ethiopian embassy news issue 01 september...ethiopian embassy news ... south sudan into...
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Issue 01, September 2014
Contents
The US - Africa Leaders Summit ............................... 1
U.S - Ethiopia Business & Investment Forum ....... 3
Aurora - Adama Sister City Signing ......................... 4
Memorial Service of late PM Meles Zenawi .......... 5
Ethiopia hands over AGOA Chairmanship ............ 5
Mickey Leland's 25th anniversary Commemorated... 6
Diaspora Festival in Tigrai ......................................... 7
Ethiopia's Simien Mountains ..................................... 7
The US-Africa Leaders' Summit in Washington DC
The US-Africa Leaders' Summit held from August 04 - 06, 2014 in
Washington DC was an important political statement by the US
and Africa that both value a deepened relationship. Nearly fifty
Heads of State and Government attended the summit.
There were three broad topics for the Summit: Investing in
Africa’s Future; Peace and Regional Stability; and Governing for
the Next Generation. Sessions were chaired by President Obama,
but much of the action took place in business and policy
meetings on the fringe of the Summit. A US-Africa Business
CEO summit, organized by the US Secretary of Commerce and
Bloomberg Philanthropies helped to highlight the potential of
African markets for US corporate investors.
The US-Africa Business Forum, the first such gathering of
African and American business leaders, focused on
infrastructure, power, agriculture, finance and capital
investments and information and communication technologies.
At the Forum, President Obama, underlining the US aim to
strengthen America's links with Africa, announced US$33 billion
in public and private money in commitments, aimed at moving
U.S. ties with Africa beyond humanitarian aid and towards more
equal economic partnerships.
Ethiopian Embassy News A Monthly Newsletter of the Ethiopian Embassy, Washington D.C.
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Other initiatives announced during the Summit included
an African Peacekeeping Rapid Response Partnership
with Ethiopia, Ghana, Rwanda, Senegal, Tanzania and
Uganda to develop rapid response forces ready to deploy
as part of United Nations or African Union missions.
Prime Minister Hailemariam, speaking at a panel on
climate change, called on African leaders to launch
climate-smart agricultural initiatives to combat the effects
of climate change that affect agricultural productivity.
Prime Minister Hailemariam also held talks with US
Secretary of State, John Kerry who welcomed the Prime
Minister as a regional leader whom, he said, had been
“enormously engaged with us on many different issues.”
He spoke of Ethiopia’s very important help to try to move
the peace processes in Sudan and South Sudan forward
and said Ethiopia had been a leader in bringing countries
together to try to effect a ceasefire and move the parties in
South Sudan into negotiations. He said Ethiopia had been
a key factor for the US in respect to the transition taking
place in Somalia, for which the US was very grateful. He
described the relationship between Ethiopia and the US as
“strong and productive”, and said the US was “very, very
grateful for [Ethiopia’s] leadership most of all at a difficult
time in some difficult places.”
Prime Minister Hailemariam, who said he believed the
relationship between Ethiopia and the United States was
deepening added that Ethiopia was working hard to
pacify the IGAD region as peace and security were the
basis for all engagements, economic development and
cooperation. He noted both governments were working
hard to encourage US investors to invest in Ethiopia and
take advantage of its peace and stability, a prerequisite for
investment.
In a related development, a symposium entitled
“Investing in Our Future” was held in Washington D.C.
It brought together US-African first spouses, leaders from
non-governmental and non-profit organizations, private
sector partners, and other leading experts. The
symposium highlighted the important role of first
spouses and focused on the impact of investments in
education, health and economic development through
Public -Private Partnerships.
Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn in
different activities of the summit
Ethiopian Foreign Minister, Dr Tedros
Adhanom, co-chaired a Forum on Health, on
the theme of “Investing in Health in Africa's
Future”, with US Secretary of Health and
Human Services, Sylvia Burwell. The forum
deliberated on major health issues including
ways to keep the world safe and secure from
infectious diseases and to deal with emerging
threats.
