Fossils of 4.4-Million-Year-Old Horse Found

 

A juvenile  jaw bone and teeth from the ancient horse species Eurygnathohippus woldegabrieli.

Scientists say they found signs that the teeth were worn down by a life of grazing.

By  Megan Gannon, News Editor

December 15, 2013 11:14 AM

Scientists poking around Ethiopia’s fossil-rich lowlands say they have discovered the first pieces of an extinct species of horse that was about the size of a small zebra and lived about 4.4 million years ago.

The specimens were found in what is now an arid desert. But at the time this grass-eating horse roamed the planet, the region would have been covered in grasslands and shrubby woods — rich grounds for grazing.

Fossilized traces of the horse, which was named Eurygnathohippus woldegabrieli, were uncovered in the archaeologically rich sites of Aramis and Gona in Ethiopia’s Middle Awash valley. The region is famed for bearing the world’s longest and most continuous record of human evolution. The extinct horse in this study would have actually been alive at the same time the 4.4-million-year-old human ancestor Ardipithecus ramidus, or “Ardi,” walked the region.

“Among the many fossils we found are the two ends of the foreleg bone — the canon — brilliant white and well preserved in the red-tinted earth,” study researcher Scott Simpson, of Case Western Reserve’s School of Medicine, said of the horse discovery.

The leg bone bits indicate this horse had longer legs than its ancestors. The shape and size of the leg suggest the beast was a fast runner, a skill that may have helped it flee predators like lions, sabre-tooth cats, Simpson and colleagues say.

The horse’s teeth show signs of another departure from more ancient species: With crowns worn flatter than the teeth found on its ancestors, it seems this creature became adapted to a life of grazing. An analysis of the enamel on the fossilized teeth provided further evidence that it subsisted on grass like today’s zebras, wildebeests and white rhinoceroses, the scientists say.

“Grasses are like sandpaper,” Simpson explained in a statement. “They wear the teeth down and leave a characteristic signature of pits and scratches on the teeth so we can reliably reconstruct their ancient diets.”

The animal belonged to a group of ancient horses called Hipparionines, which had three-toed hooves and arose in North America about 16 million years ago before spreading into Eurasia, presumably over a land bridge that once existed between Alaska and Siberia. The researchers say this discovery helps fill in a blank spot in the evolution of horses, before the animals became even better suited for a life in the grasslands, growing taller and developing longer snouts, for example.

“This horse is one piece of a very complex puzzle that has many, many pieces,” Simpson said in a statement.

The research was detailed online in the Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology.

Source: http://www.livescience.com/41949-fossils-extinct-horse-species.html?

Ethiopia to Improve Trade Facilitation

        

Today the Ethiopian Revenues and Customs Authority (ERCA) and the Investment Climate Facility for Africa (ICF) have signed an Agreement worth US$ 7.3 million to establish an electronic Single Window (eSW) system for international trade.

The main objective of this project is to set up a Single Window System that will facilitate international trade by reducing export, import and transit procedures and reducing the time and costs of   clearance document preparation. The system will help to make the country’s businesses more competitive, attractive to investment opportunities and stimulate the country’s economic development.

Speaking at the signing ceremony, Ato Beker Shale, Director General of the Ethiopian Revenues and Customs Authority said:

“I am confident that, this project will definitely have a prominent impact on the overall trading activity of the country. The impact of the project will be substantial and far reaching along several aspects and measures. We believe that the system will readily be welcomed by the trading community and all stakeholders and be optimally utilized.”

The Director General also reaffirms the Government’s and ERCA’s for the project and appreciated and gave thanks for the support provided by ICF.

Speaking at the signing ceremony, William Asiko, ICF CEO, said:

“ICF is pleased to be in the forefront of helping Ethiopia improve its business environment. The support we are providing to improve trade facilitation will help to make the country competitive and more attractive to investors.”

This is the second time that ICF and ERCA are working together on such selected projects with the aim of improving Ethiopia’s investment climate. The first project was completed in 2012 and focused on modernizing the tax administration system and it created an online filing system for large tax payers and also established a call centre in ERCA’s headquarters.

