Ethiopia has attracted more than 3.7 billion USD Foreign Direct Investments (FDI) during the concluded fiscal year, according to the Investment Commission (EIC).

In a press conference he gave on 28 August, Dr Belachew Mekuria, EIC Commissioner, said the nation has managed to lure the stated amount of FDI, despite the multi-faceted challenges the country has faced over the year.

According to Belachew, the performance is low compared to the plan, which was to attract investment worth of 4.6 billion USD due to some challenges that the nation has faced.

Lack of foreign currency and unrest observed in some parts of the country has negatively contributed to the reduction of the FDI inflow, he stated.

According to the Commissioner, China, India and Turkey are the leading countries whose investors engaged in various investment areas during the stated time.

Through the efforts exerted to stabilize the situation, the government has managed to maintain existing investments and simultaneously managed to attract new companies into the country, he noted.

The commission has also issued investment licenses to 275 foreign projects with a combined capital of over 5 billion USD in during the stated time, he added.

Ethiopia’s investment has created job opportunities for 133, 000 citizens over the year in the newly built industrial parks and some other investment ventures, it was indicated.

The Horn of African country has given due attention to industrial development and attract more foreign direct investment to realise development.

The development of industrial parks across the country in addition to incentives and the conducive business environment is helping the nation to attract more investment.

Ethiopia is working to realise its ambition of becoming an industrial hub in the region and structural transformation by scaling up the performance of the manufacturing sector.

The recent reforms to partially privatise major public enterprises could be taken as a significant step forward to realise its ambitious target.

Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed has instituted a project office to oversee the implementation of an agreement with former rebel groups.

Its creation was necessary after the government reached an agreement with main opposition parties.

The agreement covers disarmament, demobilization & reintegration of former fighters. PM Abiy appointed Tesfaye Yegezu to lead the Project Office (under the PM’s Office) tasked to coordinate this effort.

Since his coming into office in April 2018, Abiy has led a multi-sectoral reform of Ethiopia’s government machinery. Key planks of the reforms have included unbanning armed rebel groups as terrorist organisations.

The government has since held peace talks with a number of these formerly banned groups. The most recent being government’s peace deal with the Tigray Peoples Democratic Movement, TPDM.

The Eritrean government hosted the talks in Asmara. Ethiopia and Eritrea agreed in July 2018 to make peace after decades of being on a war footing with one another. Eritrea has since undertaken efforts to help ex-rebel groups it hosted to return to Ethiopia.

Chancellor Angela Merkel officially invited Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed to visit Germany. The invitation came during a telephonic conversation the two leaders had on 28 August.

The German Chancellor congratulated the Premier in bringing promising results in the ongoing economic and political reforms.

She also commended the recently reached peace agreement between Ethiopia and Eritrea.

Abiy welcomed the official invitation of the Chancellor to visit Germany.

Former President of Ethio-Somali Regional State Abdi Mohammed Oumer was arrested on Monday 27 August on suspicion of gross violations of human rights, inciting ethnic and religious conflicts and atrocities.  

 According to the Federal Attorney General, the Federal Police has been arresting other individuals who have participated in similar atrocious activities.

The Ethio-Somali Regional State Council lifted amnesty from prosecution of seven members of the council including the former president Abdi Mohamed Umer who is accused of inciting the recent turmoil in the region.

In an extraordinary session, the Council of Ethiopian Somali regional state stripped immunity of seven of its members on suspicion of their links with the recent violence in the regional state.

Below the is list of members of the Council who lost their immunity:

1. Abdi Mohamed Omer –Former Chief Administrator of Ethiopian Somali regional state

2. Abdijemal Kelonbi- Head of Justice Bureau

3. Rahma Mohammed – Head of Women’s and Children’s Bureau

4. Ibrahim Mehd- Head of Education Bureau

5. Dek Abdulahi –Deputy Head of Water Resource Development Bureau

6. Ibrahim Mohammed Mubarek – Mayor of Jigjiga

7. Omer Abdi – Political Affairs Head of the Ethiopian Somali People Democratic Party (ESPDP)

Ethiopia and Germany signed a grant agreement amounting to 100 million Euros.

Ethiopia’s Minister of Finance and Economic Cooperation, Dr Abrham Tekeste, and Gerd Muller, Minister for Economic Cooperation and Development of Germany,  signed the agreement in Addis Ababa.

During the meeting, the two sides also signed a Joint Declaration of Intent on the special initiative on training and job creation.

