Cadila launches drug production
Latest Ethiopian:-Indian venture first by the multinational in East AfricaBy Andualem Sisay
By Andualem Sisay
A new 100 mln birr medicine factory, Cadila Pharmaceuticals Limited, which is operating in 43 countries throughout the world, has beguns production in Akaki-Kaliti sub city.
The factory is an Indo-Ethiopian joint venture with local company ALMETA Impex and Indian parent company Cadila Pharmaceuticals, with the expatriates holding the majority shares. According to Mr. Nalini Nayak, Marketing Manager of Cadila, the factory will be the first of its kind in East Africa, when it will soon be qualified by the United States Food and Drug Administration (US FDA).
Cadila India has recently qualified to the World health Organization (WHO) Good Management Practice (GMP). "Ethiopia has a very good potential market, which is not yet explored," said Mr.Nayak. Besides, we are happy to work in Ethiopia; where there is a strict drug regulation. It is difficult to find such an atmosphere in other African countries," he said.
Nearly 200 employees have begun operations at CADILA Pharmaceuticals. Anti biotics, anti-malarias, anti-acids, anti-fungal and multivitamins are the medicines that the company is currently producing. Anti-tuberculosis and anti-AIDS drugs are also being planed for production.
In addition to local demand, CADILA Pharmaceuticals will also export its products to neighboring markets such as Kenya, Sudan, Uganda and Djibouti.
Sunshine, Addis, Bethlehem, Pharmacur and Epharm Pharmaceuticals are the existing factories engaged in medicine production. The opening of CADILA Pharmaceuticals will raise the number of medicine factories to six.
CADILA Pharmaceuticals was established in 1951. It has over five decades of equity in pharmaceuticals and is ranked among the top 10 pharma-companies in India. Cadila Pharmaceuticals covers the largest range of therapeutic groups in the Indian pharmaceuticals industry.
Ethiopia ranks low in world peacefulness report
By Groum Abate
The Economist magazine on its Global Peace Index, which placed Norway on the top and Iraq last, put Ethiopia near the bottom among 121 countries.
According to the report, 24 factors, including levels of violence, organized crime and military expenditure, were used as basis in assessing the peacefulness of 121 countries.
Among the countries listed below the 100th place are the Philippines, Venezuela, Ethiopia, Thailand, Myanmar, India, Sri Lanka, Lebanon, Pakistan, Colombia, Russia, and Israel.
Contrary to the report placing Ethiopia among the worst countries that were covered by the report for peacefulness, some say that the report is biased on few incidents. A high government official also said that Ethiopia is currently a place among the 10 top destinations to be visited this year, making the report incorrect and totally biased.
Recently, the networked readiness index report, which measures the range of factors that affect a country's ability to harness information technologies for economic competitiveness and development, put Ethiopia at the bottom of the 122 countries the report covered only surpassing Bangladesh.
The report scanned 122 countries, with Chad, Burundi, Angola, Ethiopia and Bangladesh at the bottom.
European countries and Singapore have surpassed the United States in their ability to exploit information and communications technology, according to a new survey.
Furthermore, the Transparency International (TI) Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI), that ranks countries in terms of the degree to which corruption is perceived to exist among public officials and politicians has put Ethiopia 130th from a total of 163 countries.
The report, which is a composite index drawing on corruption- related data in expert surveys carried out by a variety of reputable institutions, gave Ethiopia a score of 2.4 this year from a 2.2 score in 2005.
The report also gave Ethiopia a confidence range of 2.2-2.6 on a 0 to 10 scale.
The era of ‘hospitals without doctors’
By Andualem Sisay
As the number of doctors joining private hospitals and migrating to the developed nations increases some government hospitals have virtually no doctors. Minister of Health, Dr. Tewodros Adhanom, urged Ethiopian health professionals to commit themselves and stay on their jobs.
“The salary you get in Ethiopia could be lower than anywhere also, but you have to be proud that your scarifice results in a better future for our children and our country,” he said. “Besides, the Ministry is trying to provide a monetary incentive package. You have to work on your individual commitment to reverse the crisis that we are facing.”
Describing the situation, “At the moment, our hospitals are running out of doctors. In fact, it is difficult to call these institutions hospitals anymore, since there are hospitals without even one doctor,” stated the Minister, while opening the 43rd Conference of the Annual Ethiopian Medical Association on May 30, 2007 at the Economic Commission for Africa, (ECA) Hall.
Health professionals and especially doctors leaving to developed nations has been an unfortunate phenomenon in most African countries including Ethiopia, where the situation is getting worse. To curb the problem, the Ministry of health is recently working on a short-term package of incentives for doctors that includes salary increments, research grants, training opportunities and awards that give due recognition to their work.
In addition, the Ministry is working towards a new strategy of retention and production that shifts its dependency on doctors. The Ministry is now focusing more on training 30,000 nurses for emergency surgery and health extension workers by 2010 twenty hospitals that can serve as teaching hospitals have been identified by the ministry.
“It is not a new practice that we are introducing to the world; It has been tested and proved by some African states and it was even tried during the Second World War,” Tewodros said. For this purpose,
The World Health Organization (WHO), recommends a minimum ratio of 100 nurses for every 100,000 people, but many poor countries hardly come close: In the Central African Republic, Liberia and Uganda, for example, the ratio is less than 10 nurses per 100,000 people, as compared to more than 2,000 nurses per 100,000 people in Finland and Norway.
The Ethiopian Ministry of Health is also collaborating with health professionals associations in the country to finalize the long-term incentive package within the coming six month, according to Dr.Tewodros.
The 2005 Demographic and Health Survey (DHS), maternal and child health indicators in Ethiopia show considerable room for improvement. Only 27.6 percent of mothers who had had a live birth in the five years before the survey had received any antenatal care from a health professional, and only 5.7 percent were attended by a health professional during delivery.
