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Public Contribution for GERD Jumps over 1 Billion Birr in Eight Months
Apr 1, 2023 98
Addis Ababa April 1/2023(ENA) More than 1. 4 billion Birr has been raised by the public for the construction of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD), according to the Office of the National Council for Coordination of Public Participation in the Construction of Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam. Public Relations Director of the Office, Hailu Abraham, told ENA that efforts over the last three or four years to enhance public support for the dam have registered encouraging results. Financial support was collected through bond sales and gifts, through the short text message 8100, and through the Ethiopian Electric Power Gift Account and other mechanisms. The director further stated that a new one month-long campaign to collect over 100 million Birr from the public has started on 25 March 2023. Hailu called on the public to actively participate in the program. According to him, the office will work to strengthen the public's support for the construction of the dam by organizing various programs.
Renaissance Dam Reached Final Stage Through United Efforts of Ethiopians, Says DPM & Foreign Minister
Apr 1, 2023 184
Addis Ababa April 1/2023/ENA/ The construction of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) has reached the final stage through the united effort of the Ethiopian people, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Demeke Mekonen said. The National Council for the Coordination of Public Participation on the Construction of GERD, chaired by the Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Mnister Demeke, held a consultive forum that discussed the implementation of the construction of the dam and assessed the preparations for the celebration of the 12th year founding anniversary of the dam. Speaking on the occasion, Demeke noted that Ethiopians have been supporting the construction of the dam without any differences since the launching. This public participation has brought about an encouraging result that will elevate Ethiopia, he added. Some 18 billion Birr has been collected in various ways since the laying of the cornerstone of the Grand Renaissance Dam. The all-round activities to complete the dam have been supported by citizens that are leading the project and doing a proud work that will pass on to generations, the deputy premier and foreign minister stated. "This shows how capable we Ethiopian are when united," he noted. Demeke further called on all Ethiopians to participate in integrated watershed development, in addition to their support to the construction of the renaissance dam until its completion. While celebrating the laying of the foundation of the Great Ethiopian Renaissance Dam, we should also sustain the achievements registered in the diplomatic sphere, he said. The Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister stressed that the Great Ethiopia Renaissance Dam is a project that will benefit all the riparian countries. According to him, Ethiopia is interested in continuing the tripartite talks that have started in Africa. Demeke underlined that a backward approach that benefits only one party is not acceptable. Prosperity Party Vice President, Adam Farah said on his part that the contribution of Ethiopians to the construction of GERD is "history that makes the next generation proud." Adam underscored the need to strengthen the all-round support to the construction until the dam is completed. Chief Government Whip Tesfaye Beljige said that the current level of the dam is a historic victory that Ethiopia has achieved despite many challenges. Tesfaye pointed out that the Great Ethiopian Renaissance Dam is an African project that would connect the region through power.
Italy Sees Ethiopia As Strategic Partner in Horn of Africa: Italy's Ambassador
Apr 1, 2023 113
Addis Ababa April 1/2023/ENA/ Italy sees Ethiopia as its strategic partner in the Horn of Africa and the relations between two countries are growing very high, Italy's Ambassador to Ethiopia, Agostino Palese said. Ethiopia and Italy have long standing relations in cultural, economic and political fields. In an exclusive interview with ENA, Italy's Ambassador to Ethiopia, Agostino Palese said Italy sees Ethiopia as its strategic partner in the Horn of Africa. We believe that Ethiopia could play a role in the Horn of Africa. The ambassador recalled that during Prime Minister Abiy's visit to Italy, PM Abiy Ahmed and PM Meloni signed the new cooperation agreement about 180 million euro which runs from 2023-2025. “I think the visit of Prime Minister Abiy to Italy was very important and very fruitful. Once again, we reaffirm our very close political views... with our strategic partner in the Horn of Africa, Ethiopia. We exchange political views,” he added. Italy launched new strategy ‘Piano Mattei’ which seeks energy development in Africa, he said, adding that we want to attract private investment in order to improve the skills and training in many different sectors where Italy is one of the best countries in the world. Regarding to development activities in Ethiopia, I have seen many improvements, the ambassador said, adding that we will work together in different spheres, particularly in the bank sector. “We have to continue to work because if Ethiopia is to attract investment and to have more reform economic agenda, I understand it takes time, but the only way is to go forward and specially in the bank system and on custom,” he said. The ambassador added: “we tried to bring here the best Italian technologies and the best Italian skills. As I said before, we could have mutual benefits for both countries in order to use for example, clean energy, we can transfer our skills and our training in many sectors.... agro industrial, modern technologies, all the things regarding green area like renewable resources, we are in the forefront in the world, so we can help Ethiopia in this and could have a mutual benefits even for our entrepreneur to come here and may be to invest here “ The ambassador stressed to further strengthen the relations between the two countries for mutual respect and benefits. We respect the country's policy autonomy, share common interest and should work on national and regional issues, the ambassador said. "So we are going to deepen relation not only in economic sector, but also on regional integration where Ethiopia could play very significant role,” he noted.
