The 2020 Ethiopia Cup of Excellence (COE) auction has broken records, with total sales of 1,348,690 US Dollars topping the previous record of 830,245 US Dollars from El Salvador in 2011.

The El Salvador auction had 42 lots for sale, while the COE Ethiopia auction included only 28, achieving a record-high average price of 28 US Dollars per pound.

The top-scoring coffee in the 2020 COE Ethiopia competition sold at 185.10 US Dollars per pound or 407 US Dollars per kilogram. The Alliance for Coffee Excellence (ACE) says this is the highest price ever recorded for an Ethiopian coffee.

Half of the lot was purchased by Maruyama Coffee Co from Japan and its buying group, consisting of Saza Coffee, Cometeer, Goodboybob Coffee, Difference Coffee, and Harrods. The other half of the lot was purchased by Sarutahiko Coffee Inc from Japan.

Its producer, Nigusie Gemeda of Sidama, was stunned to see the price paid for his coffee.

“I have been a coffee farmer for a long time, but I am just learning the value of our coffee. I am so happy with the result. Never could I have imagined coffee would have sold with such price. Now I know there is a reason for coffee to be called the green gold,” he says.

The 168 registered buyers from 33 countries bid 4137 times for more than five hours to secure the sought-after winning coffees.

The second-from-the-top coffees coming from Rumudamo Coffee in Sidama, had a total of 902 bids, another record number in the competition history.

“It’s a powerful lesson and beyond what we could have had imagined. We sell our coffee for less than a dollar at times and it’s been discouraging for growers.

Now we see there is a market we can tap into if we can guarantee the quality,” says Ato Bogale Woledehana, General Manager of Rumudamo Coffee.

The United States Company Coffee at Intelligentsia won out in the competitive bid, paying a price of US$108 per pound.

“Ethiopia is the birthplace of coffee and widely considered to be the producer of the most delicious coffees in the world, yet many of its farmers are among the poorest. This auction sends a message of hope that not only validates the investments – and associated risks – in quality but also serves as a reminder that the quality movement is here to stay” said Geoff Watts, Vice President of Coffee at Intelligentsia.

Source: FBC

American Ambassadors have asked the Trump administration to embrace neutrality and support genuine mediation of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD).

The ambassadors are Johnnie Carson, former Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs, Herman Cohen, former Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs, Dr. Chester Crocker, former Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs, Jendayi Frazer, former Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs, George Moose, former Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs, Susan Rice, former Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs and Linda Thomas-Greenfield, former Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs.

In a letter  to the Under Secretary for Political Affairs, David Hale, they expressed their concerns about the escalating tensions between Ethiopia and Egypt over the use of the Nile waters and construction of the dam.

“The GERD talks are entering a critical phase, and we urge the United States to embrace neutrality and support genuine mediation, which is the best way to advance our interests and to ensure security and stability in the region,” they said.

The Ambassadors also recommended the United States to encourage a neutral and credible country outside of Africa and the Middle East to mediate the disagreement.

According to them “the perception—rightly or wrongly—that the United States has sided with Egypt in the negotiations will limit our ability to support efforts aimed at reaching a settlement.”

They further said that “Pressure on Ethiopia or suspension of multilateral or bilateral assistance will harden positions and make compromise more difficult.”

Foreign investors continue to show strong interest in Ethiopia despite the COVID-19 induced demand and supply shocks as well as uncertainty in global financial flows.

According to the Office of the Prime Minister, pharmaceutical products and agricultural related investments keep generating increased Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in the country.

The Government of Ethiopia is maintaining its efforts to promote and facilitate new investments in these sectors, for instance, through the continuous development of the  Kilinto Pharmaceutical Industrial Park and Agro-industrial Parks, the office stated.

Noting that since 2012/13, FDI inflows to Ethiopia have been growing on average by 50 percent per year, reaching a peak of 4.1 billion in the 2017/18 fiscal year, Ethiopia has become the largest recipient of FDI in the East African Region and the fifth largest in Africa, it was indicated.