The focus of much of the discussions at the
U.S.-African Leaders summit was on
increasing United States investment in Africa
and promoting peace and stability on the
continent. The forum had provided for
discussion of numerous issues such as
conflicts in the Great Lakes Region, in South
Sudan and Somalia, and on terrorism, as well
as backstage diplomatic discussions that will
yield future deals and partnerships between
American companies and African nations.
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US - Ethiopia Business and Investment Forum held in LA and Houston
The "U.S. - Ethiopia Business and Investment
Summit" has been convened in Houston (July 30),
Texas and Los Angeles (August 01), California,
under the theme "Fostering Private Sector
Partnership for Economic Development."
The Summit is the first of its kind to bring together
in one place several high-ranking Ethiopian
government officials and private sector
representatives with the U.S. private sector, fully
dedicated to the cause of fostering business and
investment between Ethiopia and the United States.
The Ethiopian delegation to the Summit was led by
H.E. Dr. Mulatu Teshome, President of the Federal
Democratic Republic of Ethiopia and consisted of
H.E. Dr. Tedros Adhanom, Foreign Minister of
Ethiopia, H.E. Mr. Girma Birru, Ambassador of
Ethiopia to the United States, and other cabinet
Ministers as well as senior government officials and
more than 80 private sector representatives. The
presence of this high-level delegation at the Summit
reaffirmed the strong commitment of the Ethiopian
Government to encourage and promote foreign
investment in the country.
The Summit was a resounding success, both in
Houston and Los Angeles. In both places, it was
attended by an over-flowing audience with some
380 representatives of U.S. companies attending the
Summit in Houston, and more than 320 U.S.
companies in Los Angeles.
The diverse composition of the companies that were
present at the Summit (ranging from Energy and
Mining to Agriculture, Manufacturing,
Construction, Hotel and Tourism; Education and
Health services) indicated the wide scope of interest
from American companies to do business in
Ethiopia.
President Mulatu Teshome and Amb. Girma Birru
addressing U.S. - Ethiopia Business and Investment
Forum
Some well-known U.S. companies that have already
commenced significant investments in Ethiopia have
also attended the Summit. To mention a few, some of
these investments include the 4 billion USD
Geothermal investments by the US-Icelandic
independent power producer, Reykjavik Geothermal,
to build the largest geothermal facility in Africa to
produce 1,000 MW of electricity.
The recent $200 million investment by the renowned
global private equity firm, KKR in the flower sector -
which is the company's first investment in Africa; and
the recent agreement signed between the Ethiopian
government and Delonex Energy and Warburg Pincus
- One of the largest private equity firms in the U.S. -
for the exploration of petroleum products at the
Ogaden region at an estimated project cost of 150 to
200 million dollars are just prominent companies that
have showed a marked interest to do business in
Ethiopia.
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U.S. - Ethiopia Business and Investment Forum
Participants
These and several other investments by multinational
companies indicate that U.S. companies are showing
increasing interest and confidence that Ethiopia is an
attractive destination for business and investment.
The Summit reinforced our firm conviction that now
is the time for American companies to invest and do
business in Ethiopia.
With a population of about 90 million, the country
has huge potentials for investments in various sectors
of the economy including agriculture, ago-
processing, manufacturing, mining, energy,
infrastructure and tourism. As a result of these
diverse opportunities, the conducive business
environment and a wide-range of investment
incentives provided by the government, Ethiopia is
increasingly becoming an attractive destination for
business and investment from around the globe.
The Embassy of Ethiopia in Washington D.C. is fully
committed to support and facilitate these endeavors.
Thus, U.S companies, that have interest to do
business and investment in Ethiopia, should consider
the Embassy as their first gate of entry to explore
these untapped opportunities.
At Global Fest 2014, Aurora Colorado Welcomes Adama as Sister City A delegation from Adama, Ethiopia was festively
welcomed to Aurora, Colorado on Saturday, August
23rd, 2014 at the annual Global Fest celebration
where representatives of the Ethiopian and
American municipalities signed a Sister Cities
agreement.
“It’s intentional,” Aurora Mayor Steve Hogan told
the Denver Post. “Aurora is really the most
international city in Colorado. Others may claim it,
but we are, and it’s events like this that are making
that happen, that celebrate that international flavor.”
