Ethiopia’s national carrier, Ethiopian Airlines, has eased airt ticketing with the launch of a mobile application. Passengers originating from Addis Ababa will now have the option to make the payment either through mobile payment or internet banking.

This new initiative will gradually replace the ticketing service that is being rendered in Addis Ababa and domestic ticket offices, the airline said.

“The mobile applications for iOS and Android devices will enable us to avail a high degree of personalized experience to our esteemed customers,” said Tewolde Gebre Mariam, Group CEO of Ethiopian Airlines. “Our customers will be able to use their mobile devices to book their flights, do their flight check-in, issue their boarding pass and self-board their flights, check the status of their flight, get actual arrival and departure times of our flights and remain connected and informed throughout their journey in real-time.”

Customers will enjoy 10 percent discount on all bookings made through Ethiopian mobile app.

Ethiopian Airlines operates to more than 100 destinations across five continents. It has a fleet that comprises of ultra-modern and environmentally friendly aircraft such as Airbus A350, Boeing 787-8, Boeing 787-9, Boeing 777-300ER, Boeing 777-200LR, Boeing 777-200 Freighter, Bombardier Q-400 double cabin with an average fleet age of five years.

Ethiopian Airlines’ direct freighter flight from Bahir Dar, the capital of Amhara Regional State, to Liege, Belgium, one of the largest Ethiopian flower destinations, took-off with 45tns of flowers on January 24, 2018.

The maiden flight shipped the products from Tana Flora, Ethio Agri-CEFT and Koga Veg Agricultural Development, the three horticulture farms among the 16 located in Bahir Dar. These 16 farms occupy 1,300ha of land secured from the Amhara Regional State. “We aim to deliver fresh flowers timely and directly from the farms,” said Tewolde Gebremariam, group CEO of Ethiopian Airlines, which has over 100 international and 21 local destinations.

The Airlines is planning to transport 130tns of flowers in three direct flights every week.

Among the 100 destinations of Ethiopian flowers, vegetables, herbs, cuttings and fruit products, Belgium leads importing over half of the products. Apart from Belgium and the European Union member state countries, the United States, Russia and the Middle East buy Ethiopian horticulture varieties.

Ethiopia is the fourth largest non-European Union (EU) member exporter to the EU cut flower market and the second largest flower exporter from Africa next to Kenya. The country has 12,552ha of land ideal for horticulture but only 11pc of this is cultivated with such varieties.

Companies in Bahir Dar have been struggling to transport the products to Bole International Airport, according to Nega Mekuanint, managing director of Tana Flora, one of the companies that shipped its products on the maiden flight. Founded in October 2011 on 11ha of land, Tana shipped 30tns of flowers in the first trip.

“Most of our products get damaged while transporting them to Addis Abeba via road,” said Nega, whose company targets to ship between 74tns and 90tns of flowers via air every week.

Ethiopian Airlines aims to support the export sector and the country’s economy through such strategies. The country’s import bill reached 17 billion dollars last year and is surging and it has struggled in boosting its export earnings stagnating at around three billion dollars for the past two years.

Ethiopia will host the next Championship of African Nations (CHAN) tournament scheduled for the year 2020. The country’s football chief received the mantle from the president of the Confederation of African Football (CAF) after the 2018 final in Morocco.

CAF president Ahmad Ahmad along with EFF president Juneidi Basha displayed the Ethiopian flag with the CAF flag handed over to Basha.

On Sunday 4 February, Morocco made history by becoming the first host nation to win the tournament.

They are the third north African side to win the competition after Tunisia (2011) and Libya (2014). South of the Sahara, only Democratic Republic of Congo have won it in 2009 and 2016.

It is played between the best national teams of Africa, exclusively featuring players who are active in the national championships and qualified to play in the ongoing season.

http://www.africanews.com/2018/02/06/ethiopia-officially-handed-mantle-to-host-chan-2020/

The Federal Urban Job Creation and Food Security Agency said more than 800 thousand permanent and temporary jobs have been created within the last six months of this fiscal year.

During the Agency’s 6 months job creation performance assessment forum held in Adama, Hirut Birasa, State Minister of Urban Development and Housing said compared to same time last year, the job creation has shown a 13 percent increase. Some 39 percent of the beneficiaries are women, according to her.

The state minister stated urban job creation is among the strategic pillars of GTP-II, and a wide range of activities have been undertaken within the last six months to achieve this goal.

Federal and state executive bodies should properly discharge their national responsibility by identifying the bottlenecks of the sector, Hirut indicated.

Federal Urban Job Creation and Food Security Agency Director Zenebe Kumo, said based on the previous year’s annual performance, it is planned to create some two million jobs for citizens.

According to Menen Meles, Agency Strategic Plan Preparation and Assessment Director, 3.5 billion Birr loan has been provided for those who benefited from the job creation to start their businesses. A market linkage worth of 5.8 billion has also been created to 101,000 entrepreneurs. The government has also provided the entrepreneurs with 1220 hectares of fertile land as a working area, added Menen.

