digital Transformation have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) today to cooperate on telecommunication and digital transformation sectors. Innovation and Technology Minister Belete Mola and Sudanese Minister of Telecommunication and Digital Transformation, Adel Hassan Mohamed Hussein signed the MoU in Addis Ababa. The implementation of the agreement is expected to improve people to people relations, experience sharing and cooperation on security issues between the two countries. Innovation and Technology Minister Belete Mola said at the occasion that his ministry is committed to implement the MoU aimed at cooperating on telecommunication and digital transformation. “I was looking at the MoU,” Belete said, further pointing out, “There is strategy wise, policy wise, there is a lot that we are supposed to work together with our parallel Sudanese ministry and all other institutions around the ministry.” “We will be very much happy to make sure that the articles put in the MoU will be put into effect so to the benefit of our two sisterly countries and we will remain committed and again we are happy to have this relationship with our sister country Sudan.” The two big countries with huge potential have been playing star role in socio-political-economic affairs of the region and have to work and achieve more together not only for the benefit of the countries but also for the security and development of the region, he added. Sudanese Minister of Telecommunication and Digital Transformation, Adel Hassan Mohamed Hussein expressed readiness to start a new era of collaboration with Ethiopia. “We are so pleased to have this meeting today, to meet you and your team. Ethiopia is a sister country and we are looking forward to start a new era of collaboration. Yes, we are so close in the past, but we will be closer in the future.” The signing of the MoU by the Sudanese and Ethiopian ministries for cooperation in ICT and digital transformation is to tap into the unlimited opportunities in the field of telecom and digital transformation. “It gives me great pleasure and honor to meet you today your Excellency and witness a signing of the MoU between the government of Sudan and Ethiopia for cooperation in ICT and digital transformation.” Noting the unlimited opportunities in this field, the minister stressed the need for real cooperation and coordination. “We are looking forward to get the most benefit from this collaboration in exchanging knowledge, experience, technology, and even developing co-projects for the people of both countries.” The Sudanese minister has invited his counterpart to visit Sudan to reflect on the MoU together and incorporate it into a daily work and he accepted the invitation.
E-Government Strategy and Enterprise Architecture for Ethiopia Launched
Mar 16, 2023 437
Addis Ababa March 16/2023 (ENA) Ministry of Innovation and Technology and the Delegation of the European Union to Ethiopia launched a five-year e-Government Strategy and Enterprise Architecture for Ethiopia today. Innovation and Technology Minister Belete Molla said implementing the project will improve government services delivery, facilitate digital economy, and foster socio-economic development. “ I am sufficiently informed that the ultimate goal of this project is to enable the Government of Ethiopia to be more efficient, result oriented, and to provide citizen-centered, secure and integrated e-governance services.” According to him, the implementation of this project will go a long way to strengthen Ethiopia in the global digital economy by facilitating digital transformation for rapid, inclusive socio-economic wellbeing of our citizens. A policy framework articulated under the Digital Ethiopia 2025 Strategy is enabling utilization of digital technologies across the sectors of the economy to improve the services, Belete noted. EU Delegation to Ethiopia Economy and Infrastructure Team Leader, Sanne Willems said the Union funded the project that will be implemented by the ministry. This is part of “a large project of 10-million-Euros to support the business environment and investment climate, including e-governance services,” she added. The team leader pointed out that effective implementation of the project will enable the government to improve services delivery in an inclusive and transparent way. The project also aligns with to the SDG-16 target and contributes to the strengthening of peace and justice institutions. Willems stated that the EU and Ethiopia have been cooperating on various areas for over four decades.
