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Elections manipulated by Political violence in Ethiopia - report
WASHINGTON—Authoritarian rulers are violating human rights around the world and getting away with it largely because the U.S., European and other established democracies accept their claims that holding elections makes them democratic, Human Rights Watch said in its annual report Thursday
The report said elections were manipulated in a number of ways, including:
Political violence: Cambodia, Congo, Ethiopia, Lebanon.
West 'embraces sham democracies'
BBC
The US, EU and other democracies are accepting flawed and unfair elections out of political expediency, Human Rights Watch says in its annual report.
Allowing autocrats to pose as democrats without demanding they uphold civil and political rights risked undermining human rights worldwide, it warned.
"It seems Washington and European governments will accept even the most dubious election so long as the 'victor' is a strategic or commercial ally"
Kenneth Roth
HRW Executive Director
HRW said Pakistan, Thailand, Bahrain, Jordan, Nigeria, Kenya and Russia had been falsely claiming to be democratic.
The World Report 2008 summarises human rights issues in more than 75 nations.
'Playing along'
In the report, HRW said established democracies such as the US and members of the European Union were increasingly tolerating autocrats "claiming the mantle of democracy".
"In 2007 too many governments, including Bahrain, Jordan, Nigeria, Russia and Thailand, acted as if simply holding a vote is enough to prove a nation 'democratic', and Washington, Brussels and European capitals played along," it said.
"The Bush administration has spoken of its commitment to democracy abroad but often kept silent about the need for all governments to respect human rights."
HRW Executive Director Kenneth Roth said it had become too easy for autocrats to get away with mounting a sham democracy "because too many Western governments insist on elections and leave it at that".
"They don't press governments on the key human rights issues that make democracy function - a free press, peaceful assembly, and a functioning civil society that can really challenge power," he added.
ELECTORAL MANIPULATION
Outright fraud: Chad, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Nigeria, Uzbekistan
Control of electoral machinery: Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Malaysia, Thailand, Zimbabwe
Interfering with opposition candidates: Belarus, Cuba, Egypt, Iran, Israel (in Palestinian territories), Libya, Turkmenistan, Uganda
Political violence: Cambodia, Congo, Ethiopia, Lebanon
Stifling the media and civil society: Russia, Tunisia
Undermining the law: China, Pakistan
Source: Human Rights Watch
HRW said the West was often unwilling to criticise the autocrats for fear of losing access to resources or commercial opportunities, or because of the perceived requirements of fighting terrorism.
"It seems Washington and European governments will accept even the most dubious election so long as the 'victor' is a strategic or commercial ally," Mr Roth said.
Aid donors
HRW highlighted Pakistan as an example.
It said the US and UK, its largest aid donors, had refused to distance themselves from President Pervez Musharraf, despite his "tilting the electoral playing field" by rewriting the constitution and firing the independent judiciary ahead of February's election.
It also argued that Washington's acceptance of the result of the Nigerian election in February 2007, "despite widespread and credible accusations of poll-rigging and electoral violence", had encouraged the Kenyan government to believe that fraud would be tolerated in December's presidential poll.
And it said the US and some allies like Britain and France had made it harder to demand other countries uphold human rights by committing abuses themselves in the "war on terror".
The German Chancellor Angela Merkel, French President Nicolas Sarkozy and other European leaders were criticised for their reluctance to allow Turkey to join the EU, despite its improved human rights record.
HRW said the EU "lost leverage itself and diminished the clout of those in Turkey who have cited the prospect of EU membership as a reason for reform".
Atrocities
Among the countries where the watchdog said human rights atrocities had been committed were Chad, Colombia, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Ethiopia, Iraq, Somalia, Sri Lanka and Sudan.
Burma, China, Cuba, Eritrea, Iran, Libya, North Korea, Saudi Arabia and Vietnam were criticised for severe repression and closed societies.
When asked about the claims made by HRW, US state department spokesman Sean McCormack said he had not seen the report, but insisted his country did not promote false democracy and condone human rights abuses.
"In terms of the United States and this administration speaking up in defence of, and advocating for, and putting its effort behind its rhetoric, I don't think there's any question about where we stand in terms of promotion of democracy," he told reporters.
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Ethiopia - African Union Summit in Pictures
Kenya Dominates Opening of African Summit in Ethiopia
By Peter Heinlein
Addis Ababa
VOA
31 January 2008
The political turmoil in Kenya has been the central theme at the opening session of an African Union summit in Addis Ababa. VOA's Peter Heinlein reports delegates heard a sober assessment of world affairs from U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon.
"Sadly I have to start the substance of my address with the reminder of alarming developments in Kenya. More than 800 people have already lost their lives in the increasingly ethnic clashes triggered by the aftermath of recent elections," the secretary-general said.
Ban Ki-moon was one of several persons expressing such sentiments in speeches to the opening session of the African Union. It was awkward, since Kenyan President Mwai Kibaki was sitting stoically in the audience, like a man in the dock.
Mr, Kibaki came to Nairobi against the advice of many who thought he might have been better off staying at home in light of the ethnic violence gripping his country. His rival in December's disputed election, Orange Democratic Movement leader Raila Odinga, had been refused the opportunity to attend, and party leaders had charged the African Union of favoring Mr. Kibaki's position in the election dispute.
Secretary-General Ban, however, treated both equally, reminding them of their responsibility to halt the violence.
Related Links
Ethiopian police bars prostitutes from streets
African Union Summit in Pictures
"Kenyan leaders, President Kibaki and ODM leader Raila Odinga in particular, have a special responsibility to do everything possible to resolve the sources of the crisis peacefully," he said.
African Union Chairman Alpha Oumar Konare said he was also uncomfortable in bringing up Kenya's ethnic violence in front of President Kibaki. He called it tragic that what had been a beacon of stability on the continent had descended into ethnic cleansing.
Konare repeated his earlier warning that genocide could happen. He spoke in French through an interpreter.
"Kenya has been one of the countries that was the hope for the continent," he said. "But today, if you look at Kenya, you see violence on the streets, and we are even talking about ethnic cleansing, we are talking of genocide in that country."
Ghana's President John Kufuor, in his capacity as outgoing A.U. chairman, expressed satisfaction at the work of the Kofi Annan mediation panel, which he appointed after his own peace-making efforts stalled. But Mr. Kufuor also felt obliged to express his discomfort at speaking in front of his African Union colleague and fellow president, Mr. Kibaki.
"It is my painful duty in this connection to refer to recent developments in Kenya, a prosperous and stable country in Africa that got embroiled in conflict," he said.
Kenya is expected to be a continuing theme during the three-day summit, though Darfur, Somalia, the Democratic Republic of Congo and the Comoros Islands are also receiving specific attention.
About 40 heads of state and government are attending the three-day gathering at the headquarters of the U.N. Economic Commission for Africa.
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
- Dejene Berecha, A restaurant owner from Ethiopia, killed in Seattle, WA
- Another person was wounded
- Suspect is Rey Alberto Davis-Bell picture shown below
- Shooting took place at Philadelphia Cheese Steak restaurant, located at 23rd and Union in Seattle
- Dejene Berecha worked at the restaurant as a a dish washer before owning it
- Dejene was a newlywed
UPDATED
SEATTLE – Seattle Police have arrested a suspect in connection with a double shooting Wednesday at a Seattle restaurant that left the owner dead and another person wounded.
Police arrested 23-year-old Rey Alberto Davis-Bell Thursday morning in South Seattle. They say Davis-Bell began shedding his clothes as he ran from police, who were staking out a house in the area.
More from KING 5
Ethiopia - Manhunt for suspect in Seattle restaurant shooting
SEATTLE – Police departments across the state remain on the lookout for the suspect in a double shooting at a Seattle restaurant that left the owner dead and another person wounded Wednesday in the Central District.
More from KING 5
Suspect: 23 year old Rey Alberto Davis-Bell seen below
The Car he was last seen in, a black 2002 Lincoln Continental
Raw: Witness describes Seattle Central District shooting
Raw: Central District shooting scene (Caution: Graphic)
Friends of Central Dist. shooting victims react
Ethiopia - Ethiopian police bars prostitutes from streets
Source: spcm.org
Police in Addis Ababa has prohibited prostitutes from prowling the streets as the Ethiopian capital prepares to host the Africa Union summit starting on Thursday.
Police officers told APA the decision to keep the prostitutes off the streets was made for security reasons as thousands of guests started flowing into the city for the summit.
Hotels have been instructed to register any woman entering into a guest room in any of the hotels where delegates are staying
« I think the government is doing this for the sake of the guests flowing in to our city, » said Sosina Mekuria, a hotel receptionist.
Prostitution is legal in Ethiopia and many prostitutes are opposed to the move.
« Now, it is difficult to work legally because of the meeting here in Addis. We are really disappointed by the decision our government is taking on us. It really violates our rights and badly affect our business, » a prostitute told APA.
Elisabeth Mekonen, 27, said that even though the police were taking measure against prostitutes, most of them are using other techniques to work their usual business.
« Me and other friends go direct to a hotel where delegates are lodging and order coffee and wait. Any person who wants to spend a night with us can approach us simply with an eye-to eye contact. That is what we are using now, » she said.
She said here are also other prostitutes who walk the streets in the night just to escape from the police
Ethiopia - Kadhafi threatens to turn back on Africa
TRIPOLI (AFP) — Libyan leader Moamer Kadhafi warned on Tuesday that he would turn his back on Africa if the continent's leaders again reject his proposals for closer unity at a summit in Addis Ababa later this week.