Much lower results for these measures in rural areas suggest that ensuring universal delivery of health services to the entire population will be a lengthy process.
Infant mortality was reported at about 77 infant deaths per 1,000 live births in the five years preceding the survey, a slight decline from 83 infant deaths per 1,000 live births for the previous nine years before this latest survey.
The annual exodus of 20,000 nurses and doctors from Africa is magnifying an already grave public health situation in the region most affected by AIDS and with high maternal mortality. For instance, in 1999, Ghana certified 320 new nursing graduates and lost the same number to emigration. The following year, it lost twice as many. Meanwhile, more than half of Ghana’s nursing positions are unfilled.
This pattern prevails throughout much of sub-Saharan Africa. Africa as a continent gets only 1.3 per cent of the world’s health workers while it carries 25 per cent burden of disease, according to WHO 2004.
To meet the UN Millennium Development Goals, sub-Saharan Africa will need one million more health workers – including 620,000 nurses. But many countries are losing ground.
According to the 2006 United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) Report on Migration, providing improved social and economic conditions in the sending countries is believed to minimize factors that make people leave their countries in search of self-improvement.
In addition, promoting regularized consultative processes on international migration at global, regional and sub-regional levels and supporting bi-lateral and Multi-lateral agreements between sending and receiving countries are also among the recommendations of the report.
Mihiret rejects proposal to lay off EEPCo staff
By Groum Abate
Mihiret Debebe, General Manager of the Ethiopian Electric Power Corporation rejected a proposal by his Deputy Manager for Human Resources for laying off some of the corporation’s staff.
Tegegnework Yirga proposed the layoff two weeks ago at a management meeting where Mihiret rejected the proposal.
Sources told Capital that Mihiret rejected the plan saying that the present corporation’s staff is not sufficient for the work plan the corporation envisaged to implement in the coming years.
EEPCo is a company responsible for power generation, transmission, distribution and sales of electricity and employs over 9,000 permanent and more than 3,000 contractual workers.
The corporation recently restructured its management and sent termination letters to its 50 employees that were at management level.
The corporation started restructuring of its organization in May 2006.
EEPCo recently has come out with an audacious statement saying that Ethiopia would be 100 % electrified by 2015.
Though the corporation has embarked on its Universal Electrification Project with a passion, it was never expected to fully electrify Ethiopia by 2015, the year that developing countries are expected to attain the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).
EEPCo recently commissioned the construction of Gilgel Gibe III, the biggest yet hydroelectric dam in Ethiopia, and a fourth installation to the project has also been discussed. Ethiopia has also been busy building several hydro, geothermal and wind power generation, distribution and transmission projects, including construction of five major hydroelectric power generation stations.
Ethiopia aims that with the completion of the Gilgel Gibe III will come the provision of electricity to almost half the population and there could even be room for export of energy. According to EEPCo, it plans to generate over 4000 MW by 2010.
EEPCo is currently working towards attaining the power sector master plan, prepared by the Ethiopian government, EEPCo and the World Bank, but the fact that Ethiopia’s population could grow as high as 100 million by 2015 could make EEPCO’s plans difficult. About 53 billion birr has been allocated for the nationwide power supply enhancement master plan sector for five years. The master plan would last for 25 years. The Tekeze power station which was planned to start giving service in the next Ethiopian fiscal year seems to have faced a snag and according to sources will not be available for use as planned. The finishing of this project would enable the corporation to increase its power generation by 100 MW. But the project will certainly not be finished as planned, which could force the government to resort to the old but uncomfortable shading process.
Why wait too long ‘Be discovered’ soon
By:Tsion Aklilu
There are thousands of youths looking for jobs every year. The majority of these are university and college graduates and live in Addis.
Companies look for the best employee and others seek an opportunity to prove their capacity to the ‘boss’ but for them selves consciously. These hunters have two chances to congregate to show their competence to each other’s; they will do it either the right way through vacancy exchange or the ‘Z’ way (blood or friend relation). The official vacancy announcement most probably is also undercover of relatives’ recruitment.
Because of such person, people with the right ability are suffering from the consequences of unemployment. Corporations and the unemployed could not discover each other since they are victims of the corrupt structure in the country.
‘Be discovered’, is the motto for the Career Expo 2007. It was all about bringing together the various governmental and non-governmental organizations with competitive professional job seekers. The event has taken place at the exhibition center where thousands of university, college students and other job applicants contact their future internship and/or employers.
Engineering Capacity Building Program (ecpb), in close collaboration with Info Mind Solution (IMS), are the organizers of the first career expo. The State Ministry of Trade and Industry, Tadesse Haile, inaugurated the annually planned expo’s initial launching on June 1, 2007.
Around 107 employer organizations have attended the expo with providing all the necessity information the students and job hunters needed. Ato Dawit, is one of event coordinators representing the Addis Ababa University, besides the launching of the expo he was giving trainings and counseling services for college and university students on the issue of how to introduce one self to employers, how to prepare a CV that can grasp the attention needed. He said, “…such kinds of trainings are given for about 28 colleges and basically for graduate students.” Ecbp has managed to network a program called ‘career clinic’ in the universities and colleges to help students to build their image according to what the market needs.
The new higher education curriculum has imposed internship as an obligation for students to finish all their courses and graduate. Practice-based education has supported students in widening their knowledge. Every summer, students so out to practice what they have acquired from their University or college; in reality, these students face difficulties of approval to join organizations.
Career Expo is one approach of avoiding these hard ships between students who seek for an internship sponsor and organizations. Mr. Mulhtop, the university reform manager at ecbp said, “There is a big refusal of institutions to accept apprentices”. Curriculum has put it in a clear way that an internship is taken seriously where some organizations are still rejecting students to ‘develop their future career in a professional way’. Mulhtop also presented a project that changes the current internship system.