According to the agreement, the government of Germany expresses its intent to support the training and job creation programme of Ethiopia financially and technically.

The main purpose of the Joint Declaration of Intent is to complement the Government of Ethiopia’s effort in relation with creating more job opportunities to its citizens.

Vietnamese President Tran Dai Quang arrived in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia for a three-day state visit.

Upon arrival at the Bole International Airport, President Quang was warmly welcomed by the President of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, Dr Mulatu Teshome and government officials.

During his visit, President Quang will also meet Prime Minister Dr Abiy Ahmed and other senior government officials.

Executive Committee of the Ethiopian People’s Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF) concluded its three days regular meetings. It reviewed and endorsed the widespread gains made from the realization of the reform outline.

The Executive Committee also highlighted the necessity “to ensure full and total respect for the rule of law without which justice and order will break down and the promise of the current reform initiatives will not fully be realized,” Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed’s chief of staff Fitsum Arega said in his tweet.

The committee valued the success achieved in the political, diplomatic, and socio-economic sectors as well as the peace deal reached between Ethiopia and Eritrea and the strengthening of relations with neighbouring and Middle East countries.

The Committee assessed the release of Ethiopian prisoners both at home and abroad, negotiations held with armed groups, the opening of blocked websites and efforts made to reform the justice system as a positive move, which according to the Committee would help to widen the political space.

It also praised the measures taken to strengthen the unity of Ethiopians by uniting the two synods of the Ethiopian Orthodox churches and reconciling the Muslim community.

The Committee commended the measures taken to curb the shortage of foreign currency and the ongoing efforts to finalize delayed projects.

However, it underscored the need to boost the productivity of the agricultural and manufacturing sectors and called for the utilization of all means to reduce inflation to a single digit and to exert more efforts to ensure rule of law and realize the reform.

The Committee finally called on the public to strengthen their support for the sustainability of the reform launched at a national level.

The newly set up Law and Justice Advisory Council has begun consultation to amend the anti-terrorism and civil society organizations (CSOs) laws of Ethiopia. The Anti-Terrorism Law has been criticized for restricting democratic space in the country.

Attorney General Berhanu Tsegaye told journalists that “there is a shortcoming in realizing properly a justice system which meets the needs of the people.”

Thus, the government has begun to reform the system by establishing an Advisory Council, he added.

He added the Council is tasked to provide policy recommendations to the government for the amendment of laws and reform of the justice system.

Chairperson of the Council, Professor Tilahun Teshome, for his part stressed the need to amend the justice system and ensure rule of law to maintain peace and development in the country.

Legal professionals, representatives of civic societies and political parties, as well as academicians attended the discussion on the proposal that the Justice and Legal Affairs Advisory Council has presented.

The participants thoroughly discussed issues included in the proposal including the definition of the concept of terrorism, implementation of the law, basic principles of criminal law and global standards.

It was indicated that a gap was observed in the definition of concepts as well as implementation. The Advisory Council recommended for the revision of the law in order to improve the justice system and strengthen democracy.

The Reppie waste-to-energy project built at the cost of 95 million USD on 37 hectares of land is to be inaugurated on Sunday, August 19/2018, according to Ethiopian Electric Power (EEP).

EEP External Relations Director Misikir Negash told ENA the project, which is fully financed by the government, will be inaugurated on Sunday.

In waste-to-energy incineration plants, rubbish is burned in a combustion chamber and the resulting heat is used to boil water until it turns to steam, which drives a turbine generator that produces electricity.

The facility is expected to produce 185GWH of electricity annually that will be siphoned to the Ethiopian national grid and will incinerate over 1,400 tons of waste every day.

Africa’s first ever waste to energy facility, the first of its kind commenced full construction in Addis Ababa in September 2014.

The project is jointly constructed by Cambridge Industries Ltd (CIL) and its partner China National Electric Engineering Co. (CNEEC).

The project, which is located in Kolefe Keranio Sub-city, provides employment opportunities for 1,300 employees and has been instrumental in promoting skill transfer in the sector.

This project effectively linking environmental protection with a generation of renewable energy for the country and process around 350,000 tonnes of waste annually.

Reppie Waste-to-Energy in Ethiopia will support in reducing poverty conditions through increasing access to electricity, creating jobs and improving the environment to the benefit of human health, thus it will serve as a model for other countries in the region, and around the world.

For more than five decades, the Reppie dump site has been the only landfill in Addis Ababa.