"If unity is not achieved, then Libya will turn its back on Africa and reorient its foreign policy in other directions -- Euro-Mediterrannean or Arabo-Mediterranean," he told a news conference on the eve of his departure for Thursday's African Union summit.
Kadhafi said Libya was also prepared to move its investments in African countries, which he said totalled more than five billion dollars, to Arab and Mediterranean states.
"The Addis Ababa summit must mark a decisive step in the establishment of African unity," he said.
"Anyone who blocks the unity project is part of a conspiracy to sell Africa to the highest bidder.
"Libya will not be party to the betrayal of the continent and will expose whoever is behind it."
Kadhafi has been involved in intensive lobbying in the run-up to this year's summit after he failed to win support for his proposals for a federal African government among the African Union's 53 member states at its last summit in Ghana last July.
In the space of less than a week he has received around 10 African leaders at his Tripoli residence in a bid to win their support for his unity project.
"The African Union commission is a dead letter without any powers and ought to be be replaced by an executive cabinet," Kadhafi said on Tuesday.
He blamed the governments of English-speaking African states with the exception of Nigeria for blocking the proposal on behalf of "colonial interests".
Despite his opposition to the African Union's current administrative set-up, Kadhafi said Libya's deputy foreign minister for African affairs Ali Triki would be a candidate to replace the AU commission's outgoing chief Alpha Omar Konare at this week's summit.
"The Arab states have been deprived of this position for some four decades even though they represent two-thirds of the continent and contribute 60 percent of the African Union's budget," he said.
"If this situation persists, it will be tantamount to racism against Arabs."
In nearly four decades in power, Kadhafi has made some sharp about-turns in foreign policy.
A staunch Arab nationalist when he seized power in 1969, Kadhafi gradually grew disillusioned with the Arab League and sought to expand Libyan influence in Africa, particularly West Africa and the Sahel, instead.
During the Cold War, Kadhafi tilted heavily towards the Soviet Union and supported a plethora of radical groups around the world, earning the monicker "Mad Dog" from US president Ronald Reagan.
But in December 2003, after nine months of secret negotiations with Britain and the United States, Libya announced that it was renouncing efforts to develop weapons of mass destruction. It then set about repairing relations with all the main Western governments.
Ethiopia - Al-Amoudi to build 50 mln birr library for AAU
Source: WIC
Sheikh Mohammed Hussen Al-Amudi signed today over 50-million-birr grant agreement that will provide Addis Ababa University with an international standard library.
After signing the agreement with Addis Ababa University President Professor Andrias Eshete, the business tycoon said he would fully cover the over 50 million birr cost for the library.
He further pledged to meet his obligation as a citizen in supporting the expansion of education in the country.
Addis Ababa University President Professor Andrias Eshete on his part thanked the philanthropist on behalf of the students of the university and the Ethiopian people.
The present library of the university which was not originally built to serve as a library is overwhelmed with over 112,000 books and research papers, he said, adding that the new library would alleviate the problem.
Andrias further said the construction of a modern library would also help the effort underway for the return of the several books looted by British soldiers during the battle of Mekdela.
The library will have a hall, cafeterias, bookstores, exhibition center and other rooms, it was learnt.
Ethiopia registers important progress in agriculture sector: FAO Director General
Source: ENA
Ethiopia's speedy and successive economic growth which is based on agriculture development can be exemplary to other countries, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) Director General Dr. Jacques Diouf said.
The Director General here on Tuesday held discussion with Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Addis Legesse.
Briefing journalists after the discussion, Dr. Diouf said “Ethiopia has been registering very important progress in the agriculture sector.”
Besides producing for home consumption, he said, Ethiopia's agricultural export including flowers has contributed a lot for the national economic growth.
According to the Director General, FAO in collaboration with the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development has a plan to showcase Ethiopia's experience in the agriculture sector to other countries on the annual World Food Day.
The FAO Sub-regional Office for Eastern Africa (SFE), which will be officially inaugurated here later on the day, will further strengthen the cooperation between Ethiopia and FAO.
Dr. Diouf, who is also here to attend the 10th ordinary Summit of the African Union, said he discussed with the Deputy Prime Minister on ways of further enhancing the existing cooperation between Ethiopia and FAO.
During the discussion Addisu said Ethiopia has been developing the agriculture sector along with other sectors such as education, health, and infrastructure.
The agriculture sector has also been developing in line with the industry sector, a senior government official who attended the discussion quoted Addisu as having said.
The government has been exerting efforts to further accelerate the national economic development, Addisu added.
Ethiopia - Ogaden: humanitarian aid hampered by security situation
JIJIGA, Ethiopia (AFP) — Ahmed Nour Abdi sighs heavily when asked to describe his futile attempts at mediation, a customary practice among elders in the restive Ogaden region of Ethiopia.
"The other side refused to meet us," he says, referring to the Ogaden National Liberation Front (ONLF, rebellion), with whom he planned to negotiate a peace deal. "We went as far away as London, Stockholm, Copenhagen, and Washington but nothing was achieved," he adds.
Lying just 60 kilometers (37 miles) west of Somaliland, Jijiga thrives from cross-border trade with its neighbor, a self-declared independent region from Somalia, but has been unable to avoid a spate of sporadic violence that has rocked the Ogaden.
Through respected elders like Nour Abdi, the Ethiopian government claims to have made attempts to negotiate with the ONLF, but accuses them of flouting such pleas.
Formed two decades ago, the secessionist group has been carrying out a rebellion against the government in response to what it asserts is systematic marginalisation by Addis Ababa. A massive clampdown was launched by the army following an ONLF attack on a Chinese-run oil venture that killed 77 people in March last year.
But despite government claims of victory against the rebel group, hit-and-run attacks have been hard to curb throughout the region, and humanitarian aid has faced some slowdowns because of the military operations, according to the UN and humanitarian agencies.
In one of the latest attacks on January 17, "a bomb was thrown in a place where merchants and innocent people lived, two children got leg injuries," says Haji Ali Gurez, an elder from one of the Ogaden's biggest clans, the Jedwaq.
Police officials, traffic police and senior officials were among those who were often targetted last year.
"We have managed to destroy the ONLF in the bush, but some of the remnants manage to commit terror attacks in the city," police chief Abdi Mohammed Omar admits. "Some of them hide among the population and it takes time to clean everything."
The UN agencies have charged that the military operations in Ogaden have hampered food distribution to displaced people, estimated at more than 650,000 in the Somali region, and "endangered the food security" there.
The government on January 10 rejected this, saying that the UN agencies' statement was "an exaggerated story, (...) it should be realised that there does not exist any chronic shortage of food in the Ogaden region".
Recently, Ethiopia expelled two international aid agencies from the region, prompting fears that a major humanitarian crisis was about to unfold in the strife-torn region.
The International Red Cross and Red Crescent (ICRC) and Doctors Without Borders Belgium (Medecins Sans Frontiers Belgium, MSF) were both barred for allegedly aiding the rebels.
"They (ICRC) provided satellite phones to anti-peace elements in the bush. They were even giving them access to their vehicles and information about the whereabouts of regional officials," said regional president Abdullahi Hassan, who himself survived an assassination attempt during a rally last year.
But aid has now resumed through UN and Ethiopian state agencies. By early this month, almost 17,000 tonnes of relief food had been delivered by the government to the five zones under military operation.
Despite delays due to shortage of military escorts in some areas, the feared major food crisis seems to have been held off.
The government also hopes to reap benefits from the region's untapped resources, notably oil and gas reserves, as well as water resources.
Multi-million dollar schemes on water facilities are well underway, albeit heavily guarded by rifle-brandishing soldiers.
But for most Ogadenis, one thing dominates above all.
"Food does come these days," says a street vendor in the neighboring region of Degahabur. "But peace is what we need."
Kenyan opposition MP 'shot dead'
BBC
A Kenyan opposition MP has been shot dead in Nairobi, police say, adding they could not rule out a connection to disputed presidential elections.
Mugabe Were, a member of the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) of the defeated candidate, Raila Odinga, was attacked outside his home, police said.
He is the first leading politician to have died amid violence that has gripped Kenya since December's poll.
It comes as nearly 100 people died in fresh bloodshed in the Rift Valley.
More from BBC News
Ethiopia - A Street named after Meles Zenawi in Merhabete
Merahabete, January 28, 2008 (Addis Ababa) - Two streets in Alem town of the Merhabete Woreda, North Shoa Zone of the Amhara State, are named after Prime Minister Meles Zenawi and Founder and Chairman of Munschen fur Munschen, Karl Heinz Bohm as of 28 Jan. 2008.
The woreda administration named the two roads after the prominent personalities as part of the new Ethiopian millennium celebration in the woreda.
Chief of the woreda administration, Fisha Mulat said on the occasion that the roads are named after the premier and the renowned philanthropist in recognition to their contributions toward the development of the nation in general and that of the woreda in particular.
Meanwhile, another road constructed at a cost of 4.5 million Birr in the woreda was named as ‘millennium road’.
Thousands of people in the woreda, government officials, and invited guests were in attendance at the celebration.
Source: ENA
Ethiopia - Stowaways found at Dulles EAL purchases 11 trainer aircraft
Source: Capital
Two stowaways were discovered Wednesday on an Ethiopian Airlines flight that landed at Dulles International Airport.
This was reported by ‘9 News Now’ and cited the regional director for Ethiopian Airlines based in Washington DC, as saying that security at Addis Ababa Airport, where the two men got on-board is one of the tightest in the world.
