Ethiopia and the World Food Program (WFP) have opened a new hub at Bole International Airport from which COVID-19 supplies, equipment, and humanitarian workers will be transported across Ethiopia and Africa.

The Addis Ababa Humanitarian Air Hub is part of a United Nations initiative move to scale up procurement and distribution of protective equipment and medical supplies for the COVID-19 response.

With guidance and support from the Government of Ethiopia, WFP set up the hub in Addis Ababa and began operations this week, according to a press release of the World Food Program.

Finance State Minister Admasu Nebebe said “the Government of Ethiopia is proud to host this hub in Ethiopia on behalf of the global community. We are honored to be contributing this way to the global endeavor to tackle the coronavirus disease.”

The first cargo flight arrived in Ethiopia yesterday from the United Arab Emirates loaded with aprons, face shields, gloves, goggles, gowns, masks and thermometers procured by the United Nations World Health Organization (WHO) for distribution to 32 African countries.

WFP Country Director and Representative Steven Were Omamo said, “Thanks to the Government of Ethiopia, WFP worked with airport and customs authorities to establish this air hub in days. Ethiopia has proven its willingness and agility to act as a regional caregiver in this time of crisis.”

A team of 25 WFP aviation and logistics staff are based at Bole International Airport in Addis Ababa, managing the 24-hour operation, it was learned.

They organize warehouse space for dry bulk, temperature-controlled and cold storage cargo, and its onward flights.

WFP also provides dedicated cargo tracking, warehouse management and customer service for countries across Africa in collaboration with the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

United Nations Resident Coordinator and Humanitarian Coordinator in Ethiopia, Catherine Sozi noted that “this partnership between the Government of Ethiopia, WFP and WHO is aligned with the vision of the United Nations in Ethiopia and highlights the value of collaboration in responding to the needs of millions of people.”

Following further discussions with the Government of Ethiopia, WFP is planning to organize and process flights for humanitarian personnel through the Addis Ababa hub as well as medical evacuations, it was also learned.

As part of a global appeal to raise 2 billion USD for the COVID-19 response, launched by the United Nations Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs on 25 March, WFP is calling for 350 million USD to support vital common aviation, shipping, storage and transport, and engineering services in areas affected by the pandemic.

Prime Minister Dr. Abiy Ahmed co-authored another illuminating article on ‘FINANCIAL TIMES’ along with 17 African and European leaders of State and Governments calling for cooperation; emphasizing, in particular, Africa’s vulnerabilities that need to be addressed in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic. Click here for more: https://on.ft.com/2wFJ5xb

Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed wrote a piece on ‘Bloomberg’ arguing for debt relief measurements to help Africa survive the effects of COVID-19 pandemic. In line with his call for financial support for Africa from the international community, in his recently published article on ‘FINANCIAL TIMES,’ the Premier reiterated: “Africa needs an immediate emergency fiscal stimulus worth $100 billion in addition to the International Monetary Fund’s already programmed $50 billion of regular support to tackle the crisis.” Noting that the ongoing crisis will not be short-lived, Abiy underscored the need to have additional support to Africa over the next two to three years from the International Community. He argued that without a vast restructuring of debt, all the continent’s recent gains will be wiped out. Please click here for more: https://bloom.bg/3b8ZFVb

Prime Minister Dr Abiy Ahmed has met with the COVID19 Ministerial Committee to discuss development in the fight against the spread of the virus.

“Updates from the COVID19 Ministerial Committee indicate good progress,” tweeted the Prime Minister.

“I am pleased to hear that within Addis Ababa itself around 1,200 food banks have been set up for extreme eventualities,” he added.

“Setting up multiple testing labs in regions is also on-going with the aim of increasing daily testing capacity.”

“The potential to locally produce ventilators is being explored as we add new sites to the quarantine, isolation and treatment facilities.”

“I have to take the opportunity to acknowledge all generous individuals who have been lending a hand in all manners. Unity is a pre-requisite for collective survival.”

The country has so far registered 82 confirmed cases, with three deaths and 14 recoveries.

The Ministry of Health has reported 8 new cases of coronavirus (COVID-19) out of the 447 samples tested over the past 24 hours.

This brings the total number of confirmed cases in the country to 82.

Five of today’s confirmed cases are Ethiopians and the other three are Eritrean, Somali and British nationals.

The country has so far reported three deaths and 14 recoveries from the virus.

According to the latest figures from Johns Hopkins University, more than 1.9 million cases of coronavirus have been registered globally.

Nearly 120,000 people have died and more than 453,000 have recovered from the virus.

Deputy Prime Minister Demeke Mekonnen held a discussion yesterday (April 13th) with security bodies about ways of implementing the state of emergency declared to contain the spread of coronavirus (COVID-19).

The discussion was a follow-up to the directive issued by the Attorney General on Saturday to implement the state of emergency proclamation endorsed by the House of People’s Representatives to contain COVID-19 late last week.

The meeting brought together the leadership of the defense force, federal police, and other relevant institution.

