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Fortnightly Newsletter

January 29, 2015

Issue #1

In This Issue Updates From the Embassy in Canberra

Feature Topics

26th Ordinary Session of the Executive Council of the

African Union (AU) opens in Addis Ababa

African Union and China sign Memorandum of

Understanding in Addis Ababa

Clean Energy Program Launched

Ethiopia, Turkey to strengthen relations

1



News from the Embassy Issue #1

Contents

26th Ordinary Session of the Executive Council of the African Union Council Opens in Addis

Ababa......................................................................................................................................................2

Ethiopian Foreign Minister Dr. Tedros confers with New Zealand counterpart Mr. Murray

McCully..................................................................................................................................................3

Ethiopian tour guides to provide improved services............................................................................4

AU, China sign MoU AU, China sign MoU ........................................................................................5

Ethiopia, Turkey keen to strengthen their relations ............................................................................6

Ethiopia, Turkey agree to bolster trade relations ................................................................................6

Dr. Tedros holds talks with Philip Hammond, UK Foreign Secretary ...............................................7

Ethiopia, India keen to foster strong partnership ................................................................................8

Dr Tedros meets Denmark’s Minister of Foreign Affairs ...................................................................9

Norway to place Ethiopia among six focus countries for dev’t cooperation ....................................10

Clean energy technology program launched .....................................................................................11

Ethiopia to host Argus FMB Africa Fertilizer 2015 conference ......................................................13

Villagization cannot be carried out without voluntarism: Premier ..................................................13

ADPI to submit report on mega airport project .................................................................................14

Addis Ababa light rail tested .............................................................................................................15

2




The 26th Ordinary Session for the

African Union (AU) Executive Council opens in Addis Ababa

The 26th Ordinary Session of the African

Union’s Executive Council (the Foreign

Ministers of the AU) opened this morning,

Monday (January 26) at the African Union

Headquarters. The meeting, chaired by Ms.

Fatma Vall Mint Soueinae, Foreign Minister

of the Islamic Republic of Mau ritania and

Chairperson of the Executive Council, was

attended by the foreign ministers of the AU

members states, the Chair of the African

Union Commission, Dr. Dlamini Zuma, UN

Under Secretary-General and Executive

Secretary of the UNECA, Carlos Lopez,

Deputy Chairperson of the AU, Erastus

Mwencha and representatives of the AU

organs and leaders of the Regional Economic

Commissions.

The theme of the Summit is: “Year of Women

Empowerment and Development towards

Africa’s Agenda 2063”. Dr Dlamini Zuma,

Chairperson of the African Union Commission,

introduced the Annual Report on the activities

of the Commission in 2014 to the Council. The

Report highlighted the work of the

Commission on Agenda 2063 which is being

presented to the Summit for adoption and the

work in progress with regard to the first

Agenda 2063 10-year plan which is intended

for adoption at the June Summit this year. Dr.

Zuma said integration remained central to the

continental vision, noting that initiatives to

accelerate infrastructure development and

agreements to implement free trade zones

were encouraging. She said the Commission

would present a comprehensive report on the

State of Integration in the context of Agenda

2063 to the June summit.

The upcoming meeting of the Ministers of

Economy and Finance in March would look at

funding for Agenda 2063 and later in the year

Ethiopia would host the global conference on

development financing. Dr. Zuma spoke of the

need to silence the guns and neutralize the

threats of terrorism, intolerance and extremism,

as well as the risk of slow movement on

integration, infrastructure and the

diversification of economies and the largest

risk: failure to finance development, adding

“we must go the next step to plan what to do to

mitigate these risks.” She said Africa “must do

more and better for African youth,” including

increasing investment in education in science

and technology, skills development through

3




vocational training, and better treatment of

teachers, and lowering the cost of access to

internet service. These would be the way to

tackle the problem of African youth migration

and trafficking, and falling prey to extremism.

