The Ethiopian Ministry of Foreign Affairs disclosed the names of Ambassadors to 19 countries and missions this Thursday. This statement followed the ministry’s announcement earlier this year that it was working to make the appointments of foreign representatives more professional, rather than political, and to select people who can promote Ethiopia’s interests abroad more effectively

Part of the initiative in the ministry as part of reform measures was to appoint a good number of young diplomats and the appointments seem to reflect that.

The spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ethiopia, Meles Alem, was appointed as Ethiopia’s ambassador to Kenya. The new foreign policy objective also focuses on fostering economic and security cooperation among the countries in the region, according to information from the ministry.

Notable appointees include Fitsum Arega, who was the Director General of the Ethiopian Investment Commission and the Chief of Staff of the Prime Minister of Ethiopia. He is now appointed as Ambassador to the United States of America. Further, Ambassador Teshome Toga, former Ambassador to the E.U., Benelux countries and the Baltic States, will become the new Ambassador to China. He was the second Speaker of the House of Peoples’ Representatives, the lower chamber of the Ethiopian Parliament, from 2005 to 2010. He was succeeded in that position by Abadula Gemeda. Teshome Toga has held several ambassador positions and was a member of many diplomatic missions, including Ambassador to Kenya and Tanzania.

The lists of countries to which the Ambassadors are appointed are as follows.

1. Ambassador Sulieman Dedefo – United Arab Emirates
2. Mulu Solomon – Germany
3. Abdulaziz Mohammed – Djibouti
4. Nasise Chali – Canada
5. Hassen Taju – Senegal
6. Reta Alemu – Israel
7. Henok Tefera – France
8. Alemtsehay Meseret – Uganda
9. Tizita Mulugeta (Ph.D.) – India
10. Ambassador Tesfaye Yilma – Permanent Representative of Ethiopia to AU
11. Ambassador Teshome Toga – China
12. Teferi Tadesse – South Sudan
13. Fitsum Arega – USA
14. Addisu Gebre-Egziabher (Ph.D.) – Zimbabwe
15. Million Samuel – The Netherlands
16. Meles Alem – Kenya
17. Berhane Fisseha – Deputy Permanent Representative of Ethiopia to the AU
18. Airorat Mohammed (Ph.D.) – Oman
19. Ambassador Samia Zekaria – Qatar

The Ethiopian Foreign Ministry announced on 27 December that some 44,500 citizens from Saudi Arabia and other countries had been repatriated in the last six months

The repatriation operation was conducted with the joint efforts of Ethiopia’s foreign mission in Saudi Arabia — including the Jeddah Embassy — and international organizations, Meles Alem told a press briefing.

Of these, 4,168 citizens were brought back home from Libya, the United Arab Emirates and Tanzania in the last two weeks, he said.

He said Ethiopia has been giving emphasis to the safety of citizens after it embarked on reformation, and stressed that efforts would continue to bring back citizens suffering in foreign lands.

Enhanced activities have been launched to make sure that citizens go abroad as domestic workers legally, he said.

Immediately after taking office as prime minister in April, Abiy Ahmed visited Saudi Arabia from where he came back with a plane full of refugees who lived in agony.

Saudi Arabia had earlier incarcerated thousands of Ethiopians who went there to work as domestic workers, saying most of them were not legal.

On Tuesday 25 November, Ethiopia’s parliament approved the creation of a reconciliation commission as the government seeks to end inter-communal ethnic violence.

Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed has won international praise for his reformist agenda since coming to power in April, including allowing the return of exiled political figures.

However, his mandate has been marked by ethnic violence, mainly between the Oromo community and other minority groups in several parts of the nation.

The objective of the Commission is to maintain peace, justice, national unity and consensus and also reconciliation among Ethiopian peoples.

The commission will also identify the reasons for disputes and violations of human rights. Besides, the commission will investigate abuses and make proposals to the parliament on how to make amends.According to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, at least 2.4 million people have been displaced inside Ethiopia by inter-communal violence.

Ethiopia is on course to become Africa’s fastest-growing economy as a result of various development projects by the East African nation. Apart from this, the International Finance Corporation (IFC), an arm of the World Bank Group is also playing a vital role to support companies and the economy.

