House approves appointment of ministers, includes two new Deputy PMs, four ministerial positions

Thursday, 29 November 2012 Addis Ababa: Nov 29, 2012 (FBC) House of Peoples’ Representatives today approved the appointment of two additional Deputy Prime Ministers and four ministers submitted by Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn.

Prime Minister Hailemariam appoints new ministers

(Nov 29, 2012)The House of People’s Representatives today approved Prime Minister Hailemariam’s appointment of five Ministers. The appointment of the ministers was made after  recent changes in the organization of the  executive duties  following the Prime Minister’s own appointment in September. Ato Muktar Kedir is appointed with the rank of Deputy Prime Minister to coordinate the Good Governance and Reform Cluster and as Minister of the Civil Service. Dr. Debretsion Gebremichel, Minister of Communication and Information Technolgy has been appointed with the rank of Deputy Prime Minister to coordinate the Economy and  Finance Cluster. They join Ato Demeke Mekonnen, the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Education. Dr. Tewodros Adhanom, previously Minister of Health, has been appointed as Minister of Foreign Affairs; the Acting Minister for Trade, Ato Kebede Chane, has been confirmed as the Minister,  and Dr. Kesetebirhan Admassu, formerly State Minister of Health now takes over as the Minister of Health. Source.. MFA.gov.et

Ethiopian Airlines to buy a stake in Air Malawi

Posted by Mamo Gebrehiwot on Nov 24th, 2012 // The airline is also set to establish a new airline in Zambia, reports Kaleyesus  Bekele from JohannesburgThe Ethiopian Airlines is to buy a stake in the frail airline of Malawi.  The Government of Malawi recently asked companies to present expressions of interest for the partial acquisition of its failing airline. Subsequently, 11 airlines submitted these to the Malawi Privatization Authority. Ernest & Young has been undertaking a study on the privatisation of Air Malawi which ceased operation this week. After evaluating the expression of interest eight companies were selected to participate in the bid.At the 44th General Assembly of the African Airlines Association (AFRAA) held in Johannesburg from November 18-20 CEO of Air Malawi, Patrick E. Chilambe, told The Reporter that the bidding companies will submit their proposals to the Privatization Authority. The companies that presented expressions of interest yesterday had a meeting with officials of Ernest & Young and the Malawi Privatization Authority in Blantyre. Com Air of South Africa is the other airline that submitted an expression of interest.The government of Malawi plans to establish a consortium by selling a 49 percent stake to a foreign airline and a local investor and keep 51 percent of the shares to Air Malawi.Hired by the Malawian government, Ernest & Young advised the government to look for a partner and partially privatize the national flag carrier. Two of Air Malawi’s aircraft are in South Africa, retained due to fuel debt. An official close to the privatization process told The Reporter that Ethiopian is the best company among the eight companies that submitted an expression of interest.Tewolde Gebremaraim, Ethiopian CEO, who was attending AFRAA’s 44 Annual General Assembly (AGA), told The Reporter that Ethiopian wants to help Air Malawi. “They are our African brothers and we want to share our experience,” Tewolde said. The CEO said that Ethiopian is planning to establish a new airline in Zambia. “We have been holding talks with the Zambian government and we hope to sign a Memorandum of Understanding with the government soon,” he said.Ethiopian partnership with ASKY Airline of Togo has been successful. The Lome-based airline, ASKY, which operates Bombardier Q400 aircraft currently serves 15 destinations in West Africa. Ethiopian owns a 25 percent stake in ASKY.In a related news, Ernest & Young this week announced that by 2025 Ethiopian will be bigger than South African Airways (SAA). Zemedeneh Nigatu, managing partner of Ernest & Young East Africa, who made a presentation at AFRAA’s AGA held at the Sandton Convention Center in Johannesburg, said that by 2025 Ethiopian will be bigger than SAA. Zemedeneh said SAA will still then be bigger than Kenya Airways (KQ). He attributed Ethiopian Airlines success to management independence. Zemedeneh pointed out that African carriers should collaborate to survive the stiff competition coming from non-African carriers.Source: Ethiopian Reporter

Ethiopia Earns $39 Million from Conference Tourism | 2merkato.com

Ethiopia Earns $39 Million from Conference Tourism | 2merkato.com

How Ethiopia lost Control of its Teff genetics Resources

How Ethiopia Lost Control of Its Teff Genetic Resources(12.11.2012) In 2005, Ethiopia concluded an agreement with the Dutch company HPFI, sharing itsteff genetic resources in return for a part of the benefits that would be achieved from developing teff products for the European market.In the end, Ethiopia received practically no benefits. Instead, due to a broad patent and a questionable bankruptcy, it lost its right to utilize and reap benefits from its own teff genetic resources in the countries where the patent is valid.The amazing story of the Teff Agreement has been uncovered and meticulously documented in a recent FNI report by FNI researchers Regine Andersen and Tone Winge.
FNI News: How Ethiopia Lost Control of Its Teff Genetic Resources