Opening the meeting, the deputy premier said the security forces at all levels should discharge their responsibilities for the full implementation of the proclamation.

He also urged the public to practice all advice given by the World Health Organization beyond respecting the detailed directive of the attorney general.

Yet the meeting in its discussion has found that there are still gaps in the implementation of the directive which warrants due strictness of law enforcement bodies in ensuring respect of the law.

They particularly singled out the violation of social distancing in places of worship and markets.

The participants have therefore agreed to enforce the proclamation. “Security forces will take all the necessary measures to enforce the proclamation and punish anybody who violates it.”

The committee also called on the public to contribute their share in implementing the directive for the state of emergency proclamation.

Companies in Hawassa industrial park have begun producing face masks as part of efforts to halt spread of coronavirus (COVID-19).

Currently, they are “producing 10,000 face masks per day to increase to 50,000 per day” said the Prime Minister Dr Abiy Ahmed on Twitter.

“Our industries are adapting to the times. Companies in Hawasa Industrial Park undeterred and shifting operations to meet immediate needs,” he added.

The Prime Minister also called on others to follow suit. “Well done. I encourage other companies to innovate and adapt,” he said.

Ethiopia has so far registered 71 cases of COVID-19, three deaths and 10 recoveries.

According to the latest figures from Johns Hopkins University, more than 1.8 million cases of coronavirus have been registered globally.

More than 114,000 people have died and close to 428,000 have recovered from the virus.

 

The Chairperson of the African Union, President of the Republic of South Africa His Excellency Cyril Ramaphosa has appointed Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Dr Donald Kaberuka, Mr Tidjane Thiam and Mr Trevor Manuel as Special Envoys of the African Union to mobilize international support for Africa’s efforts to address the economic challenges African countries will face as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Special Envoys will be tasked with soliciting rapid and concrete support as pledged by the G20, the European Union, and other international financial institutions.

President Ramaphosa says: “In the light of the devastating socio-economic and political impact of the pandemic on African countries these institutions need to support African economies that are facing serious economic challenges with a comprehensive stimulus package for Africa, including deferred debt and interest payments.

“The impact of the coronavirus pandemic has been global in both scale and reach, and this necessitates coordinated international action to capacitate all countries to respond effectively, but most particularly developing countries that continue to shoulder a historical burden of poverty, inequality and underdevelopment,” President Ramaphosa said.

President Ramaphosa added: “The sentiment expressed in two recent letters written to the G20 by a group of world leaders and a team of esteemed economists underscore the importance of bolstering health systems in poorer countries; this can only be done with the support of the international community.”

Dr Okonjo-Iweala is an internationally respected economist and development expert and served two terms as Minister of Finance of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. She has also served as Managing Director of the World Bank.

Dr Kaberuka is an economist and former President and Chairman of the Board of Directors of the African Development Bank (AfDB). He is the former Finance Minister of Rwanda and in 2016 was appointed as a Special Envoy of the African Union on sustainable financing for the AU and funding for Peace in Africa.

Mr Manuel was the longest-serving Minister of Finance in the Republic of South Africa and formerly headed the country’s National Planning Commission. In 2018 he was appointed as an Investment Envoy by South African President Cyril Ramaphosa to engage domestic and international investors as part of the country’s national investment drive.

Mr Thiam is a banker and businessman. He is the former Chief Executive Officer of Credit Suisse and also served as Chief Financial Officer and CEO of Prudential. He also has a background in management consulting and worked for McKinsey and Company.

The AU Chair said the appointment of the special envoys would expedite the process of securing economic support to enable countries on the continent to respond swiftly to this grave public health emergency. President Ramaphosa said the envoys brought with them a wealth of experience and enjoyed longstanding relationships in the international financial community.

“The African Union is immensely encouraged by the support that has been extended by the international community thus far. It is an affirmation that as nations of the world, we are all in this together. We must now focus on efforts to marshal every resource at our disposal to ensure that this pandemic is contained, and does not result in the collapse of already ailing economies and financial systems on the continent,” President Ramaphosa said.

ISSUED BY THE PRESIDENCY OF THE REPUBLIC OF SOUTH AFRICA AND CHAIRPERSON OF THE AFRICAN UNION

የኮቪድ 19 ወረርሽኝ ስርጭትን ለመከላከል፣ ለመቆጣጠርና የሚያስከትለውን ጉዳት ለመቀነስ የወጣው የአስቸኳይ ጊዜ አዋጅ ማስፈፀሚያ ደንብን የፌዴራል ጠቅላይ አቃቤ ህግ ይፋ አደረገ።

በሚኒስትሮች ምክር ቤት የወጣው ረቂቅ አዋጅ ትናንት በህዝብ ተወካዮች ምክር ቤት መፅጽደቁ ይታወቃል።

Minister of the Foreign Affairs of Ethiopia, H.E. Gedu Andargachew today (April 11) held a video teleconference with Ethiopian heads of missions in Europe, the Middle East and the Americas.