As Ethiopia in 2019 introduced a series of economic reforms aimed at improving the investment, the country was anticipated to attract increased FDI in 2020.

However, the possibility of this outcome has diminished due to the COVID-19 and resulting disruption in the international trade and investment flows. It is estimated that global FDI flows will decline by 30 percent to 40 percent during 2020-21.

In this regard, this global trained is likely to have a direct impact on FDI flows to Ethiopia and the country’s global attracting increased investment into export-oriented activities, the office stated.

For instance, among the export-oriented sectors, tourism is the most affected sector by COVID-19 shock in which over 80 percent of hotels in Addis Ababa have closed their operations since the start of the pandemic.

While the situation is expected to slow the growth of the sector and the new investments until 2021, another export-oriented industry that attracted a significant amount of foreign investment is floriculture.

As a result, the Government of Ethiopia is monitoring closely the lessons from the COVID-19 shock and identifying the policy measures necessary to support the post-coronavirus recovery in order to mitigate the short-term impact of the virus.

The government’s measure is also expected to have equal importance in economic achievements, speedy recovery and continues attracting increased FDI into key export sectors, the Office of the Prime Minister concluded.

Revenue, Budget, and Finance Standing Committee of the House of Peoples Representatives discussed with Officials of Finance Ministry on next fiscal year budget appropriation and related issues.

Minister of Ministry of Finance, Dr. Eyob Tekalign briefed the standing committee that next year’s budget appropriation is based on lessons drawn from the execution of the already concluded fiscal year.

The 2020/2021 budget allocated by the government has taken in the current coronavirus pandemic in the country into consideration, and aimed to further transform better results registered in the economic sector, Dr. Eyob said.

Of the total budget, 160.3 billion birr is allocated for capital expenditure, 133.3 billion birr for recurrent spending, 176 billion birr to subsidize regional states, and 6 billion birr for Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) projects, Dr. Eyob explained.

The budget has shown an increase compared to the already concluded fiscal year, according to the Ministry of Finance.

Source: FBC

Ethiopia has registered 186 more cases of the coronavirus (COVID-19), bringing the total confirmed cases to 5,034.

The new cases were identified out of the 4, 034 laboratory tests conducted in the past 24 hours, according to the Ministry of Health.

The Ministry also reported three COVID19-related deaths over the last 24 hours, bringing the death toll to 78.

Among the new cases, 73 are male and 113 are female aged between 6 months and 80 years. Some 181 of the confirmed cases are Ethiopians, while the other five are foreign nationals.

Of the new cases, 147 are from Addis Ababa, 16 from Somali, 10 from Afar, 8 from Dire Dawa, 4 from Oromia, and 1 from SNNP regions.

The Ministry further reported that 74 patients have recovered from the virus, taking the total number of recoveries to 1, 486.

Ethiopia has now a total of 3,468 active cases, with 38 of them in a severe condition. The total number of tests conducted so far stands at 227, 375.

Source: FBC

Africa Communication and Information Platform for Health and Economic Action (ACIP), which aims at reaching more than 600 million people in Africa launched on Tuesday.

According to UNCEA press release sent to ENA, the platform is the first in its kind digital health platform that will benefit over 600 million mobile subscribers in Africa.

The ACIP, which is a mobile-based tool for two-way information and communication between citizens and governments, was launched virtually by the UNECA along with Africa CDC and other partners.

Launching the platform, Executive Secretary of UNECA, Vera Songwe said “with this platform, we have the possibility of reaching between 600 million and 800 million mobile subscribers in Africa.”

She lauded ITU, Smart Africa, the African Union, the World Bank, WHO, MTN, Orange, Safaricom, Vodacom, Airtel, and all stakeholders for contributing to the project.

ACIP furnishes national and regional COVID-19 task forces with user-generated survey data and actionable health and economic insights.

The platform would further enable authorities to better analyze pandemic-related problems and implement appropriate responses.