The Second International Agro-industry Investment Forum will take place from 5 to 8 March 2018 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

Ethiopia has one of the fastest non-oil-producing growing economies in the world, with agro-processing at its centre. Building on the country progress, the government of Ethiopia and the United Nations Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO) are organising Ethiopia’s Second International Agro-industry Investment Forum from 5 to 8 March 2018, to highlight Ethiopia ‘s favourable investment climate and allied sectors, promote specific investment opportunities and facilitate business linkages.

For more information:

International Agro-Industry forum(Second) in Addis Ababa

You are cordially invited to attend a coffee ceremony at the Ethiopian stand of the 2018 Brussels Holiday Fair, which celebrates the wonders of Lalibela.

UN Under-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations, Jean Pierre Lacroix, on 30 January 2018 praised Ethiopia for its resolute commitment to ensuring global peace through its peacekeeping contribution.

Lacroix made the remarks during his meeting with the Ethiopian Foreign Minister Workneh Gebeyehu on Tuesday in Ethiopia’s capital Addis Ababa.

Ethiopia is one of the top troop-contributing countries to the UN with more than 8,300 peacekeepers on the ground, according to the UN.

According to Lacroix, one of the grounds in which Ethiopian peacekeepers registered success is the UN Interim Security Force for Abyei (UNISFA), where Ethiopian peacekeepers have won the trust of both sides of the warring parties.

Lacroix, who praised Ethiopia’s contribution to global peace, also called on the Ethiopian government to augment its contribution to the Blue Helmet forces.

Briefing Lacroix on regional peace and security issues, Gebeyehu also underscored the urgent need to further reinforce the security structure in Somalia despite commendable progress witnessed in the country both in economic and political spheres over the years.

 

The peace process in South Sudan, brokered by the Intergovernmental Authority for Development (IGAD) through Revitalization Process, was also another area of discussion among Gebeyehu and Lacroix.

According to Gebeyehu, the revitalization process is a relevant platform to ensure a meaningful peace in South Sudan.

Lacroix further assured UN’s continued support to the African Union (AU), the IGAD and other viable platforms in areas of peace and security as well as undertaking capacity building programs in security infrastructure and manpower towards stability in the Horn of Africa region.

Lacroix also urged the warring parties in South Sudan to seize rare opportunities to once and for all end the miseries of the South Sudanese people.

http://www.xinhuanet.com/english/2018-01/30/c_136936889.htm

Leaders of Sudan, Egypt and Ethiopia and Sudan have agreed to form a permanent committee to follow up on all issues of common concern particularly regarding the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD).

Egyptian president Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi (L), Sudanese president Omer al-Bashir (C) and Ethiopian prime minister Hailemariam Desalegn shake hands during a meeting in Khartoum on 23 March 2015 on the planned Grand Renaissance dam 

Egypt’s President Abdel-Fattah el-Sisi, Sudanese President Omer al-Bashir and Ethiopian Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn Monday met on the sidelines of the African Union Summit in Addis Ababa.

“The three leaders have underscored keenness to sustain good relations among the governments and peoples of the three countries and they agreed to coordinate and work together for the common interest of the peoples of their countries,” said Sudan’s Foreign Minister Ibrahim Ghandour

Ghandour told reporters the tripartite meeting discussed relations among the three nations especially the issue of the GERD.

He said the three leaders agreed to discuss all mutual issues and to seek to achieve unity, pointing out that they agreed to establish a tripartite fund to support development projects and strengthen economic integration among the three countries.

Sudan’s top diplomat added the leaders also agreed to mandate the tripartite committee comprised of the irrigation ministers to serve as political committee and work to resolve all outstanding issues pertaining to the GERD and report to the leaders within one month.

He further said the meeting stressed the GERD is an Ethiopian dam that should benefit the three countries and that Sudan and Egypt water shares mustn’t be affected by its construction.

The leaders meeting comes amid heightened tensions in the region over border disputes, military alliances and the GERD.

In March 2015, the three leaders signed in Khartoum a framework cooperation deal on the GERD. They said the “declaration of principles” would pave the way for further diplomatic cooperation on the GERD which has stirred fears of a regional resource conflict.

However, since then the three countries failed to agree on the findings of the technical report related to the impact of the dam prepared by consultant companies, French firms BRL and Artelia.

The multi-billion dollar dam is being constructed on the Blue Nile, about 20 kilometres from the Sudanese border, and has a capacity of 74 billion cubic meters, and is expected to generate electrical power of up to 6,000 megawatts.

Egypt fears the dam will negatively affect its traditional share of water from the Nile, its only source of water which has been determined by a colonial-era water-sharing treaty.

But Ethiopia insists that this will not occur and asserts that the project is indispensable to its own national development and the economic welfare of its burgeoning population.

http://sudantribune.com/spip.php?article64606