The Chairperson said the AU efforts for peace,

stability and the consolidation of democracy

and good governance were paying off and the

African Peace and Security Architecture meant

situations could be addressed before they

became entrenched. She called for immediate

and collective action against Boko Haram,

adding “we must work diligently towards

silencing the guns by the year 2020, and nip in

the bud this threat to African prosperity, peace

and human security.” She expressed “deep

appreciation to our peacekeepers” and called

for “a monument for our AU peacekeepers that

have lost their lives in the duty of the peoples

of the continent.” She said the collective fight

against the Ebola Virus Disease was showing

results in response to the call for African

health workers to be deployed in the three

Ebola-affected countries and paid tribute to the

volunteers and others involved. Dr. Zuma

underlined the importance of the theme- the

Year of Women’s Empowerment and

Development towards Agenda 2063 – and said

firmly “we must also do more this year to

increase the representation of women in

government, in the judiciary and other public

and private institutions and their participation

at the tables in peace negotiations.”

She also stressed the importance of a common

African position in the global negotiations on

the post-2015 agenda, on climate change and

sustainable development goals. UN Under

Secretary-General and Executive Secretary of

the UNECA, Carlos Lopez stressed that

agriculture could and should play in pushing

forward the industrialization of Africa, noting

that while “the world is slowing down. Africa,

fortunately, is not.” He said that in the past

year Africa had shown itself an epicenter of

investment adding that markets needed to

expand with a view to sustain growth. Mr.

Lopez also reminded the meeting that the

continent had two years to go before 2017, the

establishment of the continental free trade

agreement, which, he said, would “represent a

fundamental change for current and future

generations.”

Ethiopian Foreign Minister Dr. Tedros Confers with New

Zealand Counterpart

Ethiopian Foreign Minister, Dr. Tedros

conferred his New Zealand counterpart Mr.

Murray McCully and discussed about the

upcoming 24th African Union Summit and

bilateral matters including trade and

investment. Dr. Tedros hailed New Zealand’s

uninterrupted engagement with AU and

Ethiopia and appreciated its offer to be at the

supporting end on African issues. Dr Tedros

underlined the importance of sustaining the

support the Government of New Zealand to

4




Ethiopia particularly in the fields of

agriculture, Education, renewable energy. He

also highlighted the need to put in to action the

agreement signed on promoting partnership in

Food Security as part of the Clinton Health

Access Initiative (CHAI’s) activities to combat

malnutrition in Ethiopia and to provide

scholarship to Ethiopian students studying

Agriculture. Noting that Ethiopia has a great

potential in Agriculture and agro processing,

Dr. Tedros said that New Zealand’s vast

experience in the area can help a lot in the

development of the sector. He added that

Government will provide the necessary

support to investors interested in agriculture

and agro processing .He hailed that New

Zealand’s leading multinational dairy

company Fonterra’s operating in Ethiopia.

Mr. McCully also expressed his Government’s

readiness to encourage other investors to come

and invest in Ethiopia and as well continue

supporting Ethiopia’s effort in the renewable

energy sector especially in geothermal energy

generation. During the discussion, Dr. Tedros

remembered, New Zealand’ s anti-colonial

policy citing that it was one of the five

countries who opposed Italian Fascist invasion

and occupation of Ethiopia in the League of

Nations in 1937.New Zealand and Ethiopia

have enjoyed a long friendly and mutually

relation. New Zealand opened it embassy in

Addis Ababa in June 2013.

Ethiopian Tourist Guides to

Provide

Improved Services

Activities are underway at the federal and

regional level to assess the level, capacity and

skill of practitioners so as to decide what

interventions are needed to support the sector

in this regard, Catering and Tourism Training

Institute Deputy Director Dawit Hailu

explained. “Knowledge based tour guides

arehighly needed to spread the factual historic,

cultural and religious background of the

country to the rest of the world”, he said.