Keller received enthusiastic approval from the minister of education to hand out the English-only devices

It was about eight months ago when a groundbreaking experiment by Cambridge nonprofit One Laptop Per Child brought Matt Keller to the remote village of Wonchi, Ethiopia. There, he had to identify 20 children who would receive a Motorola Xoom tablet.Among them was a boy who didn’t make eye contact. Kelebasa, 8, was withdrawn and disengaged, but when Keller handed him the tablet, Kelebasa soon found the “on” button. He raised his hands in the air and yelled “I am a lion!”Less than a year later, the children — who had never seen a printed word, let alone electricity — have become adept at using dozens of apps, all without instruction. They can identify symbols and sounds, paint and play games with letters and numbers.“It took the kids about 20 minutes to figure it out,” said Keller, vice president of One Laptop, who returns every six weeks to Ethiopia to chart the progress. “The kids self-congregate. They teach each other.”A solar charging station powers the devices. To track the children’s progress, One Laptop swaps out SIM cards. One interesting finding: the kids actually hacked the software, circumventing settings to customize their desktops and enable cameras that were previously disabled.The tablets mark a shift for the famed One Laptop Per Child program, which has distributed 2.5 million of its low-cost, rugged laptops to children in 40 countries since 2005. In Ethiopia, Keller received enthusiastic approval from the minister of education to hand out the English-only devices.“His response was that this is what they want,” Keller said. “English is the aspirational language.”To prepare for the project, Keller went from mud hut to mud hut interviewing parents and children through a translator in the villages. One is Wonchi, a subsistence farming enclave on the edge of an 11,000-foot cliff. The other is Wolonchete, in the Great Rift Valley, where dust and flies cover you.Keller estimates the kids, ages 4 to 11, have reached kindergarten levels of learning and are on the edge of literacy. The program has raised an important question: Do we underestimate the ability of kids to learn on their own?“Think about when a kid in the U.S. doesn’t read or learn at the level of his or her peers. By and large, those kids never catch up,” Keller said. “We start to view tablets as a way for kids to catch up, learn on their own time and at their own speed. Maybe with the help of their friends.”

http://www.bostonherald.com/jobfind/news/technology/view.bg?articleid=1061172686&srvc=rss

Ethiopia: Ethiopian Airlines to Increase Flights to Abidjan to daily

 07 November, 2012

Ethiopian, the fastest growing airline in Africa, is set to increase frequencies on its Abidjan route by offering daily flights, effective November 25, 2012. Ethiopian currently operates thrice weekly services to Abidjan.Traffic to and from Abidjan, the commercial capital of Côte d’Ivoire and the most important economic hub in French speaking West Africa, has shown tremendous increase recently, due to the robust economic growth the country has been registering. To meet this increasing demand and to improve flexibility for its esteemed customers, the airline will add four additional flights to and from Abidjan. The new frequencies are already available for booking.Ato Tewolde Gebremariam, Chief Executive Officer of Ethiopian said: "The daily service to/from Abidjan will now enable Ethiopian to connect the fast growing city to Asian, Middle East, European, and other African countries".Ethiopian inaugurated its maiden flight to Abidjan on November 1, 1980 and has been serving the city uninterruptedly ever since.About EthiopianEthiopian Airlines, the fastest growing airline in Africa, made its maiden international flight to Cairo in 1946 and now the Airline provides dependable services to 70 international destinations spanning four continents.Ethiopian is proud to be a Star Alliance Member. The Star Alliance network is the leading global airline network offering customers convenient worldwide reach and a smoother travel experience. The Star Alliance network offers more than 21,555 daily flights to 1,356 airports in 193 countries.Ethiopian is a multi-award winner for its commitment and contributions towards the development and growth of the African aviation industry and in recognition of its distinguished long-haul operations enhanced by the introduction of new routes and products. Recently, Ethiopian won Gold in the African Airline of the Year 2011/2012 Awards organized by the African Aviation News Portal. Ethiopian also received the 2011 AFRAA award for being consistently profitable over the years and has won the "AFRICAN CARGO AIRLINE OF THE YEAR 2011 Award" for its excellence in air cargo. Ethiopian also won the 2012 "African Airline of the Year Award" from Air Transport Quarterly Magazine