It also contends that a spokesman told the broadcaster that the two men who hid themselves in the ceiling of the aircraft appear to be Ethiopian nationals, part of a cleaning crew that cleaned the plane just before take-off.
According to the news, American government officials tell 9NEWS NOW the two men are not suspected of engaging in either terrorist or criminal activity and are likely to be charged with the misdemeanor offense of entering the country without inspection.
It also quotes a former pilot who now serves as a security consultant to the Allied Pilots Association, Mark Weiss, in the US as saying:
“... it is my understanding that they came in for economic reasons, then it leads one to believe that you can just as easily come in for more nefarious reasons. If you wanted to put something on an airplane, and people can be bribed, it asks the question about security, perimeter security, security at airports. When you come through a process, a screening process, it asks the questions of vetting employees around the world, and what kind of oversight our government, our Transportation Security Agency, our State Department have in control over airlines that fly into the United States.”
Leul Gibremedhin, Acting Manager of Pubic Relations of Ethiopian Airlines told Capital that the case is under investigation and premature to comment on. However, he informed Capital that two cleaners failed to report in after the flight took off to the USA.
However, sources say that this has happened before. One such case was reported in 1984 of two employees of the airline who had attempted to enter illegally to the UK on a 767 flight. They were however caught at Heathrow airport and flown back to Ethiopia on the same plane. Observers have noted that such lapses of security despite the airlines’ record of maintaining strict security display a serious shortcoming which could impact on the airline’s good reptuation. They further added that the airline should strenghten its system of monitoring its own workforce so that such incidence do not occur again.
In another unrelated development, in its ongoing expansion plans, Ethiopian Airlines has purchased eleven Cessna 172 trainers for 6.1 mln USD from the Cessna Company, based in the United States of America.
According to Captain Lemma Tekalign, manager of pilot training at the Ethiopian Aviation Academy the aircraft will arrive in October 2008.
“These modern aircraft will help to increase the number of trainees and will minimize training time,” Lemma stated to Capital.
He said that currently the school has ten of the same brand aircraft but they are older models.
Currently Ethiopian Airlines is upgrading its training facilities and will enrol 136 trainees next year. The Airlines has built 240 modern facility dormitories.
In other news, the Ethiopian Aviation Academy graduated sixteen trainee pilots on January 24, 2008 upon completion of the commercial pilot course with instrument and multi engine ratings. Among the graduates fifteen are state sponsored and one is a self sponsored trainee.
Ethiopia - Fuel prices go up …again
By Groum Abate
Source: Capital
The Ministry of Trade and Industry announced that fuel prices were adjusted as of Saturday January 26, 2008. The adjustment made on Friday, comes after a year since the Ministry adjusted oil and oil product prices in the country. The price of regular petrol rises from the current 7.77 birr to 9.61 birr, a 1.84 birr increase.
Kerosene has also risen to 5.72 birr with a 1.60 birr increment; whereas, diesel has risen from 5.44 birr to 6.90 birr registering a 1.46 birr increase. Furthermore, jet fuel went up to 7.39 birr from the current price of 5.16 birr. The Ministry announced that it is at present subsidizing 50% of the prices. The council had not increased fuel prices in the last four consecutive seasons and after a full year this adjustment is the first, as international oil prices shot up to 100 dollars a barrel in the last few months.
At this time last year the price of oil per barrel internationally was 55 dollars. Oil futures jumped back above 91 dollars a barrel on Friday January 25, adding to the previous session’s sharp gains on a view that the US recession worries that pulled prices lower in recent weeks may have been overblown.
Reports say that Chinese oil demand grew by 6.4 percent in December, the highest rate in months, contributing to oil’s advance. Concerns that demand from the booming Chinese and Indian economies is outstripping global oil supplies helped push oil to records above $100 earlier this month. The price of standard crude oil in the international market was under 25 dollars per barrel in September 2003, but by August 11, 2005 oil prices began to decrease, closing below 66 dollars per barrel on September 11. As of September, prices continued to fall. On September 19, crude oil fell to a 6-month low of 61.66 dollars a barrel. By October 3, the price closed at 58.68 dollars, its lowest close since mid-February 2006. Reasons for the recent price decreases have included easing tensions with Iran, ample supply and the lack of hurricane activity in oil-producing regions of the Gulf of Mexico.
Ethiopia - Gibe III promises ten-fold returns
By Groum Abate
Source: Capital
Situated on the Omo River, 503 kms south of Addis Ababa, in Welayta -Dawro Zone of the Southern Nations, Nationalities and Peoples Regional State (SNNPR), Gibe III when completed is expected to return its project investment ten fold in 50 years.
When this largest ever hydropower project in Ethiopia was officially launched on Thursday January 24, in the presence of senior government officials, it was revealed that 18% of the construction has been completed.
President Girma Woldegoirgis laid the corner stone for the construction of Gibe III hydro electric power generation plant, which is to have a generating capacity of 1870 MW. This is double what the country is producing at present.
Girma, who started his speech in Italian, said that the construction of the plant would help accelerate cross-border electricity trade with neighboring countries.
Mines and Energy Minister, Alemayehu Tegenu, on his part said that the construction of the plant is part of the 25 year master plan of the Ethiopian Electric Power Corporation (EEPCo) that aims to generate 4,000 mega watts and the plant covers half of the power generation plan.
He also praised the rivers of the country as the ‘white oil’ of the country and stressed the need to develop such activities.
SNNPR Chief Administrator, Shiferaw Shigute on his part said his administration would provide all the necessary support for the successful completion of the construction since the sector would have a significant role in the economic development of the nation.
The man behind the current vast activities by EEPCo, Mihret Debebe, said that the construction of Gibe III is the first step in the corporation’s 25-year master-plan.
The project that would consume a staggering 19 billion birr or 1.4 billion euros and capable of generating 1870 MW is expected to be completed in eight years. The Italian firm Salini Constructtori S.P.A. which also constructed Gilgel Gibe I, and is building Gilgel Gibe II and Beles hydroelectric power project took the project of constructing Gibe III. Salini has also played an important role in securing funds from different sources including from the Italian government.
Currently, the nation generates less than 840 MW of electric power.
It is also anticipated that the massive earthworks required for the building of the dam will contribute to the development of the immediate surroundings.
Ethiopia - All African Leather Fair opens
“Ethiopia and east Africa will be the center of global leather industry,” Meles
By Muluken Yewondwossen
Source: Capital
The first All African Leather Fair exhibition was opened by Prime Minister Meles Zenawi on January 24, 2008 at the Millennium Hall in the presence of hundreds of exhibitors from Ethiopia and abroad. Meles stated on the occasion that Ethiopia would become the world’s center of leather industry.
Yigezaw Assefa, board director of the Ethiopian Leather Industries Association (ELIA), said on his part that the Fair was organized with the primary objective of setting up a platform where Africa and other countries can come to one place and display what they are offering in terms of their leather-wealth and thereby benefit from business networking at the fair.
According to Yigezaw, the All African Leather Fair is planned to be an annual event for Addis Ababa. This launch event has been able to attract 63 exhibitors from overseas, comprising of 26 companies from eleven African countries, 23 from six European nations and another 12 companies in leather related business from five Asian countries. The local component consist of 102 exhibitors.
Yigezaw added that the Fair will host technical seminars and as an international venue, provides a global dimension in networking and experience sharing.
The P.M. applauded that the All African Leather Fair is to be held regularly and added that his government will help organizers to facilitate the endeavor.
One third of the world’s animal population is found in Africa, continued Meles and added that the Fair would enable the sharing of experience on the utilization of resources and thereby increase the income the continent secures from the sector.
“In the business-world of today, actors need to be informed of events in other markets and that is where the All African Leather Fair comes in. 2008 is instrumental to promote trade and attract investors,” said Girma Biru, Minister of Trade and Industry and added that the contribution in this regard is expected to be significant and it is hoped to create a platform, where industries can bring out their potentials in the market place and establish a strong networking tree among global players.
State Minister of Trade and Industry, Tadesse Haile, said on his part that currently, a substantial loan of 1.5 bln ETB (to be replenished annually) has been earmarked by the government of Ethiopia, to be managed by the Development Bank of Ethiopia, dedicated to the investment areas that generate foreign currency, including the leather industry. The package includes incentives and other support to the leather industry.
The aim of this Fair is to bring together from different countries; tanners, footwear and other leather goods manufacturers, leather equipment and technology suppliers, chemical and inputs suppliers, manpower training institutions, trade promotion organizations specialized in the industry.
In Ethiopia, the insignificant number of tanning industries ten years ago currently has risen to twenty seven and more are under formation. All of them are of considerable size with the smallest having a soaking capacity of 3000 skins per day of eight working hours. The daily output of the export standard footwear has now reached more than ten thousand pairs. This is expected to rise to at least twenty thousand in two years. The fair is expected to boost Ethiopia’s income share, currently less than one percent in the international leather market, valued of 92 billion Birr.
Ethiopia possesses one of the world’s largest livestock populations with 40.8 mln heads of cattle, 25 mln heads of sheep and lambs and 23 mln goats.
It is recalled that Ethiopia hosted an international leather fair in 2004. The 4th Meet in Africa 2004 was held October 6-9 and welcomed 270 exhibitors from 20 countries: 90 from Ethiopia, 124 from other African countries and 55 from outside the continent. In 2006, the 5th Meet in Africa International Leather Fair was held in Egypt and the 6th edition will be held in the Sudan for three days in November 2008.
