Month: January 2020

Joint Statement of Ethiopia, Egypt, Sudan, the United States And the World Bank

Washington, DC – The Ministers of Foreign Affairs and Water Resources of Egypt, Ethiopia and Sudan and their delegations met with the Secretary of the Treasury and the President of the World Bank, participating as observers in negotiations on the filling and operation of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD), in Washington, D.C. on January 28-31, 2020.  At the conclusion of the meetings, the Ministers reached an agreement on the following issues, subject to the final signing of the comprehensive agreement:

  1. a schedule for a stage based filling plan of the GERD;
  2. a mitigation mechanism for the filling of the GERD during drought, prolonged drought, and prolonged periods of dry years; and
  3. a mitigation mechanism for the annual and long-term operation of the GERD in drought, prolonged drought, and prolonged periods of dry years.

They also discussed and agreed to finalize a mechanism for the annual and long-term operation of the GERD in normal hydrological conditions, a coordination mechanism, and provisions for the resolution of disputes and the sharing of information.  Moreover, they also agreed to address dam safety and pending studies on the environmental and social impacts of the GERD.

The Ministers have instructed their technical and legal teams to prepare the final agreement, which shall include the agreements reached above, for a signing of the three countries by the end of February, 2020.

The Ministers recognize the significant regional benefits that will result from this agreement and from the operation of the dam with respect to transboundary cooperation, regional development and economic integration.  The Ministers reaffirmed the importance of transboundary cooperation in the development of the Blue Nile to improve the lives of the people of Egypt, Ethiopia, and Sudan.

All Four Ethiopians Test Negative For Coronavirus

 

Four suspected cases of coronavirus in Ethiopia have tested negative, according to the Ministry of Health.

“The test results of the 4 suspected cases sent to South Africa have become negative for the virus,” said Lia Tadesse, State Minister of Health.

As part of the efforts to prevent the virus, the country has started screening of passengers for the virus at the Addis Ababa Bole International Airport.

Individual temperature measurement and form filling for passengers from China and other ten affected countries are being conducted at the airport.

China reported its biggest single-day jump in coronavirus deaths on Thursday. The death toll rose to 170 on Thursday, up from 132 reported on Wednesday, a rise of 29%.

The number of confirmed cases in China now stands at 7,711, up from 5,974 a day earlier.

ምክር ቤቱ የተሻሻለውን የኢንቨስትመንት አዋጅ አፀደቀ

የህዝብ ተወካዮች ምክር ቤት የተሻሻለውን የኢንቨስትመንት አዋጅ አፀደቀ።

የኢፌዴሪ የህዝብ ተወካዮች ምክር ቤት በትናንትናው እለት ባካሄደው 12ኛ መደበኛ ስብሰባው በተሻሻለው የኢንቨስትመንት አዋጅ ላይ ተወያይቷል።

አዋጁ የግሉ ዘርፍ የነበረውን የኢንቨስትመንት ማነቆ እንደሚፈታና የውጭ ባለሀብቶች በዘርፉ በስፋት እንዲሰማሩ እንደሚያደርግ ተገልጿል።

ለወጣቶች የስራ እድል የመፍጠር፣ የውጭ ምንዛሬ ገቢን ለማሳደግና በኢንቨስትመንት ፖሊሲው ላይ የሚስተዋሉ ችግሮችን ይፈታል ተብሎ እንደሚጠበቅም ተብራርቷል።

በአጠቃላይ በኢኮኖሚው ዘርፍ እየተካሄዱ ካሉ ለውጦች ጋር እንዲናበብና የሀገር ውስጥ እና የውጭ ባለሀብቶች የግሉ ዘርፍ ተሳትፎ እንዲጎለብት ለማስቻል የተዘጋጀ መሆኑም ተገልጿል።

የምክር ቤቱ አባላት በአዋጁ ላይ ሰፊ ውይይት ካደረጉበት በኋላ በ10 ተቃውሞና በአንድ ድምጸ ተዓቅቦ በአብላጫ ድምጽ አጽድቀውታል።

የተሻሻለው አዋጅ ቁጥር 1180/2012 በሚል በመፅደቁ የቀድሞውን የኢንቨስትመንት አዋጅ ቁጥር 769/2005 ይተካል።

Nation Earns over 1.3 Billion USD from Export in Half Year

Ethiopia has earned over 1.3 billion USD revenue from the export of various products during the past six months, according to the Ministry of Trade and Industry.

Briefing journalists today, Ministry Public Relations and Communication Director Wondimu Filate said the stated revenue shows about 10 percent growth when compared to the 1.21 billion USD during the same period last year.

The revenue obtained in the period is, however, below the planned 1.66 billion USD, it was learned.

According to the director, the income is generated from coffee, cereal, textile, chat, oilseed, spice, flower, leather, livestock, and other products exported to 137 countries.

Somalia, the Netherlands, and the USA were the major export destination countries for Ethiopian products.

Wondimu stated that the export commodities coffee, chat, spice, flower, fruit and vegetables, leather and leather products registered increased income as compared to the same period last year.

The export performance of livestock, gold, pharmaceuticals, milk, meat, honey, and chemical and construction materials are low, the director said.

Efforts are underway to create an enabling environment for ease of doing business in order to increase export, according to the director.

The online trade registration and the licensing system started is expected to improve the performance of the export sector that has been declining.

The low performance in the sector is the result of lack of foreign exchange, security, a modern trading system as well as insufficient agricultural supply, among others, the director noted.

The country is working to become a member of World Trade Organization and ratifies the Continental Free Trade Area agreement, it was learned.

In stark contrast to its export, Ethiopia imports 15 billion USD products annually, it was learned.