Knowledge will pave the way of professional generation that can stand with confidence. The managing director of Info Mind Solutions, Ato Yesuf, said on the expo, “The purpose of the expo is to create neutral relations between students and organization. It is a way to create the awareness among the seekers to think out of the box.”
Plans to lay an undersea fiber-optic cable off eastern Africa could be the beginning of the end of crackling long-distance calls, slow dial-up Internet connections and universities without e-mail.
Four projects are in the works to link 22 eastern, central and southern African countries to the world's network of submarine cables and 21st century communications. They would enable cheaper international calls with no static and fast Internet access.
The first cable could be finished as early as March.
At the moment, the Indian Ocean's eastern African seabed is the only one in the world without a submarine fiber-optic cable, forcing the region to rely heavily on limited and expensive satellite links. As a result, countries along the coast and in its hinterland have some of the highest communications costs in the world.
Even though fiber-optic links would drive down communication costs for businesses and consumers, it also could be a big opportunity for entrepreneurs.
"We think in general that the high price of satellite communication is creating a high price, artificially low demand market and because of that we think there is pent-up demand," Brian Herlihy, vice president of New York City-based Herakles Telecom LLC, which is leading one of the projects.
A 2005 study by a U.N. task force found that 90 percent of calls between African countries are routed by satellite through Europe or North America at a cost of 400 million dollars a year. Direct calls would be cheaper, though the study did not say by how much.
The cost of laying the fiber-optic cable _ stretching up to 8,000 miles along selected points in the Indian Ocean _ is estimated to range from 100 to 200 million dollars. Individual countries will spend even more laying fiber-optic cables inland and connecting their networks to the submarine cable.
State-owned and private African telecommunications companies, the World Bank and other international financial institutions, governments and foreign private investors are funding the projects.
The oldest, the four-year-old Eastern Africa Submarine Cable Systems, or EASSy, was conceived by a group of East African businessmen in November 2002.
The cable can "contribute to the expanding intra-Africa trade by providing better communication in the region," Abiodun Jagun, a researcher in information communication technologies at the University of Manchester, said in a paper.
Competition among companies rolling out the new cables could drive prices down even further and deliver results faster.
One project would not necessarily cancel another out _ India, for example, has several submarine fiber-optic cables linking it with the international telecom infrastructure.
Ethiopia, the most populous country of the region, thinks the rival cables offer it choice and the opportunity to negotiate favorable prices.
"The more alternatives, the better," said Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi. The landlocked country will be linked to the undersea cable through neighboring Kenya.
Kenya, one of the most dynamic economies in the group, wants to drive down telecommunications costs to tap into the multibillion dollar outsourcing industry and make Kenya an information technology hub, said Bitange Ndemo, the country's information and communications permanent secretary.
Kenya's nascent call center business has grown from employing 200 people last year to 3,000 this year, despite relying on expensive satellite-based communications.
To get more companies to give their business to Kenyan call centers, the country needs to increase its bandwidth up to 500 megabits per second by year's end and subsidize the cost until a submarine fiber-optic cable is working, Ndemo said.
For Kenya, the fiber couldn't come fast enough.
The Eastern Africa Submarine Cable Systems project has been held up because of negotiations over its ownership and funding, and debate about whether it will be for-profit.
Worried the project was taking too long, Kenya teamed up with the United Arab Emirates telecommunications company Etisalat, and set up the East African Marine Systems, or TEAMS, project in November. Kenya will finance 40 percent of the project, Etisalat 20 percent, and still to be identified private Kenyan investors the remaining 40 percent.
Ndemo said that the government will soon invite bids for a company to lay the cable between Kenya's Indian Ocean port of Mombasa and Fujairah in the United Arab Emirates and have Kenyans connected to it by March 2008.
Kenya also remains a participant in the Eastern Africa Submarine Cable Systems project.
Meanwhile, a private company _ Kenya Data Networks _ is involved in a third initiative and is negotiating with a subsidiary of the Indian conglomerate, Reliance Group, to lay a cable between Mombasa and near the coast of Yemen. Kenya Data Networks Managing Director Kai Wulff said that his company would not invest in laying cable, only guarantee clients for it.
The most recent project is led by U.S.-based Herakles Telecom. In April, the company commissioned a survey of the Indian Ocean and expects its cable to be in place and in use by March 2009. Herlihy, Herakles' vice president, declined to identify the private investors who make up the company.
He said the company will not only be laying an undersea cable but also connect major urban areas of Kenya, Madagascar, Mozambique, South Africa and Tanzania. The undersea cable and inland networks, called SEACOM, will cost 300 million dollars, Herlihy said.
"Laying our cable will lead to a low price, high-demand market and change the price paradigm in the region," Herlihy said.
Rush for undersea fiber-optic cable
By Groum Abate
Plans to lay an undersea fiber-optic cable off eastern Africa could be the beginning of the end of crackling long-distance calls, slow dial-up Internet connections and universities without e-mail.
Four projects are in the works to link 22 eastern, central and southern African countries to the world's network of submarine cables and 21st century communications. They would enable cheaper international calls with no static and fast Internet access.
The first cable could be finished as early as March.
At the moment, the Indian Ocean's eastern African seabed is the only one in the world without a submarine fiber-optic cable, forcing the region to rely heavily on limited and expensive satellite links. As a result, countries along the coast and in its hinterland have some of the highest communications costs in the world.
Even though fiber-optic links would drive down communication costs for businesses and consumers, it also could be a big opportunity for entrepreneurs.
"We think in general that the high price of satellite communication is creating a high price, artificially low demand market and because of that we think there is pent-up demand," Brian Herlihy, vice president of New York City-based Herakles Telecom LLC, which is leading one of the projects.
A 2005 study by a U.N. task force found that 90 percent of calls between African countries are routed by satellite through Europe or North America at a cost of 400 million dollars a year. Direct calls would be cheaper, though the study did not say by how much.