Ethiopia - Al-amoudi to construct chain of hotels
By Kirubel Tadesse
Source: Capital
Ethiopia born Saudi business-tycoon Sheik Mohamed Hussein Al-amoudi announced that he will build a chain of hotels in the country for the 50th anniversary of the African Union that is going to be celebrated in 2013.
He said that he planned to attract world leaders to attend the event by building a chain of hotels in the country from Addis Ababa to Arbaminch. Debrezeit, Arbaminch, Addis Ababa, Dire Dawa, Zeway are among the cities in which he plans to construct the chain.
Sheik Mohammed said that his investments would create job opportunities for over 300,000 people.
The chain of hotels that will have international standards are also expected to boost the country’s tourism sector. It is recalled that the Ethiopian born Saudi billionaire Mohammed Al Amoudi is negotiating to buy Ethiopia’s unprofitable state-owned National Tour Operation and Travel Agency Enterprise (NTO).
The chain of hotels that are going to be constructed in the south are also expected to act as safari operators.
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Al Amoudi to intensify investment in Tigray (ENA)
In a related development, Horizon Plantations Ethiopia, a project based on a directive of Sheik Mohammed Hussein Ali Al-amoudi, has gone operational this week.
Enjoying 50 million dollars in annual budgets for the next five years, this project of Horizon Plantations P.l.c. will entail the development, cultivation and management of 253,000 hectares of oil palm, rubber, jatropa and tea in Ethiopia. The project directly employs 50,000 and indirectly benefits 350,000 others.
Sheik Mohamed Hussein Al-amoudi and Tissa Perera, Director General of AgriNexus, the Malaysian consultancy firm which runs the project, signed the agreement on Wednesday, January 23, 2008 at Sheraton Addis. As per the agreement, AgriNexus will be providing consultancy, technical, and training services for a five year period.
At the ceremony, Jemal Ahmed, Deputy General Manager of Horizon Plantations stated that the investment demands at least five years before earning its first profits.
Horizon Plantations has secured the 250,000 hectares in Mezenger, Metekel, and Bench-Maji zones of the Gambella, Benishangul-Gumuz, and South Ethiopia Peoples’ States. 100,000 hectares of the land will be devoted entirely to jatropha curcas, a drought-resistant perennial which grows well in marginal or poor soil. Jatropha is easy to establish and grows relatively quick, producing seed for fifty years. The seeds have an oil content of 30 % and when refined, produce high quality bio-diesel for the use of standard diesel engines. Combustion is also clear and smoke free. The by-products can be used as organic fertilizer and insecticides in the form of pressed cakes.
The rubber tree plantation covers 85,000 hectares. Rubber tree is a plantation crop of major economic value because its sap-like extract, known as latex, can be collected and is the primary source of natural rubber. Rubber’s harvesting begins once the tree is five to six years old and its productive life-time is up to twenty five years.
The oil palm, which is used in commercial agriculture in the production of palm oil and Tea (Camellia Sinensis), which has an average ratio of 1.00 to 1.25 workers per hectare, are allocated 58,000 and 10,000 hectares respectively.
The plantations project creates new housing, townships, villages, roads, telecommunications, infrastructure, hospitals, markets, irrigations, water supply systems, schools, vocational training centers and others as it employs thousands once it becomes fully functional.
This agricultural project further advances the investments of Sheik Mohammed’s “The MIDROC Ethiopia Technology Group.’’ Sheik Mohammed Hussein Ali AL-Amoudi and his family have established the MIDROC Investment Group in Ethiopia, consisting of over 30 companies. Starting from year 2000, five of the companies were placed under the leadership of the CEO, DR. Arega Yirdaw, and the number has since increased to eleven.
The companies are being identified with the name “The MIDROC Ethiopia Technology Group”. The Group includes MIDROC Gold Mine PLC (MGOLD), ELFORA Agro-Industries PLC (ELFORA), Huda Real Estate PLC (HUDA), Kombolcha Steel Products Industry PLC (KOSPI), Modern Building Industries PLC (MBI), Trust Protection and Personnel Services PLC (TRUST), addis Home Depot PLC (aHD), Trans Nation Airways PLC (TNA), addis Gas & Plastics Factory PLC (aGP), Wanza Furnishings Industries PLC (WANZA), and Daylight Applied Technologies PLC (DAYLIGHT).
Ethiopia - 10th A.U. summit gathers momentum
By Abiy Demilew and Groum Abate
Source: Capital
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia - The tenth ordinary session of the Assembly of the African Union opens this week from 31st January to 2nd February 2008 here in Addis Ababa, the political capital of the continent.
The summit will discuss topical issues on the agenda including the election and appointment of new commissioners and a chairperson to replace outgoing Malian Professor Alpha Omar Konare, who has served in the position since 2003.
With security in the metropolis visibly tightening up, Africa’s Heads of State are expected to arrive over the next two days.
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon is also expected to arrive here to address the opening of the African Union Summit meeting on Jan. 31, 2008. The secretary general has embarked on a five-nation tour.
The Tenth Ordinary Session, opening this week with the theme ‘Industrial Development in Africa’ will also address the report of the Executive Council on the audit of the Union and the report of the Ministerial Committee on the Union government, followed by the adoption of the Union’s budget for 2008.
The Heads of State are to discuss on reports of the activities of the Peace and Security Council and the State of Peace and Security in Africa, report of the Chairperson of NEPAD Heads of State and government implementation committee, report on AIDS Watch Africa and other items proposed by member states.
The summit will also discuss on ‘Participation of the Diaspora as an Observer in the Assemblies of the African Union’, a move proposed by Senegal.
Six candidates are vying for the chairmanship of the African Union (AU). The successful nominee will replace Professor Alpha Omar Konare, whom along with the rest of the Commission, was given six more months to a tenure that officially ended last July.
Among the candidates are former Mauritian president, Cassam Uteem, Sierra Leonean politician Abdulai Conteh and the former foreign ministers of Gabon and Burundi, Jean Ping and Antoinette Batumubwira respectively. Southern Africa’s candidates are Zambia’s Ambassador to the US, Inonge Mbikusita-Lewanika, and former Prime Minister of Swaziland, Barnabas Sibusiso Dlamini.
The AU will also elect new commissioners, a deputy chairman and other executive members. The only two nominees for the deputy chair were Kenyan Erastus Mwencha, secretary-general of the Common Market of Eastern and Southern Africa, and Egyptian Khair Latif.
Briefing journalists in Pretoria, South Africa’s deputy head of the Department of Foreign Affairs in Africa, Jessie Duarte, said that the topmost agenda of the summit was the AU budget, of which 75% was now covered by SA, Nigeria, Algeria, Libya and Egypt. She said that the medium-sized countries had been paying their dues in trenches and that although this had improved the AU’s cash flow, it also resulted in some countries being in arrears at the end of the AU’s financial year.
“This matter will be addressed quite extensively in the report by the eminent persons - also with a view of looking at the reality of some countries who just cannot continue their payments - even cannot pay the minimum contribution of 0,25% of the budget.”
Along with the summit, a meeting of the AU’s Peace and Security Council whose agenda will include the crisis situations in Kenya, the Comoros, Democratic Republic of Congo, and Côte d’Ivoire. “Countries are able to raise matters from the floor, so it is not a closed agenda,” said Duarte.
Duarte also urged President Thabo Mbeki, mandated by the Southern Africa Development Community, to put efforts to find a solution to the Zimbabwe crisis.
Kenya Violence continues Al Jazeera Video
Al Jazeera's Mohammed Adow reports from the Rift Valley region where ethnic violence continues despite mediation efforts. In the town of Naivasha, up to twenty people are thought to have been burned to death in their own homes. And in nearby Nakuru, at least 60 have died in the last few days.
Ethiopia - Authority announces new tariffs on taxis, buses
The Transport Authority under the Auspices of the Ministry of Transport and Communications of Ethiopia has announced new tarrifs on taxi and cross-country bus transport services a day after announcement by the Trade and Industry Ministry of fuel retail price readjustment amidst ever-rising cost of petroleum products in the global market.
Accordingly, the Authority said, effective January 26, taxi fare on a 2.5 km. distance rises by 5-cent to 70 cents. The fare on a 7-km taxi trip rises to 1.35 Birr from 1.20 Birr, on a 10-km distance to 1.80 Birr from 1.60 Birr, on a 12-km distance to 2.00 Birr from 1.75 Birr and on a 15-km distance to 2.50 Birr from 2.20 Birr per passanger.
On travels by cross-country busses, the new tarrif on asphalted roads is 0.12325 Birr per kilometer per person from 0.11264 Birr, and that on gravel roads 0.14966 Birr from 0.13812 Birr, the authority told ENA in a statement.
The new tarrifs were made in consideration of average incomes of commuters and in line with the subsidy the government continues to make on fuel imports.
Ethiopia secures over 90 million dollars from leather
Ethiopia was able to secure over 90 million US dollars from leather and leather products sub-sector during the previous fiscal year owing to government’s measures and introduction of various incentives, the Ministry of Trade and Investment said.
The revenue secured during the reported time exceeded the amount of revenue secured from the sub-sector during the preceding year of the same period by 15 million US dollars, according to the ministry.
State minister of trade and investment, Tadesse Haile the private sector has become more active in the overall development of the country since the government has taken various measures in order to boost trade and investment across the nation.
The minister made the statement on Saturday at a daylong investment forum organized in Addis Ababa in connection with the ‘Pan African Competitiveness Preparatory Forum’.
He said the country has registered remarkable achievements, especially in the leather and leather products sub-sector, during the last few years since the government attached due attention to the development of trade and investment throughout the nation.