It’s hoped that the pact between Aurora and Adama
will “open up trade between the cities, boost
economic development and give citizens in both
locations a better sense of who each other is.”
Present during the signing ceremony was
Ambassador Tebege Berhe, Deputy Chief of the
Embassy of Ethiopia in Washington D.C.
According to the Denver Post, the Aurora-Denver
border area is home to an Ethiopian population of
approximately 30,000. The event featured music,
dance, and food by an Ethiopian Restaurant.
Signing of Sister Cities agreement at the Aurora
Municipal Center in Aurora, Colorado
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Ethiopian Diaspora 2nd Annual Memorial Service for late Prime Minister Meles Zenawi Washington D.C.
Ethiopian Diaspora members residing in
Metropolitan DC area commemorated the 2nd
anniversary of the death of the late Prime Minister
Meles Zenawi with a candle-light vigil they held on
August 20, 2014 at the auditorium of the Chancery of
the Ethiopian Embassy in Washington D.C. The
youth who sponsored the event speaking on the
occasion said, the Premier had played a significant
role in clearing the bottlenecks that the Ethiopian
society was grappling with and encountering by the
provision of tested solutions to its ills.
The event participants had underlined the useful
moral support and close leadership of the Premier
and the assistance he offered to the rapid growth the
country has registered in the past years, they noted.
Ethiopia has a large number of young poeple who
are working diligently to realize the vision of PM
Meles Zenawi, they emphasized.
Ethiopia due to the vision and directives set by the
late Premier has given special attention to its
development which has earned it the fastest growth
rate for the last so many years, they pointed out.
Chicago
Ethiopian Community Council of Chicago held 2nd
annual memorial service for late PM Meles Zenawi
on August 30th 2014. The event highlighted candle
light vigil, silent prayer, and remarks by speakers
representing various Midwest States.
The speakers highlighted various achievements of PM
Meles, citing his leadership in forging a strong party,
EPRDF, charting feasible plans for Ethiopians
economic and political developments; and advancing
the interests of Ethiopia and Africa on world fora. The
memorial service underscored Meles Zenawi’s legacy,
vision and place in history as the architect of
contemporary Ethiopia’s Federal Democratic Republic
system. The audience comprised of guests from
Illinois, Indiana and Wisconsin. The memorial service
was concluded by remarks made by the Council
Chairman, Befekadu Terefe Retta who thanked the
audience for their attendance and reminded them to
continue to do their level best to support the ongoing
development and good governance of their
motherland.
Denver
In a similar manner, Ethiopian Diaspora members in
Denver and Aurora also commemorated the 2nd
anniversary of the late Prime Minister Meles Zenawi
on August 24, 2014.
Ethiopia hands over AGOA Chairmanship
Ethiopia handed over the chairmanship of the Africa
Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) Ministerial
Consultative Group to Gabon at the meeting of
African Trade Ministers held on August 3, 2014 at the
African Union Representational Mission to the USA,
convened to make consultations prior to the AGOA
Ministerial meeting on August 4, 2014.
In his opening remarks as the outgoing chair, Mr.
Kebede Chane, Minister of Trade of the Federal
Democratic Republic of Ethiopia mentioned that one
of the key tasks undertaken since the 2013 AGOA
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In his remarks, Dr. Tedros Adhanom stated that
Ethiopians always remember Mickey Leland as a
compassionate person who brought to international
attention the plight of those suffering from hunger
and famine. He further noted that the legacy of the
Congressman lives on in Ethiopia as its people and
government have committed themselves to
ensuring the end of hunger there.
“Ethiopia has no other enemy except poverty and
backwardness and the government is therefore
doing all its best to bring about food security and
development to its people”, the Minister stated.
Speeches of remembrance were made, among
others, by Congresswoman Eddie Bernice Johnson
and Texas State Senator Rodney Ellis who were
close friends to Congressman Leland.