Notes to the Editor:

The Investment Climate Facility for Africa (ICF) is a donor funded, private sector focused development institution whose purpose is to enhance the economic prospects of African society by working with businesses and governments to improve the investment climate in respective African countries. ICF works with African governments to create a conducive legal, regulatory and administrative environment for businesses, both big and small, to invest, grow and create jobs.

Apart from trade facilitation, ICF also provides support in the areas of property rights and contract enforcement, business registration and licensing, commercial justice, tax and customs, financial markets, infrastructure facilitation, labour markets, competition, and corruption and crime. ICF is supported by development partners and the private sector. Additional information on ICF is available at www.icfafrica.org

The Ethiopian Revenues and Customs Authority (ERCA) is an institution that was newly established in 2007 by merging three institutions that were operational in the area. The Authority now employs about 9,000 staff and is found in a wave of reforms and transformation. It has been a leading organization in Ethiopia in the introduction of Business Process Reengineering (BPR) and Balanced Scorecard (BSC) systems. It is also one of the public organization in introducing and widely using IT systems and resources.

The assistance singed at this time to introduce eSW is believed to further modernize and enhance ERCA’s service delivery with significant and wider impacts on investment facilitation and the economy. The Ethiopian Revenues and Customs Authority already runs two major automated systems, i.e. Standard Integrated Government Tax Administration System (SIGTAS) for domestic tax administration, and Automated Systems for Customs Administration (ASYCUDA++) for Customs procedures facilitation.

Source:http://allafrica.com/stories/201312161835.html?aa_source=slideout

Ethiopia: Royal Visit Highlights Need for Financial Inclusion

Máxima Wiesbaden 2013.jpg

BY NEAMIN ASHENAFI, 14 DECEMBER 2013

Advocate for Inclusive Finance for Development (UNSGSA), led by Her Majesty the Queen of the Netherlands, visited Ethiopia last Monday.

Her Majesty was accompanied by Ertharin Cousin, UN World Food Programme (WFP) executive director; Maria Helena Semedo, UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) deputy director general; and Adolfo Brizzi, director of the Policy and Technical Advisory Division of the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD).

The visit was aimed at highlighting Ethiopia’s efforts to make financial services more accessible to the rural poor while also emphasizing the role that expanding financial inclusion plays in strengthening food security.

Queen Máxima stressed the importance of the Ethiopian government’s moves to strengthen the financial sector and make financial services more inclusive.

The delegation met Prime Minister Hailemarim Desalegn and officials from the bank and microfinance sector to discuss their role in helping to improve food security in rural areas of Ethiopia.

After the high-level talks, the delegation travelled to Hawassa, the capital city of the Southern Nations, Nationalities and Peoples Region (SNNPR), to see the overall activities of the three UN food security agencies.

The UNSGSA and the three food agencies work with the government and the private sector to extend financial services to marginalized groups, especially women, who often face legal and policy barriers, as well as irregular obstacles to services, training and information.

Greater financial inclusion can also help increase the success of small producers who are not served by microfinance but are often perceived as ‘too risky’ by commercial banks.

The development of microfinance institutions in Ethiopia is a recent phenomenon, coming to prominence after the proclamation in July 1996 that offered help for their establishment. Since then various institutions have legally registered and started delivering microfinance services.

In this regard, over the recent years 31 microfinance institutions have been established, 7,160 Rural Savings and Credit Cooperative Organizations, and 77 Unions, reaching nearly three million rural clients, set up.

Financial inclusion is the universal access to a wide range of reasonably priced financial services provided by a variety of institutions. It enables and accelerates progress toward numerous development goals and national priorities, such as job creation, equitable growth, poverty alleviation, health, education and food security.