Tourist flow has been increasing by 10 to 12

percent every year. Last year 724,000 tourists,

most of them from the Americas, UK

Germany, Kenya, China, India, Italy and Saudi

Arabia visited Ethiopia, earning 2 billion

USD. Ethiopia expects 1 million tourist

visitors to generate 3 billion USD this fiscal

year. According to Gezahegn Abate, PR Head

at the Ministry of Tourism and Culture, this is

an outcome of achievements the nation has

registered in various areas. Economic

performance, peace and stability as well as

better promotion of tourist heritages contribute

to the development, he added.

In spite of civil war and terrorist activities in

the East African region, Ethiopia preserves its

peace and security, and strives to bring peace

to the area. Activities aimed at increasing

tourist flow as well as increased length of

tourist visits are among the activities being

5




exerted in the country, which is home to nine

inscribed world heritage sites. Producing

skilled practitioners, improving infrastructure

such as accommodation and transportation, as

well as preserving and promoting the heritages

are underway as part of the efforts to enhance

the development of the sector.

AU, China sign MoU AU, China sign MoU

Addis Ababa, 28 January 2015 (WIC) - The Africa

Union (AU) and the Chinese Government

signed a Memorandum of Understanding

(MoU) on an open cooperation within the

framework of Agenda 2063 here yesterday.

Africa Union Commission Chairperson Dr.

Nkossazana Dilamini Zuma and Special

Envoy of the Chinese Government and Vice

Minister of Foreign Affairs Mr. Zhang Ming

signed the MoU.

On the occasion Zuma said: “It is to be

recalled that we had a very high level visit

from the Peoples Republic of China by the

Premier last year. It was in that meeting that

we discussed what we think is important for

Africa to attain its vision and objective of a

prosperous, united and peaceful Africa guided

by its own people."

"Among other things, we discussed that we

could cooperate with China on a number of

areas at continental level and those were

mainly around infrastructure,” Zuma said.

She said that both have worked together on

those issues between then and now, and they

have come up with this MoU that covers high-

speed railways, highways, aviation and

industrialization.

“So, we think that this MoU is really the first

that we are signing on the basis of Agenda

2063. We are looking at it as a long term

project; and we are looking at it as a project

that will benefit both the People's of Africa

and China. It will also accelerate our

integration,” Zuma added. Mr. Zhang on his

part said that he believes this document can be

called the document of the century.

“After in depth study carried out by the two

sides, today, we have signed the MoU to

construct the three major networks and the

industrialization process,” Zhang said.

He stressed that it is a grand and ambitious but

feasible project.

The cooperation agreement with regard to the

project is said to be a long-term plan but it is

not yet known how much it costs in terms of

money and which countries of the continent

will be the first beneficiaries.

Zuma said that teams and sub-committees

have been set up to study the ways of

implementing the projects, the amount of

budget they cost and the ways and means of

raising funds. (EH)

6




Ethiopia, Turkey keen to strengthen their relations

Addis Ababa, January 22, 2015 (WIC) - Ethiopia

and Turkey express their keenness to

strengthen their relations having bolster their

existing socio-economic and strategic

relations, Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan

said.

Speaking at the Ethio-Turkish Business

Forum held in Sheraton Hotel

today, he remarked the need to strengthen

the cultural and historical relations of the two

nations.

Ethiopia has become an outstanding country in

Africa in economic growth, thepresident

said, adding that the abundant human and

natural resources of the country coupled with

its stability and market accessibility make

Ethiopia the best destination for Turkey.

Turkey has tremendous experiences in

International Trade and Ethiopia is a

prominent centre of Africa so that the two

countries could effectively benefit

from their trade and investment relations.

Ethio-Turkey relation has transformed from

cooperation in to partnership within few

years, he said.

According to the president, Turkey is needs to

maximize its investment in the agro-

processing, hydroelectric dam constructions,

geothermal energy, banking services, cotton

development and cattle breeding sectors.

Prime Minister Haile Mariam Desalegn on the

occasion said that the relationship between the

two countries is laid on the basis of mutual

benefits.