The cost of laying the fiber-optic cable _ stretching up to 8,000 miles along selected points in the Indian Ocean _ is estimated to range from 100 to 200 million dollars. Individual countries will spend even more laying fiber-optic cables inland and connecting their networks to the submarine cable.
State-owned and private African telecommunications companies, the World Bank and other international financial institutions, governments and foreign private investors are funding the projects.
The oldest, the four-year-old Eastern Africa Submarine Cable Systems, or EASSy, was conceived by a group of East African businessmen in November 2002.
The cable can "contribute to the expanding intra-Africa trade by providing better communication in the region," Abiodun Jagun, a researcher in information communication technologies at the University of Manchester, said in a paper.
Competition among companies rolling out the new cables could drive prices down even further and deliver results faster.
One project would not necessarily cancel another out _ India, for example, has several submarine fiber-optic cables linking it with the international telecom infrastructure.
Ethiopia, the most populous country of the region, thinks the rival cables offer it choice and the opportunity to negotiate favorable prices.
"The more alternatives, the better," said Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi. The landlocked country will be linked to the undersea cable through neighboring Kenya.
Kenya, one of the most dynamic economies in the group, wants to drive down telecommunications costs to tap into the multibillion dollar outsourcing industry and make Kenya an information technology hub, said Bitange Ndemo, the country's information and communications permanent secretary.
Kenya's nascent call center business has grown from employing 200 people last year to 3,000 this year, despite relying on expensive satellite-based communications.
To get more companies to give their business to Kenyan call centers, the country needs to increase its bandwidth up to 500 megabits per second by year's end and subsidize the cost until a submarine fiber-optic cable is working, Ndemo said.
For Kenya, the fiber couldn't come fast enough.
The Eastern Africa Submarine Cable Systems project has been held up because of negotiations over its ownership and funding, and debate about whether it will be for-profit.
Worried the project was taking too long, Kenya teamed up with the United Arab Emirates telecommunications company Etisalat, and set up the East African Marine Systems, or TEAMS, project in November. Kenya will finance 40 percent of the project, Etisalat 20 percent, and still to be identified private Kenyan investors the remaining 40 percent.
Ndemo said that the government will soon invite bids for a company to lay the cable between Kenya's Indian Ocean port of Mombasa and Fujairah in the United Arab Emirates and have Kenyans connected to it by March 2008.
Kenya also remains a participant in the Eastern Africa Submarine Cable Systems project.
Meanwhile, a private company _ Kenya Data Networks _ is involved in a third initiative and is negotiating with a subsidiary of the Indian conglomerate, Reliance Group, to lay a cable between Mombasa and near the coast of Yemen. Kenya Data Networks Managing Director Kai Wulff said that his company would not invest in laying cable, only guarantee clients for it.
The most recent project is led by U.S.-based Herakles Telecom. In April, the company commissioned a survey of the Indian Ocean and expects its cable to be in place and in use by March 2009. Herlihy, Herakles' vice president, declined to identify the private investors who make up the company.
He said the company will not only be laying an undersea cable but also connect major urban areas of Kenya, Madagascar, Mozambique, South Africa and Tanzania. The undersea cable and inland networks, called SEACOM, will cost 300 million dollars, Herlihy said.
"Laying our cable will lead to a low price, high-demand market and change the price paradigm in the region," Herlihy said.
From Seattle to north Shewa
By Tesfu Telahoun
Water is an increasingly precious commodity throughout the world. Ethiopia only manages to provide potable water to roughly 85% of urbanites and to just 12% of its rural citizens-which constitute 83% of the total population.
Ironically, Ethiopia is the water tower of Africa as it has an abundance of fresh water sources. The highlands in particular are endowed with countless streams, springs and cascades, not to mention over 23 sizable lakes and hundreds of smaller bodies of water.
These largely untapped potential water sources hold great promise for irrigation, hydropower and fisheries as well as to more than adequately provide for the consumption needs of current population levels and also for future generations.
The Ethiopian government in its consecutive 5 year plans, has along with road construction and agro-industrial development, given due attention to addressing the low national rate of clean water access.
However, as in most other fields of national endeavor, citizens can not leave everything for the state to accomplish.
It is private initiative along with state policy that will most effectively develop our country. As private sector projects tend to be more targeted, it is possible to alleviate specific problems in particular locations much more effectively, albeit on much smaller scale, than through large state sponsored projects.
Among the many areas of our country that suffer from little or no access to water for drinking and household purposes, is north Shewa. This is typical highland Ethiopia with land virtually floating atop enormous natural reserves deep in the ground.
North Shewa is ruggedly beautiful. Majestic sunsets dip behind the Ankober mountains: little shepherd boys in sheepskin accompany their herds home to the tune of flutes. How did 23 villages in north Shewa finally emerge from living in a green desert?
Seattle, Washington, USA. Ezra Teshome is a well established Ethiopian living in Seatle… a city in a state that is probably the wettest in the USA. He runs his own very successful insurance and real estate agency but still finds time to involve in civic and social issues with membership in the University District Rotary Club for the last 24 years.
It was a measure of long standing commitment and a practical interpretation of Rotarian goals when Ezra brought up an initiative to mobilize funds for a boreholes drilling and natural springs enhancement project for water challenged villages in North Shewa. An advance team consisting of Rotarians, David Weaver and David Spicer and Ezra arrived to visit tentative sites in late 2005. There was a crucial aspect of the localities that the Rotarians were looking for.
In Ezra’s own words, “Northern Shewa is geographically quite rugged and access has been historically difficult. This situation has contributed to the area being somewhat neglected. We had started to enquire and note villages that had the most acute water access problems during the annual polio vaccination experiences we conducted previously with local Rotarians.