Source:http://allafrica.com/stories/201312160333.html

Ethiopia spearheads green energy in Africa

Addis Ababa, December 5 (WIC) – Ashegoda – From the sky, the 84 glimmering white turbines at Ashegoda wind farm shoot up from the ground like massive spokes, standing out high amid vast expanses of yellow wheat.
Ethiopia’s northern Tigray region, mostly populated by cattle farmers who grow the country’s staple grains, is an unlikely site for a modern French-run wind farm, let alone sub-Saharan Africa’s largest.
With its multi-billion dollar projects in wind, hydropower, solar and geothermal energy, Ethiopia’s pioneering green energy efforts aim to supply power to its 91 million people and boost its economy by exporting power to neighbouring countries.
“Ethiopia stands alone in Africa as using green energy for transformative growth,” said Ahmed Soliman, from Britain’s Chatham House think tank.
Current energy production capacity stands at 2 177MW, with ambitions to reach 10 000MW by 2015.
Ashegoda’s turbines, which tower above young boys in tattered clothes watching over their livestock, have a total capacity of 120MW, making it the biggest on the sub-continent.
Growing interest
The project was built by France’s Vergnet Group, and is the first of several planned wind farms in the country, including a 204MW Chinese-built site under construction in the southeast.
Ashegoda, 780km from Addis Ababa, is part of ambitious plans to transform Ethiopia into a middle-income, carbon-neutral country by 2025.
The $313m wind farm, funded by the French government and several private French banks, is an indication of growing interest from European companies in Ethiopia, where Chinese, Indian and Turkish investments are also growing.
Both France and Ethiopia’s government are “very enthusiastic to reinforce even more links”, said Romano Coutrot, site manager at the wind farm, adding Ashegoda is one of Vergnet’s “most important” projects globally.
The project took four years to complete and became fully operational in October, but faced several hurdles along the way.
Soaring up to 80m high, the turbines had to be driven to landlocked Ethiopia on semi-paved roads from Djibouti, which posed a major challenge.
Completion was further delayed to relocate the site 5km north after the aviation authority said it was interfering with its airspace.
Coutrot admitted that doing business in Ethiopia can be challenging, with infrastructure shortfalls and crippling bureaucracy.
“The taxation system, customs, the relationship with authorities, it’s sometimes a bit difficult,” he said, speaking from his office on site amid the imposing turbines.
“Government services like customs, land issues, other government services are improving,” said Minister for Water and Energy Alemayehu Tegenu, insisting the government was committed to improving conditions for investors.
Aggressive investments
The government says its investment in green energy is a central pillar of its development plan, crucial in a country where the majority of people live on less than $2 a day.

“Health, education, communication, water supply, industry, these all need sustainable and reliable power supply,” Alemayehu said.
Only 53% of the country currently has access to electricity, with large swathes of Ethiopia’s rural regions in the dark and relying on firewood for basic household needs.
“Unless you have this kind of ambitious plan, the pace of population pressure will take over and you won’t see any change,” said Belay Simane, professor of environment at Addis Ababa University.
The country is already exporting power to Djibouti and Sudan, with a line to transport energy to Kenya under construction.
Soliman said it will solidify Ethiopia’s role as a leader in green energy in the region.
“Ethiopia will have a competitive regional advantage, not having to rely on economically and technically less-feasible sources of energy such as gas or oil to meet growing demands, which many East African countries are doing,” Soliman said.
The hard currency earned from these power exports will go toward increasing the number of renewable energy projects in Ethiopia, according to the government.
Heavy investment in the green energy sector extends beyond economics: the country is keen to avoid the mistakes of countries such as China or India, that experienced rapid economic growth but with grave environmental costs.
“If we invest in these resources, we can develop in a green way without affecting the environment like they did in Europe,” said Fisseha Gebremichael, Ethiopian Electric Power Corporation’s Ashegoda project manager.
Alemeyahu said he hopes Ethiopia’s aggressive investments in wind and other renewable energy resources will persuade other African countries to follow suit.
“We don’t want to keep African populations in the dark for a long time, we have to run very fast to access light for industry and for social and economic development,” he said. (AFP)

Source:http://www.waltainfo.com/index.php/explore/11518-ethiopia-spearheads-green-energy-in-africa

 

8th Nationalities’ Day colorfully celebrated in Jigjiga

 

Addis Ababa, 8 December 2013 (WIC) –  The 8th Ethiopian Nations, Nationalities and Peoples’ Day was colorfully celebrated on Sunday in Jigjiga town of the Somali regional state.

It was celebrated in the presence of Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn, Djiboutian President Ismail Omar Guelleh and government delegates of from Kenya and Rwanda.