Int'l Atomic Energy Agency Expresses Keenness to Enhance Cooperation with Africa in Civilian Nuclear Technology
Mar 13, 2023 440
Addis Ababa March 13/2023 (ENA) The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has expressed its interest to enhance cooperation with Africa in civilian nuclear technology, Deputy Director General and Head of the Department of Technical Cooperation, Hua Liu said. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), representatives of nearly 40 African countries including the African Regional Cooperative Agreement for Research, Development and Training Related to Nuclear Science and Technology (AFRA), are participating in the 2023 annual National Liaison Officers meeting here in Addis Ababa. The annual meeting being held under the theme, "Paradigm Shift," is aimed at enhancing the technical collaboration between African countries and IAEA. The 5-day meeting is expected to emphasize the significance of embracing change and innovation to achieve sustainable development goals through nuclear science and technology, it was learned. Speaking at the event, Deputy Director General and Head of the Department of Technical Cooperation, IAEA, Hua Liu said the meeting aims to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the technical cooperation programme in Africa. Significant progress has been made in the region in recent years, he said , adding it is essential that Africa continue its efforts to develop and implement a programme of maximum benefit to the countries Socio-economic development. According to him, IAEA has launched a number of key initiatives such as Rays of Hope, NUTEC Plastics, and the Zoonotic Disease Integrated Action (ZODIAC), which are of particular importance to the African region. The agency will continue to provide support for the new comer countries in nuclear energy, especially in small modular reactor through interregional projects, he vowed. The programmes that his agency launched is also contributing to global efforts to address climate change. Growing number of African member states are focusing their attention on nuclear power, research reactors and irradiation technology, he said, adding his agency encourage Africa to take advantage of the support that the Agency offers in these areas. "IAEA also launched a program aimed at encouraging the next generation of women nuclear professionals by offering scholarships for their master degrees in nuclear topics’, he said. Speaking at the event, Ethiopian Minister of Innovation and Technology, Dr. Belete Molla, said as a founding member of the IAEA, since its establishment in 1957, my country through the years has enhanced its collaboration with the Agency. He further stated that Ethiopia is highly committed and strongly supportive to the mandates of the Agency towards nonproliferation, nuclear safety and promoting peaceful applications of Nuclear Science and Technology for sustainable development. "We have a strong commitment of my government in collaborating and promoting technical cooperation with the Agency in key socio-economic sectors such as agriculture and food security, human health, water resource management, environment, manufacturing industry and power generation and in advancing Nuclear Science and Technology for sustainable development." Ethiopia is committed for advancing Nuclear Science and Technology for development including exploring the potential of nuclear power for electricity generation, he said. According to him, substantive measures are underway to establish the Center for Nuclear Science and Technology (CNST) through establishing an institute to sustainably manage the sector. "We are investing in research and development, constructing the necessary infrastructure, and developing policies and programs to support innovative businesses and entrepreneurs in all sectors," he added. This meeting will provide a vital platform for exchanging ideas and best practices, fostering new collaborations, and building partnerships, the minister stated. By working together, we can achieve sustainable development goals, leveraging the power of nuclear science and technology to create a more sustainable future for all, he noted. Speaking on his behalf, Director for the Division for Africa of the Department of Technical Cooperation, Professor Shaukat Abdulrazak, said our gathering here will help us find ways to share information and means, which help us produce documents and results based management. The meeting will also help us address together some of the bottlenecks, he added. Technical cooperation program is a shared responsibility, that IAEA play role, he added. The National Liaison Officers and AFRA National Coordinators meeting will remain in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia will remain open until 17 of March and expected to adopt concrete measures and actions to further improve the planning and formulation of the next Technical Cooperation cycle for 2024-2025.
Ethio-telecom Sells over 39,000 SIM Cards to Residents of Shire City
Mar 4, 2023 656
March 4/2023 Shire City Ethio-telecom Sales Center in Tigray region disclosed that it has sold over 39,000 SIM cards in the last two months alone, and collected close to two million Birr revenue from various services. Following the peace agreement, the Government of Ethiopia has been actively engaged in reconstruction and restoration of basic services in areas severely affected by the war. Accordingly, essential services like air travel, telecom, banking, electricity have been restored in the city. Shire City Ethio-Telecom Sales Center Coordinator, Andom Belay told ENA that the center has been providing services for customers, following the peace agreement. The staff of the center are working hard to meet the demand of needs of the high number of customers, he said. The coordinator stated that the center sold over 39,000 SIM cards to customers in the last two months. Moreover, the center is also providing other services, including change of SIM card, tele Birr services, 3-G Internet and broadband data sales. Thus, close to two million Birr revenue was secured from SIM card sales and other additional services, Andom added. Similarly, transportation service has been restored from Shire City to the regional capital Mekelle and other towns in the region. Passengers and drivers told ENA that the difficulty they faced during the conflict in the region has been resolved as they can travel in the region. Following the peace deal, provisions of service in the different sectors have returned to normalcy.