We devised plans to supply 23 villages with improved water sources in Phase One of the project. Phase Two will involve another 17 villages and is about to be launched.”
Needless to say, supplying clean drinking water and sanitation to 40 villages in difficult terrain entails substantial costs.
“So, far the entire project is wholly funded by Rotary which means the five Rotary Clubs of Addis Ababa in cooperation with Rotary clubs in our area – District 5030 and a Canadian chapter which is District 5020. In addition other clubs in the United States and the Seattle area Ethiopian community have contributed funds.
In total, we were able for raise a sum of $375,000 USD for Phase One. Local Rotarians commissioned an Ethiopian company to dig boreholes and they are in charge of administering the project’s execution.”
The water provision project is complemented by sanitation, health and education initiatives.
The dedication of Ezra and his fellow Rotarians is a shining example of concerned and responsible citizenship.
Forum for Environment to launch 2nd Green Award
By Andualem Sisay
Forum for Environment (FfE), an indigenous non-governmental organization, announced that it is planning to launch its 2nd Green Award on World Environment Day, May 5, 2007 at the National Palace.
President of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, Girma Wolde Giorgis, who is also serving as a patron of FfE is expected to give the award for the winners. Winners of this year’s environmental protection awards have already been selected from the eleven regional administrations across the country through their respective committees formed for the same purpose.
“The idea of this annual event is to give acknowledgment to those who are working for the improvement of our degrading environment and encourage others to follow in their foot steps,” said Negussu Aklilu, Coordinator at Forum for Environment. “As environment is becoming the biggest threat to our country and the world as a whole, such encouragement activities have a great impact for the improvement of the current condition.”
The second Green Award program brings a total of 99 winners drawn from 3 categories and consisting of 9 individuals each from all regions, and 14 champions from 7 groups at the national level.
It will be given in two categories: regional and national level. Civic society organizations, youth groups and private sectors are listed in the regional level category. In addition to these areas, the national level category consisted of individuals, outstanding green leadership, outstanding international contribution and best environmental reporter award.
The first Green Award program launched by Forum for Environment last year awarded 87 national environmental heroes and heroines at the regional level while 14 were given awards for their outstanding achievements at national level. “The award has now become indicative of the fact that those winners and others engaged in similar effort have been showing consolidated and far reaching environmental protection activity,” according to Nugussu.
“As it has been the case so far, the awards ceremony is believed to mark the commitment of regional states and donors to further intensify such efforts in a bid to extricate the nation out of abject poverty by achieving the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and ensuring food security in a sustainable manner,” he says.
Though, Forum for Environment was registered in 2003, it has been implementing various activities for ten years before, according to Negussu. The forum is currently implementing its projects with a 500,000 birr budget for three years obtained from the Swedish International Development Agency’s (SIDA), Sustainable Land Use Forum.
Ethiopia gets additional 31 certified accountants
By our staff reporter
Thirty one graduates were honored in front of friends, family, colleagues and leading finance professionals at an event at the Sheraton Addis.
The guest of honour, Dr. Sentayehu W / Michael, Minister of Education, honored the graduates of ACCA’s (Association of Chartered Certified Accountants) where the association graduated 31 of its students on their successful completion of studies, at the Sheraton Addis on Friday, June 1,2007.
Dr Sentayehu mentioned during his speech the fact that not only are there six female students who will be graduating, the highest number to date in Ethiopia, but that two have achieved among the highest scores in the tough accountancy examinations.
Hikmet Abdella, Country Manager of ACCA Ethiopia, said "We are delighted that Dr Sentayehu W / Michael will be our guest of honor and keynote speaker. It is particularly fitting that, with his commitment to helping more girls to have better educational opportunities, female accountancy students in Ethiopia have recorded their best ever results.
"As a body which has a philosophy of open access and equal opportunity, we are delighted that more women are entering the finance profession, and we will also be working to ensure that people from all sectors and regions have the opportunity to follow a rewarding and worthwhile career," added Hikmet.
U.S. hits militants' Somali base
By our staff reporter
At least one U.S. warship bombarded a remote, mountainous village in Somalia where Islamic militants had set up a base, officials in the northern region of Puntland said Saturday.
The attack from a U.S. destroyer took place late Friday, said Muse Gelle, the regional governor. The extremists had arrived Wednesday by speedboat at the port town of Bargal.
Gelle said the area is a dense thicket, making it difficult for security forces from the semiautonomous republic of Puntland to intervene on their own.
A local radio station quoted Puntland's leader, Ade Muse, as saying that his forces had battled with the extremists for hours before U.S. ships arrived and used their cannons. Muse said five of his troops were wounded, but that he had no information about casualties among the extremists.
A task force of coalition ships, called CTF-150, is permanently based in the northern Indian Ocean and patrols the Somali coast in hopes of intercepting international terrorists. U.S. destroyers are normally assigned to the task force and patrol in pairs.
CNN International, quoting a Pentagon official, also reported the U.S. warship's involvement. A Pentagon spokesman told The Associated Press he had no information about the incident.
"This is a global war on terror and the U.S. remains committed to reducing terrorist capabilities when and where we find them," Pentagon spokesman Bryan Whitman said.
"We recognize the importance of working closely with allies to seek out, identify, locate, capture, and if necessary, kill terrorists and those who would provide them safe haven," Whitman said. "The very nature of some of our operations, as well as the success of those operations is often predicated on our ability to work quietly with our partners and allies."
At an international conference in Singapore, U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates told reporters who asked about the Somalia reports on Saturday, "Frankly, I don't know exactly what was going on. I've been on the road. And I wouldn't be commenting on operational activities anyway."
Puntland's minister of information, Mohamed Abdulrahman Banga, told the AP that the extremists arrived heavily armed in two fishing boats from southern Somalia, which they controlled for six months last year before being routed by Ethiopian troops sent to prop up a faltering Somali government.
