Ethiopia, China sign 101.5b Yuan ($16.6 billion) agreement
The governments of Ethiopia and China signed on Monday a financing agreement amounting to 101.5 billion Yuan to support various projects.
Some 100 billion Yuan of the total assistance goes to projects to be carried out jointly by the two governments.
The balance, 1.5 billion Yuan will go to airport expansion project, according to the agreement.
The two parties have also signed agreements to strengthen the economic and technical cooperation.
Pres. Mulatu: Ethiopia keen to enhance cooperation with China
President Dr. Mulatu Teshome expressed Ethiopia’s keenness to enhance cooperation with China in the education sector.
While conferring with a Chinese delegation led by Confucius Institute Director General Xu Lin on Monday, the President said Ethiopia is working hard to further enhance cooperation with China.
He said the bilateral cooperation, in economy and development in particular, has been strengthening over the past years.
He expressed Ethiopia’s desire for Chinese academicians to engage in the education sector and support the country’s goal to achieve the MDGs related to education.
Confucius Institute Director General Xu Lin for his part said China is desirous to open technical and vocational training center in Addis Ababa.
PM Hailemariam confers with Cuban Foreign Minister
Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn conferred with Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez Parrilla on Monday on bilateral issues.
The Premier on the occasion said Ethiopia is keen to further boost bilateral cooperation with Cuba in all areas.
He expressed the need to further enhance the cooperation in education, health and agriculture areas.
The Premier called on Cuba to support the sugar industry in Ethiopia through knowledge transfer and sharing best practices, according to a high level Ethiopian government official who attended the meeting.
The Cuban Foreign Minister told journalists after the meeting that the discussions were mainly focused on ways of further enhancing existing bilateral ties between the two countries.
He said Cuba is keen to further enhance bilateral cooperation with Ethiopia and is working towards it.
Ethiopia, Russia sign electricity, health development MoU
Leading to more forthcoming agreements that will strengthen relationship
The Ethiopia- Russian Intergovernmental Commission on Economic, Scientific, Technical and Trade Cooperation signed Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to improve the service of Ethiopian Electric Power Corporation and Ministry of Health here yesterday.
On the signing event, Ethiopian Electric Power Corporation Chief Executive Officer, Mihiret Debebe said that the collaboration was signed to rehabilitate the 153MW Melka Wakena Hydro Electric Power plant which started operation before 25 years, in 1988. By then, the project was financed by Soviet Union technical support in terms of design, construction and supply.
He also said that this day, it requires innovation in terms of technology and up grading capacity. So, the Russian state owned group will take care of with Ethiopian counter part the technical study, assessment, financial and other aspects. Then in a few months time, they will come up with technical and financial proposal in financing scheme based on the decision to be made after the negotiation of the two parties and government level decision. Then after, MoU will transfer to implementation phase.
He said that cooperation from Russian side has shown key interest of the country to work with Ethiopia, thus signed MoU with the nation to be engaged in big scale hydro electric power development. Russia was one of the key leader for the past decades in terms hydro electric power engineering in all aspects. “Based on cultural and historical relations we would move ahead for the sector development,” he added.
Ministry of Health State Minister Dr. Amir Aman on his part said that the MoU has significant role for prevention and control of communicable diseases, to collaborate in pharmaceutical issues such as in drug, medical equipments and other related issues, work in concert to reduce mortality and arrange short and long term training to give more knowledge in the area.
Speaking at the occasion Ethiopian Co-Chair of the Ethiopia-Russia Intergovernmental Commission (IGC) Ministry of Water, Irrigation and Energy Minister Alemayehu Tegenu said that IGC helped the nation to take stock of the progress of bilateral cooperation so far, to identify areas that need our continued efforts and intervention, as well as identify new potential for future cooperation.
He also said that progress in cooperation in the areas of science and technology, education, transport, tourism and culture has been registered and contacts, communications and discussions are going on between our relevant institutions, hopefully leading to more forthcoming agreements that will strengthen our relationship.
Moreover, to strengthen this relationship both governments have been working together to increase the level of cooperation in the areas of economic, scientific, technical and trade relations, he added.
The Russian IGC and Deputy Minister of Natural Resources and Environment and Head of the Federal Agency for Mineral Resources of the Russian Federation, Valery Pak on his part said that the implementation of such bilateral project is strategically important on electrical and engineering of bilateral cooperation.
Authority sets to ensure farmers’, dealers’ benefit
The Ethiopian Commodity Exchange Authority has recently organized a field visit to its functional site found in North Gondar Zone. In these areas, it has set to ensure farmers’ and dealers’ benefit via facilitating modern marketing systems.
Abere Asfaw, Authority Gondar Coordination Office Head on the occasion said that it is valid to be well informed about the actual duties of the authority which is solely playing an intermediary role to help safeguard the rights of farmers and dealers. It is with this very function that, the farmers are able to get the opportunity to find feasible market access in defined sesame primary market centres, he added.
He said: “ Neither setting commodity price nor choosing market centres to which farmers sale sesame is not authority’s mandate. But ensuring whether marketing takes place in the primary market centres or not is the very incumbent task and essence of its appearance.”
