11 July 2013 Development News Briefs

EIA Announces Number Of Functional Ethiopian Investment Projects

Posted on July 11, 2013

VENTURES AFRICA – Owing to increased international investments, Ethiopia now has a total of 189 functional projects costing an estimated 10 billion birr ($533 million).

According to Getahun Negash, the Public relations director for the Ethiopian Investment agency (EIA),  the number of projects in operation is on the rise ‘‘as a result of the support and incentives handed to investors’’.

The nation’s potential to attract and maintain investors in Asia, Europe and Middle East is increasing due to its suitability for investments’’, says Negash.

This strategy of promoting investment by offering mouth-watering conditions in terms of cheap land leases, fiscal exemptions, and other incentives have helped to boost investment in the Horn of the African country.

According to Oakland Institute, many African countries are also attracting interest from investors and witnessing large-scale land grabs.

These countries include Liberia, Mozambique, Sierra Leone, Nigeria, South Sudan, Zambia, Uganda, Tanzania and the Democratic Republic of Congo. They are said to be the leading destinations for most foreign interests.

Though the EIA expressed readiness to increase support for investors, like some of its African counterparts, it still faces challenges such as inadequate power supply, shortage in output, limitations with customs, and airline cargoes which slow down investment activities.

Report calls for a shift to ‘developmental regionalism’

July 11 (WIC) – The Economic Development in Africa Report 2013 called for a shift from traditional approach to integration to ‘developmental regionalism.’

Developmental regionalism encompasses cooperation among countries in trade, investment, research and development as well as policies aimed accelerating regional industrial development and regional infrastructure provision, such as the building of better networks of road and railways.

The Report, subtitled Intra-African Trade: Unlocking Private Sector Dynamism, said that efforts to date to spur jointly reinforcing economic growth on the continent have relied on a “textbook” and “linear” approach to regional cooperation that does not fit with Africa’s situation.

Accordingly, African countries should adopt a new approach to regional integration, the Report suggested. What is required is a “21st century approach to dealing with 21st century languages”.

Additional holistic approaches- a form of enhanced teamwork- are required of African governments to enable the private sector to expand and thrive, the Report said.

It (Report) also stressed the need for all African countries to benefit from the integration process and for regional integration to be used as a mechanism to enhance the integration of Africa into the global economy.

More than 12 million people access potable drinking water: Alemayohu Tegenu

July 11, 2013 (WIC) – Ministry of Water and Energy announced that it enabled 12. 5 million people access potable drinking water in its two and half year’s performance of the Growth and Transformation plan, GTP.

In his exclusive interview with WIC, Water and Energy Minister Alemayohu Tegenu said that the target plan set for the two and half year of GTP period was to make 16.5 million people beneficiaries.

The minister also said that the national clean drinking water access reached 61.6 percent making 52.2 million people beneficiaries.

The augment is due to the serious attention that the government of Ethiopia has given to make potable drinking water accessible to both urban and rural population.

Around 68 and 73.5 percent of the plan in the rural and urban has achieved, which fixed the performance of the national plan to 68.6 percent, WIC learnt.

The minister also pinpointed that the status of 93, 000 and 1, 500 potable drinking water institutions in rural and urban respectively have  inspected so as to rehabilitate the damaged ones.

In connection with irrigation development, the  minister confirmed that  it is yet a long way to fully harness the country’s resource in this regard.

Recalling that irrigation development scheme was almost non-existent before 1991,   7 percent out of the 5.3 million irrigable lands has developed through medium and large scale irrigation schemes so far.

The Koga, Kesem-Tendaho, Rib, Gidabo, Megech-SerbaKobo-Girana, Raya-Azebo and Ade’a-Betcho irrigation development projects are under construction which raised the irrigation coverage of the nation to 7.34 percent, WIC learnt.

Omo Kuraz Sugar Project Creates 6, 695 Jobs

The Omo Kuraz sugar development project has reportedly created jobs for 6, 695 residents of the vicinity in the just concluded budget year.

The project comprises the construction of five of the 10 sugar factories planned to be built across the country by the end of the Growth and Transformation Plan (GTP) period.