PM Hailemariam also praised

president Erdogan for playing a leading role

in strengthening partnership.

According to Hailemariam Ethiopia

has untapped opportunities to

cooperate with Turkey in different trade

and investment

sectors, the double digit economic growth of

the country is contributing for the

steady transformation of the agrarian

economy to manufacturing economy.

Ethiopia is highly investing to build Industry

Parks across the country with complete

accommodation of facilities and

infrastructures to boost the revenue from

export trade, he added.

According to president Erdogan, the African

Turkey trade relations raised from 4 Billion

USD in 2003 to 25 Billion in 2013.

Ethiopia, Turkey agree to bolster trade relations

Addis Ababa, 22 January 2015 (WIC) -

Ethiopia and Turkey agreed to bolster their

trade relation to half a billion dollars annually.

7




Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn and the

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan

discussed bilateral and multilateral issues in

the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa today.

According to FBC, Ethiopia and Turkey

signed a cooperation protocol on the areas of

science and technology.

In a press briefing, the Turkish leader noted

Turkey and Ethiopia will work towards

making Nejashi Mosque a top tourist

destination.

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan arrived in

Addis Ababa, late on Wednesday (January 21)

on the first stage of an official visit to

countries in the Horn of Africa.

President Erdogan is accompanied by his wife

and daughter, Emine and Summeye Erdogan,

as well as ministers including Deputy Prime

Minister Numan Kurtuand, a delegation of

officials and businessmen.

Dr. Tedros holds talks with Philip Hammond, UK Foreign Secretary

Addis Ababa, 24 September 2014 (WIC) - Foreign

Affairs Minister, Dr. Tedros Adhanom met with

Philip Hammond, UK Secretary of State for Foreign

and Commonwealth Affairs on the margins

of the General Assembly in New York on

Monday,(September 22), to exchange views

on issues of common interest in bilateral,

regional and global matters.

Dr. Tedros, who welcomed the UK's support

for Ethiopia's development activities and for

peace and security of the region, briefed

Hammond on the progress in Somalia

describing the political process including the

establishment of local administrations to

deliver services and undertake development

activities, to develop trust and confidence.

He said the coordination between AMISOM

and SNA has made it possible for the army

to gain grounds dislodging Al Shabab from a

number of areas.

He also noted that the drought in Somalia,

affecting more than a million people, needed

to be addressed immediately.

Dr. Tedros, acknowledging the role of

international partners, stressed the

importance of a cessation of hostilities in

South Sudan.

He said the current phase of mediation in

Bahr Dar was making progress. Dr. Tedros

also detailed Ethiopia's socio-economic

development activities and achievements,

and explained Ethiopia's political and

democratization processes.

According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs,

Dr Tedros expressed the Government’s

readiness to work with legal opposition

parties and those who commit to non-violent

political engagement as well as the

furtherance of national interest.

He pointed out the rights to free speech and

expressions were fully protected, and the

8




Government was working hard to make the

up-coming elections free, fair and

democratic.

Hammond appreciated the candid discussion

they had and said he believed Ethiopia could

be a role model in development, peace and

stability and for democratization in the

region.

He thanked Ethiopia for the role it has been

playing in stabilizing the region particularly

in Somalia and South Sudan and described it

as a strategic partner in development

activities as well as combating terrorism

Ethiopia, India keen to foster strong partnership


On the margins of the of the 26th Ordinary

Session of the Executive Council of the

African Union, Foreign Affairs Minister Dr.

Tedros Adhanom met with India’s ice

Foreign Minister, Navtej Sarna on Tuesday

(January 27).

The two Ministers discussion covered India-

Africa partnership and on the cooperation of

the two countries on bilateral and global

issues of mutual concern.

On the occasion, Dr Tedros noted that

Ethiopia and India have enjoyed long

standing genuine and cordial relations.

Dr Tedros further noted that strong

cooperation on education served both

countries as building block towards mutually

cooperative partnership.