Director of Africa CDC, Dr. John Nkengasong said the platform offers “unique opportunity to change the way we conduct disease surveillance, enhance our ability to acquire good and timely data, and make all Africans count.”

Thirty-six African member states are already part of the initiative, it was indicated.

Source: ENA

Ethiopia has confirmed 185 new coronavirus cases that bring the total number to 4848.

The new cases were identified out of 3775 lab tests conducted over the last twenty-four hours, according to the Ministry of Health. All the cases are Ethiopians their age varies from 3 to 80 years old except the one who is a foreign national.

Out of the newly infected individuals, 47 are male while the remaining 138 are female, it is indicated.

No confirmed case has been reported out of 30 post mortem laboratory tests conducted over the last day, the Ministry said.

Of the new cases, 160 are from Addis Ababa, 14 from Oromia and SNNP with an equal share, 4 from Somali and Amhara and the remaining 3 from Tigray, Gambella, and Harari regional states.

The Ministry further disclosed that 115 people have recovered from the disease taking the total number of recoveries to 1, 412.

Ethiopia has now a total of 3,359 active cases; with 38 of them are taking treatments in intensive care units. The total number of tests conducted so far stands at 223,341.

Source: FBC

Deputy Mayor of Addis Ababa, Engineer Takele Uma has inaugurated an Architectural and Urban Design center in the capital today.

The center located at Mesqel Square area in the city showcases photos and architectural designs depicting mega projects and construction of infrastructural facilities in the city, it is indicated.

The Deputy Mayor has stated so far that the Architectural and Urban Design Center is aimed to display Addis Ababa’s century long path to urbanization besides serving as a platform where think tanks seek options for better futures of the capital.

Various mega projects that change the narratives of the Addis Ababa have been popping up here and there across the metropolis, it is indicated.

“Beautifying Sheger” and River and River Side Development projects are among the mega schemes underway with outlay of Billions of Birr in Addis Ababa.

Construction of Adwa Park and Library and Mesqel Square Projects are also among the grand initiatives underway in Addis Ababa, it is indicated.

Source: FBC

Ethiopia has restated its position on its Grand Renaissance Dam through a letter to the United Nations Security Council.

The announcement came after Egypt called the UNSC for the second time to intervene in the trilateral negotiations on GERD.

In its letter to the UNSC, Ethiopia reiterated that the Grand Rennaissance Dam is not a threat to peace and security.

And, Ethiopia expressed concern over Egypt’s second request to the UNSC after breaking down the trilateral talks on the dam.

The Foreign Minister Gedu Andargachew, through his letter to the security council, reaffirmed that the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam will not cause any harm to downstream countries and pose peace and security threats.

Egypt’s steps are aimed to pose political and diplomatic pressures on Ethiopia, Gedu reiterated through the letter.

It is not fair to consider colonial-era agreements on Nile River which excluded Ethiopia as a point of negotiations, Gedu said.

Gedu noted, through a letter, that the current negotiations are based on the filling of reservoirs of the dam not water sharing issues.

Ethiopia reaffirmed its commitment to continue dialogue based on fair and reasonable use of the Nile Waters and complete the dam without causing any harm to the downstream countries.

It is up to Egypt which has been intimidating Ethiopia to claim responsibility on potential peace and security threats regarding the construction of the dam, Ethiopia briefed the United Nations Security Council.

Source: FBC

The Ethiopian Public Health Institute said nationwide tests for antibodies to the coronavirus will be conducted from June 22 to July 14, 2020.

According to a statement issued by the institute, antibody testing is aimed at monitoring infection rates and preventing the spread of the virus.

The testing will be carried out in all the regional states as well as in Addis Ababa and Dire Dawa city administrations, it added.

The institute called on the community, health professionals, and other stakeholders to contribute their share for the success of the testing campaign.

Ethiopia has conducted a total of 216, 328 laboratory tests for coronavirus since February 2020 and so far reported 4,532 confirmed cases, 1,213 recoveries, and 74 deaths.

Source: FBC