GERD Benefits Riparian Countries in Many Ways: Former Sudanese Irrigation Minister
Apr 1, 2023 106
Addis Ababa April 1/2023 (ENA) The former Sudanese Minister of Irrigation, Othman Al-Tom Hamad, noted that Ethiopia's Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) benefits the riparian countries in controlling siltation, reducing flooding, and preserving their dams. It is considered a safety valve in times of continuous drought, among other benefits, he added. In an exclusive interview he had with Ethiopian News Agency, the former minister called for regional cooperation with respect to the dam and not focuses on GERD only, but in collective participation in development projects. "Countries need to think broadly, not confine themselves to the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam," he added. According to Hamad, the dam is an integrated project that connects the countries of the region and provides electric energy to neighboring countries like Sudan and Kenya. Cooperating for mutual benefits is, therefore, essential. "We need the political will of countries to work with each other and adhere to initial things on which to build joint projects, and to achieve economic, social and environmental integration." Hamad revealed that storage in the dam has no effect on climate and the storage in the Al Sad Alali Dam in Egypt in comparison holds almost double of the storage of the GERD. "The Renaissance Dam does not reduce the amount of water reaching Egypt. On the contrary, it increases the water reaching Egypt. The High Dam can operate at lower levels and thus reduce the current amount of evaporation, which reaches 10 - 8 billion cubic meters from the present 14 billion cubic meters." As a water expert, Hamad urged the three countries (Ethiopia, Egypt and Sudan) to benefit from the experiences of other countries that share the benefit of dams such as the Manantali Dam in Mauritania that includes three countries: Senegal, Mali, and Mauritania; as well as the cooperation between South Africa and Lesotho and the existing cooperation in the Niger River. The former irrigation minister revealed that Sudan benefits a lot from the dam as it works to regulate the level of the Blue Nile River, protects it from annual floods, and works to expand the agricultural area in addition to facilitating river transport. "The Renaissance Dam is built in an excellent engineering manner, its planning, design, and implementation as well. We can preserve it through optimal operation through monitoring." Furthermore, the former irrigation minister suggested the carrying out of other regional integrating projects to benefit the citizens of the region reduce poverty, fight migration, and where countries can speak with one voice to international institutions in financing other joint projects between countries in several fields. Hamad finally expressed his hope that a satisfactory agreement will be reached through the tripartite negotiations in the interest of all.
Deputy PM & FM Demeke Hosts Iftar Program for Diplomatic Community in Addis
Apr 1, 2023 98
Addis Ababa April 1/2023(ENA) Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Demeke Mekonnen hosted an Iftar program last night for the diplomatic community based in Addis Ababa. The Iftar dinner program was organized at Skylight Hotel and brought together diplomats representing various countries and heads of the international organizations, it was learned.
