Ethiopia has today launched two mobile applications that help control coronavirus pandemic in the country.

The mobile applications have been unveiled by Ethiopian Public Health Institute in partnership with Ministry of Health and other stakeholders, it is indicated.

The first mobile application tracks people and alerts them if they have been in close contact with someone infected with coronavirus.

And, the second mobile application is said useful to share out uniform information among medical staff members following COVID 19 patients in same facility.

Users can use the applications (Debbo and COVID 19 Ethiopia) by downloading from Google Play Store and Official Website of Ethiopian Public Health Institute (https://www.ephi.gov.et/), it is learned.

Source: fbc

The House of People’s Representatives (HPR) has begun its 4th special session.

In its meeting, the House is expected to approve the additional budget proposed by the Council of Ministers for this Ethiopian fiscal year.

Moreover, it is also expected to approve the electronic transaction draft bill and refer other bills to pertinent standing committees for further scrutiny.

Prime Minister Dr. Abiy Ahmed has extended his congratulations message on the occasion of Ginbot 20 (May 28), which marks the downfall of the Derg regime.

In his message, the Prime Minister said “Ginbot 20 is one of the days that changed the history of modern Ethiopia.”

“Several fighters have sacrificed their precious lives to make Ethiopia democratic, fair and peaceful, to stop injustice and bring equality, multi-national unity, and prosperity,” he said.

“We should remember the day going forward and evaluating the past, not by sticking on Ginbot 20 victories,” he said.

A consultative forum focusing on the role of competing parties for successful completion of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) kicked off today in Addis Ababa.

The forum has been co-organized by the Joint Council of Ethiopian Political Parties and Office of National Council for the Coordination of Public Participation to GERD.

High ranking government officials including Foreign Affairs Minister Gedu Andargachew and the Water, Irrigation, and Energy Minister Engineer Sileshi Bekele are also taking part in the consultative forum.

Chairperson of the Joint Council of Political Parties, Mussa Adem, while opening the meeting, said the forum is mainly intended to bring parties together against national interests despite political disparity.

The role of Political Parties in consolidating support for successful completion of GERD and other national interests has become a core discussion point in the forum.

Progress of diplomatic efforts and negotiations underway among riparian countries to address the dam issue have been also reviewed on the consultative form.

The ministerial committee and COVID-19 advisory taskforce met to discuss the spread and containment efforts of the pandemic.

Chair of the meeting, Deputy Prime Minister Demeke Mekonnen, said the spread of the virus is extremely worrying, particularly in the capital Addis Ababa.

Indicating that about 70% of the country’s total confirmed cases are from the capital, he said, all needed precaution measures should be put in place to stem the virus from spreading.

Taking into consideration that the virus is spreading at an alarming rate, the community should prevent the pandemic by washing their hands, keeping physical distance from others, and wearing facemasks, he said.

Cases of the coronavirus in Ethiopia climbed to 655 today, having risen by 73 new cases in the past 24 hours.

Marking Africa Day, Prime Minister Dr. Abiy Ahmed has called for strengthened solidarity across the continent.

Africa Day is the annual commemoration of the foundation of the Organisation of African Unity on 25 May 1963.

In a tweet, the Prime Minister said “As we celebrate Africa Day today, let’s strengthen our solidarity for the Africa we want.”

“Our vibrant and diverse continent with many assets is destined for multidimensional prosperity,” he added.

The latest issue of the Embassy’s Magazine, The Ethiopian Messenger, is available here: The Ethiopian Messenger 16!

Content:

H.E. Ambassador Grum Abay’s interview with VETO magazine
VLIR-UOS leading the Ethio-Belgium Academic Cooperation
Ethiopia’s efforts to fighting the novel coronavirus COVID-19
The revised Ethiopian Investment Proclamation: key changes for FDI
The embassy takes part in two holiday fairs in Belgium & Luxembourg
በኢትዮጵያ ዳያስፖራ ትረስት ፈንድ በገንዘብ የተደገፉ ፕሮጀክቶች እና የበጎ ፈቃድ አገልግሎት

Ethiopia has recorded 73 new cases of the coronavirus out of the 2, 844 laboratory tests conducted in the past 24 hours.

This brings the total number of confirmed cases in the country to 655, according to a statement by the Ministry of health.

Out of the 73 cases, 49 are male and 24 are female, with the youngest being 8 years old and oldest 75 years, it said.

The statement indicated that 67 of the cases are Ethiopians, while the remaining six are foreign nationals.

Out of the new positive cases, 56 are from Addis Ababa, four from Tigray, two from Amhara, and eight from Somali regional states. The remaining three cases are truck drivers.

According to the statement, 27 of the cases have travel history from abroad, 15 having contact with confirmed cases, and the remaining 31 have neither travel history nor known contact traces.

Seven more patients have also recovered from the virus in the past 24 hours, taking the total number of recoveries to 159.

Ethiopia’s total test count currently stands at 83,854, with five deaths so far.

Prime Minister Dr. Abiy Ahmed visited Eka Kotebe General Hospital which is serving as the major COVID-19 treatment in the country.

The Prime Minister, while visiting the hospital along with the Health Minister, Dr. Liya Tadesse, encouraged the medical staff in the center who is playing the frontline role in the fight against the pandemic.

“The whole nation is with you. We will give you all the necessary support. We stand beside you providing all the necessary support.” the Premier assured the health professionals in the hospital.

The Prime Minister presented a gift to a woman who gave birth to a baby while receiving COVID-19 treatment after admitted to the hospital confirmed positive.

A mother with COVID-19 positive case is now in a better health condition, according to the hospital officials.

It is to be recalled that Prime Minister Dr. Abiy Ahmed paid a visit and presented holiday gifts to various segments of the community in Addis Ababa in connection with the Eid Al Fitr festivity.

The Chairperson of the African Union Commission, Moussa Faki Mahamat welcomed the recent developments related to the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD).

In a statement issued yesterday, he commended Ethiopia, Sudan and Egypt for agreeing to resume technical level engagements through their mater ministers to resolve outstanding differences and reach an amicable solution.

The Chairperson further encouraged the tripartite to pursue their engagements in good faith, guided by principles of cooperation, common understanding and transparency, as stipulated in the 2015 Declaration of Principles on the GERD.

The Chairperson also stated the readiness of the AU Commission to assist all parties in finding a peaceful resolution and achieving a mutually beneficial agreement.

GERD is under construction in the Benishangul-Gumuz regional state and has now reached 73%. Ethiopia plans to begin filling the dam from July.

The people and government of Ethiopia are funding the project, which will not only serve Ethiopia, but also Sudan and Egypt as well.

The European Union (EU) said it fully recognizes the strategic importance of the Nile waters and the GERD for Ethiopia.