The five sugar factories being built in South Omo Zone in Southern Nations, Nationalities and People State will have production capacity of 278,000 tons of sugar per annum each when they begin production.

“A total of 6, 695 jobs, including 505 permanent jobs, were created for the local community in this fiscal year,” Nuredin Asaro, General Manager of Omo Kuraz sugar development project said.

As part of the efforts to sensitize residents of Mursi and Bodi kebeles on the project, training was given to 1,140 people by organizing 20 public conversations, he said.

The construction of 13 blocks has been launched out of the 20 building blocks planned to be constructed under the project, Nuredin pointed out.

Some 214 pastoralists were benefited from irrigation development as a result of the construction of the sugar factories. A single pastoralist will not be relocated due to the project, he said.

The construction of three villages that enable to resettle 20,000 pastoralists is underway, of which two of them are 95 percent complete and the remaining one is at 30 percent complete.   Moreover, human and animal clinics and potable water facilities, including flour mills were also built at the resettlement sites, he added.

Sugarcane multiplying laboratory was built at a cost of 1 billion birr and the laboratory is expected to go operational this budget year after the necessary equipment are installed for it, he said.

Lack of skilled manpower and limited capacity of stakeholders and lengthened rainy season are some of the key problems that faced the project in the just concluded period, he said.

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ENA source page of following:   http://www.ena.gov.et/Default.aspx?Lang=0

Office distributes over 290 mln. Birr loan among beneficiaries Arssi July 11/2013 he Arssi Zone Branch Office of the Oromia Credit and Saving Share Company said it has distributed over 290 million Birr loan among more than 80,000 beneficiaries in the zone.

Zone collects over 100 mln. Birr revenue Kembata Tembaro  July 11/2013 Over 100 million Birr revenue was collected in Kembata Tembaro Zone, South Ethiopia Peoples’ State during the just ended Ethiopian fiscal year, the zonal revenue authority branch office said.

Gujji transplanting 86 mln. tree seedlings Gujji July 11/2013 More than 90,000 people are transplanting 86 million tree seedlings on an area of over 6000 hectares land in Gujji Zone, Oromia State, the zonal natural resource development office said.

Farmers earn over 395.4 mln. Birr from fattened animals’ sale Illuababora  July 11/2013 Construction More than 100,000 farmers engaged in animal fattening in Illuababora Zone, Oromia State secured over 395.4 million Birr during the just ended Ethiopian budget year, the zonal animal resource development and marketing agency said.

3 hospitals under construction Hawassa July 11/2013 Construction of three  hospitals is underway in Silte Zone of South Ethiopia Peoples’ State with over 60 million Birr allocated by the regional government to achieve the MDGs in the health sector, the zonal health department said.

Office collects over 119.7 mln. Birr revenue Kaffa  july 11/2013 Over 119.7 million Birr revenue was collected in Kaffa Zone, South Ethiopia Peoples’ State during the just ended Ethiopian budget year, the zonal revenue authority branch office said.

Zone licenses over 167 mln. Birr worth projects Wollega july 11/2013 Some 38 domestic investors with over 167 million Birr combined capital received licenses to undertake different investment projects in West Wollega Zone, Oromia State during the last 11 months, the zonal investment office said.

Office  collects over 46.5 mln. Birr revenue Humera july 11/2013 More than 46.5 million Birr revenue has been collected in SetituHumera Town of Tigray State during the just ended Ethiopian budget year, the town revenue office said.

Farmers secure over 1 biln. Birr from fattened animals’ sale Debrebrehan  july 11/2013 More than 148,000 farmers engaged in animal fattening in North Shoa Zone of Amhara State have secured over one billion Birr from sale of over 517,500 fattened animals during  the just ended Ethiopian budget year, the zonal agriculture department said.

Bench Majji supplies 582,000kg gold to NBE Mizan July 10/2013 Some 582,000kg gold was supplied to the National Bank of Ethiopia (NBE) from Bero and Surma Woredas of Bench Majji Zone in South Ethiopia Peoples’ State during the just ended Ethiopian budget year, the zonal water, mines and energy department said.

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