The Foreign Minister underlined Ethiopia’s

keenness to encourage Indian investors and

business persons’ involvement in various

investment sectors and noted the importance

of organizing business forums to promote

investment opportunities and create

linkages among businesses of the two

countries.

He also underscored the need to expand

trade and increase trade volume which

currently stands one billion USD.

Navtej Sarna described the smooth Ethio-

India bilateral relations as cordial;

constructive noting that the ties featured

string cooperation of capacity building

especially in terms of human development.

The Minister also said that India is

appreciative of Ethiopia’s vibrant economic

development, stressing the importance of

taking the partnership into a higher level to

achieve the common development of the two

nations.

Foreign Minister Navtej Sarna further

suggested the need to deepen and strengthen

partnership with Ethiopia in numerous areas

including security, space science, railway, as

well as broadening cooperation in the area of

education.

9




Both Ministers agreed to make the existing

relations stronger and more comprehensive

on the proposed fields of cooperation.

They also reached a consensus to reactivate

the Ethio-India Joint Ministerial

Commission in a bid to review all areas of

cooperation, identify the challenges and

devise ways to tackle the same.

According to MoFA, they also exchanged

views on the contributions of the India-

Africa Summit in fostering cooperation

between the two countries.

Dr Tedros meets Denmark’s Minister of Foreign Affairs

Addis Ababa, 28 January 2015 (WIC) –

Foreign Affairs Minister Dr. Tedros

Adhanom held talks with the Minister of

Foreign Affairs of Denmark, Martin

Lidegaard, on Monday (January 26) on the

sidelines of the 26th Ordinary Session of the

Executive Council of the African Union.

The discussions covered bilateral and

multilateral issues of common interest.

Dr Tedros expressed his thanks to the

Government of Denmark for hosting the

successful High Level Ministerial

Partnership Forum on Somalia held in

Copenhagen in November last year.

He said this had laid the foundation for the

successful conclusion of the IGAD Council

of Ministers in Mogadishu earlier this month.

They shared ideas on Sustainable

Development Goals and climate diplomacy,

and Dr. Tedros, who welcomed Denmark’s

support for mitigating climate change,

reiterated Ethiopia’s keenness to work with

Denmark in cooperation in green

development and agro-processing.

He emphasized that Ethiopia was

determined to become a carbon neutral,

middle income and climate resilient

economy by 2025, and said it would

welcome Danish investors and business

involvement in Ethiopia’s trade priorities.

Ethiopia, he said, considered them as

builders and promoters of Ethiopia-Denmark

relations and this would open new avenues

for further strengthening of Ethio-Danish

relations.

Foreign Minister Martin Lidgaard said

Denmark valued its links with Ethiopia and

said it considered Ethiopia as a stable and

peaceful partner in the region.

It had become, he said, an exemplary model

of progress, adding that it had provided

remarkable contributions to regional peace

and stability. The two Ministers also

discussed the threat of radicalization and its

ramifications on national, regional and

global policies.

Dr Tedros noted that the fight against

radicalization needed a coordinated,

comprehensive and forward-looking

regional and global approach that embraced

the acceleration of economic and social

10




development, the creation of job

opportunities and the promotion of a culture

of tolerance and harmony as well as

improvements in good governance,

democracy and human rights.

This, he said, would help to dry up the

breeding ground for radicalization and

undermine youth vulnerability to this threat.

The Ministers agreed on the need to prevent

the scourge of radicalization and advance the

cause of peace and stability.

Dr Tedros, who noted that Ethiopia’s

regional diplomacy placed emphasis on

collective security, stressed that this concept

attached special importance to dialogue to

resolve differences including Eritrea.

This, he said, could have opened a

possibility for normalization of relations and

advance of regional integration for the

betterment of both peoples. However, to

dismay of Ethiopia, this could not be

realized due to the intransigence of the

Eritrean Government.