Politics
Italy Sees Ethiopia As Strategic Partner in Horn of Africa: Italy's Ambassador
Apr 1, 2023 113
Addis Ababa April 1/2023/ENA/ Italy sees Ethiopia as its strategic partner in the Horn of Africa and the relations between two countries are growing very high, Italy's Ambassador to Ethiopia, Agostino Palese said. Ethiopia and Italy have long standing relations in cultural, economic and political fields. In an exclusive interview with ENA, Italy's Ambassador to Ethiopia, Agostino Palese said Italy sees Ethiopia as its strategic partner in the Horn of Africa. We believe that Ethiopia could play a role in the Horn of Africa. The ambassador recalled that during Prime Minister Abiy's visit to Italy, PM Abiy Ahmed and PM Meloni signed the new cooperation agreement about 180 million euro which runs from 2023-2025. “I think the visit of Prime Minister Abiy to Italy was very important and very fruitful. Once again, we reaffirm our very close political views... with our strategic partner in the Horn of Africa, Ethiopia. We exchange political views,” he added. Italy launched new strategy ‘Piano Mattei’ which seeks energy development in Africa, he said, adding that we want to attract private investment in order to improve the skills and training in many different sectors where Italy is one of the best countries in the world. Regarding to development activities in Ethiopia, I have seen many improvements, the ambassador said, adding that we will work together in different spheres, particularly in the bank sector. “We have to continue to work because if Ethiopia is to attract investment and to have more reform economic agenda, I understand it takes time, but the only way is to go forward and specially in the bank system and on custom,” he said. The ambassador added: “we tried to bring here the best Italian technologies and the best Italian skills. As I said before, we could have mutual benefits for both countries in order to use for example, clean energy, we can transfer our skills and our training in many sectors.... agro industrial, modern technologies, all the things regarding green area like renewable resources, we are in the forefront in the world, so we can help Ethiopia in this and could have a mutual benefits even for our entrepreneur to come here and may be to invest here “ The ambassador stressed to further strengthen the relations between the two countries for mutual respect and benefits. We respect the country's policy autonomy, share common interest and should work on national and regional issues, the ambassador said. "So we are going to deepen relation not only in economic sector, but also on regional integration where Ethiopia could play very significant role,” he noted.
GERD Benefits Riparian Countries in Many Ways: Former Sudanese Irrigation Minister
Apr 1, 2023 106
Addis Ababa April 1/2023 (ENA) The former Sudanese Minister of Irrigation, Othman Al-Tom Hamad, noted that Ethiopia's Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) benefits the riparian countries in controlling siltation, reducing flooding, and preserving their dams. It is considered a safety valve in times of continuous drought, among other benefits, he added. In an exclusive interview he had with Ethiopian News Agency, the former minister called for regional cooperation with respect to the dam and not focuses on GERD only, but in collective participation in development projects. "Countries need to think broadly, not confine themselves to the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam," he added. According to Hamad, the dam is an integrated project that connects the countries of the region and provides electric energy to neighboring countries like Sudan and Kenya. Cooperating for mutual benefits is, therefore, essential. "We need the political will of countries to work with each other and adhere to initial things on which to build joint projects, and to achieve economic, social and environmental integration." Hamad revealed that storage in the dam has no effect on climate and the storage in the Al Sad Alali Dam in Egypt in comparison holds almost double of the storage of the GERD. "The Renaissance Dam does not reduce the amount of water reaching Egypt. On the contrary, it increases the water reaching Egypt. The High Dam can operate at lower levels and thus reduce the current amount of evaporation, which reaches 10 - 8 billion cubic meters from the present 14 billion cubic meters." As a water expert, Hamad urged the three countries (Ethiopia, Egypt and Sudan) to benefit from the experiences of other countries that share the benefit of dams such as the Manantali Dam in Mauritania that includes three countries: Senegal, Mali, and Mauritania; as well as the cooperation between South Africa and Lesotho and the existing cooperation in the Niger River. The former irrigation minister revealed that Sudan benefits a lot from the dam as it works to regulate the level of the Blue Nile River, protects it from annual floods, and works to expand the agricultural area in addition to facilitating river transport. "The Renaissance Dam is built in an excellent engineering manner, its planning, design, and implementation as well. We can preserve it through optimal operation through monitoring." Furthermore, the former irrigation minister suggested the carrying out of other regional integrating projects to benefit the citizens of the region reduce poverty, fight migration, and where countries can speak with one voice to international institutions in financing other joint projects between countries in several fields. Hamad finally expressed his hope that a satisfactory agreement will be reached through the tripartite negotiations in the interest of all.