Senior Ethiopian government officials, representatives of Ethiopian nations, nationalities and peoples as well as residents of the host town, Jigjiga were also in attendance of the event.Guest of honor at the event, Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn said the constitution replaced an imposed unity of the past regimes with a democratic one based on consent.Day.The constitution is also a word of oath which salvaged the Ethiopian nation from disintegration and kept it together, the Premier said.We should therefore defend the constitution which is the basis of this togetherness.Owing to the constitution the Somali people who were marginalized by the past regimes have now become an active part of ongoing national development endeavors.

Speaker of the House of Federation, Kassa Tekleberhan said this was a day on which the national constitution that brought all Ethiopians to power was endorsed.He said Ethiopian Somalis were an active part of the struggle Ethiopian nations and nationalities made for both national and democratic unity.Kassa recalled that the late Prime Minister Meles Zenawi had a special respect and love for Ethiopian Somalis.The late great leader has addressed the intricate problems in the region which lasted for generations, he said. The federal system he left behind is been thriving.

Chief of the Somali regional state, Abdi Mohammed Umer said this was a day of rebirth for the people of the Somali regional state.He said in the past the Somali people had suffered a lot from both domestic oppression and foreign aggression.Thanks to the incumbent government, they are now enjoying the fruits of peace, development and good governance.The region had only one secondary school 22 years ago, the Chief recalled. Now it has 97 secondary schools, over 1,000 primary schools, one university, as well as six government and four private colleges.The region which had only one hospital 2 decades back now owns eight zonal hospitals, three referral hospitals and more than a 100 health centers.
He emphasized the role of the late Prime Minister Meles Zenawi for the remarkable development achievements registered in the state.

Benshangul Gumuz regional state is selected to organize the 9th Ethiopian Nations, Nationalities and Peoples’ Day next year.

Source:http://www.waltainfo.com/index.php/editors-pick/11551-8th-nationalities-day-colorfully-celebrated-in-jigjiga-

Nelson Mandela In Ethiopia: A Peacemaker’s Beginnings As Guerrilla Fighter

ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia — Flags are flying at half-staff outside the African Union headquarters on Friday in honor of Nelson Mandela, whose death Thursday has the entire continent, and the world, in mourning. The activist, politician, scholar, husband, father and Nobel Peace Prize laureate fought against apartheid, a system of formalized segregation that saw black South Africans treated as third-class citizens, and helped to heal a fractured nation in the aftermath of minority rule.

“Nelson Mandela will be remembered as a symbol for wisdom, for the ability to change and the power of reconciliation,” AU Deputy Chairman Erasmus Mwencha told reporters here in Ethiopia’s capital city on Friday morning. “His life and legacy is the biggest lesson, motivation, inspiration and commitment any African can give to Africa.”

But Madiba, as Mandela was affectionately known, was not always a man of peace. Before he capped his career as South Africa’s first black president in 1994, before he spent 27 years imprisoned for his anti-apartheid activism, Mandela came to believe that violence was sometimes necessary in the fight for freedom. And it was in Ethiopia that the young Mandela received his first formal training in the art of guerrilla warfare.

At that time, Ethiopia was ruled by Emperor Haile Selassie, who had gained a reputation as a defender of African sovereignty. Mandela was a member of the African National Congress, a then-illegal organization that opposed apartheid in South Africa and is now the country’s ruling political party. He had founded the group Umkhonto we Sizwe (Spear of the Nation), which would operate as the military wing of the ANC, in 1961. Mandela first traveled to Addis Ababa in 1962 to attend a  pan-African summit as a representative of the ANC.

“Ethiopia has always held a special place in my own imagination, and the prospect of visiting Ethiopia attracted me more strongly than a trip to France, England, and America combined,” Mandela later wrote in his 1994 autobiography “Long Walk to Freedom.” “I felt I would be visiting my own genesis, unearthing the roots of what made me an African. Meeting His Highness, Emperor Haile Selassie of Ethiopia, would be like shaking hands with history.” On his Ethiopian Airlines flight to Addis Ababa, Mandela was surprised to find a black pilot in the cockpit, the first he had ever seen.