In a December 2018 issue, IFC said it is significantly expanding its investments in Ethiopia. In the last five years, the finance group has provided $452 million in new investment commitments across agribusiness, financial, manufacturing, and other sectors while delivering advisory services that support leasing and financial infrastructure and improve the investment climate.

“In Ethiopia, IFC’s work will help expand credit and trade and create markets, while mobilizing private financing that can become a more important factor toward diversifying the country’s economy,” said IFC CEO Philippe Le Houérou, who recently visited the country.

Some of the indices that show the country is marking a giant stride across Africa can be seen in some of the most successful companies.

IFC cited Habesha Breweries, based in central Ethiopian City, introduced two years ago and has expanded three times with its newly introduced Habesha beer with an aspiration to become Ethiopia’s leading brand.

Habesha’s growth plans have been “curtailed by the country’s depreciating currency and competition from global brands such as Heineken and Castle.”

“We are really trying to keep up with the big boys,” said Jort Crevels, Habesha’s finance director. “With IFC’s support, we have no reason not play in that league.” IFC is planning to provide a syndicated-loan facility of up to €70 million to support the company’s €131 million expansion. Habesha aims to increase production nearly eightfold to 4.5 million hectoliters – or almost 119 million gallons of beer – within five years.

To shove up forex risks for investors, IFC signed an agreement with Ethiopia’s central bank to expand trade and local-currency financing. It also entered a multi-year partnership with the central bank to strengthen Ethiopia’s nascent credit-reporting system. “This is part of a broader effort by IFC to support Ethiopia by helping create new markets for private investors,” IFC said.

Since Abiy Ahmed became the country’s prime minister in April 2018, he has been changing the face of the second-most populous nation in Africa. From releasing prisoners, promoting peace with Ethiopia’s former enemy, Eritrea, and with the hope of opening up the economy for potential investors.

He has also recently slashed ministerial positions and made an unprecedented move by constituting a new cabinet that is half female with Sahle-Work Zewde as the country’s president after Mulatu Teshome stepped down in October.

Source: Pulse

Focusing on job creation, the Government of Ethiopia has launched a national program that will enable it to improve the business and investment climate of the country.

The national program has 80 activities that will be implemented by ten implementing agencies. Prime Minister Abiy has attended the launching of the program on Tuesday 25 December 2018.

The program, which is part of the national job creation program, aims to improve the global competitiveness of Ethiopia on how to start and grow business.

The government will play a key role in removing the bottlenecks that hinder the private sector from creating jobs.

In Ethiopia, the unemployment rate stands at 24%. Reports show that Ethiopia’s rural youth are becoming landless and lacking job opportunities, which often leads to increased migration to urban areas.

According to the International Labour Organization’s (ILO) 2016 World Employment and Social Outlook, in 2015 the youth unemployment rate was 10.9% in Sub-Saharan Africa, with the working poverty rate among youth standing at 70%. In Northern Africa, in 2015 the unemployment rate was 29.3%, with one in four working youth estimated to be living in extreme or moderate poverty.

The 2018 ILO report on Sub Saharan shows:

The unemployment rate is expected to reach 7.2%, essentially remaining unchanged.
The number of unemployed should increase by 1 million due to the region’s high levels of labor force growth.
More than one in three workers is living in conditions of extreme poverty, while almost three out of four workers are in vulnerable employment.

Over 200 million dollars were generated from 84,000 tons of commodities in the first quarter of the fiscal year, including coffee, tea, and spices.

The boost is attributed to the measures taken to improve quality by the newly-formed national committee to oversee the entire product chain, according to Adugna Debela, director general at the Ethiopian Coffee & Tea Authority.

In addition, the Authority has been working with agriculture extension workers in introducing seeds that suit the ecology of the country to enhance productivity.

There are challenges with regards to the quality and implementation of guidelines that the authority has to tackle in the coming seasons, according to Hussien Agraw, president of the Ethiopian Coffee Exporters Association.

Ethiopia plans to export 300,000tn of coffee, tea, and spices in the current fiscal year.

Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz arrived in Addis Ababa today for an official visit to Ethiopia.

Upon his arrival at Bole Airport, Chancellor Kurz was welcomed by Foreign Minister Workneh Gebeyehu and other senior government officials, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said.