Nation Successfully Sustained Unity of Country by Resisting International Pressure: HPR Standing Committee Member
Mar 31, 2023 128
Addis Ababa March 31/2023(ENA) Ethiopia has carried out diplomatic activities that enabled it to maintain the unity of the country by resisting international pressure during the past five years, Foreign Relations and Peace Affairs Standing Committee member of the House of People's Representatives Dina Mufti said. Dina has explained in detail the public diplomacy activities carried out in the past five years. During the years, the nation undertook diplomatic activities that ensured the continuity of the sovereignty of the nation by withstanding international and the local problems. Ethiopians all over the world stood for their country during those difficult times, he noted, adding that among the works carried out in the period included public diplomacy centered on the interests of the country. Successful diplomatic activities have in particular been carried out to sustain the interests of the country by coping the challenges of COVD-19 epidemic, economic crisis, and the war in northern Ethiopia, Dina explained. According to him, public diplomacy activities that protect the interests of the country at the international level have been strengthened through parliamentary diplomacy and people-to-people relations. He recalled that the country was in trouble in different directions when the reform government came to power. Even if there are limitations in responding to problems, it is a great success to be able to sustain the unity and sovereignty of the country by overcoming natural and man-made problems as well as international phenomena, he stated. Dina further said that efforts are being made to strengthen the relationship with other sisterly Africa and the countries as well as peoples of the world through parliamentary diplomacy. The Foreign Relations and Peace Affairs Standing Committee member finally called on Ethiopians living abroad, prominent persons, artists and others to strengthen their participation in public diplomacy in order to protect the country's economic and political interests by promoting the objective realty in the country.
Int'l Community Providing Support To Nation's Effort of Lasting Peace: MFA
Mar 30, 2023 240
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 254
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 302
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 251
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 285
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.
Politics
Italy Sees Ethiopia As Strategic Partner in Horn of Africa: Italy's Ambassador
Apr 1, 2023 113
Addis Ababa April 1/2023/ENA/ Italy sees Ethiopia as its strategic partner in the Horn of Africa and the relations between two countries are growing very high, Italy's Ambassador to Ethiopia, Agostino Palese said. Ethiopia and Italy have long standing relations in cultural, economic and political fields. In an exclusive interview with ENA, Italy's Ambassador to Ethiopia, Agostino Palese said Italy sees Ethiopia as its strategic partner in the Horn of Africa. We believe that Ethiopia could play a role in the Horn of Africa. The ambassador recalled that during Prime Minister Abiy's visit to Italy, PM Abiy Ahmed and PM Meloni signed the new cooperation agreement about 180 million euro which runs from 2023-2025. “I think the visit of Prime Minister Abiy to Italy was very important and very fruitful. Once again, we reaffirm our very close political views... with our strategic partner in the Horn of Africa, Ethiopia. We exchange political views,” he added. Italy launched new strategy ‘Piano Mattei’ which seeks energy development in Africa, he said, adding that we want to attract private investment in order to improve the skills and training in many different sectors where Italy is one of the best countries in the world. Regarding to development activities in Ethiopia, I have seen many improvements, the ambassador said, adding that we will work together in different spheres, particularly in the bank sector. “We have to continue to work because if Ethiopia is to attract investment and to have more reform economic agenda, I understand it takes time, but the only way is to go forward and specially in the bank system and on custom,” he said. The ambassador added: “we tried to bring here the best Italian technologies and the best Italian skills. As I said before, we could have mutual benefits for both countries in order to use for example, clean energy, we can transfer our skills and our training in many sectors.... agro industrial, modern technologies, all the things regarding green area like renewable resources, we are in the forefront in the world, so we can help Ethiopia in this and could have a mutual benefits even for our entrepreneur to come here and may be to invest here “ The ambassador stressed to further strengthen the relations between the two countries for mutual respect and benefits. We respect the country's policy autonomy, share common interest and should work on national and regional issues, the ambassador said. "So we are going to deepen relation not only in economic sector, but also on regional integration where Ethiopia could play very significant role,” he noted.