He went on to note that the regime in

Asmara continued to host, finance and help

rebel groups as part of its regional

destabilization objectives. It was also using

rebel groups as a conduit for financing Al-

Shabaab militants in Somalia.

These moves, said Dr. Tedros, made it clear

the regime in Asmara was still showing no

behavioral change in foreign policy.

He emphasized the need for the international

community to take measures to put an end to

such negative activities and fully implement

the sanctions imposed on Eritrea by the UN

Security Council. (MoFA)

Norway to place Ethiopia among six focus countries for dev’t cooperation


Foreign Affairs Minister Dr Tedros

Adhanom received on Sunday (January 25) a

Norwegian delegation led by Foreign

Minister, Borge Brende.

The bilateral discussions of the two Foreign

Ministers dwelt on numerous issues of

common interest. Both Ministers exchanged

views on the promotion of Ethio-Norway

partnership and expanding the depth, breadth

and scale of the relations of the two friendly

countries.

Dr Tedros gave a briefing on Ethiopia’s

renaissance journey, the ongoing IGAD-led

peace talks as well as IGAD’s role in

supporting the South Sudanese warring

parties end conflict and advance the cause of

peace and stability. Dr. Tedros noted that

Ethiopia will remain committed to

advancing peace and stability in the region

and attaches special importance to dialogue

to resolve disputes.

11




He also recalled the successful conclusion of

the 53rd Extraordinary Meeting of the IGAD

Council of Ministers held in Mogadishu on

January 10, adding that the very fact that

meeting was held in Mogadishu tells a lot

about the improving security situation in

Somalia.

Foreign Minister Borge Brende on his part

noted that his visit to Addis Ababa is a

demonstration of Norway’s commitment for

the further strengthening of the bilateral ties

with Ethiopia.

He also underscored that Norway stood

committed to step up its cooperation with

Ethiopia. The Foreign Minister underlined

the need for further consolidation of the

bilateral partnership of the two countries.

Borge Brende noted that Norway’s Foreign

Affairs Ministry is prposing placing Ethiopia

among the six focus countries for

development cooperation program.

Dr Tedros expressed his gratitude to

Norwegian Foreign Affairs Ministry’s

decision to make Ethiopia as one of the six

priority countries in the country’s

development cooperation program. This, he

said, would help Ethiopia’s efforts to realize

a carbon-free middle- income country status

by 2025.

Both sides reached a consensus in jointly

pushing cooperation forward in many areas

including climate change, education, private

sector engagement, trade and investment.

(MoFA)

Clean energy technology program launched


Low Emission Low Carbon Transfer (LCET)

Program that enhances and promotes Ultra-

Low Head Micro Hydro Power (ULH-MHP)

technologies for productive uses in Ethiopia

was launched last Saturday at Adama Town.

Officially launching the pilot program that

will be implemented at Fentale Wereda,

Oromia Regional State, Alemayehu Tegenu

Water, Irrigation and Energy (MoWIE)

Minister said the emphasis on developing

the nation's renewable source of energy is

one of the major targets of the country.

According to him, the overriding

development agenda of the country is to

sustain rapid and broad based economic

progress. In this regard, significant results

are being registered.

During the GTP II emphasis will be given to

the utilization of improved technologies that

speed up environmental friendly

technological transformation, he said.

Alemayehu further noted that, using

progressive and sustainable environmentally

friendly technologies, the country aspires to

register remarkable economic growth thus

12




marching to make poverty history, the

Minister added.

According to him, access to social services

has increased and the level of poverty is

diminishing from time to time. Besides

expanding rural electrification, technologies

like Ultra-Low Head Micro Hydro Power

are significant to increase agricultural

productivity, job creation and create value

chain among different economic sectors.

Alemayehu also said in an effort to achieve

economic progress the United Nations

Industrial Development Organization,

UNIDO, is contributing a lot to the industrial

development of Ethiopia.

Speaking on his part, Kazuhiro Suzuki,

Ambassador of Japan to Ethiopia stated that,

Japan is working hard to improve the energy

situation in Ethiopia through various

schemes.