Mandela went on to visit a host of African countries and meet with leading officials, but at the end of his international tour he returned to Ethiopia for military training. It didn’t last long; the young revolutionary was soon called back to South Africa, and in August 1962 he was arrested and thrown into a Johannesburg prison. He would spend the next 27 years behind bars at several different facilities until his final release in 1990.

Mandela’s visit to Ethiopia was a pivotal moment for many Ethiopians and  was hosted by  Gen. Tadesse Beru, who was at that time the commander of the Ethiopian special forces.Even during the time of the emperor, people were supporting the cause of South Africans. South Africa was a part of the larger African anti-colonialist struggle.

Mandela spent only a couple of months training with Tadesse, but he didn’t leave empty-handed. There is one artifact that still connects South Africa to Ethiopia, a relic of history whose mysterious disappearance has baffled historians for years. During his time in Ethiopia, the young freedom fighter received a gift from the general to symbolize his struggle: a semi-automatic Soviet-made Makarov pistol. He brought it back with him to the headquarters of Umkhonto we Sizwe in South Africa, a place called Liliesleaf Farm outside Johannesburg, and buried it for safekeeping lest authorities raid the premises.

That was right before his arrest, and five decades later, the gun has yet to be found, despite Mandela’s later assertions that it was buried just 20 paces away from where the Liliesleaf kitchen used to be. (The property has been rebuilt and divided up, though the Liliesleaf Trust, as it is now called in it new role as a historical site, remains at its former location.)

Like that elusive weapon, much of Mandela’s military history remains underground; his legacy is built on peace, not war. But in Ethiopia and all across Africa, there are some who still think of Mandela not just as an ambassador of peace, but as a man who knew when something was worth fighting for.

Source:http://www.ibtimes.com/nelson-mandela-ethiopia-peacemakers-beginnings-guerrilla-fighter-1498812

 

FDRE Statement on the Death of Former South African President Nelson Mandela

Addis Ababa (Dec 06, 2013) The People and Government of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia received with profound sorrow the news of the passing away of former South African President Nelson Mandela – a visionary leader, who dedicated his life for the achievement of freedom and justice for his people. His legacy will live on for generations to come.

President Mandela did not only lead his country’s struggle against Apartheid but has also been the torch bearer in the quest for Africa’s freedom. He inspired generations of world leaders to stand for justice, human dignity and freedom across the globe.

H.E. Mr. Hailemariam Dessalegn, Prime Minister of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia and Chairperson of the African Union expressed most profound sympathies and sincere condolences to the family of President Mandela as well as to the People and the Government of the Republic of South Africa. In his message, Prime Minister Hailemariam stressed the special place President Mandela has in the hearts of all Ethiopians. He recalled the brief period that the former freedom fighter spent in Ethiopia during his exile in the 1960s and expressed Ethiopia’s commitment to uphold his messages of selflessness, humility and dedication to the struggle for freedom and human dignity that this towering African icon taught humanity.

Indeed, President Mandela leaves behind a great vision from which all of us Africans should draw inspiration. The Government of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia will continue to value the principles of democracy, freedom, justice, tolerance and reconciliation for which President Mandela dedicated his life.

Ethiopia hosts the 26th Session of the ACP-EU Joint Parliamentary Assembly

The 26th Session of the African, Caribbean and Pacific-European Union Joint Parliamentary Assembly (ACP-EU/JPA) was held in Addis Ababa this week, November 25-27. The joint plenary sessions were preceded by meetings of the three standing committees, the Committee on Political Affairs, the Committee on Social Affairs and the Environment and the Committee on Economic Development, Finance and Trade, on Saturday, (November 23); and by two workshops and a meeting of the Bureau on Sunday (November 24). The meeting brought together elected representatives of the African, Caribbean and Pacific states and the European Union, with MEPs and MPs from the 78 signatory states to the Cotonou Agreement that is the basis for the ACP-EU partnership. The focus of the Joint Parliamentary Assembly was on how to promote the partnership and interdependence of North and South.

