Capital

Put up or shut up! Meles tells Esayas

New beer factory brewing

By Groum Abate

A new beer factory is in the making in the outskirts of Addis Ababa, by private Ethiopian investors.
The beer factory is to be set up around Dukem, 35 kms south of Addis Ababa and would bring the number of beer factories to six, after Meta Abo S.C, Harar, Bedele, BGI, and Dashen breweries.
Although they had spent four years in prison over allegations of corruption, the three owners of Star Business Group (SBG), Minwuyelet Atnafu, Abebaw Gelaye and Abebaw Desta are full of project ideas since they were acquited in 2005.

Massive malpractice among importers

By Andualem Sisay

1,091 importers (91.2 per cent of all registered importers) and 292 freelance-customs agents have committed commercial fraud once or twice, according to the record of Customs Authority. The findings were presented at the first National Tax Conference held in Adama, Oromia Region on Wednesday, March 28th 2007.
88 importers have transgressed three to four times and 16 broke the law 5 to 6 times. Overall in the past ten months, 1195 importers have been guilty of various levels of commercial fraud.

Nigeria invites NBE to invest in $2 bln African Finance Corporation

By Groum Abate

The Central Bank of Nigeria visited Ethiopia as part of an international road show to interest business in investing in the African Finance Corporation (AFC), a private sector-driven African investment bank that will commence operations in mid-April 2007.

Local News

Drug companies shut down

VAT payers up 700%

Businesses complain over border trade zones

Ethiopian Helicopter shot down

Art & Culture

‘Readers are leaders’

Lucy in family affair

Ethiopian features on m-net’s deal or no deal


Interview

An apple a day…

The humble apple, so much a part of everyday life in most countries, is a status symbol in Ethiopia and accessible only to a privileged few who can afford up to 10 birr in off seasons for a single fruit. The average salaried family can only drool over the luscious apples in the grocers’ display, comforting themselves that after all, it’s an exotic import.
This situation will not continue much longer if the Oromia Regional Government in collaboration with GTZ, has anything to do about it. A unique project to develop large scale apple production has been launched with selected seedlings and freshly imported saplings from Spain.
The Oromia Regional Government’s bold initiative is augmented by expertise provided by GTZ under its SUN program, which aims to develop highland fruit crops scientifically.

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		The history of resistance to the Italian Fascist invasion and occupation (1935-1941)
		Professor Richard Pankhurst is the son of Miss Sylvia Pankhurst, the great British suffragette and advocate of Ethiopia during and after Fascist Italy's occupation of Ethiopia. Professor Pankhurst taught for many years at Addis Ababa University and has written widely on Ethiopian history and culture. He is also the founder of Addis Ababa University's Institute of Ethiopian Studies and a founding member of the Axum Obelisk Return Committee and the Association for the Return of the MaqdalaEthiopian Treasures (AFROMET)
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Social mobilization against sanctioned violence against girls and women

“Democracy and the Social Question“: The sixth lecture in this academic year was given by Bogalech Gebre, Director of Kembata Women’s Self-Help Centre, an NGO working in the south of Ethiopia. The lecture took place on Tuesday, 27 March, in Goethe-Institute Gebrekristos Desta Centre.