According to him, the authority helps to modernize marketing system which was once inefficient. It is the most trusted one to ensure fairness of trade through playing an intermediary role between the farmers and the dealers, he added.
Most importantly, he said, it helps to avoid unfair and unreasonable cost increment of market transaction by brokers who are not avail to add value, as to him. It stands to protect the viable rights of farmers, dealers and establish safe marketing system.
Bayelign Zeray, Gondar Commodity Exchange Market Head on his part said that once the harvested sesame headed to the warehouse, the rank would be set inline with referring the quality matters. The technique to set rank would embrace secret and confidential coding system to the extent that the laboratory technicians would unable to identify whose sesame sample is at hand for proving, he added.
He said: “ We do have customers service department promptly hear their complain. If the customers are unconditional with the set standards and ranks, they have the chance to be heard and get proven wrong or convinced. The service has been offered fairly as the first customer served first irrespective any preconditions.”
In order to be fair in stewarding, employing tracking number of vehicles is crucial to give sequence for service. Bedsides, the warehouse is well equipped and have the potential to store nearly 450 thousand Quintals of sesame that could help render timely services, as to him.
He further indicated that as part of the effort to modernize the market, the authority is envisaging to commence online marketing system which is manually easy for common man to apply in the actual marketing system.
Belete Adugna, Sesame Dealer whom we found at Kokit Primary Market Centre in Mettema Woreda said the modern marketing system has brought significant improvement in his business engagement. The system has shortened the long market chains. This makes brokers out of dealing as it enables dealers to purchase directly from farmers at the market centres, he said. And I want this to be sustained.”
Yaregal Assefa, sesame grower at Mesha Kebele in Mettema Woreda who owns 10 hectares of land has collected 40 quintals of sesame and able to safely head it to the Kokit. As to him, he directly sell the produce to his best price with out any influence and brokers intervention unlike before. However, he said that he has faced difficulties in transporting as the road is not well built and accessible to remote production areas. He does also feel inconvenience with the newly functional online marketing saying that he is illiterate person and would not able to thrive the business.
During the field days, the crew of journalists drawn from various media outlets were able to understand the core concepts and duties of the authority.
Residents call for urgent power supply
”Though it has been seven months since we started living in condos, for want of electric power we could not lead a normal life. The tragedy is negatively impacting our socio economic well being ,” so complained dwellers of Dembela Site II of Adama town.
Aliyi Ahmed dweller in the site told this reporter that, close to 150 family heads live in the site. “Organizations around the site are enjoying preferential treatment while we are left in the dark without electric supply much needed for managing daily life,”he regretted
Moreover, he said: “Nonstop we have been asking pertinent bodies for electric service but our requests fall on deaf ears. Sad as it sounds, the problem seems a tragedy that doesn’t get a solution soon.”
As one can imagine , cooking meal without electric light in condos is unbecoming. And buying candle light every day proves unmanageable.
Netsanet Gebisa, a dweller there, on her part said that “Since the past four months, I have been living here. Frustrated,by way of giving a vent to their problem, people living in the condos have started to use electric extending wires via plastic tubes buried in the ground. Nevertheless, the connection suffers interruption so many times. Still after this futile effort it is a dim-light we get. The way the electric wires installed too is risky specially for children . As you can see for yourself, the situation begs for an urgent solution,” she noted. The Adama City Administration Mayor Office Head, Tsegaye Abera confirmed that in some sites of the city electric service is not accessible including Demebela site. However, he noted, “To address the problem the city administration had paid over 2 million birr to the electric power cooperation. As we are told, because of lack of equipment the required electric service is late in coming.”
According to him, the problem is conspicuous. District committee are set up to discuss on the issue. Moreover, as a trouble shooting mechanism a plan is also designed recently. The plan aim at matching demand and supply of electricity in each part of the town . So, the problem will be addressed sooner. Ethiopian Electric Power Cooperation Under Nazerit District Service Center number two Manager, Gelan Telila on his part said that ‘the major problem had surfaced due to the absence of electric equipment in market. But soon the problem will get a solution as the equipment is procured. “
Construction works were underway at the moment this interview was made five days back. As to Gelan, within the period of two weeks the problem will be curbed.
Pertaining to the complaint regarding preferential treatment or technically speaking the transformer said owned by an organization before residents of the locality gained such service Gelan said that “we give two types of transformers. The first one is given , for construction intent which requires limited amount of power. The one at Dembela serving the organization there is being used for such purpose.”
However, high amount of power is required to supply electricity for condos. So, sharing electricity meant for an organization doesn’t work ,for apart from not being equally accessible, it will be risky too, people doing this unwise thing, he underlined.
China backs airport expansion
The Republic of China yesterday granted 1.5 billion RMB in soft loan to assist in the expansion of Ethiopia’s airport facilities.
Foreign Ministry Asia & Oceania Affairs Directorate General Genet Teshome told journalists that the loan would further strengthen the existing economic cooperation between the two countries enabling Ethiopia’s airport become competitive globally.