During his stay, the Chancellor will discuss with Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed on bilateral and multilateral issues.

Prime Minister Abiy and Chancellor Kurz had met in October 2018, on the sidelines of the G20 Summit held in Berlin, Germany.

On this occasion, the two leaders agreed to expand the relations between Ethiopia and Austria.

About 15,000 migrants have benefited from a project launched three years ago to rehabilitate and reintegrate returnees in Ethiopia.

This was revealed at a consultative forum organized yesterday in Ethiopia by the Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs, in partnership with the European Union (EU) and the International Labour Organization (ILO).

Aida Awel, Chief Technical Adviser on Labour migration for the ILO Country Office for Ethiopia, Djibouti, Somalia, Sudan, and South Sudan briefed participants about the project.

The project that was launched in 2015 with five million Euros has benefited 15,000 returnee Ethiopian migrants in Amhara, Oromia and Tigray regional states, she said.

They were provided with life skills and vocational skills training programs in the areas of their interest as well as based on the demands of the local market, the advisor said.

The project also facilitated returnees’ access to finance through linkage with microfinance institutions, she said.

The project was launched through funding from the EU following the repatriation of Ethiopian migrant workers from Saudi Arabia in 2013.

The first Africa-China business forum kicked off here on Monday as Ethiopian and Chinese businesses aspire to create a partnership in various sectors.

The China-Africa business forum, which is underway in Ethiopia’s capital Addis Ababa from Dec. 3 to 5 with a theme of “China-Ethiopia Industrial Capacity Cooperation Exposition,” also hosts various other side events, including the a high-level business expo, industrial capacity cooperation forum, investment promotion conference, and visit to some of Ethiopia’s industrial parks.

Some 46 Chinese companies are currently showcasing their products and services at the first edition of the high-level Africa-China business forum.

Speaking at the opening session of the forum on Monday, Melaku Ezezew, President of the Ethiopian Chamber of Commerce and Sectoral Associations (ECCSA), emphasized the strong business and investment ties between Ethiopia and China, both at government as well as business level.

Ezezew also noted that the business forum and the expo would help companies to forge “strong working partnership.”

The event, which is scheduled to be held on an annual basis in the future, is co-hosted by ECCSA and the China International Exhibition Center (CIEC).

According to Deputy Manager of CIEC, Liu Jian, the visiting high-level Chinese companies have planned to utilize the opportunity to create a business partnership and joint venture with Ethiopian and other African businesses.

The expo, sponsored by the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade in partnership with the China-Africa Development Fund, will serve as a platform in creating linkage among African and Chinese business people, Liu said.

The event is aimed at deepening the comprehensive partnership of Ethiopia and China to encourage the operation of industry and commerce of the two countries, according to ECCSA.

The European Union has upped its support for Ethiopia in the area of justice and the rule of law, announcing a support package on November 29.

The 10 million euro support was announced after a meeting between Ambassador of the EU to Ethiopia, Johan Borgstam, and Ethiopia’s Chief Justice, Meaza Ashenafi.

CJ Ashenafi expressed appreciation to the EU for what she said was “its continued partnership and support to ensure the rule of law in Ethiopia.”

She stressed that the two parties had also held fruitful discussions on areas of importance and of mutual interest. Ashenafi since taking office as Ethiopia’s first female CJ has stressed the need to reform the judiciary.

“This is an honour and a distinct privilege. This kind of offer does not come every day, and this is a new chapter in our country as we go through a transformation.

“It will be a privilege if I am able to contribute to the independence of our judiciary… [and] the government is ready to ensure that I get all the support I need to build an independent judiciary,” she said.

“I am so happy that the glass ceiling is shattered and my daughters can dream of becoming anyone they want to be in Ethiopia,” she told the BBC.

Under the less than a year old administration of Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, Ethiopia currently has its first woman president in career diplomat Sahle-Work Zewde.

A powerful peace minister in the person of Muferiat Kamil – Ethiopia’s first woman speaker of parliament, its first defense minister, Aisha Mohammed and eight other woman holding cabinet portfolios.

Its current twenty-seat cabinet is occupied by ten women. The government has received wide commendation internationally over its steps at empowering women to hold top leadership positions in the governance structure.