Nile International Film Festival Being Held

Wednesday, 07 November 2012 21:19 Meron The 'Colors of the Nile International Film Festival', organized by the collaboration of the Ethiopian Film Makers Association and the Blue Nile Film and Television Academy is being held in Ethiopia between the 7th and the 11th of November.The festival is going to include a range of activities and training opportunities according to Abraham Haile, President of the Festival. A range of workshops designed to develop the talents of Ethiopian filmmakers will also be part of the festival he said.It is expected that 28 African countries will be represented in the 58 selected movies that will be a part of the festival. The festival was opened by the Alan Gomez film ‘Tey’ which has already won different awards at several international festivals.The festival will place films in competition in different categories such ‘Documentary’, ‘long Story’ and ‘Short Story’ said Abraham.The Ethiopian film ‘Yelomi Shita’ is one of the films nominated in the ‘Long Story’ category. ‘Yeberew Wileta’ and Psychology 101 are other films nominated in different categories. The biggest award offered by the festival ‘The Great Nile Award’ will be presented to directors. Amongst the nominees selected for this award are Abdulaziz Sesin and Andrew Dosunmu. Source: Ethiopian Press Agency

Last 500 Ethiopian Wolves Endangered by Lack of Genetic Diversity

By John R. Platt | November 8, 2012

The last wolves in Africa face a difficult road if they are going to survive. Just 500 Ethiopian wolves (Canis simensis) remain in the mountains of the country for which they are named. The animals now live in six fragmented populations located hundreds of kilometers apart from one another; three of these populations have fewer than 25 wolves each. According to a study published last month inAnimal Conservation, the Ethiopian wolf now suffers from low genetic diversity and a weak flow of genes between packs. As we have seen with other rare species such as Florida panthers,Tasmanian devils and great Indian bustards, low genetic diversity can result in inbreeding, impaired birth rates and the inability to adapt to diseases or other ecological threats. The danger for Ethiopian wolves is not theoretical—rabies outbreaks in 1991–92 and 2003 each killed several hundred wolves.
The last wolves in Africa face a difficult road if they are going to survive. Just 500 Ethiopian wolves (Canis simensis) remain in the mountains of the country for which they are named. The animals now live in six fragmented populations located hundreds of kilometers apart from one another; three of these populations have fewer than 25 wolves each. According to a study published last month inAnimal Conservation, the Ethiopian wolf now suffers from low genetic diversity and a weak flow of genes between packs. As we have seen with other rare species such as Florida panthers,Tasmanian devils and great Indian bustards, low genetic diversity can result in inbreeding, impaired birth rates and the inability to adapt to diseases or other ecological threats. The danger for Ethiopian wolves is not theoretical—rabies outbreaks in 1991–92 and 2003 each killed several hundred wolves.The 12-year study, conducted by researchers from the Zoological Society of London and other organizations, examined the genetics of 72 wild Ethiopian wolves from seven different populations. One of those populations, at Mount Choke, died out over the course of the study. The researchers found very little gene flow between the populations and conclude that restoring this flow—possibly by relocating some males or restoring migration corridors—could help increase the number of wolves while reducing the likelihood of inbreeding.The animals aren’t likely to travel between populations on their own. Ethiopian wolves, which arrived in the region 100,000 years ago during glacial times, have adapted to grassy, mountainous ecosystems 3,000 meters above sea level, where they prey almost exclusively on high-altitude rodents such as the big-headed mole rat (Tachyoryctes macrocephalus). Meanwhile, Ethiopia’s human population continues to expand, from 48 million in 1990 to 84.7 million in 2011, making travel between wolf packs even more dangerous and unlikely.Travel barriers and fragmentation aren’t the only threats the wolves face. The animals are legally protected in Ethiopia but according to the Ethiopian Wolf Conservation Programme they still face persecution by farmers afraid of potential livestock predation. Overgrazing by cattle has also damaged existing habitats and reduced the rodent populations that the wolves depend on for food. Even domestic dogs pose a danger—they have been blamed for the rabies outbreaks and have even, on occasion, bred with the wolves. Although widespread hybridization has not yet been observed, this poses yet another threat to the gene pool for the already endangered animals.Photo: James Hopkirk via Flickr. Used under Creative Commons licenseAbout the Author: Twice a week, John Platt shines a light on endangered species from all over the globe, exploring not just why they are dying out but also what's being done to rescue them from oblivion. Follow on Twitter @johnrplatt. The views expressed are those of the author and are not necessarily those of Scientific American.