The main objective of the leather and leather products sub-sector should be strengthening national and international cooperation based on export-led strategy, creating employment, improving institutional network between the government and private sector, and promoting the sub-sector at national and global level.
Local shoe manufacturing industries have the potential to manufacture various kinds of shoes, he said, adding the Ethiopian Leather and leather Products Technology Institute should strive to strengthen the competitiveness of the sub-sector.
The forum attracted over 100 participants drawn from the various countries worldwide.
Source: ENA
African Union Chief Warns of Possible Genocide In Kenya
By Peter Heinlein
Addis Ababa
VOA News
27 January 2008
African Union Chairman Alpha Omar Konare is calling for immediate action to calm tensions in Kenya, warning that ethnic clashes between warring tribes could degenerate into another Rwanda-like genocide. VOA's Peter Heinlein reports from Addis Ababa, where Konare addressed a meeting of African foreign ministers preparing for this week's AU summit.
Konare said Sunday he had received a message from Kofi Annan, who is trying to broker a deal that would end the weeks of clashes that have killed more than 700 Kenyans and displaced at least a quarter of a million.
Konare did not elaborate on the contents of Annan's message. But the former U.N. secretary-general told reporters Saturday he had seen systematic human rights abuses during a visit to a Kenyan region where tribal fighters are said to be attacking each other with bows and arrows.
Speaking in French to African ministers preparing for this week's AU summit, Konare said the continent must not turn a blind eye when tragedy is unfolding around them.
"We are talking even of genocide, after Rwanda," said Konare. "Are we going to sit hands folded when everyone is talking about genocide. What will be the lesson of Rwanda? Today it is the responsibility of the united African Union to face this situation."
Konare cautioned the two sides, however, to settle their dispute without resorting to a power sharing formula. He suggested that power sharing would only lead to more trouble.
"The solution does not lie only in power sharing, as if power is like a cake that should be shared, no," he said. "If the democratic process has to be followed to the end, and the final end should be sharing of the cake, then we shall never have peace because there will be always be unsatisfied and dissatisfied parties."
Pre-summit discussions have been dominated by a report by a high-level panel appointed last year to study the African Union's operations. The panel, led by former U.N. Undersecretary General Adebayo Adedeji , was highly critical of the organization's top leadership. Among other things, the 200-page report described the relationship between the chairman and other commissioners as "dysfunctional."
African diplomats attending the AU meetings say Konare reacted angrily to the report. In his speech, he referred to the audit only in passing. But made clear he will not run for re-election to his post, and said he is fed up with an organizational structure that makes it impossible to succeed.
"I wish that the new commission should succeed, that a new chairperson should succeed, and we need to establish the necessary conditions, but within the present rules this is not possible," said Konare. "And I say it frankly, and I say it with all ease, that it doesn't concern me because I've said very clearly that I'm not a candidate and I don't want my mandate renewed."
Several candidates have been mentioned as possible replacements for Konare. Among them are Gabon's foreign minister and former U.N. General Assembly President Jean Ping, Sierra Leone's Abdulai Conteh, and Zambia's ambassador to the United States Inonge Mbikusita Lewanika.
Several delegates at the meeting say the election might be postponed, as it has been in the past, effectively leaving Konare in his present position. Ethiopia's Foreign Minister Seyoum Mesfin told VOA the criticisms of the high-level panel were not aimed personally at the chairman, but at a weak system.
"I don't believe the issue is personal," said Mesfin. "It has to do with the articulation of the competencies of the various organs of the union. That's why it is very important to streamline them, and see that a commission which would be vibrant and responsible to handle the challenges we are facing."
The ministers' meetings continue Monday, with discussions expected to touch on the conflicts and political turmoil in three of Ethiopia's neighbors - Somalia, Sudan and Kenya.
African heads of state and government arrive later in the week for three days of talks. Security concerns prevent the release of a list of possible attendees, but officials expect 40 African leaders to attend the gathering. U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon will address Thursday's opening summit session.
Ethiopia - Meseret Defar shattered the world indoor record two-mile race
BOSTON, Massachusetts (AFP) — Ethiopia's Meseret Defar, the IAAF's 2007 woman athlete of the year, established a world best in the indoor two miles Saturday at the Reebok Boston Indoor Games.
Defar, already holder of outdoor world marks at two miles and 5,000m and indoors in the 3,000m, clocked 9min 10.50sec to shatter the previous indoor world best of 9:23.38, run by American Regina Jacobs at this meeting in 2002.
Defar, the Olympic gold and World Championship medallist at 5,000m, finished ahead of New Zealand's Kim Smith (9:13.94) and Jen Rhines (9:35.29).
In the men's 3,000m, Australia's Mottram broke Haile Gebrselassie's US All-Comers record, and his own Australian national record.
The two-time World Cup 3,000m champion, Mottram ran on his own in the late stages of the race, picking up speed before finishing in 7:34.50, to beat Gebrselassie's all-comers mark of 8:35.24, set here in 2004, as well as his own national record of 7:39.24, run at this meet in 2007.
Markos Geneti of Ethiopia was a distant second in 7:41.81.
Sweden's Carolina Kluft, world and Olympic heptathlon champion, made a modest beginning to her 2008 season with a third-place finish in the long jump
On her fifth attempt, Kluft managed a jump of 6.34m, and finished behind American Lela Nelson, another heptathlete who won with a leap of 6.50m, and Jamaica's Elva Goulbourne (6.40m).
Kluft's effort was well outside the 6.85 long jump she recorded en route to her European helptathlon record at the World Championships in Osaka last year.
In the women's 3,000m, Tirunesh Dibaba won in a solid 8:33.37, with her sister, Ejegayehu Dibaba, second in 8:36.59.
Ethiopia - 'To impose democracy from outside is inherently undemocratic'
Ethiopia's prime minister, Meles Zenawi, tells Simon Tisdall in a rare interview that western policy in the region is ill-informed and at times arrogant
Friday January 25, 2008
Guardian Unlimited
Western countries should stop trying to browbeat Kenya's warring political leaders into submission and do more in practical terms to prevent poverty, lack of opportunity, and Islamist terrorism from further destabilising the Horn of Africa, Ethiopia's prime minister, Meles Zenawi, has told the Guardian.
"The threat of western sanctions as a response to the current crisis in Kenya is very, very misguided," Meles said. "If it is presumed that the Kenyans will democratise in order to eat the peanuts of development assistance from the European Union, for example, it would be a big mistake."
Placing pressure on resources to influence the post-election process, which has degenerated into violence amid claims of government-engineered fraud, would not work and could be counter-productive, he said.
"What it does do is give the impression that Africans democratise in response to development assistance and all you have to do is close the taps and they will sit up and behave like proper schoolchildren. That is very unfortunate and quite demeaning."
Meles, a former guerrilla who has become one of sub-Saharan Africa's most respected and thoughtful leaders, has held power since 1991 when the Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF) coalition overthrew the cold war military dictatorship of Mengistu Haile Mariam.
Praised in the west for subsequently switching ideological tack and adopting pro-market policies to boost Ethiopia's impoverished, largely agricultural economy, he has also faced sharp criticism over alleged human rights abuses and the violent crackdown that followed his victory in the last multi-party general election in 2005.
In an exclusive interview at his office in Addis Ababa, Meles said he had personally urged Kenya's presidential rivals, Mwai Kibaki and Raila Odinga, to settle their differences peacefully and legally.
And he warned that any permanent destabilisation of Kenya as a result of the current unrest would represent "an unmitigated disaster" for the entire region, adding to existing problems in Somalia, Eritrea and Sudan. Kenya's stability was of "paramount importance", he said.
Speaking one year after he sent up to 10,000 troops into Somalia to end Islamist rule in Mogadishu and southern areas of the country, Meles said progress was being made towards establishing "democratic, responsive and inclusive" governance there. But while serious security challenges remained, it was impossible to give a timetable for withdrawal.
"The biggest achievement so far is that the Transitional Federal Government (TFG) and the Somali people have saved the country from being taken over by the Taliban of Somalia [a reference to hardliners linked to the Islamic Courts Union or ICU]. They made no secret of their intention of establishing a caliphate there. Defeating them was no mean achievement.
"In addition, there has been a national reconciliation conference last summer and that has concluded successfully. A new government has been established that is likely to be more effective than the previous one.
"The TFG is reaching out to moderate members of the ICU for a commitment to resolve problems by peaceful means. They are already in contact with some of these groups. So there is a lot of progress going on."
But Meles warned that Ethiopia could not disengage militarily until the African Union's peacekeeping mission to Somalia, Amisom, was up to strength or had at least achieved a "substantial deployment".
So far, fewer than one third of the promised 8,000 troops have materialised on the ground.
Somalia was a good example of why more practical help from the international community was required in the region, he said. African countries were capable of dealing with security issues in Somalia but Amisom badly needed help with logistics and transportation.
Even allowing for their commitments in Darfur and elsewhere, western countries were not doing enough. "In rhetorical terms they are supportive. We understand that resources are overstretched. But if Somalia goes back to where it was a year ago, everybody would lose."
Meles said there was accumulating evidence of a growing Islamist threat across the Horn of Africa and accused Eritrea, Ethiopia's sworn enemy since the 1998-2000 war between the two countries, of aiding and abetting the jihadis.
"Eritrea has been actively destabilising the African nations of the Horn," he said. "They give shelter and harbour international terrorists including [Sheikh] Hassan Aweys [former head of the ICU and of the extremist al-Itihaad group] who is on the list of terrorists of the United Nations.
"They are on record as saying they would be happy to equip, arm and deploy armed groups in Ethiopia to destabilise Ethiopia."