Sport
President Sahle-Work Holds Discussion with World Anti-Doping Agency President Bonka
Mar 29, 2023 166
Addis Ababa March 29/2023/ENA/ President Sahle-Work Zewde has received a delegation led by World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) President Witold Bonka today, according to the Office of the President. The discussion centered on the conditions under which Ethiopia and the World Anti-Doping Agency can work closely in anti-doping control and investigation, and how the organization can provide technical support, it was learned. During the discussion, Sahle-Work said that Ethiopia has a long history in athletics and is known in the world since athlete Abebe Bikila won marathon in Rome. She finally thanked the World Anti-Doping Agency for its technical support in anti-doping control.
22nd Edition of Great Ethiopian Run Colorfully Held in Addis Ababa
Nov 20, 2022 647
Addis Ababa November 20/2022/ENA/ The 22nd edition of Great Ethiopian Run was held today in Addis Ababa with participation of more than 40,000 people. President Sahle-Work Zewde, Addis Ababa Mayor, Adanech Abiebie, Minister of Culture and Tourism, Kejela Merdasa and other senior government officials as well guests including renowned Kenyan athletes and tourists attended the 10 killo Meter annual street race held at Meskel Square in the capital. The Great Ethiopian Run is the first biggest event in Africa and sixth in the world’s international street races. The Great Ethiopian Run is believed to be one of the most important events to promoting tourism in Ethiopia. It was indicated that the Great Ethiopian Run has successfully conducted more than 100 races in various cities in the country over the past years. Ethiopia's famous long-distance runner, Haile Gebrselassie founded the race in 2000.
PM Inaugurates Sport Center in Capital City
Oct 27, 2022 661
Addis Ababa October 27,2022 Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed has inaugurated a newly rebuilt sport center in Arada sub-city of Addis Ababa today. The previous "15 Meda" sport center was not conducive for physical activities. Therefore, Prime Minister Abiy took the initiative to build a new the sport center with the participation of stakeholders, it was learned. The renovated center was inaugurated today and will provide its previous services. The reconstruction of the sport center is part of the winter volunteer project, it was learned.
City Administration Expresses Gratitude to Victorious Nat'l Athletics Team
Jul 29, 2022 621
Addis Ababa July 29/2022/ENA/ The Addis Ababa City Administration held a Thanksgiving ceremony for the Ethiopian athletics team that registered stunning victory at the Oregon World Athletics Championship 2022. The athletic team, which stood second after the US in the medal list, was earlier given warm reception by President Sahle-Work Zewde at the National Palace and the outstanding members awarded. The City Administration Council of Addis Ababa also awarded 10 million Birr prize in total to the athletes who participated in the competition. In addition, the athletes who won gold, silver and bronze medals were given 500 to 250 square meters of land based on their results. Speaking on the occasion, Mayor Adanech Abebie said that the athletes have once again raised Ethiopia's honor in the world arena. "History testifies that we Ethiopians are people who do not surrender to defeat, and challenges make us stronger," she stressed. According to her, the athletes should be honored for their contribution in making the country's flag fly high in the world championships. Ethiopian Athletics Federation President, Commander Derartu Tulu said she was happy with the reception given to the athletes, stating that "the most precious gift is morale and respect we are given by the people." The Thanksgiving program was held under the theme: "We thank you for raising our flag in the world arena.” Culture and Sports Minister Kejela Merdasa, former famous athletes and various government officials attended the ceremony.
Environment
Ethiopian Airlines to Start Direct Flight to Karachi as of May
Mar 10, 2023 348
Addis Ababa (ENA) March 10/2023 Ethiopian Airlines, the largest network operating carrier in Africa, has finalized preparations to launch direct flights to Karachi, Pakistan as of 01 May 2023. According to a press release of the Airlines issued on Thursday, the upcoming flight will be operated four times a week. Commenting on the resumption of services to Karachi, Ethiopian Airlines Group CEO, Mesfin Tasew said, “we are excited to return to Karachi nearly two decades after we last served the city. As the most populous city in Pakistan, Karachi will be a crucial gateway to Pakistan and the wider South Asia region. He added that as the only flight connecting Pakistan with Africa, the planned service to Karachi will have significant contribution in strengthening the diplomatic and economic relations between the two regions. It will also offer convenient air connectivity to the growing number of Pakistani investors in Africa as well as tourists, the CEO said. Karachi will be the 37th destination of Ethiopian Airlines in Asia. Currently, Ethiopian is serving more than 145 domestic and international passenger and cargo destinations. Ethiopian Airlines (Ethiopian) is the fastest growing Airline in Africa. In its seventy-six plus years of operation, Ethiopian has become one of the continent’s leading carriers, unrivalled in efficiency and operational success.