"They had their own small boats and guns. We do not know exactly where they came from - maybe from Ras Kamboni, where they were cornered in January," he said.
Local fishermen, contacted by telephone, said about a dozen fighters arrived Wednesday, but Puntland officials said the number could be as high as 35.
The United States has repeatedly accused Somalia's Council of Islamic Courts of harboring international terrorists linked to al-Qaida and allegedly responsible for the 1998 bombings of the U.S. Embassies in Kenya and Tanzania.
The U.S. sent a small number of special operations troops with the Ethiopian forces that drove the Islamic forces into hiding. U.S. warplanes have carried out at least two airstrikes in an attempt to kill suspected al-Qaida members, Pentagon officials have said.
In Mogadishu, unknown gunmen killed a government official, Hassan Ali Sa'id, in the capital's southern neighborhood late Saturday as he was about to enter his house. Sa'id was district commissioner of the Howlwadaag area.
"We heard two shots and we came out and we saw our neighbor lying in the street and a car disappearing," said Sa'id Ahmed Yonis.
Sa'id is the second district commissioner killed in Mogadishu in the past month.
FESPAM -‘Dreamed opportunity to measure the progress of Africa’
By Andualem Sisay
The 6th edition of the Festival of Pan-African Music (FESPAM), which is scheduled to take place from July 7-14, 2007 in Brazzaville, is foreseen as an opportunity to measure the progress of Africa.
The festival is aimed to honor the founding fathers and torchbearers of the history of Africa, such as Abdel Gamal Nasser, Kwame N’Krumah, Sekou Toure, Patrice Lumumba and Nelson Mandela.
“This edition can already be foreseen as the dreamed opportunity to measure the progress accomplished by Africa and, through homage to Nelson Mandela, to assess the historical and forward commitment of the leaders of the continent to take Africa towards progress and accomplishment,” said Jean-Claude Gakosso, Minister of Culture and Arts of Congo, briefing on the 6th FESPAM to be held sixteen years after the liberation of the historical leader of African National Congress (ANC).
“Music of emancipation and liberation movements in Africa and her diaspora is the main theme of the upcoming coming festival, inspired from the 50 years of political struggle of African people and approved by the Board of the FESPAM,” he said. “The five first editions of FESPAM have proved that music could alleviate social crisis in time of conflicts and promote development.”
He made the above statement on the press briefing called to launch the 6th FESPAM at the African Union Headquarters in Addis Ababa on Wednesday, May 29, 2007.
The festival is expected to gather more than 2,000 artists and famous people from around the world. Mega-concert at Flex Eboue Stadium, exhibition of African traditional instruments, beauty contest-Miss FESPAM and excursion on the Congo River and a stopover at Mati tourist complex are among the major events of the 6th FESPAM.
According to agreements reached with the general Commission of FESPAM, every night, TV5 Monde will broadcast 45 minutes showing highlights and comments on the events of the day and radio broadcasting service will be provided by RFI and Africa No 1. Semi-live broadcasting of the opening and closing ceremonies is also expected to be transmitted on about 50 national TV, in Africa and overseas.
This festival, unlike the two previous editions, will be exclusively held in Brazzaville. The 2001 agreement between the democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and the republic of Congo on the Co-organization of the festival has expired soBrazzaville headquarters of FESPAM will host the entire celebration, as a result.
FESPAM was created 11 years ago and is held every two years in Brazzaville, gathering the best of Africa’s traditional and modern music potentials. The first FESPAM was organized in 1996.
In 1999, the FESPAM and its experts and music makers discussed recent studies and came to the redefinition of the main trends of the musical creation in Africa and her diaspora. Two years later, experts debated on the role and place of traditional instruments, especially the drum.
In 2003, experts discussed Africa’s traditional and modern music following their specific and transversal routes and showing their meeting and parting points. Two years ago in 2005, when the 5th FESPAM was organized, the experts questioned what remained of African music in the American and Caribbean countries after they met with new technological, political, economic and cultural realities which were different from those originally designed by them.
The Federal Police: MARCHing to fight HIV/AIDS
By Mina Yirga
The Federal Police released the first two editions of Tewerwari Kewakebt or 'The Shooting Stars', a new serial comic book addressing HIV and AIDS.
Designed to reduce the risk of HIV infection among members of Ethiopia's police force, the comic series will be distributed to officers within the Federal Police for use during regular peer group discussions.
According to Dr. Tadesse Wehib, CDC Ethiopia Director, more than 1.3 mln people are expected to live with HIV/AIDS in Ethiopia. In addition, more than 300 people are caught with HIV everyday. Out of the number the young is the main victim this also includes the service centers that are filled by young police officers. “With reference to the Federal Police Hospital data 24.8% of women that come for maternity check up have HIV/ AIDS. This figure is more than any of the figures that have been conducted internationally by Ministry of health” Dr.Tadesse disclosed at the launching ceremony.
Although comic books are generally a novelty in Ethiopia, certain audiences have caught on to the entertainment format. It was first introduced to the public through the story of the fictional Black Tigers Ethiopian military camp, which was launched by the National Defense Forces of Ethiopia in late 2006 and is currently enjoying wide acclaim.
The main characters of this comic serial, who are also members of the police force, are seen using their crisis handling skills in fighting and overcoming the threat of HIV and AIDS.
Combining humor, action and gripping drama, the 52 edition comic book will enable officers within Ethiopia's Federal Police to better understand the risks they face from HIV and develop strategies that will keep them safer.
Dr.Mikael Amdemariam, FP MARCH Project Director stated "The Print Serial Drama is an innovative and a welcome contribution to our efforts to tackle the AIDS pandemic in the police force. We hope that these Print Serial Dramas will trigger discussions and help our officers make informed decisions about their lives, and protect themselves and their families from HIV and AIDS."