Meles also repeated claims that Qatar and other un-named Arab Sunni Muslim states were financing Eritrea's covert operations against Orthodox Christian Ethiopia.
He suggested Eritrea was intent on radicalising Ethiopia's Muslims, particularly in the eastern Somali regional state where a low-level insurgency has been underway for the past two years.
It may also have helped establish jihadist "cells" inside Kenya, he said, but once again the international community was paying insufficient attention.
Eritrea has previously rejected all such allegations. But the US and Britain are known to share some of Ethiopia's concerns, and consideration is being given in Washington to formerly declaring Asmara's government a sponsor of international terrorism and a rogue state.
Meles said Eritrea continued to reject offers of bilateral talks.
"Our position is that we can sit down and talk to try to solve our problems through dialogue. We have tried, we have made public calls for dialogue, we have expressed our willingness to meet the Eritrean government anywhere, any time. So far to no avail."
Even though tensions remained high along the disputed border, he said renewed all-out war was unlikely, given Ethiopia's much improved military capabilities (the annual defence budget is now about $300m).
"I think the Eritrean government is aware that any full-scale invasion of Ethiopia along the lines of 1998 could turn out to be suicidal ... And we will not respond to any provocation short of all-out invasion. We are already engaged in a much more fruitful war - against poverty."
Meles said Ethiopia was working "quite closely" with the US on counter-terrorism in the region but that the extent of American military activity was "negligible".
The focus of US forces based in Djibouti was more on social welfare and infrastructure projects. This "hearts and minds" approach was welcome, he said, since terrorism was primarily the product of "frustration and poverty and lack of opportunity".
In a sudden burst of intellectual firepower, Meles said continuing western criticism of Ethiopia's democratic governance and human rights record, in common with that of other African states, was partly based on misunderstandings - and partly on arrogance.
"We believe democracy cannot be imposed from outside in any society. Democracy is the expression of a sovereign people. To impose it from outside is inherently undemocratic. Each sovereign nation has to make its own decisions and have its own criteria as to how they govern themselves.
"I believe democratic forms of government are applicable everywhere and are better than the alternatives. And we feel that countries and peoples can share their experiences to help others to democratise. So that is all to the good. "When it becomes a problem is when countries pretend their foreign policy is based on democratisation when this is clearly not the case. For all the challenges in Zimbabwe, for example, it is a bit of a stretch to say it is less democratic than some of the sheikhdoms of the Gulf. But none of the sheikdoms has a problem visiting Europe.
"If it were to be presumed that how democratic a state is will determine its relations with other democratic states, the presumption would be false. You cannot act on this basis. "Naturally some countries do not even try to democratise and they deserve to be criticised. But those that are trying should be criticised on their own criteria, not that of outsiders. When the criticism becomes judgmental, it begins to affect relations." Apparently referring to British and other denunciations of Ethiopia's 2005 post-election opposition crackdown and suggestions that April's local elections may bring similar Kenyan-style discord here, he said renewed disturbances were not anticipated. One reason was a concerted EPRDF effort, now underway, to connect and engage with ordinary voters. "We are learning from our mistakes."
Another reason, although he did not say so, may be that the opposition parties appear hopelessly divided - and the hard-working prime minister is widely respected, though possibly not loved, for his achievements. His stated intention of standing down in 2010 has left many worrying what may follow.
Ethiopia was making steady progress economically, with national output growing by 10% or more each year, Meles said. Eliminating poverty, building schools and health clinics, and creating life opportunities remained his government's first priority.
In particular, Britain's development assistance was much appreciated. "I think it is the best bilateral relationship we have in terms of quality and quantity."
The overall aim was the "transformation of Ethiopia from basket case to a country with a vibrant economy, from being a country that is a problem in the region to one that is part of the solution."
But there was a long way to go, he said, and outsiders should try to understand how truly immense the challenges were.
"We are endeavouring to democratise. We have faltered. We need to pick up and move on ... But we believe that here in Ethiopia the worst is behind us."
Ethiopia make swift return
Source: FIFA
Ethiopia may not have had a title to celebrate in December, but their performances in the Cecafa Cup were enough to propel them back into the top 100 on the FIFA/Coca-Cola World Ranking. Indeed, Ethiopia moved up 15 places to 90th in the latest standings, after last month dropping out of the top 100.
Ethiopia's profile in African soccer has vacillated as they seek to fight their way back to a position of respectability. They are one of the founder members of African football and are former continental champions, but they have not featured in the CAF Africa Cup of Nations for several decades.
The next task for the Walyas Boys is now to make a positive start to the 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa™ qualifiers.
Ethiopia have been draw with Morocco, Mauritania and Rwanda in a group where they will feel they have a strong chance to finish in the top two. Morocco will be the favourites but Ethiopia have the potential to advance into the second phase of the African preliminaries.
There have been significant recent changes in the leadership of Ethiopian football in recent weeks, and a new board, full of celebrity names, has been mainly welcomed by supporters.
The Ethiopians have several months now to put their side together for a tilt at FIFA World Cup qualification. The country has several exports in nearby Yemen, but their best known player is the striker Fikru Tefera, who plays in South Africa's Premier Soccer League with SueprSport United.
Ethiopia claims 234 Eritrean soldiers deserted in January
Source: AFP
ADDIS ABABA (AFP) — More than 450 Eritreans, including 234 soldiers, fled their country into Ethiopia in January alone, Ethiopia's adminstration for refugee and returnee affairs said Friday in a statement.
The statement said 469 Eritreans "fleeing oppression in their country" crossed into Ethiopia since the start of the year, including 54 women.
"The Eritreans entered Ethiopia crossing the border into Tigray and Afar states," the statement said.
"Among them, 234 are soldiers and 235 people of many walks of life including students," it added. "Currently, about 25,000 Eritrean refugees are taking shelter at camps in Tigray and Afar regional states."
The statement could not be immediately confirmed by independent sources, but the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees estimates that more than 20,000 the number of Eritreans who have taken refuge in Ethiopia.
Tension runs high between the two enemy countries, with tens of thousands of soldiers facing off on either side of their disputed border, on the brink of a fresh conflict.
A border war between 1998 and 2000 left at least 70,000 people dead, and the dispute remains unresolved despite a peace agreement and a ruling by a UN-appointed panel.
Ethiopia - Western world cannot impose democracy in Africa: Ethiopian PM
Source: AFP
Trying to impose democracy in Africa is wrong, Ethiopia's prime minister said Friday, contrasting Western attitudes to countries like Kenya and Zimbabwe to policies towards oil-rich Gulf states.
In a rare British newspaper interview, Meles Zenawi warned for example against imposing sanctions on Kenya to try to force the country to resolve the deadly standoff triggered by disputed elections.
"The threat of western sanctions as a response to the current crisis in Kenya is very, very misguided," he told the Guardian daily.
"If it is presumed that the Kenyans will democratise in order to eat the peanuts of development assistance from the European Union, for example, it would be a big mistake."
Related Links
'To impose democracy from outside is inherently undemocratic' Meles Zenawi
(Interview with The Guardian)
Kenya's opposition has called for international sanctions against the government it accuses of rigging the December 27 polls that led to President Mwai Kibaki's re-election.
Meles lamented the West's attitude towards Zimbabwe, whose President Robert Mugabe is barred from travelling to Europe and is treated as an international pariah in particular by former colonial rulers Britain.
"I believe democratic forms of government are applicable everywhere and are better than the alternatives. And we feel that countries and peoples can share their experiences to help others to democratise. So that is all to the good."
But he said: "When it becomes a problem is when countries pretend their foreign policy is based on democratisation when this is clearly not the case."
"For all the challenges in Zimbabwe, for example, it is a bit of a stretch to say it is less democratic than some of the sheikhdoms of the Gulf. But none of the sheikhdoms has a problem visiting Europe," he added.
And he went on: "We believe democracy cannot be imposed from outside in any society. Democracy is the expression of a sovereign people.
"To impose it from outside is inherently undemocratic. Each sovereign nation has to make its own decisions and have its own criteria as to how they govern themselves."
Ethiopia - Ethiopian Airlines Graduates 16 Pilots
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia - The Ethiopian Aviation Academy graduates 16 trainee pilots that have completed the commercial pilot course with Instrument and Multi-Engine Ratings. Among the graduates 15 are Ethiopian sponsored and one is self sponsored trainee.
In the two years training, the group has taken 1000:00 hours of class instruction and 250:00 hours of practical flight training both on single and multi-engine trainer aircraft. As part of the pilot training packages, every emphasis has been made to inculcate the responsibility, high discipline as well as safety standard of Ethiopian Airlines.
The COO, Ato Tewolde G.Mariam decorated the graduates with wings and gave out certificates to all. He also handed over prizes to top ranking graduates both in academic and practical performance and good governance.
Today’s graduates will bring the total number of graduates from the Ethiopian Aviation Academy to 804, out of which 511 are Ethiopian and 293 foreigners from different countries mainly from Africa, the Middle East and few from Asia and Europe.
Ethiopia - Al Amoudi to intensify investment in Tigray
Source: ENA
Sheik Mohamed Hussein Al Amoudi, the renowned businessman operating in Ethiopia, and the Tigray State Administration signed an accord on Thursday that enable the former to launch various investment projects in the state.
Signing the agreement, the owner of sister companies of MIDROC-Ethiopia, vowed to launch various investment projects in the region particularly in mining, leather, and leather products development sectors.
The investment projects due to be launched in the state include, among others, establishment of glass, sugar, and soft drinks manufacturing factories.