Solar Power Struggles to Shine in Sunny Ethiopia

7 November 2012 , Source: AlertNet
Ethiopia is known by some as "the land of 13 months of sunshine," a reference both to its climate and to its unique calendar of 12 months of 30 days and an additional month of five or six.But the Ethiopian government's ambitious plans to expand renewable energy production seem to disregard all those months of sunny weather, focusing instead on wind energy and hydroelectric power.The country's ambitious five-year Growth and Transformation Plan (GTP), which began in 2010, aims to increase the power generating capacity at least fourfold from the current level of 2,179 megawatts (MW) of electricity.However, solar power is expected to contribute a mere 30 MW to the goal.No one disputes the need for expanded electricity access in Ethiopia. Although almost half the country's area is in principle covered by the national electric grid, 80 percent of the country's 85 million population live in rural areas, and only a tiny minority of these inhabitants - some reports suggest as low as about 2 percent - are thought to have access to electricity.Commonly cited reasons for the low levels of are the scattered locations of rural populations and inadequate infrastructure to connect villages to power lines.COST?Miskir Negash, head of corporate relations at the Ethiopian Electric Power Corporation, the state monopoly electricity provider, said the relative expense of solar energy compared to wind energy or hydro, especially for big projects, relegates its usefulness to smaller-scale projects.Nonetheless, the Growth and Transformation Plan does target another relatively costly power source, geothermal energy, to contribute 70 MW of power to the grid, more than twice the power targeted from solar energy.A recent survey by the Chinese firm Hydrochina Corporation estimated Ethiopia's solar power potential to be around 2 trillion MW hours, with the northern part of the country having the greatest potential.One organization trying to fill the gap in the provision of solar energy to the rural population is the Solar Energy Foundation. The German-founded international nongovernmental organisation works to provide electrification to rural areas using solar technology and lighting.Its first project started six years ago in Amhara regional state in Rhema, a village not linked to the electric grid, where the foundation supplied a solar panel to each of the 2,100 households. Rhema is now the largest village in Ethiopia with solar lighting.The foundation's revolving fund scheme has enabled 20,000 solar lighting systems of up to 60 watts to be distributed to 70 villages in four regional states: Oromia, Amhara, Tigray and Southern Nations and Nationalities Peoples. The foundation has also established a training programme for solar technicians.Gebaynesh Nadewe, a housewife and mother of four who lives in Rhema, said that she uses her solar system to illuminate her grass-thatched house and to charge her mobile phone. Other residents of the village use theirs to charge solar televisions and radios, as well as water pumps for agricultural activities.Samson Tsegaye, country director of the Solar Energy Foundation, said the foundation's plan is to expand the availability of solar technology for rural households, and also to help make it scalable to bigger areas.Tsegaye pointed out that solar energy can be useful on a small scale, making it especially well suited to rural areas rather than urban ones, where individual usage of electricity tends to be greater. According to Tsegaye, rural households can benefit from solar installations with a capacity as low as one or two watts.Tsegaye admitted, however, that financing solar projects is relatively expensive, especially to generate the megawatts of power required for use at a national rather than just local level.HOW TO BOOST SOLAR"One way the government can encourage the use of solar energy is through a clear policy on the implementation of imports of solar panels and other related products," Tsegaye said. He pointed out that finished solar goods imported from countries like China are free from import duties, but components, which can be assembled to make solar products in Ethiopia, are not.The German government-affiliated technical organization GIZ also has already installed more than 100 solar-powered health centres in Ethiopia in areas without grid access, with a total capacity of more than 200 KW.Gerd-Hening Vogel, director of GIZ's Energy Coordination Office, said the cost of solar power can be mitigated by its efficiency and reliability. Solar is also clearly more financially competitive than the diesel generators and kerosene lamps commonly used in times of power outages, he said."Solar power is an infinite resource and available everywhere the sun shines," he said.E.G. Woldegebriel is a journalist based in Addis Ababa with an interest in environmental issues.Read more at AlertNet Climate, the Thomson Reuters Foundation's daily news website on the human impacts of climate change.

A Jumbotrek in Ethiopia's Mountains

Journey across the Simiens, one of the world's most elevated and isolated wonderlands

Today, however, with Ethiopia's economy expanding amid a semblance of political stability, the country is becoming a relatively safe and accessible destination. It's often the tawny grandeur of the Ethiopian highlands, cradling Lalibela's rock-hewn churches and towering above the fabled tombs of Aksum, that most impresses visitors. And it's here in the Simiens that this region can be seen at its biggest and most sensational. Inscribed as a World Heritage Site in 1978, it is a place that has been extolled by Unesco as "one of the most spectacular landscapes in the world." When I'd prepared to leave the scruffy, one-road town of Debark to begin a six-day trek of its high plateaus, I found myself wondering whether the hyperbole had left me expecting too much. Read more here http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970203922804578080962504573982.html

Ethiopia: an African lion?

Returns of thirty per cent a year sound too good to be true, but that's what it is claimed you can earn by investing in this rising nation. Local businesses say they are booming, meanwhile foreign investors are jostling for opportunities. So where can these incredible profits be made? The answer is Ethiopia. In a Business Daily Special, Justin Rowlatt reports from the country that was once a byword for poverty and famine but which has been tranforming itself, not into a tiger, but into an African "lion" economy. (Image: A woman working in a Chinese shoe factory in Dukem, Ethiopia. Credit: Getty)

Watch video here... Duration18 minutes http://www.bbc.co.uk/modules/sharetools/share?url=http://www.bbc.co.uk%2Fprogrammes%2Fp0104gjj.html&appId=programmes&env=live