The session was opened by Hailemariam Desalegn, Prime Minister of Ethiopia and Chairperson of the African Union; Abadula Gemeda, Speaker of House of People’s Representatives of Ethiopia; Joyce Laboso, the ACP-EU/JPA Co-President; and Patrice Tirolien, the Vice-President of the JPA. Prime Minister Hailemariam welcomed the guests and stressed that ACP member countries should be guided by the principles of equality and mutual benefit in their engagement with development partners, including Europe and other advanced economies. Since the ACP member states rely on Europe’s Foreign Direct Investment and Overseas Development Assistance to help finance their development projects, he urged Europe to work closely with ACP member countries in investment, trade, human development, and capacity building in order to create an environment that is suitable for development, democracy and good governance.

As the EU and its member states are major providers of assistance, financing development is absolutely central to the EU-ACP partnership, he noted. He suggested that financing for development should be based on the principles of ‘complementarities,’ ‘comparative advantages,’ ‘transparency’, and ‘accountability’ to bring about inclusive and sustainable development. The planet, he noted, faces ‘serious’ threats that endanger the survival of humanity regardless of economic levels and geographic settings. He therefore urged that partnership in ‘green’ development should be emphasized in order to collectively tackle global warming. He pointed out that many ACP member countries have made meaningful advancement, committing themselves to democracy, good governance and the rule of law to help improve the lives of their people. He therefore underlined that the partnership between ACP and EU member states “should not in any sense be based on the rather obsolete assumption that one side is the ultimate provider and the other the perennial receiver of resources, whether the object of the relationship be economic or political.”

The Speaker of the House of People’s Representatives, Abadula Gemeda, in his remarks to the assembly noted that Ethiopia’s Constitution is the foundation for the ability of Ethiopia’s nations, nationalities and peoples to live in peace and stability. It helped Ethiopia and Ethiopians grasp the aspiration of a single political and economic society which still had room for diversity, on the basis of equality, democracy and rule of law. He noted that the ACP-EU/JPA had been a mechanism for parliamentarians to work together in order to overcome the impediments to development in member countries as well as advance the universal values of humanity, democracy and human rights. The values, cultures, traditions, and beliefs of member countries must, he said, be recognized and appreciated in order for democracy to blossom and flourish. He emphasized that the ACP-EU partnership, based as it was on the principle of sovereign equality for the sustainable future of humanity, was of critical importance in countering contemporary threats in the world, which he itemized as: “climate change, desertification, agriculture and food security, terrorism, human trafficking, and economic crises”.

Dr. Joyce Laboso, Co-President of the ACP-EU/JPA, told the assembled that Addis Ababa had shown a “remarkable” transformation compared to the year 2004, when the 7th JPA had been held there. This underlined the robust economic development and impressive growth rate over recent years. She said an economic boom in some sectors encourages other sectors to grow and also attracts private and public investment from both local and foreign investors. She also emphasized that what was remarkable “about this growth is that it is not being driven by mineral resources.” She further pointed out that Ethiopia’s positive developments had been encouraged by “institutional, political and social reforms, and are beacons of hope and sources of inspiration” for other member countries. More generally, she noted that instability and conflicts still posed challenges in some areas of Africa, especially in the Democratic Republic of Congo, but even there was a reappearance of peace in the east of the country with the defeat of the M23 rebels and this would help turn the Great Lakes region into a more stable area.

Dr. Laboso said that development cooperation should no longer be considered only in terms of the flow of financial assistance from developed countries of the North to the less developed countries of the South. She said “we know now that there is enormous social, political and indeed economic capital to be shared among less developing countries themselves.” She called for new tools and methods of development financing to bolster South-South and Triangular cooperation. Development finance, she said, can flow from people to people and from private companies to various recipients or governments in addition to the traditional methods of government to government. Another new financing tool was the World Bank’s program-for-results which would be disbursing a US$100 million zero-interest credit to Ethiopia to directly bring about positive results in health, particularly in maternal and infant programs. She also noted the progress of ACP states in ensuring strong and impartial judiciary systems under the rule of law and providing protection of human rights, civil and political rights, and property rights. In conclusion, Dr. Laboso called for a concerted effort and integrated action to stop all gender-based violence, including female genital mutilation (FGM) emphasizing that this must be seen as a serious violation of human rights.