Congressman Leland was the chairman of the
House Select Committee on Hunger. The Select
Committee generated awareness within Congress
of national and international hunger and prompted
a bipartisan effort to find solutions to hunger in the
U.S. and around the world. During his time in
office, Congressman Leland led numerous
humanitarian missions, returning to Washington,
D.C. to relay to fellow Members of Congress his
firsthand accounts of acute hunger in Sub-Saharan
Africa.
Mr. Leland, along with fifteen others, died in a
plane crash in Gambela, Ethiopia in 1989.
Forum was to communicate to the US Administration
and members of Congress the essence of the
continental aspirations for a seamless and enhanced
extension of AGOA beyond 2015. In relation to this, he
mentioned that he had been privileged to oversee the
development of a White Paper, prepared by the African
Union Commission and the United Nations Economic
Commission for Africa that outlines Africa’s position
on the AGOA review process and has now been
submitted to the office of the United States Trade
Representative (USTR).
Ethiopia, in its capacity as the chair of the Group, had
been coordinating activities of AGOA eligible countries
at Ministerial, Ambassadorial and Experts levels. In
Washington DC, H.E. Ambassador Girma Birru and his
team in the Embassy of Ethiopia had, among others,
organized consultations amongst AGOA eligible
embassies, participated at roundtables and conducted
meetings with the administration and members of
Congress on issues pertaining to the reauthorization of
AGOA beyond 2015. This has been done in accordance
to the mandate given by the African Trade Ministers to
the Washington DC based AGOA eligible
Ambassadors to engage actively the US Administration
and members of Congress on the way forward and
mobilize support from relevant stakeholders.
Ethiopia had been the chair of the AGOA Ministerial
Consultative Group since 2012 and had hosted the 12th
AGOA Forum of 2013 in Addis Ababa.
Anniversary of the death of Congressman Mickey Leland Commemorated
The Embassy of Ethiopia in Washington D.C. held a
commemorative event on August 7, 2014 on the 25th
anniversary of the tragic passing of Congressman
Mickey Leland, organized in collaboration with the
office of Congresswoman Eddie Bernice Johnson and
Texas State Senator Rodney Ellis. The event was
graced by the presence of H.E. Dr. Tedros Adhanom,
Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ethiopia as well as
friends and colleagues of the late Congressman.
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Diaspora Members who took part in Festival Tigray Motivated by Development in the Country
Diaspora members who took part in the International
Fest expressed their feelings by saying that the
developmental growth registered in the country has
motivated them to come back to their land of origin
and become participants and beneficiaries of the
process.
Participants who took part in the week long Diaspora
Festival held in Mekelle, from July 31, -August 6, 2014
said that they have taken great pride in the
development and growth registered in the state and
the country at large.
Some of those who converged from around the globe
reaffirmed that they are undertaking feasibility study
on a project that they can run in an organized
manner.
The Diaspora members had the opportunity to visit
first hand historical places, cultural sites and centers
of development projects.
Over 200 projects launched by members of the
Diaspora in Tigray state have created over 5,000 jobs,
it was learnt. The Festival is aimed to showcase the
ongoing development endeavor in the state and
motivate members of the Diaspora to be active
partners. The Festival entertained symposiums and
tours of development works in the State of Tigray.
The next festival is decided to take place in Seattle,
United States. Over 3000 Tigray born Diasporas
participated in the festival, it was learnt.
Contact Us: EMBASSY OF ETHIOPIA
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Take a Hike across Ethiopia's Simien Mountains Once you've been up on the Roof of Africa in the Ethiopian
Highlands, you won't want to come down
The Simien Mountains
Up a stony path, the air thins with every breath.
Ribbons of mist weave around and a vulture circles
overhead. Just when one thinks the legs can't take it
anymore, you have reached the top.
Looking over the edge of a precipice. Similar hills rise
like turrets in the valley below, with sheer drops for
sides, and it is hard to take in the scale. With these
majestic cathedrals of rock—and not another soul as
far as the eye can see—it's obvious why they call this
the Roof of Africa.
A group of gelada baboons There, sitting contentedly in a neat circle, are the
Gelada Baboons—found only in the Ethiopian
Highlands.