The renowned tycoon held discussions with senior officials of the regional government in order to share ideas on trade and investment options that exist in the region.
Chief of the state administration, Tsegaye Berhe said on the occasion the regional government will provide the necessary assistance to the businessman and it is ready to work together with the tycoon.
The regional administration granted 3,000 sq. meter of land to the tycoon meant for the construction of a residence. A street leading to the investment site of the Mekele town was also named after Sheik Mohamed Hussein Al Amoudi.
The chief inaugurated same day a billboard that shows the photograph of Sheik Mohamed Hussein Al Amoudi, as development hero of the town.
Meanwhile, the Tigray State Administration awarded Sheik Mohamed Hussein Al Amuodi the ‘highest martyr’s medal’ for his exemplary deeds in expanding trade and investment in the state.
The tycoon also received a special document containing the signatures of 3,000 women and youth as a gesture for his contributions in development endeavors.
The tycoon pledged on the occasion to donate 50 million Birr in support of the construction of a stadium in the town. He also pledged to re-construct a road that connects Enticho town of Tigray with a locality in North Wollo Zone of the Amhara State, which is said to be the birthplace of the tycoon’s mother
The Global Challenge to Academic and Intellectual Freedom
Thursday, February 7, 5:30 - 7:00 p.m.
The New School
Theresa Lang Community and Student Center
55 West 13th Street. Directions.
Admission: Free. Reception to follow.
RSVP to socres@newschool.edu or 212.229.5776 x3121
Learn firsthand about the plight of endangered scholars around the world from a panel of scholars who have faced imprisonment, been forced into exile from their home countries to escape persecution, or were denied a visa to speak in the United States.
AKBAR GANJI, investigative journalist, professor, and writer (Iran)
MEHRANGIZ KAR, human rights attorney, writer and activist; Visiting Scholar at Wellesley College (Iran)
BERHANU NEGA, international scholar in residence, Economics, Bucknell University; Mayor-elect of Addis Ababa (Ethiopia)
DONNY GEORGE YOUKHANNA, former director general of the National Museum in Baghdad; former chairman of the State Board of Antiquities and Heritage; former president, Iraq State Board of Antiquities and Heritage; visiting professor, Department of Anthropology, Stony Brook University (Iraq)
ADAM HABIB via video-conference, deputy vice-chancellor of Research, Innovation and Advancement, University of Johannesburg; executive director, Democracy & Governance research programme, Human Sciences Research Council of South Africa (South Africa)
Moderated by: SAMANTHA POWER, Anna Lindh Professor of Practice of Global Leadership and Public Policy, Carr Center for Human Rights Policy, Harvard University
This event is the first of several that will commemorate the 75th anniversary of the founding of the University in Exile at The New School and announces the new feature in Social Research, "Endangered Scholars Worldwide." Cosponsored by Social Research: An International Journal of the Social Sciences and The New School for Social Research.
For additional information on the Endangered Scholars Worldwide initiative, please visit www.newschool.edu/endangeredscholars.
Ethiopia - AIT Records Releases The Ethiopian Millennium Collection, a Six-CD World Music Compilation
AIT Records' Ethiopian Millennium Collection is a six-CD compilation of the most critically-acclaimed, all-time favorite tracks from AIT Records' best-selling world music albums featuring afro pop beat, ballads Chic-Chic-Ka (Iskista-Ethiopian rhythm), traditional, instrumental, and dance music.
Alameda, CA (Billboard Publicity Wire) January 23, 2008 -- (MIDEM-- Cannes, France) AIT Records, world music's leading independent label representing Ethiopian contemporary and traditional music and artists, announces the availability of its newest release, The Ethiopian Millennium Collection. The Ethiopian Millennium Collection is a unique compilation of the most critically-acclaimed, all-time favorite selections for the first time in one complete set.
Available now as a six-CD set or as individual CDs, The Ethiopian Millennium Collection features breakthrough performances by Mahmoud Ahmed, winner of the 2007 BBC Radio 3 Award for World Music; and Alemayehu Eshete, dubbed the "James Brown" of Ethiopia.
"AIT Records is fortunate to release The Millenium Collection," said Aman Adinew, Executive Producer for AIT Records. "Its artists represent the exciting styles of contemporary and traditional Ethiopian music."
Also featured is the renowned Muluken Mellesse and the amazing Theodros Tadesse. Appearances by perennial favorites Neway Debebe, Hamelmal Abate, Theodros Mitiku, Shambel Belayneh, Theodros "Afro" Kassahun, and the legendary Roha Band -- plus many more -- will delight music lovers.
The Ethiopian Millennium Collection immerses the listener in an eclectic mix of signature Ballads, Chic-Chic-Ka (Iskista), Dance, Instrumental, and Traditional Ethiopian music that blends Ethiopian and Western instruments to create a totally unique and mesmerizing sound. Included in the collection is "The Memories of Ethiopia" CD, a one-of-a-kind album that features traditional songs and standards, including authentic Ethiopian instruments including: Kirar (strings), Kebero (drums), Washint (reed pipe), and Masinko (a one-stringed fiddle).
About AIT Records - Your Link to World Music:
AIT Records, based in Alameda, CA, is an independent record label that offers its customers the very best in world music, live entertainment, and online distribution. AIT Records is dedicated to the artists it represents, including the expressive freedom and control over their respective work, which remains unparalleled in the music industry today. To distribute or resell AIT Records' products, traditional and online distributors and resellers should contact: AIT Records, PO Box 2411, Alameda, CA 94501; or visit the AIT Records web site:http://aitrecords.com
Ethiopia - ESFNA 25th Tournament to be held in D.C
Ethiopian Sport Federation North America (ESFNA) proudly announces that its 25th year anniversary will be held in Washington D.C. in 2008. ESFNA board members were given the opportunity to assess the various venues including 5-star Gaylord Hotel, RFK Stadium, D.C. Armory and the Convention Center. Following that, local Ethiopian restaurants collaborated to offer board members a delicious lunch at Lalibela Restaurant. Board members heard attractive pitches from potential host cities, Atlanta and the DC-5. In the end the board chose the DC-5 packet in hosting the Silver Anniversary Jubilee.
More at esfna
World Bank Group President to Visit Africa
WASHINGTON, January 24, 2008 æ¯Robert B. Zoellick will begin this week
his first
official visit to Africa as President of the World Bank Group. He will
travel
to Mauritania, Liberia, Ethiopia, and Mozambique. This visit follows a
successful replenishment of the International Development Association
(IDA)
which will allow the Bank and its partners to expand and deepen their
support
to Africa, building on last year＊s record $5.7 billion commitment to
Africa by
IDA and another $1.6 billion by the International Finance Corporation
(IFC),
the Bank Group＊s private sector arm.
During his visit to Ethiopia, Mr. Zoellick will participate in the 10th
Ordinary Assembly of the African Union (AU) as the first World Bank
President
to speak at a Summit of African heads of state and governments. The AU
and the
World Bank are increasingly working together on a number of issues
including
regional integration, governance, post-conflict countries, and engaging
the
African Diaspora in the development of the continent. Mr. Zoellick＊s
presence
at the AU Summit will be an opportunity to further strengthen the
relations
between the two institutions. Mr. Zoellick will also meet with African
heads of
state and the heads of other international institutions in Addis Ababa
to
discuss the Millennium Development Goals, agricultural development, and
the
impact of increased food prices on the poor.
Before arriving in Ethiopia, Mr. Zoellick will visit Mauritania and
Liberia. In
Mauritania, which stands as a bridge between Sub-Saharan Africa and the
Arab
World, Mr. Zoellick will meet with President Sidi Mohamed Ould Cheikh
Abdallahi
and key government officials to discuss how the World Bank Group can
support
Mauritania＊s transition to a middle income country. During his visit,
Mr.
Zoellick will also have an exchange with parliamentarians and
representatives
of civil society to learn more about the country＊s challenges. He
will meet
with the private sector and discuss the IFC and Multilateral Investment
Guarantee Agency (MIGA)＊s role in supporting Mauritania＊s growth
agenda.
In Liberia, Mr. Zoellick＊s visit will focus on the development
challenges
facing the country and its efforts to promote growth, overcome poverty,
and
improve the Liberian people＊s living standards. Mr. Zoellick will
talk to
beneficiaries of community projects, meet with Liberian President Ellen
Sirleaf-Johnson and participate in a roundtable with Finance Ministers
from
Liberia, Cote d＊Ivoire, Guinea, Sierra Leone, and Togo to discuss the
Bank＊s
support to post-conflict countries and the lessons learned from its
work inLiberia. He will meet with donor representatives; and discuss the
Bank Group＊s
contribution to private sector development in Liberia.
After attending the AU Summit in Addis, Mr. Zoellick will travel to
Mozambique
where he will meet with President Armando Guebuza, as well as
representatives
from government, the private sector, and civil society. He will visit
Sofala
province and Maputo, and will have a chance to see the flood-affected
areas of
the Zambezi and P迆ngue rivers. He will also visit the Mozal aluminum
plant and
Temane gas distribution point for the city, both of which have been
supported
by the IFC and MIGA.
$11bn fund to cut impact of malaria
A group of government and business leaders will on Friday unveil a plan to raise and spend $11bn over five years in a fresh effort to sharply reduce the impact of malaria in the developing world.
The Malaria Implementation Support Task Force plans to rapidly boost prevention and treatment measures in the 30 African countries most hard hit by malaria, which causes more than a million deaths and very large numbers of hospital admissions each year.
