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Mobile and fixed-line telephone subscribers in Ethiopia hit over 66 mln

The number of mobile and fixed-line telephone subscribers in Ethiopia has reached 66.2 million, said Ethio-telecom, a company which provides telecommunications services in the country.

Upgrading works carried out over the past few years allowed the country to own a telecom company which meets international standards, said Dr Andualem Admassie, CEO of the company in an exclusive interview with FBC.

He said the expansion and upgrading works that were undertaken over the past 12 years, in particular, played a key role in transforming the telecom company which will turn 125 years old next year.

The government has invested hugely to improve the sector in the reported period, the CEO said, citing the 1.5 billion US dollars spent in 2006 as a case in point.

As a result of this upgrading works, demands for mobile and fixed-line telephone services increased in the country, the CEO indicated.

In order to meet these demands and provide better services for clients, Ethio-telecom outsourced its management to a French company at a cost of 30 million Euro, Dr Andualem said.

During its two and a half years management, the French company improved the administrative, distribution, marketing, sales, communications and network capacity of Ethio-telecom, he indicated.

The country has now a network capacity which could accommodate over 80 million mobile subscribers, he noted.

According to him, the number of mobile and fixed-line telephone subscribers in the country has hit 66.2 million now.

Ethio-telecom recently announced that it has secured 27.79 billion birr in revenues in the first nine months of this Ethiopian fiscal year.

When asked about complaints of clients on high prices of service charges of the telecom sector, the CEO said Ethiopia is one of the countries that have least tariffs in fixed-line telephone service.

However, prices adjustment will be made on mobile data tariffs benchmarking East African and other countries.

Regarding problems of network quality, Dr Andualem blamed the theft in fibre optic as the cause of the problem.

Flag-Pins-Netherlands-Ethiopia

Ethiopia signs over €19 mln grant agreement with the Netherlands

Ethiopia and the Netherlands Government have signed a grant agreement amounting to 19.6 million Euros today.

Admasu Nebebe, Ethiopia’s State Minister of Finance and Economic Cooperation and B. Van Loosdrecht, Ambassador of the Netherlands signed the agreement here today.

The grant will be used to finance the public health infrastructure project specifically for the construction of Cardiac Care centre in Addis Ababa, at Black Lion Hospital.

Ethiopian to take delivery of 100th aircraft in June

Ethiopian Airlines (Ethiopian) announced that it will take delivery on 5 June 2018 of its 100th aircraft, a Boeing 787-900.

The acquisition of the aircraft makes Ethiopian the first airlines to operate 100 aircraft fleet in the history of the African continent.

On the planned delivery of the aircraft, Ethiopian Group CEO, Tewolde Gebremariam said “It is an immense honour for all of us at Ethiopian to reach the milestone of 100 aircraft.  “This milestone is a continuation of our historical aviation leadership role in Africa and a testimony of the successful implementation of our fast, profitable and sustainable growth plan, Vision 2025,” he added.

Ethiopian was the first to avail jet service in the continent back in 1962 and operated the first African B767 in 1984, the first African B777-200LR in 2010, the first African B787-800 Dreamliner and B777-200 freighter in 2012 and the first African A350 in 2016 and the first African B787-9 aircraft in 2017.

It now operates one of the youngest and most modern 100 aircraft, with an average age of fewer than 5 years. The Airline has 5 more Boeing 787-900 and 16 Airbus A350 airplanes on order.

Ethiopian was the first African Airline and second only to Japan to operate the B787 Dreamliner in 2012 and the first carrier in Africa to usher with the Airbus A350 XWB in 2016.

The Airline commands the lion’s share of the pan-African passenger and cargo network operating fleet to more than 110 international passenger and cargo destinations across five continents.

Ethiopia’s Tigray regional state pardons 2,206 prisoners

Ethiopia’s northern Tigray regional state announced on Wednesday 23 May that it would pardon 2,206 prisoners.

In a press statement, Tigray regional state communication bureau, the pardon of the detainees which include 54 females is intended to coincide with the 27th anniversary of the defeat of military government led by ex-Ethiopian President Mengistu Hailemariam.

Tigray People Liberation Front (TPLF), which rules over Tigray region, led a rebel movement, the Ethiopian People Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF), in the 1980s and early 1990s, resulting in the capture of Ethiopia’s capital Addis Ababa on May 28, 1991.

The Ethiopian government has also characterised the mass prisoner release program as part of its efforts to foster reconciliation and create a national consensus.

Appointment of new Ambassadors – including in Brussels

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) has reshuffled ambassadors working in Ethiopian embassies abroad due to various reasons.

Ambassador Amin Abdurkadir was sent to Algeria from Riyadh, replacing Ambassador Solomon Abebe, who has been moved to Nigeria from Algiers.

Ambassador Girum Abay has been sent to Brussels, the Baltic States and Benelux countries from Moscow, Russia.

Ambassador Wubshet Demise, a consul general in Jeddah, has been recalled to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Ambassador Girum Abay will take function next month as Ethiopia’s new representative to the EU, Benelux countries and the Baltic States A seasoned diplomat and fluent in Russian; he is currently based in Moscow, where he contributed to further strengthening the longstanding relationship between Russia and Ethiopia.

Ethiopia PM and ODF leaders agree to foster national unity

 

A five-member negotiating team of the Oromo Democratic Front (ODF), led by Lencho Leta, Chairman of the Front, has arrived in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia early on Wednesday 23 May.

Last week, the government of Ethiopia announced that it had begun talks with the Front.

Members of the team were received by high-level government officials, including Abadula Gemeda, Security Advisor to the PM and Ahmed Shide, Minister of Government Communication Affairs Office.