GERD Benefits Riparian Countries in Many Ways: Former Sudanese Irrigation Minister
Apr 1, 2023 106
Addis Ababa April 1/2023 (ENA) The former Sudanese Minister of Irrigation, Othman Al-Tom Hamad, noted that Ethiopia's Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) benefits the riparian countries in controlling siltation, reducing flooding, and preserving their dams. It is considered a safety valve in times of continuous drought, among other benefits, he added. In an exclusive interview he had with Ethiopian News Agency, the former minister called for regional cooperation with respect to the dam and not focuses on GERD only, but in collective participation in development projects. "Countries need to think broadly, not confine themselves to the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam," he added. According to Hamad, the dam is an integrated project that connects the countries of the region and provides electric energy to neighboring countries like Sudan and Kenya. Cooperating for mutual benefits is, therefore, essential. "We need the political will of countries to work with each other and adhere to initial things on which to build joint projects, and to achieve economic, social and environmental integration." Hamad revealed that storage in the dam has no effect on climate and the storage in the Al Sad Alali Dam in Egypt in comparison holds almost double of the storage of the GERD. "The Renaissance Dam does not reduce the amount of water reaching Egypt. On the contrary, it increases the water reaching Egypt. The High Dam can operate at lower levels and thus reduce the current amount of evaporation, which reaches 10 - 8 billion cubic meters from the present 14 billion cubic meters." As a water expert, Hamad urged the three countries (Ethiopia, Egypt and Sudan) to benefit from the experiences of other countries that share the benefit of dams such as the Manantali Dam in Mauritania that includes three countries: Senegal, Mali, and Mauritania; as well as the cooperation between South Africa and Lesotho and the existing cooperation in the Niger River. The former irrigation minister revealed that Sudan benefits a lot from the dam as it works to regulate the level of the Blue Nile River, protects it from annual floods, and works to expand the agricultural area in addition to facilitating river transport. "The Renaissance Dam is built in an excellent engineering manner, its planning, design, and implementation as well. We can preserve it through optimal operation through monitoring." Furthermore, the former irrigation minister suggested the carrying out of other regional integrating projects to benefit the citizens of the region reduce poverty, fight migration, and where countries can speak with one voice to international institutions in financing other joint projects between countries in several fields. Hamad finally expressed his hope that a satisfactory agreement will be reached through the tripartite negotiations in the interest of all.
Nation Successfully Sustained Unity of Country by Resisting International Pressure: HPR Standing Committee Member
Mar 31, 2023 128
Addis Ababa March 31/2023(ENA) Ethiopia has carried out diplomatic activities that enabled it to maintain the unity of the country by resisting international pressure during the past five years, Foreign Relations and Peace Affairs Standing Committee member of the House of People's Representatives Dina Mufti said. Dina has explained in detail the public diplomacy activities carried out in the past five years. During the years, the nation undertook diplomatic activities that ensured the continuity of the sovereignty of the nation by withstanding international and the local problems. Ethiopians all over the world stood for their country during those difficult times, he noted, adding that among the works carried out in the period included public diplomacy centered on the interests of the country. Successful diplomatic activities have in particular been carried out to sustain the interests of the country by coping the challenges of COVD-19 epidemic, economic crisis, and the war in northern Ethiopia, Dina explained. According to him, public diplomacy activities that protect the interests of the country at the international level have been strengthened through parliamentary diplomacy and people-to-people relations. He recalled that the country was in trouble in different directions when the reform government came to power. Even if there are limitations in responding to problems, it is a great success to be able to sustain the unity and sovereignty of the country by overcoming natural and man-made problems as well as international phenomena, he stated. Dina further said that efforts are being made to strengthen the relationship with other sisterly Africa and the countries as well as peoples of the world through parliamentary diplomacy. The Foreign Relations and Peace Affairs Standing Committee member finally called on Ethiopians living abroad, prominent persons, artists and others to strengthen their participation in public diplomacy in order to protect the country's economic and political interests by promoting the objective realty in the country.
Int'l Community Providing Support To Nation's Effort of Lasting Peace: MFA
Mar 30, 2023 240
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 254
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 302
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 251
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 285
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.
Social
Deputy PM & FM Demeke Hosts Iftar Program for Diplomatic Community in Addis
Apr 1, 2023 98
Addis Ababa April 1/2023(ENA) Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Demeke Mekonnen hosted an Iftar program last night for the diplomatic community based in Addis Ababa. The Iftar dinner program was organized at Skylight Hotel and brought together diplomats representing various countries and heads of the international organizations, it was learned.
Charges Against Civilian, Military Leaders of TPLF Dropped: Ministry of Justice
Mar 30, 2023 255
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 176
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 203
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.
Economy
Public Contribution for GERD Jumps over 1 Billion Birr in Eight Months
Apr 1, 2023 98
Addis Ababa April 1/2023(ENA) More than 1. 4 billion Birr has been raised by the public for the construction of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD), according to the Office of the National Council for Coordination of Public Participation in the Construction of Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam. Public Relations Director of the Office, Hailu Abraham, told ENA that efforts over the last three or four years to enhance public support for the dam have registered encouraging results. Financial support was collected through bond sales and gifts, through the short text message 8100, and through the Ethiopian Electric Power Gift Account and other mechanisms. The director further stated that a new one month-long campaign to collect over 100 million Birr from the public has started on 25 March 2023. Hailu called on the public to actively participate in the program. According to him, the office will work to strengthen the public's support for the construction of the dam by organizing various programs.