The Shooting Stars uses the Modeling and Reinforcement to Combat HIV/AIDS (MARCH) model for HIV prevention. MARCH promotes behaviors that reduce the risk of HIV infection, such as faithfulness, condom use and early detection and treatment of sexually transmitted infections (STls) by using role models to demonstrate positive behavior change through serial dramas and entertainment education. The project also includes reinforcement activities to create an environment in which these positive behaviors are discussed and reinforced in a peer group setting.
"The MARCH Project using the PSDs (Print Serial Drama Comic Books) is an innovative way of conveying the ABC (abstinence, be faithful, use condoms) HIV preventive messages through entertainment education and peer-to-peer learning to bring about behavior change among the police force and their families. This approach as well encourages behavior change in the form of increased use of counseling and testing, prevention of mother to child transmission, antiretroviral treatment and other services," said Dr. Tadesse Wuhib, Country Director of CDC-Ethiopia.
Since opening in 2001, the AIDS Resource Center (ARC) has been providing an extensive range of information services on HIV and AIDS, STDs, and tuberculosis (TB). The ARC serves as a hub for a host of resources and services, such as a com~ehensive multimedia library collection, high-speed Internet access for HIV and AIDS research, an H}V/AIDS website with searchable databases, and a materials clearinghouse. The center also runs the Wegen 952 national HIV and AIDS talkline and produces high-quality and culturally appropriate behavior change communication (BCC) materials on various health topics.
The President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) is a five-year, $15-billion U.S. government initiative to combat the global HIV/AIDS pandemic with the goals of treating two million HIV-infected people, preventing seven million new infections, and care for 10 million HIV-infected individuals and AIDS orphans. It is the largest commitment ever made by a nation for an international health initiative dedicated to a single disease. A significant amount of these resources focus on 15 of the most afflicted countries in sub-Saharan Africa, Asia, and the Caribbean. Ethiopia is one of the 15 focus countries to receive support from PEPFAR. Since 2001, CDC-Ethiopia has been supporting the Ethiopian government to reduce the incidence of HIV/AIDS, STDS and TB and mitigate their impact through prevention, care, support, treatment and capacity building activities.
Five arrested over bomb attack
By our staff reporter
Five suspects have been arrest by police over a blast in Ethiopia’s volatile Ogaden region that killed 11 and wounded the local president.
According to reports, five people were killed by at least one explosion and six others, mostly children, were crushed to death in a stampede after Monday’s attack tore through crowds celebrating a national holiday in the eastern region’s capital Jijiga. Fifty-two people have been injured.
The Ethiopian government blamed the strike on the Ogaden National Liberation Front (ONLF), separatist rebels who last month raided a Chinese-run oil exploration field in the area, also known as the Somali region, killing 74.
The regional president Abdullahi Hassan suffered a leg wound and was thrown through the air by the blast. Dancers and musicians gathered around him were among the dead, witnesses said.
But the ONLF has denied involvement in Monday’s attack, saying the movement does not target civilians, only Ethiopian troops.
E.U. head visits UNICEF-supported program Tigray
By Andualem Sisay
The Head of the European Commission in Ethiopia, Tim Clarke, visited a UNICEF-supported nutrition project in Tigray Region last week as part of a tour of EC-funded projects there.
The European Commission delegation to Ethiopia has provided 7.6 million Euros to UNICEF during the past year in support of the Enhanced Outreach Strategy (EOS)/ Targeted Supplementary Food, (TSF) program, which is saving thousands of lives in Ethiopia by providing mothers and children with key survival interventions.
Speaking at the EOS site in Saesie-Tsaedamba woreda in Tigray, Mr. Clarke said, “We’ve just seen a child here who is 18 months old. Her normal weight should be 13 kilos but she’ s only 5 kilos, so she’s really at risk. Through this program we can give her therapeutic feeding and a chance to survive.
“With this program [EOS/ TSF] which is executed by the Federal Ministry of Health with UNICEF support and primarily financed by the European Commission; we are trying to see if we can address this problem.”
The Commission has funded EOS/ TSF in Ethiopia’s four biggest regions of Oromia, Amhara, SNNPR and Tigray. In the latter, more than 41 per cent of children-under-five experience stunted growth and an estimated 11.6 per cent suffer from acute malnutrition.
Drought and the food security situation in Tigray and elsewhere have undermined the coping strategies of millions of women and children. Nationally, the 2005 Demographic and Health Survey shows that 47 per cent of Ethiopia's children are stunted and 11 per cent wasted.
The Enhanced Outreach Strategy/ Targeted Supplementary Food program is a joint initiative between the government, WFP and UNICEF. In its fourth year, the strategy aims to give the most vulnerable access to food, primary health care and nutritional awareness. It also monitors the nutritional status of populations for better emergency preparedness and response.
Amongst the interventions provided to children and pregnant and lactating women are vitamin-A supplementation, de-worming, measles immunization, malaria prevention through long-lasting insecticide treated nets distribution and screening for malnutrition.
Children found to be malnourished are referred to the Disaster Prevention and Preparedness Agency supported by the WFP’s Targeted Supplementary Food Program. The severely malnourished children are referred to Therapeutic Feeding Program run by the Ministry of Health and supported by UNICEF.
During the past EOS/ TSF conducted in December 2006, more than 549, 000 children and 86, 990 pregnant and lactating women were screened for malnutrition in Tigray, thanks to the crucial support of the European Commission. At national level, the EOS/ TSF provides twice per year key Child Survival Interventions to over 6 million children and 1 million pregnant and lactating women.
Children with no appetite and complications are referred to In-patient
Therapeutic Feeding Units (TFUs), while children with no complication are referred to Out-patient Therapeutic Program (OTP). On his visit, Mr. Clarke stopped at one such UNICEF-supported unit at Ferewn Health Centre to observe the professional administration of therapeutic milk and Plumpy Nut by health centre staff.