Ethiopia Doing Well in Planting Trees, Minimizing Desertification: AU Commissioner Sacko
Feb 17, 2023 634
Addis Ababa February 17/2013 /ENA/ Ethiopia is doing well in environmental protection and minimizing desertification through its Green Legacy of planting billions of trees, AU Agriculture, Rural Development, Blue Economy, and Sustainable Environment Commissioner Ambassador Josefa Leonel Sacko said. In an exclusive interview with ENA, Commissioner Sacko commended Ethiopia’s Green Legacy initiated by Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed. “I commend the government of Ethiopia that is doing so well in planting trees because it is very important. By planting trees we can minimize the desertification and we can also stimulate the rain and mitigate the effect of drought on the continent,” she applauded. Rooted in a vision of building a green and climate-resilient Ethiopia, the Green Legacy Initiative was launched in June 2019. A target of planting 20 billion seedlings within a period of four years was set. By the fourth year, Ethiopia has succeeded in planting 25 billion seedlings by mobilizing more than 20 million citizens throughout the nation. The Green Legacy Initiative is a demonstration of Ethiopia’s long-term commitment to a multifaceted response to the impacts of climate change and environmental degradation that encompasses agroforestry, forest sector development, greening and renewal of urban areas, and integrated water and soil resources management. AU Agriculture, Rural Development, Blue Economy, and Sustainable Environment Commissioner urged African countries to follow suit and align their programs with African Union Commission as well. Speaking of Ethiopia’s wheat exporting with regard to food security, the Commissioner said that African countries should notice the essentiality of agriculture to secure food efficiency. “I commend Ethiopia for cultivating wheat and we know that there is a very good lesson for the countries and should follow the example of Ethiopia that have the ecological advantage to grow wheat in their countries,” Commissioner Sacko noted. Ethiopia is set to export 1.2 million quintals of wheat bumper harvest during this year, the Ministry of Trade and Regional Integration announced last week.
Ethiopia Doing Well in Planting Trees, Minimizing Desertification: AU Commissioner Sacko
Feb 16, 2023 643
Addis Ababa (ENA) February 16/2023 Ethiopia is doing well in environmental protection and minimizing desertification through its Green Legacy of planting billions of trees, AU Agriculture, Rural Development, Blue Economy, and Sustainable Environment Commissioner Ambassador Josefa Leonel Sacko said. In an exclusive interview with ENA, Commissioner Sacko commended Ethiopia’s Green Legacy initiated by Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed. “I commend the government of Ethiopia that is doing so well in planting trees because it is very important. By planting trees we can minimize the desertification and we can also stimulate the rain and mitigate the effect of drought on the continent,” she applauded. Rooted in a vision of building a green and climate-resilient Ethiopia, the Green Legacy Initiative was launched in June 2019. A target of planting 20 billion seedlings within a period of four years was set. By the fourth year, Ethiopia has succeeded in planting 25 billion seedlings by mobilizing more than 20 million citizens throughout the nation. The Green Legacy Initiative is a demonstration of Ethiopia’s long-term commitment to a multifaceted response to the impacts of climate change and environmental degradation that encompasses agroforestry, forest sector development, greening and renewal of urban areas, and integrated water and soil resources management. AU Agriculture, Rural Development, Blue Economy, and Sustainable Environment Commissioner urged African countries to follow suit and align their programs with African Union Commission as well. Speaking of Ethiopia’s wheat exporting with regard to food security, the Commissioner said that African countries should notice the essentiality of agriculture to secure food efficiency. “I commend Ethiopia for cultivating wheat and we know that there is a very good lesson for the countries and should follow the example of Ethiopia that have the ecological advantage to grow wheat in their countries,” Commissioner Sacko noted. Ethiopia is set to export 1.2 million quintals of wheat bumper harvest during this year, the Ministry of Trade and Regional Integration announced last week.