According to Suzuki, as part of its scheme

Japan is providing support to Ethiopia in the

field of climate change through formulation

of plans related to water supply and

resources, as well as through projects aimed

to improve water supply, hygiene, and

livelihoods in rural areas.

He also said that “Japan is working hard to

improve the energy situation in Ethiopia.

This will be accomplished in the future by

joint efforts of both private and public

sectors, including Small and Medium

Enterprises (SMEs), so that Japan as a whole,

can tackle various challenges associated

with developing and implementing a new

technology hand in hand with Ethiopia, for

the sake of global environmental

conservation.”

Suzuki said, Ethiopia is the first among

African countries that signed a bilateral

document with Japan on the Joint Crediting

Mechanisms (JCM), which enhances the

reduction of carbon emission.

The UNIDO Project in Fentale has been

implemented to formulate specific projects

under JCM, he said.

Acknowledging Ethiopian economic

progress, Jean Bagambanya Bakole, UNIDO

Representative and Director of Regional

Office in Ethiopia said that UNIDO is glad

to be associated with the process of

Ethiopia’s transformation which is indeed an

African home grown development success

story.

Oromia Water Mineral and Energy Bureau

Head Motuma Mekasa, said at the event that,

in addition to increasing agricultural

produces, when the project is implemented,

it will open another window of hope to

access modern and clean energy.

“This will definitely improve the life of the

population. When scaled up, it will improve

the life of millions who live far from the

Grid,” Motuma said.

Enhancing local capacity and promoting

ultra-low head micro hydro power

technologies for productive uses in Ethiopia

Project is a program funded by through the

technical cooperation of UNIDO. (EH)

13




Ethiopia to host Argus FMB Africa Fertilizer 2015 conference


The Argus FMB Africa Fertilizer 2015

conference will be held on 18-20 February

2015 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, the Ministry

of Agriculture (MoA) said.

According to a statement MoA sent to WIC

today, the conference is expected to attract

400 attendees from 60 countries, including

heads of 70 fertilizer companies, agriculture

and research centers.

Moreover, producers, traders, policy and

financial advisers and distributors

throughout Africa and beyond are also

participants of the conference, it said.

Some seven research papers will be

presented from the Ethiopian side at the

event, the statement added.

On February 17, participants of the

conference will visit Ethiopia's first ever

fertilizer blending facility at Tullu Bollo,

Oromia Regional State, it was learnt.

Villagization cannot be carried out without voluntarism: Premier


Prime Minister Hailemariam Dessalegn said

that the Villagization Program that has been

implemented in the pastoral areas is carried

out only with the free will of the pastoralists.

At the celebration of the 15th Ethiopian

Pastoralists Day in the Semera town in Afar

State, the Prime Minister said that the

objective of the Villagization Program is to

provide the necessary infrastructure such as

schools and health facilities for the

communities and to provide food stalk and

water for the cattle. In addition to that,

pastoralists are induced to practice sedentary

farming thus changing their way of life in a

gradual manner.

Hailemariam said the government rural

development policy assumes pastoralist

areas as a source of cattle wealth, and to tap

the resources, watershed management has

been implemented. With that, the natural

resources could be recovered and

strengthened attaining good results. More

14




design work particularly in Afar and Somali

States are underway.

Furthermore, through the Watershed

Management Programme large scale

irrigation farms have been established and

many pastoralists have benefited from such

development.

According to Hailemariam, currently many

pastoralists have achieved a higher

economic status by supplying pulses to the

market. Side by side, the implementation of

the MDG is also well underway.

The Premier said the Villagization Program

was never implemented forcefully and this

indicates how pastoralists play a crucial role

in their own affairs.

However, Hailemariam added that some

Western media and so called human rights

groups have been making accusations

against the Ethiopian Government alleging

that the Villagization Program was

implemented in disregard of the will of the

pastoralist communities. He hence warned

them not to meddle in the internal affairs of

the nation.

