Prime Minister Dr Abiy Ahmed today met with leaders of competing political parties to discuss the impact of coronavirus (COVID19) on Ethiopia.

The meeting will continue until tomorrow, also discussing additional measures that the government will be taking, according to Office of the Prime Minister

“As we implement social distancing, meeting all parties together is not possible and hence the consultations will proceed in small groups over the two days,” said the Prime Minister on Twitter.

“I’m thankful for the constructive dialogue of this morning and look forward to the next ones,” he added.

So far, Ethiopia has 43 confirmed COVID19 cases, with four recoveries and no fatalities.

According to the latest figures from Johns Hopkins University, more than 1.2 million cases of coronavirus have been registered globally.

More than 65,000 people have died and more than 252,000 have recovered, according to the university’s figures.

President Cyril Ramaphosa of the Republic of South Africa, and Chairperson of the African Union (AU) convened a second and follow-up teleconference meeting of the AU Bureau of Heads of State and Government, on 3 April 2020, to discuss the African response to the Covid-19 pandemic. The following members of the Bureau participated in the teleconference meeting: President Abdel Fattah al Sisi of the Arab Republic of Egypt, President Ibrahim Keita of the Republic of Mali, President Uhuru Kenyatta of the Republic of Kenya, and President Felix Tshisekedi of the Democratic Republic of Congo.

President Paul Kagame of the Republic of Rwanda, Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed of the Federal Republic of Ethiopia, President Macky Sall of the Republic of Senegal, and President Emmerson Mnangagwa of the Republic of Zimbabwe also participated in the teleconference. The Bureau received presentations from Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus the Director General of the World Health Organisation (WHO), Dr John Nkengasong, Director of Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and President Emmanuel Macron of France.

Dr John Nkengasong, Director of Africa CDC gave a continental update which highlighted rapidly increasing Covid-19 infection rates across the continent

Dr Tedros Ghebreyesus emphasised the importance of acting now to test and to guarantee equitable access to test kits, masks and personal protective equipment (PPEs), vaccines and therapeutics as soon as they become available.

The Bureau of Heads of State and Government commended the able stewardship of exemplary leadership of Dr Tedros in leading the global response to the pandemic.

The Heads of States highlighted the unprecedented threat that Covid-19 presents to the health of African citizens and to the continent’s hard-won developmental and economic gains. They also recognised the imperative to establish humanitarian and trade corridors in a spirit of African solidarity and integration.

Given the urgent need for medical supplies and equipment, the Heads of states called for international cooperation and support while up-scaling local production on the continent.

The Heads of States noted with satisfaction progress made in operationalising the African Union Covid-19 Response Fund established on 26 March 2020 to which members pledged the sum of US$12.5 million and an additional US$4.5million to the Africa CDC.

It was agreed to establish continental ministerial coordination committees on Health, Finance and Transport to coordinate in order to support the comprehensive continental strategy.

The Heads of States underscored the need for a comprehensive and coordinated continental approach, and to speak with one voice on Africa’s priorities.

Cognizant of the devastating socio-economic and political impact of the pandemic on African countries, the Bureau reiterated the need for rapid and concrete support as pledged by the G20 and other international partners, including the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund. It is critical that these institutions review their current disbursement policies to display flexibility and speed, including raising the availability of IMF Special Drawing Rights (SDRs). The Bureau also echoed the call for a comprehensive stimulus package for Africa, including, deferred payments, the immediate suspension of interest payments on Africa’s external public and private debt in order to create fiscal space for Covid-19 response measures.

Lifesaving supplies including PPEs, masks, gowns, and ventilators and other support devices are urgently needed. The Bureau commended the rapid action coordinated by Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed and the Jack Ma Foundation in mobilising and distributing, with the support of the World Food Programme (WFP) and Africa CDC, over one million diagnostic tests, six million masks and 600,000 PPE items to all African Union member states in less than a week.

The Heads of States and Government strongly urged for the immediate lifting of all economic sanctions imposed on Zimbabwe and Sudan to allow them to adequately respond to the pandemic and save lives. The African Union has repeatedly called for the lifting of these punitive sanctions, which the Bureau consider intolerable and inhumane in the present context.

It was noted that the Sahel region need special attention in the light of terrorist activity, and pledge solidarity with the countries in this region who have to fight the twin scourge of terrorism and COVID-19.

The Heads of States and Government thanked President Emmanuel Macron for his strong support for Africa during the Extraordinary G20 Summit. The Bureau expressed its support for the proposals he raised regarding a comprehensive approach to mobilising international support for Africa’s health, economic, humanitarian, and medical research priorities, which are aligned with the in African position. The Bureau also acknowledged the commitment of the People’s Republic of China for its support and solidarity with Africa.

