The latest issue of the Embassy’s Magazine, The Ethiopian Messenger, is available here: The Ethiopian Messenger 16!

Content:

H.E. Ambassador Grum Abay’s interview with VETO magazine
VLIR-UOS leading the Ethio-Belgium Academic Cooperation
Ethiopia’s efforts to fighting the novel coronavirus COVID-19
The revised Ethiopian Investment Proclamation: key changes for FDI
The embassy takes part in two holiday fairs in Belgium & Luxembourg
በኢትዮጵያ ዳያስፖራ ትረስት ፈንድ በገንዘብ የተደገፉ ፕሮጀክቶች እና የበጎ ፈቃድ አገልግሎት

Ethiopia has recorded 73 new cases of the coronavirus out of the 2, 844 laboratory tests conducted in the past 24 hours.

This brings the total number of confirmed cases in the country to 655, according to a statement by the Ministry of health.

Out of the 73 cases, 49 are male and 24 are female, with the youngest being 8 years old and oldest 75 years, it said.

The statement indicated that 67 of the cases are Ethiopians, while the remaining six are foreign nationals.

Out of the new positive cases, 56 are from Addis Ababa, four from Tigray, two from Amhara, and eight from Somali regional states. The remaining three cases are truck drivers.

According to the statement, 27 of the cases have travel history from abroad, 15 having contact with confirmed cases, and the remaining 31 have neither travel history nor known contact traces.

Seven more patients have also recovered from the virus in the past 24 hours, taking the total number of recoveries to 159.

Ethiopia’s total test count currently stands at 83,854, with five deaths so far.

Prime Minister Dr. Abiy Ahmed visited Eka Kotebe General Hospital which is serving as the major COVID-19 treatment in the country.

The Prime Minister, while visiting the hospital along with the Health Minister, Dr. Liya Tadesse, encouraged the medical staff in the center who is playing the frontline role in the fight against the pandemic.

“The whole nation is with you. We will give you all the necessary support. We stand beside you providing all the necessary support.” the Premier assured the health professionals in the hospital.

The Prime Minister presented a gift to a woman who gave birth to a baby while receiving COVID-19 treatment after admitted to the hospital confirmed positive.

A mother with COVID-19 positive case is now in a better health condition, according to the hospital officials.

It is to be recalled that Prime Minister Dr. Abiy Ahmed paid a visit and presented holiday gifts to various segments of the community in Addis Ababa in connection with the Eid Al Fitr festivity.

The Chairperson of the African Union Commission, Moussa Faki Mahamat welcomed the recent developments related to the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD).

In a statement issued yesterday, he commended Ethiopia, Sudan and Egypt for agreeing to resume technical level engagements through their mater ministers to resolve outstanding differences and reach an amicable solution.

The Chairperson further encouraged the tripartite to pursue their engagements in good faith, guided by principles of cooperation, common understanding and transparency, as stipulated in the 2015 Declaration of Principles on the GERD.

The Chairperson also stated the readiness of the AU Commission to assist all parties in finding a peaceful resolution and achieving a mutually beneficial agreement.

GERD is under construction in the Benishangul-Gumuz regional state and has now reached 73%. Ethiopia plans to begin filling the dam from July.

The people and government of Ethiopia are funding the project, which will not only serve Ethiopia, but also Sudan and Egypt as well.

The European Union (EU) said it fully recognizes the strategic importance of the Nile waters and the GERD for Ethiopia.

Egypt has expressed its interest to resume negotiations with Ethiopia and Sudan over the filling of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD).

Egypt’s shift in stance came following virtual talks held between Ethiopian Prime Minister Dr. Abiy Ahmed and Sudanese Prime Minister Abdala Hamdok.

The National news service quoted Egyptian Foreign Ministry as saying yesterday that “Egypt is always ready to enter into negotiations and participate in upcoming meetings to reach a fair, balanced and comprehensive agreement.”

Yesterday’s discussion between the Ethiopian and Sudanese prime ministers focused on exploring amicable solutions related to GERD to resolve outstanding and misunderstood issues between the two parties.