On another development, the renowned

expert on pastoralists affairs, Ato Sora Adi

who has served as advisor to many non-

governmental organizations said no

pastoralist wants to move from place to

place for the sake of seeking water and

animal feed stalk unless the situation forces

them to do so, and the government

Villagization Program is acceptable by

pastoralists.

In an exclusive interview with The Ethiopian

Herald, Sora said that the availability of

basic necessities in the pastoralists areas

stabilizes the living condition of the people

and the expansion of education thereby

promoting human development.

Sora further said that the implementation of

Villagization with sufficient preparation

could also reduce the vulnerability of the

pastoralist community to drought and

climate change, and the Program by itself is

an adaptation mechanism. (EH)

ADPI to submit report on mega airport project

Bole International Airport expansion

17 January 2015 Written by Kaleyesus Bekele

The French consulting firm, ADPI, will

submit its preliminary report on the

development of the new mega

international airport project that the

Ethiopian Airports Enterprise (EAE) is

planning to build outside Addis Ababa.

ADPI launched the study on site location

last September. A senior official at the

Ethiopian Airports Enterprise told The

Reporter that ADPI is finalizing the

preliminary report adding that it will submit

the report to the enterprise next month.

EAE is planning to build a new mega

international airport outside Addis Ababa.

Dukem, Modjo and Teji towns are proposed

for the building of the new international

http://www.thereporterethiopia.com/index.php/news-headlines/itemlist/user/54-kaleyesusbekele



15




airport. A decision has not yet been made.

The enterprise is also expanding the Addis

Ababa Bole International Airport passenger

terminal at a cost of 250 million dollars.

Last July the enterprise hired ADPI which is

tasked to supervise the construction of the

Addis Ababa Bole International Airport

passenger terminal and undertake a study on

the new international airport. The second

task includes conducting a study on the site

location for the new international airport.

The consultant will also undertake feasibility,

technical, and financial studies as well as

drafts airport master plan. The consultant is

also tasked to study the integration of the

new airport with the Addis Ababa Bole

International Airport.

The Ethiopian Airports Enterprise has

embarked on the construction of the Addis

Ababa Bole International Airport passenger

terminal expansion work. ADPI deployed

two groups in Ethiopia. The first group is

supervising the Bole expansion project while

the second group is undertaking a study on

the planned international airport.

The official said, based on ADPI’s

recommendation, a decision will be made on

the site for the construction of the mega hub.

Sources close to the project told The

Reporter that it is the Mojo site that will be

selected for the construction of the mega hub

because of the well developed infrastructure

and the low altitude of the location

compared to Addis Ababa.

“The only problem with the Mojo site its

proximity to the Ethiopian Air Force main

base,” the source said. A joint committee

drawn from the EAE and Ethiopian Air

force is working on the site location, the

source added.

Though the Ethiopian Airports Enterprise is

building new airports and upgrading the

existing ones the airports with hundreds of

millions of birr, they are not generating

revenue. It is only the Addis Ababa Bole

International Airport that operates with a

breakeven. The other airports in the regional

states generate little or no income at all.

Most of the airports in the regions

accommodate only one aircraft per day.

EAE has hired an international consulting

firm to examine the possibilities that all the

airports could generate better revenues. The

global consultancy firm, Grant Thornton, is

currently working on the study. EAE has

also hired Ernst & Young to implement a

new computerized system at a cost of 46

million birr.

Addis Ababa Light Train Tested

The electro mechanical portion of the Addis

Ababa light railway project is in the process

of testing.

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Fertilizer Factory

Construction Resumes

Yayu is a multi-complex of industries that

will have two Urea and one DAP fertilizer

manufacturing plants, a coal mining plant

and a chemical manufacturing plant that

will manufacture chemical inputs for the

fertilizer factories, two Urea manufacturing

plants, one DAP manufacturing plant, a coal

mining and chemical manufacturing.

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