Lencho told journalists that his Party has decided to return home as the ongoing reforms in the country are encouraging to carry out a peaceful struggle.

“We will continue the talks which we have started with the government,” he said.

“Based on conditions, we will decide to operate as a legal, political party or by forming an alliance with other parties,” he added.

Lencho finally called on other political parties based in foreign countries to follow suit by taking into account the ongoing reforms in the country.

On Thursday 24 May, Ethiopia’s prime minister Abiy Ahmed met with representatives of the Oromo Democratic Front (ODF). Both parties agreed to work together with a singular focus on fostering Ethiopia’s national unity and deepening the country’s democratic process.

The ruling EPRDF coalition announced in January 2018 that it was set to undertake political reforms which included opening up the democratic space and guaranteeing more political freedoms.

Subsequently, there were mass prisoner releases, including of leading political opponents and detained journalists.

 

UAE and Saudi Arabia will release thousands of Ethiopian prisoners

 

All Ethiopian nationals being held in jails in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) are due to be released soon. This decision follows a meeting between Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed and UAE Crown Prince Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed in Abu Dhabi over the weekend. 

PM Abiy crossed to UAE after what government said was a successful visit to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia – his first trip outside of the continent. In Dubai as in Riyadh, the two leaders discussed issues of mutual interest and looked at ways to better strengthen bilateral relations. Whiles in Saudi, PM Abiy also secured the release of 1000 Ethiopian prisoners – comprising 900 men and 100 women. Close to 700 of that contingent have since been flown back to Addis Ababa.

The decision was made after a request by Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, who was in Riyadh on an official two-day visit that ended on Saturday. Hundreds of thousands of Ethiopian nationals live in the Gulf region, mostly in Saudi Arabia.

More than 1,000 Ethiopian prisoners freed by Saudi Arabia have already returned home.

The Ministry of Foreign affairs, in partnership with the International Organization for Migration (IOM), transported the returnees to their families.

Recently, the government of Sudan released about 1,400 Ethiopian prisoners following the visit of the Premier to that country.

PM Abiy Ahmed addresses crowds at Gambella Stadium

As part of his national tour, PM Abiy Ahmed travelled to Gambella regional state last weekend, where he addressed residents of the city of Gambella and its environs gathered at the Gambella Stadium.

Speaking to the crowds, he said the rest of Ethiopians always remember the sacrifice paid by residents of the regional state for the sovereignty of the country. After praising the residents for guarding border areas, the Premier pledged to provide the necessary support for their efforts.  He further called on the residents to maintain their commitment to the unity and sovereignty of the country. Peace should prevail first to carry out development activities and expand investment in the region, he said, adding the federal government, in partnership with the regional state, will do to this end.

PM Dr Abiy further said the federal government would provide support for the protection of the UNESCO-registered forest protected areas of the regional state.

During a discussion with representatives of the residents, the Premier said his government would do more to alleviate problems of good governance, infrastructure and unemployment in the regional state.

He also called on natives of the regional state to come to their country of origin from abroad and contribute their share to the development of the region.

Attorney General to Sue Dutch Company Over Teff Patent

The Ethiopian government has delegated the Office of the Attorney General (AG) to file charges at the International Court of Arbitration against the Dutch Company that patented teff grain.

Getahun Mekuria, minister of Science and Technology (MoST) told Members of Parliament that all the efforts to settle the longstanding disputes with the Dutch company – Health and Performance Food International (HPFI) – bore no result.

According to him, Ethiopia has sought justice that would nullify the patent rights over teff grain the company has registered in five countries.

“Over the past nine months, extensive efforts have been carried out to reclaim Ethiopia’s patent right for its teff grain. However, the Ministry has finally come to the decision that there is no any alternative way other than seeking justice through courts to acquire Ethiopia’s patent right.”

According to Getahun, the unfortunate negotiation result prompted the government to give the Office of the AG the green light to take the matter to an international tribunal. He added that all the required documents and pieces of evidence have also been submitted to the AG.

Since the past decade, the Ethiopian Intellectual Property Office (EIPO) – along with other local and international partners – undertook various efforts to claim the patent right through negotiations, public campaign and using legal means. A committee was also created at the national level with the aim of pursuing the restoration of teff patent rights. However, the issue did not get a solution until now.

Nevertheless, the Dutch company unilaterally secured patent rights of the grain’s products in the Netherlands and currently; Italy, Britain, Germany, Austria and The Netherlands are five of the nations that have recognised HPFI with the patent rights to sell teff in the form of flour or cake.

Teff – being a gluten-amino acid-free grain – is in high demand in the world. Having anticipated a rise in its demand in future years; experts have been urging Ethiopia to utilise the opportunity and benefit from the world market by ensuring its patent right.

But the Dutch company’s transgressions were reportedly a violation of an agreement on access to teff genetic resources it entered back in 2005 with the Institute of Biodiversity Conservation and the Ethiopian Agricultural Research Organization to enjoy a fair and equitable share of benefits derived from the use of teff grain.

The agreement reserves any intellectual property right over teff varieties and any related traditional knowledge of the teff-farming local communities of Ethiopia. Yet any plant variety protections were to be owned by the company and Ethiopia.

Nevertheless, after the agreement, the company reportedly took some measures contrary to the terms of the agreement, and since 2007, the company cut all communications with Ethiopian authorities.

Similarly, The Netherlands government was accused in a report for failing on its international obligations by not regulating its company’s monopolistic activities over Ethiopia’s teff.

It is believed that Ethiopia is the first country to domesticate the teff grain across its highlands between 4,000 BC and 1,000 BC.

This article initially was published on The Reporter