Convened by President Cyril Ramaphosa, leaders of Ethiopia, Rwanda, Senegal, Egypt, Zimbabwe, DRC and Kenya held teleconference yesterday.

African Union Commission Chairperson, Moussa Faki Mahamat,  Director-General of the World Health Organization Dr Tedros Adhanom, and Director of the Africa Center for Disease Control, Dr. John Nkengasong, also attended the discussion.

After the discussion, Prime Minister Dr Abiy Ahmed said on Twitter “with updates on actions taken and challenges the continent faces, we also discussed the need for collective leadership to circumvent the adverse effects of the COVID19 crisis.”

“A coordinated African approach is critical as we pursue economic responses with global partners,” he added.

The Prime Minister also extended his gratitude to French President Emmanuel Macron, for joining “our call, for continuing to be a champion for Africa in these challenging times.”

ዛሬ መጋቢት 24 የታላቁ የኢትዮጵያ ህዳሴ ግድብ ግንባታ የተጀመረበትን ዘጠነኛ ዓመት እያሰብን ነው፡፡

ለኢትዮጵያውያን የህዳሴው ግድብ የአስተሳሰብም ሆነ የተግባር ከፍታ ነው፡፡ ለዓመታት የተጠናወተንን ድህነት ለመስበር የተገበርነው የቁጭታችን ምሳሌ ፕሮጀክታችን ነው፡፡ ከሁሉም በላይ ለሀገራችን የምንመኘውን ድንቅ ነገር መዳረሻው የት ድረስ ሊዘልቅ እንደሚችል ዓዋጅ የነገርንበት ነጋሪታችን ነው፡፡ የአድዋ መንፈስ በድጋሚ ራሱን ያደሰበት የአንድነታችንና የጽናት ምልክታችን መሆኑም ላይ ጥርጥር የለንም፡፡

Prime Minister Dr Abiy Ahmed said the country will begin filling the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) reservoir in the upcoming rainy season.

He made the remake following the 9th year anniversary of the commencement of the dam. “We will start filling the dam in the next rainy season,” he said.

Financing the project with their own resources, Ethiopians have shown their capacity, added.

Ethiopians give a special place for the project because it is a symbol of sovereignty and unity, the Prime Minister said.

The Prime Minister also called on all people to do their part in the efforts to halt the spread of coronavirus (COVID19).

Launched nine years ago, GERD is more than 72.4% complete now, according to Dr Engineer Seleshi Bekele, Minister of Water, Irrigation and Energy.

Works on the project are also well underway, he added.

Once completed, the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam will be the largest hydropower project in Africa.

After conducting a detailed assessment of the impact COVID-19 would have on its operation, the National Election Board of Ethiopia (NEBE) decided to cancel the current electoral calendar and suspend elections operations of the coming national elections planned to be conducted in August 2020. https://bit.ly/3dIZotS

The Financial Times published an article written by Frank-Walter Steinmeier, President of Germany, and co-authored by four leaders including President Sahle-Work Zewde of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia.

Read the article here: https://www.ft.com/content/c0178836-7274-11ea-90ce-5fb6c07a27f2

Prime Minister Dr Abiy Ahmed held phone talks with Josep Borrell Fontelles, High Representative of the EU for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy/Vice-President of EU Commission.

The Prime Minister said on Twitter that they discussed challenges faced due to coronavirus (COVID-19).

The High Representative for his part said “EU is preparing a significant support package for Africa. Priority is to sustain health systems, national budgets, and regional coordination.”

The Ethiopian Prime Minister also held a discussion yesterday (March 30th) with South Korean President Moon Jae-in on garnering international support for Africa’s fighting against coronavirus (COVID-19).

Prime Minister Dr Abiy Ahmed has held virtual discussion with leaders of IGAD member states on regional response to curb the spread of COVID19.

During the discussion “we noted the importance of collective leadership as a means of withstanding the challenges COVID19 is posing globally,” he said on Twitter.

“Individually we are not well prepared to overcome the consequences of the virus on our health systems and the long term impact on our economies,” he added.

“Our burgeoning industries, like tourism, are being impacted already,” he noted.

“Therefore, seeking support together, providing needed materials that each of us have an advantage over, and exchanging experiences closely, is vital to our survival,” he underscored.

“The economic progress that each of our countries has made is at risk and the only way we can overcome is through collective leadership and coordinated responses.”

The Prime Minister reiterated the need to remain hopeful and consciously work together.