Renaissance Dam Reached Final Stage Through United Efforts of Ethiopians, Says DPM & Foreign Minister
Apr 1, 2023 184
Addis Ababa April 1/2023/ENA/ The construction of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) has reached the final stage through the united effort of the Ethiopian people, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Demeke Mekonen said. The National Council for the Coordination of Public Participation on the Construction of GERD, chaired by the Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Mnister Demeke, held a consultive forum that discussed the implementation of the construction of the dam and assessed the preparations for the celebration of the 12th year founding anniversary of the dam. Speaking on the occasion, Demeke noted that Ethiopians have been supporting the construction of the dam without any differences since the launching. This public participation has brought about an encouraging result that will elevate Ethiopia, he added. Some 18 billion Birr has been collected in various ways since the laying of the cornerstone of the Grand Renaissance Dam. The all-round activities to complete the dam have been supported by citizens that are leading the project and doing a proud work that will pass on to generations, the deputy premier and foreign minister stated. "This shows how capable we Ethiopian are when united," he noted. Demeke further called on all Ethiopians to participate in integrated watershed development, in addition to their support to the construction of the renaissance dam until its completion. While celebrating the laying of the foundation of the Great Ethiopian Renaissance Dam, we should also sustain the achievements registered in the diplomatic sphere, he said. The Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister stressed that the Great Ethiopia Renaissance Dam is a project that will benefit all the riparian countries. According to him, Ethiopia is interested in continuing the tripartite talks that have started in Africa. Demeke underlined that a backward approach that benefits only one party is not acceptable. Prosperity Party Vice President, Adam Farah said on his part that the contribution of Ethiopians to the construction of GERD is "history that makes the next generation proud." Adam underscored the need to strengthen the all-round support to the construction until the dam is completed. Chief Government Whip Tesfaye Beljige said that the current level of the dam is a historic victory that Ethiopia has achieved despite many challenges. Tesfaye pointed out that the Great Ethiopian Renaissance Dam is an African project that would connect the region through power.
CGIAR Researches Improving Livelihoods of Millions in Ethiopia: Agriculture State Minister
Mar 31, 2023 627
Addis Ababa March 31/2023(ENA) The Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR)’s game-changing research solutions have been improving millions of livelihoods across Ethiopia, according to Agriculture State Minister Fikru Regassa. Speaking at the launching of One CGIAR in Ethiopia (an integrated approach for the 11 international research centers Ethiopia hosts), the state minister said the Government of Ethiopia recognizes CGIAR’s role in transforming millions of households in the country. As a host of CGIAR research centers here in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia has hugely benefited from agricultural researches undertaken by CGIAR, he added. According to Fikru, CGIAR-related agricultural innovations between 1999 and 2019 alone have reached up to 79 percent of rural households in Ethiopia. There have been at least 52 different innovations related to animal agriculture, crop germ plasm improvement, and natural resource management, it was learned. Some 26 instances of policy influence have also been contributed by CGIAR’s research during this time. Among these technologies, soil and water conservation innovations were adopted by 9.4 million households and about 4 million households use CGIAR-derived maize germ plasm. The state minister, who said that the Government of Ethiopia is working to transform the country’s agriculture by 2030, has asked the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR) to further boost its scientific contribution to the success of the government's 10-year agriculture plan. ILRI Director General’s Representative to Ethiopia and CGIAR Country Convener, Namukolo Covic said CGIAR will not only continue and enhance alignment of its projects with government priority areas but also engage in forward thinking to address future challenges. The representative pointed out that Ethiopia’s successful wheat development strategy is a lesson for others. She further said that "working with our national and regional partners, we will explore lessons we can learn from the successful wheat development efforts of Ethiopia for other commodities and also look forward to preempting challenges that may need to be addressed for long term sustainability." Recall that CGIAR had 11 international research centers in Ethiopia. In a bid to enhance synergies and avoid duplication of efforts and engage in assisting governments objectives in agriculture, CGIAR has transitioned to One CGIAR.