UNICEF Head of Nutrition and Food Security section Dr Iqbal Kabir explained that much more needed to be done, he said: “At present, Tigray has just over 500 places within the Therapeutic Feeding Program (TFP) throughout the region. For complete coverage, we need roughly 14,000 to cope with on-going severe malnutrition needs; that is still a huge gap. “
Mr. Clarke also congratulated EOS/ TSF partners on their co-operation in child survival activities whilst also stressing the importance of humanitarian agencies to tackle the causes of malnutrition as well as providing care to those affected.
Addressing TFP staff, Mr. Clarke said: “I think [EOS/ TSF] is a wonderful program which will provide support to you and your colleagues and will save lives.”
“I think it is a wake-up call to people like myself and my organization to try to provide basic health care to children in rural areas where problems of transport and access remain difficult.”
The European Commission delegation also inspected other projects in Seasie Tsaeda Emba Wereda supported by the EC as part of the organization’s assistance to Tigray Region.
Anti-corruption continues arrests officials
By Groum Abate
The Federal Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (FEACC) is trying to clear out corrupt officials from office in a bid to create a healthy civil services.
In a new twist, the commission arrested over 50 officials for graft in one of the nation’s largest crackdowns this week.
Ethiopia has a relatively clean image by the continent's standards, managing to avoid the sort of major public corruption scandals plaguing neighbour Kenya for example.
The officials and businessmen were accused of "illegal practices" in the areas of customs, land ownership and bank deposits, according to a statement by the Federal Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission.
They came from the Customs Authority, Addis Ababa City Administration, Wonji Sugar Factory and various banks. Charges against 20 have been filed, while 30 are still under investigation, the commission said, adding that the arrests were based on information from the public.
The commission has reportedly detained 32 suspects in the metropolis for alleged illegal activities in connection with land provision and ownership before last week.
The suspects have been arrested in connection with illegal land provision and ownership in Kolfe-Keranio, Bole, Lideta, Yeka and Kirkos sub-cities since April 19, 2007.
The suspects include senior and line officers from the Ministry of Defense and Police Department, businesspersons, engineers, lawyers and heads of land administration departments.
The suspects were allegedly involved in evading lease payments, providing and receiving land without proper and relevant documents, providing illegal house plans, among others.
The commission said it has finalized the investigation for most of the cases and was due to press charges against the suspects soon, it was pointed out.
FEACC also vowed to continue cracking down on illegal activities related to land provision and ownership in the metropolis.
photo caption
Specify Construction Exhibition, which was opened on May 25, 2007 concludes on Sunday May 27,2007 after bringing a common forum for unusual mix of participants such as building material suppliers, architects, engineers, a wide range of building professionals and the general public. The exhibition was opened by Guest of Honor Dr. Wubshet Berhanu, of City Manager Addis Ababa. Another element of the exhibition is the lecture that took place on the same day, Saturday May 26, 2007 at 6:00 PM, by a renowned international Architect, Professor Marc Angelil, generously sponsored by the Engineering Capacity Building Program.
Looking for a hand
By: Tsion Aklilu
Ethiopian Red Cross Society (ERCS) is the oldest humanitarian organization in the country. It was establish in the 1936-40.
The society has been cherishing most vulnerable communities to survive a daylong life with humanitarian and voluntary services. Currently it gives it services almost in all part of the country through its grass root Red Cross committees. So far, external assistances have been source of income for its community-based development.
Aged ERCS society has not yet freed it self from the external assistance and donation of members. However, on this year the society has started a movement of different fundraising programs, which earnings will go to a construction ERCS has planed. On Sunday May 20, 2007 there was a fund rising dinner at the Sheraton Addis hotel, were the society collected one million birr.
Several years ago, municipality of Addis Ababa granted the society a free of lease land. Site has an area of 4,938 sq.m, lying between Ras Desta Damtew Avenue and Yohannes Street; the multi purpose-building complex is designed by far to be an income generating for ERCS.
The project has two phases to finish the whole of the construction. In phase one the G+4, which is for shops and offices, will be constructed with an estimated cost of 100mil. Main reason of taking the construction in two phases is the financial constraint that the society is facing, according to Ato Gizaw Assefa, the second phase of the construction will be launched with the money earned renting the first building.
Even though the ground which the building will lain on is not strong to hold a building because of its moist soil, said Gizzaw “It is one of the reasons that rises our cost up.” The land was owned by an individual, who has planted a foundation to build the Addis Ababa Bank during Emperor Hailessilase period. Gizzaw said that the foundation that is on the ground is a pile base, which place hundred meters to the ground. “Mat foundation is what we plan for our construction. It means the foundation will cover the ground in great amount.”
Construction is planned to start on …,2007. So far they have collected one million birr from dinner ticket sold and are looking for some million birr to begin the building. ERCS main aim of planting the building is to become a self dependent organization which income will be sustainable.
Besides the fund rising dinner party ERCS is looking another way of earning money to start phase one construction. It has published about four thousands of lotteries collaborating with National Lottery, which costs three birr each. In addition, the society is planning to instigate a fair on June 30- May 7, 2007 at the exhibition center, and publish commercial magazine.
The Ethiopian Red Cross Society has classified its service in to four categories, which are: food security, health, HIV/AIDS, and humanitarian values and initiatives. Health service includes blood bank, essential drug providing, first aid, ambulance and water and sanitation services, which are very basic needs of community.
“Providing assistance to the most vulnerable communities in Ethiopia in order to improve the quality of their lives as well as building their capacities to cope with emergencies,” is the mission in which the society is governed. This mission is developed in accordance with the fundamental humanity, impartiality, neutrality, independence, voluntary service, unity, and universality principles of Red Cross.
The association is calling for help with the motto, “Help us to help others!”
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