The overall progress of the GERD project has now reached 73% and the country plans to begin filling the dam from July.

GERD is under construction in the Benishangul-Gumuz regional state. It is expected to be completed in 2023.

The people and government of Ethiopia are funding the project, which will not only serve Ethiopia but also Sudan and Egypt as well.

The European Union (EU) said it fully recognizes the strategic importance of the Nile waters and the GERD for Ethiopia.

The Ethiopia Communications Authority (ECA) has invited telecom companies to submit their interest for the acquisition of two nationwide full-service telecommunications licenses.

The initial license term will be 15 or more years with the possibility of renewal, said ECA, the regulator of the communications sector, in a statement sent to FBC today.

Interested parties are required to meet or exceed specified population and geographic coverage targets as well as commit to reasonable tariffs, universal accessibility, and teledensity targets, it said.

The telecommunications service licenses will be technology-neutral and there will be a range of spectrum available across multiple frequency bands, it added.

Both new and existing licensees will be expected to enter into infrastructure and facilities sharing arrangements in order to achieve rapid and cost-efficient network deployment.

The licenses will be awarded via a competitive evaluation process, according to the statement.

The authority invited telecommunications companies with proven experience, large-scale network deployment, operation, and service provisioning to register their interest to participate in the award process.

According to the statement, interested parties are required to submit their expression until June 22, 2020.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has urged Ethiopia, Sudan, and Egypt to peacefully resolve their differences on the Grand Ethiopia Renaissance Dam (GERD).

In a statement issued yesterday, Guterres noted the good progress in trilateral talks to reach agreement over the dam thus far.

Guterres encouraged the three parties to persevere with efforts to peacefully resolve any remaining differences and to achieve a mutually beneficial agreement.

He further underscored the importance of the 2015 Declaration of Principles on the GERD, which emphasizes cooperation based on common understanding, mutual benefit, good faith, win-win, and the principles of international law.

The Secretary-General encouraged progress towards an amicable agreement in accordance with the spirit of these Principles.

Ethiopia’s earnings from export in the past nine months increased by 10% to more than $2 billion, said the Ministry of Trade and Industry.

Even if the target was $2.68 billion, export earned the country a total of $2.09 billion, a10% rise compared to the same period last year, it said in a statement today.

Despite the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, flower, vegetables, and fruits as well as Khat export performances surpassed the target, said Wondimu Filate, director of communication at the ministry.

Natural gums, coffee, electronics, textiles, and apparel export registered over 75% performances, while the achievement of tantalum, oilseeds, pulses, meat, species, and tea exports was from 50-74%.

On the other hand, the export performances of gold, leather, and leather products, as well as live animals, were less than 50% of the target, the ministry indicated.

Ministry of Water, Irrigation, and Energy is briefing resident ambassadors of several countries in Addis Ababa on the current status of the construction of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam.

The Water, Irrigation and Energy Minister Dr. Engineer Sileshi Bekele, in the briefing, highlighted the negotiations held between Ethiopia, Sudan, and Egypt concerning the construction process of the dam.

Dr. Engineer Sileshi Bekele explaining the reasons why the discussions brokered by the United States and the World Bank failed to address the dispute between the three riparian countries.

The Minister told the ambassadors that GERD will not bring any significant harm to downstream countries.

Construction of GERD reached 73 percent, and Ethiopia is set to start filling it with water as of the upcoming July 2020, the Minister briefed the ambassadors.

The Ministry of Health (MoH) has launched a new mobile phone training platform for frontline health workers.

The platform would help train health extension workers (HEPs) and their supervisors on the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, said MoH in a statement.

Combining interactive SMS and audio training with quizzes and peer learning tools, the new mobile phone-based learning platform helps HEPs equip themselves with the skills and knowledge required to support their communities in halting the pandemic.

According to the statement, the Ministry of Health partnered with AMREF Health Africa rolls out the training across the country, reaching thousands of health workers.

All health extension workers will be trained in a one-month period and actively engaged in the prevention and control of COVID-19.