World Meteorological Organization to Enhance Digital Transformation of Hydrometeorological Services in Africa
Feb 13, 2023 626
Addis Ababa /ENA/ February 13/2023 The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) in collaboration with the Ethiopian Meteorological Institute (EMI) is holding its regional conference to enhance digital transformation of the hydrometeorological services in Africa. The use of modern digital technology has unexploited potential to offer through the value chain of climate services including in fields such as data collection, dissemination and personalization of services. Addressing the occasion, State Minister of Water and Energy Abraha Adugna said the information from meteorology and climate is basic parameters to achieve the nation’s ambitions in various fronts. Stating that lots of experiences will be shared among countries in the conference; he said “As Ethiopians, we will use those experiences for the next development plans.” “We are running a climate resilient green economy. That is one of the areas that we need information from climate and meteorology.” “For this and other purposes we need information from climate and meteorology. So the workshop will give the opportunity to get the good experiences from African countries as well as from other countries around the world.” WMO assistant Secretary General Wenjian Zhang said for his part African region permanent representatives meet together which they can address the challenges, and opportunities from their country’s perspective. For the assistant Secretary General, he expects the conference to promote further the partnership with regional key partners. The main objective of the conference is to strengthen observation network. Observation network is used to enhance and deliver meteorological and hydrological services, the Director General of Ethiopian Meteorological Institute Fetene Teshome said. He further stressed that the discussion mainly focuses on how can we strengthen the service delivery system in Africa. The 5 days conference will draw a strategic plan to enhance the capacities of hydrometeorological services in Africa and partnerships on infrastructural strength of national meteorological and hydrological services. Accordingly, the conference with the participation of global and regional experts and decision makers from Africa will discuss partnerships in enhancing communication in service delivery, capacity development, research and innovation and early warning in Africa. It is to be recalled that United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres had unveiled its early warnings for all: Executive action plan 2023–2027 that calls for a targeted investment of 3.1 billion USD at a high-level COP27 meeting in Egypt last November. It will cost the equivalent of just 50 cents per person per year for the next five years to reach everyone on Earth with early warnings against increasingly extreme and dangerous weather, World Meteorological Organization stated.
Feature Article
Intensifying Ongoing Development Initiatives the Sole Option to Overcome Global Shocks
Mar 29, 2023 97
BY SOLOOMON DIBABA Answering to the queries forwarded to him by the members of parliament at the 11th Regular Session of the HPR on the 28th of March 2023, Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed expounded the economic situations of the country over the last six months of the current Ethiopian fiscal year. Before dealing with the economic situations of the country, he briefly dwelt upon the global economic crisis that took place over the last 100 years, namely the Great Depression of 1929-1939, the 1929 Black Market Crash, and the 2000 Dotcom Bubble Crash that prevailed from March 2000 to October 2002 and the 2008 financial crisis which led to the crash on real estate investments and some giant global banks. He added that the world is in the threshold of the 5th level of global economic downturn with three basic indicators including the skyrocketing of debt and defaulting, drastic reduction on asset prices and continuous reduction in global income. He noted that massive downsizing of labor force specially in the IT area, crash of major western banks, hyperinflation up to 100% for instance in Argentina and huge expenditure on debt repayment. The Ethiopian economy is on a growth trajectory. However, the premier cautioned that as the Ethiopia’s economy is linked to the world economic situation, it will be invariably affected both by the negative and positive trends in the state of world economy. As it stands now, it is clear that the current economic situation in the world does not bring about favorable conditions for countries like Ethiopia, calling for devising home grown strategies that will enable the country to escape from global economic down turn. The Prime Minister quoted the current IMF World Outlook and indicated that the Russia-Ukraine War and the second round of COVID-19 have affected the economic development of 184 countries out of which 110 have faced 10% increase in the level of their inflation. He said all the above factors directly affect the pace of the economic development of Ethiopia as the country is linked to the dwindling rate of global economic growth from 6.1% in 2021 to 3.4% in 2022 and 2.9 in 2023% respectively. This according to the writer of this article is expected to be worse over several years. According to the premier, the only way out of this impending global and national economic disaster is to work much harder and improve the state of the national economy. The Prime minister elaborated that the major economic hurdles of the current economic development of the country include shortfalls in infrastructure, the alarming imbalance between supply and demand. Inflation that has been ever growing over the last two decades seriously affecting the livelihood of low income earning citizens, the disproportion between supply and demand and lack of linkage between produces and consumers, insufficient national income, war over the last two years, wide spread climate change induced drought, and rural-urban migration. Besides, rapid increases in the population of the country and the negative effects of world economic system have their own bearings on the economic challenges of the country. Ethiopia spends the lion’s share of its annual budget for poverty reduction and pro-poor projects. However, subsidies for fuel and fertilizer significantly consume the portions of the national budget. As the pace setter of the Ethiopian economy agriculture plays an important role in the national development of the country. A new chapter of history, where Ethiopia used to import 17 million quintals of wheat every year, earmarking more than 700 million USD to meet citizens basic bread consumption, has been closed. Ethiopia has commenced exporting wheat. This vision of wheat export has been attained through Prime Minister Abiy's arduous effort and determination in transforming Ethiopia from being a traditional wheat recipient to wheat supplier to foreign markets. In terms of tourism development, the premier announced that the 3rd flagship ‘Dine For Generation’ initiative, will be launched at Geralta, in Tigray, Hayk, in Amhara, Jimma, Oromia, as well as Arbaminch, in SNNP, and in Afar and Somali regions. Two other private investments will also be launched in Beninshan-Gul Gumuz and in South West Region. All told, Ethiopia needs to intensify its development and economic initiatives. This according to the premier is the only option to escape from the effects the global economic downturn.