Home-Grown Economic Reform Exemplary for Other African Countries: ECA Acting Secretary
Mar 31, 2023 162
Addis Ababa March 31/2023(ENA) Ethiopia's Home-Grown Economic Reform could serve as an example for other African countries, and we are creating a platform for sharing these experiences among African countries, ECA Acting Executive Secretary Antonio Pedro said. The Home-Grown Economic Reform is aimed at transforming Ethiopia from a largely agrarian low-income country to an industrialized lower-middle-income country by 2030. The Acting Executive Secretary, Antonio Pedro told the Ethiopian news Agency that these experiences are very important to improve the capacity of all of Africa to respond to crises, and move forward with the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) enhancing the process of economic transformation of the continent. Pedro stated that Ethiopia is successfully pursuing the reform "which we are confident that the government will be able to implement despite the challenges the whole of Africa has been facing due to the crisis." He also revealed that the commission has been working with the Ministry of Finance in areas like reforming the country's tax system, modernizing and expanding tax base. Ethiopia is among the countries that are undertaking reforms of the tax systems to increase the tax base and accelerate development, Pedro added. "So, today Ethiopia is among the countries that are undertaking tax reforms to increase the tax base and accelerate development." The acting executive secretary further stressed that ECA also collaborates with the government of Ethiopia in areas that could lead to make the country a great power in agribusiness. Equipping the country with important infrastructure and industrial parks will also contribute to the economic development of the nation that moves fast, he added. Finance Minister, Ahmed Shide on his part had told ENA that inflation is affecting the country's economy despite the resilience and growth witnessed in the country over the past few challenging years due to the war in the northern part of the nation and the Russia-Ukraine war. In order to solve these and other problems, the minister said the government will continue to implement the Second Home-Grown Economic Reform and facilitate reconstruction efforts, narrow macro-economic gaps, and increase private sector participation in the economy. The First Home-Grown Economic Reform introduced in 2018 has proved effective to deter internal and external economic challenges. Therefore, the government is working on an additional economic reform plan that will help to control inflation, improve foreign currency availability and administration, enhance domestic resources mobilization, and increase local and foreign investment.
Technology
Russia Can Support Ethiopia to Elevate Industry, Grow Specialists Faster: Cosmonaut Sergey Kud-Sverchkov
Mar 31, 2023 175
Addis Ababa March 31/2023(ENA) The Russian Cosmonaut Sergey Kud-Sverchkov shared today his experiences to Ethiopian students at the Addis Ababa Science and Technology University (AASTU), further pointing out that Russia can help Ethiopia to raise the industry faster. Briefing the media after his presentation to students, the cosmonaut said Russia can provide some special services like geo-observation data for Ethiopia as it has already entered cooperation agreement in nuclear sciences with the university and will probably have cooperation in space engineering program. Such kind of engineering is the basis for developing any country, he noted, adding that engineering specialists are those who can improve the whole industry. “It does not matter if it is rocket science or nuclear science. If you need to develop, you have to pay attention to these areas of education.” The astronaut advised that the Ethiopian government itself and the university could decide what the priorities for the country are, and we as partners can provide services for the country. “We should first of all look at the needs. If we need to improve our rocket science, we pay attention to it and we grow specialists in this area.” For Kud-Sverchkov, it is up to the government to decide what kind of specialists and scientists it needs. But obviously every country needs their own scientists to develop in their own way. “Our task is to be partners in development. Probably it is really hard and expensive to create industry from the very beginning. As Russia, we can help raise the industry faster and grow specialists faster to catch up with the world.” AASTU President, Dereje Engida said that sharing such experiences is pivotal to prepare Ethiopia for the future and prepare the young generation. The university has 8 centers of excellence which have been designated to work on special areas such as mining extraction and exploration, sustainable energy, biotechnology and bio-process, nanotechnology, artificial intelligence, and robotics. Space Science and Geospatial Institute (SSGI) Director General, Abdisa Yilma said “following the footsteps of Yuri Gagarin, and with the spirit of a great people like you (Sergey Kud-Sverchkov), we (Ethiopians) hope that brilliant and courageous astronauts will emerge in the near future.” The cosmonaut Sergey Kud-Sverchkov had spent 185 days in orbit in 2020-2021, working as a flight engineer alongside his Russian and American colleagues. Russia is a pioneer country in space exploration. It has contributed a lot to humanity by developing space technologies and skills that enable human beings to make the first steps in space.
Ethiopia, Sudan Sign MoU to Cooperate on Telecom & Digital Transformation
Mar 16, 2023 354
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 470
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 464
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.
Sport
President Sahle-Work Holds Discussion with World Anti-Doping Agency President Bonka
Mar 29, 2023 201
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 677
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 691
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 652
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 368
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 662
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 674
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 655
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 131
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 285
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.