The new task force, to be announced at the World Economic Forum in Davos, will be jointly chaired by the head of the World Health Organisation, Ethiopia’s health minister, and Malaria No More, a business-led group.
More from FT
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
- JP Morgan Chase and Ethiopia working on a 400 million dollar loan for Gilgel Gibe III hydropower project
- JPMorgan Chase has come under pressure from environmental activists
- Gilgel Gibe III which will have 1,870MW capacity is under construction by Italian firm Salini
- The total cost for Gilgel Give III is estimated to be $2.1 billion
Ethiopia - JPMorgan Chase urged to reject loan for Ethiopian dam
Source: environmental-finance.com
JPMorgan Chase has come under pressure to refuse to provide a loan for the controversial Gilgel Gibe III hydropower dam in Ethiopia.
Three NGOs – Campagna per la Riforma della Banca Mondiale in Italy, Les Amis de la Terre in France and International Rivers in the US – have written to the US bank to urge it to refuse a $400 million commercial loan request from the Ethiopian government in connection with the project, which they say would violate the bank’s environmental policy.
The 1,870MW dam is already under construction by Italian firm Salini, at an estimated cost of €1.4 billion ($2.1 billion), and would be the third stage in a project to dam the Gilgel Gibe River for hydropower. The Italian export credit agency SACE has refused to guarantee the project.
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EEPCo Closing in $400m Deal with JP Morgan
In November last year, the NGOs carried out a fact-finding mission to investigate the proposals, which they say uncovered evidence of environmental, social and legal issues with the dam. Problems raised by the NGOs include:
*
Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA): The NGOs state that the EIA – released by SACE – “is wholly inadequate according to international best practice”. In particular, they criticise the EIA for failing to assess the downstream impacts of the dam on the Omo River which will be diverted as part of the project. Although the dam is 13% complete, the project has yet to receive a permit from the country’s environmental protection authority, as required under Ethiopian law, the NGOs say.
*
Emissions: The dam will create a 150 kilometer-long reservoir upstream, submerging 500 hectares of agricultural land, 1,500 hectares of riverine forest and 25,000 hectares of deciduous woodland, according to the NGOs. The EIA states that 20.4 million cubic meters of biomass would be left to decompose underwater, which the NGOs say would cause “a significant amount of greenhouse gas [GHG] emissions” from the reservoir. They say no analysis of the GHG emissions from the reservoir has been carried out, which would be in violation of JPMorgan’s requirements under its environmental policy.
*
Communities: The EIA reports that 400 households will be displaced, and social and commercial exchange between communities on different sides of the river interrupted. The NGOs allege inadequate consultation, in particular with 275 nomadic households which they say have not been considered for consultation or compensation.
*
Questions over the procurement process: Under Ethiopian law and international guidelines, an international tender should have been issued by for the construction of the dam. Instead, the Ethiopian Electric Power Corporation (EEPCo) signed a contract with Salini after direct negotiations.
*
Energy exports: The NGOs say that Ethiopia’s infrastructure will not be able to absorb the extra electricity from the dam, suggesting that most will be exported, which they call “a questionable priority” for the country given its development situation.
JPMorgan Chase declined to comment.
01:57:59 pm, by nazret.com, 314 words, 15686 views 
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
- Two Ethiopian maintenance workers apparently stowed away in the ceiling of a trans-Atlantic flight that landed at Dulles International Airport from Addis Ababa
- The two men were both wearing Ethiopian Airlines uniforms, including identification badges
- They are seeking asylum and are currently in U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody
- Ethiopia is one of few countries from Africa with FAA's Category 1 designation which meets ICAO standards
Watch Video
Stowaways Discovered On Plane At Dulles Airport
Source: WUSA 9
DULLES AIRPORT, Va. (WUSA) -- Investigators are looking into what can only be described as a major security breach.
Two stowaways were discovered Wednesday on an Ethiopian Airlines flight that landed at Dulles International Airport.
Even so, the regional director for Ethiopian Airlines says security at Addis Ababa Airport, where the two men got on-board is one of the tightest in the world.
A spokesman says the two men who hid themselves in the ceiling of the aircraft appear to be Ethiopian Nationals, part of a cleaning crew that cleaned the plane just before take-off.
It's unclear what their intentions were but some passengers suspected they wanted to come to the United States for a better life.
With no answers as to how the men went undiscovered for 36 hours, including a stop-over in Rome, a security expert told 9NEWS NOW, "If you can store human bodies, you can certainly store a bomb or put weapons on board." Larry Johnson says the TSA and FAA should demand better security measures by airlines overseas or suspend flying privileges in the U.S.
At last check, the two stowaways were in the custody of Customs and Border Control. No one returned our phone calls when we attempted to seek information about their status or any charges they may face.
Written by Nancy Yamada
9NEWS NOW
Leadership brings change for mothers and children in Ethiopia
Source: UNICEF
Ethiopia serves as a powerful example of how strong political leadership can bring about positive change for child survival. In 2004, Prime Minister Meles Zenawi urged the government and its partners to join him in charting a road map for universal health care – a tremendous challenge given the many obstacles Ethiopia faced. At the time, less than 30 per cent of women receive antenatal care and less than half of Ethiopia’s children received a full course of immunization by their first birthday.
Yet through their Health Extension Programme, the government is tackling these challenges head on by promoting community-based child and maternal health services. Under this programme, 30,000 female Health Extension Workers are being deployed to promote 16 proven interventions that protect against the major causes of child and maternal mortality. While community level services are buoyed by the Health Extension Programme, the health ministry is also strengthening its infrastructure and adapting its referral system for those requiring hospital care.
The Ethiopia example provides an important lesson – the value of political leadership. This is vital to identifying problems, setting targets, mobilizing resources and fostering community participation.
Ethiopia - Mekele University to launch post-graduate programs in 4 fields
Mekele University, one of the state-owned universities in Ethiopia, said it is has finalized preparations to launch postgraduate programs in four fields of study as of Feb. 2008.
Speaking at a workshop organized to evaluate the curricula designed for the new programs, business and economics faculty dean with the university Aregawi Gebremichael told ENA that the programs focus on development policy, efficient utilization of natural resources, investment and finance, and on business administration and development studies.
The university envisages opening a number of programs as per its 20 year strategic plan, he said, the necessary curricula were designed to launch the programs.
The curricula would further be enriched by the university scholars. The university has been procuring reference books and other related educational materials for the same cause.
Academic program associate professor with the university, Kinfe Abreha for his part said the university is strengthening its outstanding programs through implementing business process reengineering (BPR) program besides preparations to launch the new programs.
The BPR would help the university not only to maintain quality of education but also it would enable it carry out problem-solving research studies in the years ahead.
Source: ENA
U.N. to vote on extending Ethiopia-Eritrea force
ASMARA (Reuters) - Distracted by Kenya and Somalia, the U.N. Security Council will make only a cursory effort to heal an Ethiopia-Eritrea border dispute when it votes this month on extending a peacekeeping mission there, diplomats and analysts say.
Despite warnings that the highly militarized border is on a knife-edge, diplomats say the United Nations will extend its mission but will not tackle the impasse that has already seen two of the world's poorest nations fight a war.
More from Reuters
Ethiopia child mortality rate falls 40 percent: UNICEF
Source: AFP
ADDIS ABABA (AFP) — Ethiopia has reduced its child mortality rate by 40 percent over the last 15 years, the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) said Wednesday.
"Under-five mortality rates have reduced by an impressive 40 percent between 1990 and 2006," it said in a statement a day after it issued its annual report on the state of the world's young people.
In 2006, 123 infants died per thousand born.
UNICEF highlighted a national immunisation programme against measles and the distribution of 20 million insecticide-treated bed nets in malaria-prone areas since 2005 -- enough to protect 10 million families.
"No Ethiopian child need die of preventable causes," said the country's health minister, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
"A solid foundation has been put in place to sustain and accelerate the decline in child mortality," added UNICEF's representative in Ethiopia, Bjorn Ljungqvist.
Ghebreyesus has targeted a further reduction of two-thirds in the figures.
In its State of the World's Children Report for 2008, released Tuesday in Geneva, UNICEF said developing countries must play an active role alongside global partnerships to further cut child mortality and raise overall care.
End
------------------
Ethiopia has under - 5 child mortality rate of 123, which places it 30th in the world, 29 countries have higher child mortality rate than Ethiopia. Sierra Leone has the highest child mortality rate in the world followed by Angola, Afghanistan, Niger, Liberia and Mali. Ethiopia ranks 30th and Kenya is 31st.
More from UNICEF
Unicef praises Meles Zenawi and his leadership
Leadership brings change for mothers and children in Ethiopia
Source: UNICEFEthiopia serves as a powerful example of how strong political leadership can bring about positive change for child survival. In 2004, Prime Minister Meles Zenawi urged the government and its partners to join him in charting a road map for universal health care – a tremendous challenge given the many obstacles Ethiopia faced. At the time, less than 30 per cent of women receive antenatal care and less than half of Ethiopia’s children received a full course of immunization by their first birthday.
Yet through their Health Extension Programme, the government is tackling these challenges head on by promoting community-based child and maternal health services. Under this programme, 30,000 female Health Extension Workers are being deployed to promote 16 proven interventions that protect against the major causes of child and maternal mortality. While community level services are buoyed by the Health Extension Programme, the health ministry is also strengthening its infrastructure and adapting its referral system for those requiring hospital care.
The Ethiopia example provides an important lesson – the value of political leadership. This is vital to identifying problems, setting targets, mobilizing resources and fostering community participation.
Related Links