Exclusive Interview with Ambassador Zhao Zhiyuan
Mar 23, 2023 254
Ethiopian News Agency (ENA) conducted exclusive interview with H.E. Zhao Zhiyuan, Chinese Ambassador to Ethiopia, and discussed a wide range of bilateral and regional issues as well as issues of common concerns; the following are excerpts from the interview. Question: First, we would like to thank you for your willingness to have an interview with ENA, just to kick off, recently, an Ethiopian high-level delegation paid an official visit to China; how do you look at its importance in refreshing the bilateral relationship between these two countries? Amb Zhao Zhiyuan: We are very pleased to see the successful visit to China of the delegation led by H.E. Ahmed Shide, which has further advanced bilateral economic and trade relations. During the visit, the 10th Session of Economic, Scientific, technical Cooperation and Trade Joint Commission was held with the Ministry of Commerce. This is the first meeting of this kind between China and an African country in 2023, which fully reflects the good wishes of the two governments to deepen cooperation and common development. H.E. Ahmed Shide’s visit to China and the convening of the joint commission have injected new impetus to the relationship between the two countries, contributing to the building of China-Africa community with a shared future in the new era. During the visit, China and Ethiopia have achieved fruitful economic and trade cooperation results: (1)Bilateral field. China and Ethiopia had discussions on expanding cooperation in sectors such as trade, investment, development assistance, infrastructure construction, and debt treatment, and reached a series of consensus. The two sides signed a memorandum of understanding on the establishment of an investment and economic cooperation working group, which is of great significance for strengthening the construction of bilateral economic cooperation mechanisms and increasing policy support for economic and trade cooperation. (2)Attracting investment. The two sides conducted in-depth discussions on boosting Chinese investment in Ethiopia. Ethiopia has a vast market and huge development potential. Investment in key areas has always been an important part of the economic and trade cooperation between the two countries. The Chinese side stated that it will continue to encourage and support domestic enterprises to participate in investment in Ethiopia’s agriculture, tourism, medicine, energy, mining, telecommunications and other fields. During the Minister of Finance’s visit to China this time, an investment promotion meeting was held by the Ethiopian Embassy to actively promote investment opportunities in Ethiopia and hold discussions with Chinese-funded enterprises, which achieved good results. (3)Promoting trade. In recent years, the trade volume between China and Ethiopia has continued to increase, and the channels for Ethiopia to export coffee and other specialty products to China have been continuously smoothed, which has become a new highlight of China-Ethiopia economic and trade cooperation. During the meeting with H.E. Ahmed Shide, the Chinese side warmly welcomed the Ethiopian side to continue to actively participate in exhibition platforms such as the China International Import Expo, the Import and Export Fair, and the China-Africa Economic and Trade Expo, and at the same time make full use of the tariff-free treatment for 98 percent of products exported to China. China will work with Ethiopia to continuously optimize the trade structure between the two countries, and to develop measures to further facilitate the export of Ethiopian products to China. Question: Ethiopia and China have enjoyed good bilateral economic relations over the past decades. In light of this, what are you doing on your capacity and the embassy at large to diversify and further strengthen these partnerships in the years to come? Amb Zhao Zhiyuan: The Chinese Embassy in Ethiopia has been taking practical actions to attract more Chinese companies to invest in Ethiopia and help Ethiopia’s manufacturing industry take off. In the past six months, I have traveled to almost all the states and major cities in Ethiopia, focusing on the main local industrial parks and manufacturing enterprises to get a comprehensive understanding of the development of Ethiopia’s industry, and thinking about the paths and methods for Chinese enterprises to participate in developing Ethiopia’s manufacturing industry. The Chinese Embassy has also been advocating the advantages and potential of the Ethiopian market to Chinese companies, sharing market information in a timely manner, and actively coordinating relevant parties to help Chinese investors establish contact with the competent authorities in Ethiopia. We are also actively working with the Ethiopian side to jointly improve the business environment by holding business environment workshops to solve the difficulties encountered by enterprises in Ethiopia and