In its sessions, the Assembly addressed issues focusing on South-South cooperation and triangular cooperation, the rule of law, institutional cooperation between the African Union and the European Union, the social and environmental impact of pastoralism on ACP countries, new structures for the financing of development, and green growth economy for ensuring sustainable development in Ethiopia. It adopted decisions covering these and other issues including opportunities and challenges for ACP countries including respect for the rule of law and the role of an impartial and independent judiciary.

www.mfa.gov.et-A Week in the Horn 29th November 2013

EU signs 212.4 mln euro aid deals with Ethiopia for roads, health

ADDIS ABABA Mon Nov 25, 2013 5:46am EST

Nov 25 (Reuters) – The European Union signed a development grant with Ethiopia on Monday worth 212.4 million euros ($287.26 million) to help finance road construction and projects targeting maternal health and drought resilience.

Ethiopia, Africa’s second most populous country after Nigeria, is midway through a five-year economic plan that foresees almost tripling the country’s road network and beginning the building of 5,000 km of new railway lines.

Addis Ababa’s big push on infrastructure is aimed at connecting remote regions and has propelled the economy to double-digit growth for much of the last decade.

“Expanding and upgrading … (the) road network is playing a central role in the country’s economic development – notably in improving access for the rural population to marketsand basic service,” Andris Piebalgs, the EU’s Commissioner for Development, told a signing ceremony.

Once run by communists, Ethiopia’s economy is now sub-Saharan Africa’s fifth biggest economy, leap-frogging Kenya, after a decade of robust growth. But it remains one of the world’s largest aid recipients.

The package includes 49 million euros earmarked for road building. Another 50 million euros will be to help fight the effects of drought in the country’s arid south and east and 40.4 million euros will go to improving maternal health.

Earlier this month the United Nations said Ethiopia was making slow progress in improving maternal health and that the rate of maternal mortality – dying in childbirth – was among the highest in the world.

The International Monetary Fund projects the Ethiopian economy will expand 7.5 percent in each of the next two fiscal years but cautions it needs to be restructured to encourage more private sector investments to avoid a slowdown.

There are signs the huge public spending is hampering the private sector’s access to credit, the IMF says. ($1 = 0.7394 euros) (Reporting by Aaron Maasho; Editing by Richard Loughand Alison Williams)

http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/11/25/eu-ethiopia-aid-idUSL5N0JA1J020131125

Ethiopia Approves 300 Megawatt Solar Project in Partnership With Two U.S. Firms

7,November,2013
Addis Ababa — Global Trade and Development Consulting together with its Project Development Partner, Energy Ventures, both Maryland-based companies, today announced that they have been awarded the contract by the Ethiopian Ministry of Water and Energy and the Board of Directors of the Ethiopian Electric Power Corporation to build, operate, and transfer three (3), one hundred (100) megawatt solar sites, in the eastern region of Ethiopia. The site selection, due diligence and Feasibility Study were completed earlier this year, receiving both technical and financial approval from both the Minister of Water and Energy and EEPCo.

Ethiopia is in the initial set of countries in President Obama’s “Power Africa” initiative. In addition to the needed power generation capacity, a key element of this 300 Megawatt Solar Project, is the economic development resulting in the creation of more than 2,000 construction jobs that would inject millions of dollars into the Ethiopian economy. Ongoing plant operations would yield several hundred new jobs as well.

According to Minister Alemayehu Tegenu, Minister of Water and Energy for the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia in Addis Ababa, “This project represents a significant advance in our Ethiopian energy initiative and is now part of our comprehensive Energy Plan. Given Ethiopia’s large hydro-electric generation capacity and now wind and geothermal power generation coming on-line, large scale solar fits nicely into our energy portfolio and will provide significant power generation capacity much faster than the other renewable technologies. We welcome this project with open arms.”

“We spent months analyzing the potential for a large-scale solar project in Ethiopia. We found that Ethiopia has some of the highest solar irradiance factors in Africa,” said Dr. Yonnas Kefle, CEO of GTDC. “As with all our projects, we intend to also maximize the amount of local content and resources in performance of this project.”

“We are excited to be the Project Developer leading this important project for the Ethiopia people. The power that this project will deliver will clearly have a dramatic effect on millions of Ethiopian people’s quality of life,” said Mr. Lynn R. Hogg, Founder and CEO of Energy Ventures.

Source: http://allafrica.com/stories/201311080925.html