Joint Communiqué – Heads of State and Government Meeting Between Eritrea, Ethiopia and Somalia

The Heads of State and Government of Eritrea, Ethiopia and Somalia met in Asmara, on 27 January, 2020.
The three leaders held candid and extensive discussions on the situations in their respective countries, their tripartite cooperation and developments in the Horn of Africa region.
The three leaders reaffirmed their commitment to the Tripartite Agreement they signed in September 2018 and reviewed the outcomes of their considerable joint efforts towards its implementation.
The three leaders adopted a Joint Plan of Action for 2020 and beyond focusing on the two main and intertwined objectives of consolidating peace, stability and security as well as promoting economic and social development. They also agreed to bolster their joint efforts to foster effective regional cooperation.
On the security front, the three leaders formulated a comprehensive plan to combat and neutralize the common threats they face, including terrorism, arms and human trafficking and drugs smuggling.
Regarding economic and social development, they agreed to prioritize the mobilization of their bountiful human and natural resources; build, modernize and interface their infrastructure and develop their productive and service sectors. They also expressed their appreciation for, and their readiness to cooperate with, their friends and partners, on the basis of mutual respect and mutual benefit.
The three leaders agreed to closely consult with their Brothers, Heads of State, for the realization of the aspiration of their peoples for effective Horn of Africa.

Issued in Asmara, Eritrea, on 26 January 2020

Source : The Ministry of Information – Eritrea

PM Returns Home After Concluding Two-Day Visit To Asmara

Prime Minister Dr. Abiy Ahmed has returned home after concluding his two-day working visit to Eritrea.

During his visit, the Prime Minister held a meeting on the enhancement of Ethio-Eritrea bilateral ties.

He also attended a Tripartite Summit between Ethiopia, Eritrea, and Somalia.

In a joint statement issued after the meeting, the three leaders reaffirmed their commitment to the Tripartite Agreement they signed in September 2018 and reviewed the outcomes of their considerable joint efforts towards its implementation.

They also adopted a Joint Plan of Action for 2020 and beyond focusing on the two main and intertwined objectives of consolidating peace, stability, and security as well as promoting economic and social development.

The three leaders also agreed to bolster their joint efforts to foster effective regional cooperation.

The three leaders formulated a comprehensive plan to combat and neutralize the common threats they face, including terrorism, arms and human trafficking and drug smuggling.

WEF Calls for Strengthening SMEs and Startups in Africa

H.E. Mr. Demeke Mekonnen, Deputy Prime Minister of Ethiopia participated in a round table discussion organized by the African Growth Platform at the ongoing World Economic Forum.

The Platform was launched last September in Cape Town with the objective of bringing all stakeholders together to address the Continent’s timely challenges, particularly youth unemployment through the development of 100 million SMEs (Small and medium scale enterprises) and startups by 2025.

At the meeting it was reported that Africa has the largest youth population in the world with SMEs contributing only 33 percent to the Continent’s GDP.

Participants underlined the need to change the narrative through the development of the SMEs and startups to generate the necessary capital and further propel Africa’s economy.

The Africa Growth Platform therefore is an important initiative in which governments and business communities work together tapping available opportunities, particularly digital economy in nurturing SMEs and startups to create jobs for the growing youth population and contribute to the growth and development of the Continent said participants.

Participants also stressed the need to develop the private sector and tap the resources of African Diaspora through creating an enabling environment to promote investment in the Continent.

It was also mentioned that Africa which is the least beneficiary of the 4th Industrial Revolution must enhance its efforts to leapfrog in developing modern economy and compete effectively in international markets.

Mr. Demeke highlighted the emphasis given to the home-grown economic reform and strategic efforts to tackle the challenges of youth unemployment in Ethiopia.

At the round table Mr. Demeke had also a discussion with the Presidents of Ghana and Senegal and they agreed to work closely and exchange best practices on improving quality of works, entrepreneurship and skill development.

Heads of Government, ministers, businesses and civil society representatives attended the round table discussion.

Deputy PM Demeke Arrives in Davos, Switzerland for World Economic Forum

Deputy Prime Minister, Demeke Mekonnen, arrived in Davos, Switzerland to attend the World Economic Forum, after concluding his attendance in the UK-Africa Investment Summit held in London.

During his stay in London, the Deputy Prime Minister held bilateral talks with British Prime Minister, Boris Johnson and Prince Williams on the sideline of the summit.

The two sides have exchanged views on ways of cementing the multilateral relationship between Ethiopia and the United Kingdom in multifaceted spheres.

Moreover, Demeke conferred with UK’s International Development Secretary, Alok Sharma, and Diageo Management Group.

The 50th World Economic Forum (WEF) annual meeting is being underway from 21-24 January 2020, in Davos-Klosters, Switzerland.

The annual meetings aim to engage world leaders in collaborative activities to shape the global, regional and industry agendas at the beginning of each year.

The development of the meetings’ program is driven by WEF’s mission- improving the state of the world.

Four global issues including climate and environmental challenges, transforming industries, driving the fourth industrial revolution as well as adapting to the demographic, social, and technological trends and reshaping education are clearly stand out as urgent and important on the agenda at the annual meeting in Davos.

AU’s 39th Ordinary Session of the PRC Meeting Kicks Off

The 39th Ordinary Session of the Permanent Representatives Committee (PRC) meeting kicks off today in Addis Ababa under the theme “Silencing the Guns: Creating Conducive Conditions for Africa’s Development”.

The PRC will discuss draft reports and prepare the agenda of the 36th Ordinary Session of the Executive Council scheduled to take place on February 6th and 7th, 2020.

The PRC meeting will bring together the Ambassadors of the African Union Member States, as well as AU officials.

The 33rd Ordinary Session of the Assembly of Heads of State and Government of the African Union (AU) will take place from 9 to 10 February 2020.

During the summit, Egypt who served as the AUC Chair will handover to South Africa.