attract more enterprises to invest in this country. The Chinese Embassy will continue to spare no effort to strengthen cooperation in the manufacturing industry between China and Ethiopia, and explore deeper cooperation in areas such as the construction of special economic zones. Question; China is making great strides in applying science and technology in multiple sectors as an important drive to its development; hence, what are some of the activities being carried out to facilitate sharing experience and knowledge transfer? Amb Zhao Zhiyuan: We are very pleased to see that Ethiopia has placed scientific and technological development in an important position in its national strategy in recent years, and we are also supporting Ethiopia’s scientific and technological development in our own way. The first is to strengthen cooperation in knowledge and skills. In 2022, the Ministry of Commerce of China enrolled 380 Ethiopian students in degree programs, and provided high-quality short-term capacity building programs for more than 2,000 students from various departments in Ethiopia, offering valuable opportunities for Ethiopian government officials and experts to learn advanced science and technology in China. In the future, we will also strengthen communication with relevant domestic and Ethiopian departments, optimize the capacity building programs to promote more effective transfer of advanced technology to Ethiopia. The second is to encourage high-tech enterprises to deeply engage in the Ethiopian market. Our enterprises in telecommunications, medicine, agriculture and other fields have gone into production and operation in Ethiopia for many years, which has not only promoted the economic development of Ethiopia, but also introduced advanced technology to the country. Next, we will also encourage more high-tech industries to invest in Ethiopia, so as to drive the development of science and technology through industrial development. The third is to focus on cultivating local high-tech enterprises in Ethiopia. Ethiopian enterprises are good at innovation, and many excellent start-ups have emerged. As long as we continue to pay attention and create an environment, I believe that the overall technological development has a promising future. Question: The conflict in the northern parts of Ethiopia has ended with a peace agreement. However, reconstructing these war-torn regions demand a huge amount of resources. In this respect, what is China doing to support the Ethiopian government in its effort to rehabilitate the regions? We welcome and appreciate the peace agreement reached by relevant parties under the auspices of the African Union. We hope that the peace agreement will be implemented smoothly and Ethiopia will restore prosperity and stability as soon as possible, and at the same time focus on economic and social construction. Ethiopia is the “anchor of stability” in the Horn of Africa. We believe that peace and stability in Ethiopia is also of great significance to the long-term stability of the region. China is willing to actively participate in Ethiopia’s post-war reconstruction and provide support to Ethiopia in the fields of humanitarian aid, health and education. At the same time, when the time is mature, we will actively promote investment and trade cooperation to help Ethiopia realize rapid economic and social development, and improve the living standards of the Ethiopian people. At present, I am closely following the situation in the north to make preparations for China’s participation in the reconstruction progress. Question: China recently released the concept paper for its Global Security Initiative; as a result, how will you collaborate with Ethiopia to maintain peace and security throughout the region of Horn of Africa? Amb Zhao Zhiyuan: Chinese president Xi Jinping proposed the Global Security Initiative (GSI) in 2022, which has received extensive endorsement. To maintain the peace and security in the Horn of Africa as a whole, China is ready to conduct cooperation to actively implement the Outlook on Peace and Development in the Horn of Africa on the basis of the GSI. Since China put forward the outlook, Special Envoy for the Horn of Africa Affairs of China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs has visited countries in the region for many times. China supported Ethiopia in the First China-Horn of Africa Peace, Good Governance and Development Conference, which was a resounding success, making great contributions to the peace and development of the region. Together with Ethiopia and other countries in the region, China will continue intra-regional dialogues, accelerate the revitalization of the region and support our African friends in an African solution to African problems. Based on respect for countries in the region, China will play a constructive role in properly handling hotspot issues and actively contribute China's solution and strength to the peace and security in the Horn of Africa.