According to Genet ,China has also offered 100 million RMB grant to Ethiopia during talks with Deputy Prime Minister Demeke Mekonnen and Chinese Vice Prime Minister Liu-Yandong to further enhance people-to-people and party-to-party relations as well as social ,education and economic cooperation between the two sisterly countries.
Ethiopia and China have signed a number of agreements and Memorandum of Understandings on economic and technical cooperation, establishment of Chinese Cultural Centre, among others.
http://www.ethpress.gov.et/herald/index.php/herald/news/4966-china-backs-airport-expansion
Society offers training for apple producers
The Ethiopian Wildlife Natural History Society in collaboration with Trees for Cities offered training for apple growers and agricultural experts drawn from Addis Ababa Sub-cities as part of its effort to promote urban agricultural practices here Friday.
Society Project Coordinator Alemayew Girma said that the Society has been executing various projects that enhance urban agricultural practices. As part of its Tree for Cities Project,the Society has been introducing various crop varieties to city beneficiaries.
He further said that the Society provides improved crop varieties for associations and individuals engaged in urban agriculture to help them increase their income through promoting such practices. The major objective of the training is to enable growers and urban agricultural experts understand how to boost production, he added.
As to Alemayew, the Society is implementing various projects including Tree for Cities Project which is being implemented since 2006 in Addis . The project has so far enabled the distribution of 10, 000 apple seedlings to producers playing a pivotal role in supporting government efforts to ensure food security.
He also noted that the Society together with different partners is working to advance the activities of urban greening in Addis .Since crops like apple are new to the country, there is a need for raising producer awareness on how to plant and grow it. Accordingly, the Society would continue providing technical support to producers to enable them boost production that will meet the international market, said Alemayew.
Plant Production Expert Mulugeta Tesfaye on his part said that the training was aimed at enabling producers boost their production by using increased technical support. Urban agriculture most importantly has a positive impact on solid organic waste management and greening activities.
According to him, urban agriculture provides a complementary strategy to reduce urban poverty and food insecurity and enhance urban environmental management. Besides its economic benefit to producers, urban agriculture stimulates the development of related micro-enterprises, said Mulugeta.
Established in September 1966. E.C as a non-profit organization, the Society is working on wildlife conservation and promotion of urban agriculture.
ACP member states must take full responsibility, ownership of their own future: Premier
The Assembly will discuss the opportunities and challenges involved and support for emerging countries
Prime Minister Haile-Mariam Dessalegn urged African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) member states to take full responsibility and ownership of their own future.
Opening the 26th ACP-EU Joint Parliamentary Assembly here yesterday, the Premier said: “ACP member states must take full responsibility and ownership of their own future drawing on their own national resources and capabilities as well as on their collective strengths with a view to building a relationship with our partners, both in Europe and the rest of the development world based on the principle of equality and mutual interest.”
The relationship should not in any way be based on the rather obsolete assumption that one side is the ultimate provider and the other perennial receiver of resources, whatever the object of the relationship might be – economic or political, the Premier said.
“Unlike in the past where ACP member countries were largely beneficiaries of generous aid and wily recipients of unsolicited political advice from elsewhere, there is today more than ever before, a realization that our partnership is indeed mutually beneficial and the days of paternalistic political interference are gone,” he added.
The Premier also noted that the ACP member countries will for some time continue to count on Europe as a reliable source of Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) and Official Development Assistance (ODA), increased overseas investment and trade relationships in their endeavours to harness their potential and finance their development activities.
As to him, Europe on the other hand will continue to play a key role in many of the ACP countries not only in terms of FDI and ODA, but also in the areas of human capital development, technology and know-how transfer, efforts and ensuring the establishment of democratic institutions and good governance.
Given the issue of financing development is still central to the ACP-EU partnership, and traditional donors, such as the EU and its member states still remain the main providers of aid to ACP countries, the Assembly will, however, also discuss the opportunities and challenges involved, and the support of emerging countries in the process, Haile-Mariam noted.
According to him, through this form of cooperation, partners should obtain tangible development results by exploring comparative advantages and complementarities and improving transparency with regard to spending and accountability of all actors involved in the process.
_ The Prime Minister further said that fighting the serious challenges that facing the entire humanity of the world irrespective of geography or economic background, simply requires thinking well beyond the traditional notions of FDI and ODA. “In this regard, our continued cooperation in the fight against climate change and global warming, and our collective quest for greener paths of development for the future of humanity cannot be easily understood within the narrow prism of development cooperation,” he said.
Co-president of the ACP-EU Joint Parliamentary Assembly, Joyce Laboso on the other hand lauded the remarkable change that Ethiopia has brought about in various sectors.
Recalling that Ethiopia hosted the same meeting nine years ago, the Co-president said that the city of Addis Ababa has passed through a remarkable transformation within this short period of time. “This is hardly surprising, given that Ethiopia’s economy has been growing at a very fast rate of about 8 per cent a year in recent years. What is remarkable still, about this growth is that it is not being driven by mineral resources,” the Co-president said.
What is happening in this country is indicative of developments in other parts of the ACP Group. _These positive developments have been motivated by institutional, political and social reforms, and are beacons of hope and sources of inspiration, Joyce Laboso underscored.
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