Huawei hosted a farewell event for ten Ethiopian students who will be attending the Huawei Seeds for the Future 2024 training program. The program will be held in Morocco from July 1st to 10th, 2024, and the students are from Ethiopia’s eight public universities.

During the occasion, Solomon Soka, state minister to the Ministry of Labor and Skills, noted that such information and communication technology training helps young generations develop their skills and knowledge in the field, enhancing their career prospects and opening up new job opportunities. He also acknowledged Huawei for providing this valuable skill-boosting training annually.

Huawei East Africa Regional Vice President Hu Zhen stated that the Huawei Seeds for the Future program offers a range of benefits that can help young professionals develop their skills, knowledge, and networks in the ICT field.

Since 2017, Huawei Ethiopia, in collaboration with the Ministry of Education, has been sending the top ten students from Ethiopia to its head office in China to receive two weeks of training through the Seeds program. However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the program has been delivered online. This year’s program will be held in person and will bring together around 160 students from 18 African nations.

In a significant step towards Somalia’s security transition, the African Union Transition Mission in Somalia (ATMIS) has officially handed over the Abdalla Birolle Forward Operating Base in Jubaland to the Somali National Armed Forces (SNA).

The handover ceremony, held on June 29, 2024, was attended by the AU Deputy Special Representative for Somalia, Sivuyile Bam, along with ATMIS Kenya Defense Forces and SNA military officers.

In his remarks, Sivuyile Bam noted the historical ties between Somalia and other African nations, stating, “Unknown to many, Somalia provided sanctuary to freedom fighters from other African countries during the struggle for independence. It is our duty to reciprocate that favour and appreciate the sacrifices made by the Somali people to ensure our own countries gained freedom.”

Bam also reassured that the African Union will continue to support the Somali-led peace and security process, saying, “Although we are handing over security responsibilities, the African Union will not abandon Somalia and will continue supporting a Somali-led peace and security process.”

Space science is a driving force for human advancement, offering profound benefits that include technological advancement, scientific knowledge, economic benefits, environmental monitoring, and humanities long term survival.  To engage stakeholders and share U.S. expertise in space science, the U.S. Embassy in Ethiopia brought Dr. Kate Fickas, Director of Imagery and Remote Sensing Solutions at Esri, to the country.  

During her weeklong visit, Dr. Fickas conducted lectures, workshops, and discussions with a range of space science audiences including universities, space societies, and other stakeholders. She spoke about the ways in which modern space science and remote sensing are contributing to development in agriculture, water management, disaster response and mitigation, climate, and other fields.  Dr. Fickas gave lectures at Addis Ababa University, Addis Ababa Science and Technology University, and Adama Science and Technology University.  She also met with scientists and officials at the Space Science and Geospatial Institute and the Ministry of Innovation and Technology.   

Many urban refugees in Nairobi rely on proxies to be able to access any semblance of a financial service, and most are completely cut off from the conventional banking services…To get a bank account from most banks in Kenya, refugees are required to have a PIN Certificate from the Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA), a Refugee Card, and sometimes a recognition letter from the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) or even a work permit, all of which they cannot immediately access…This essentially means that as a registered asylum seeker in Kenya, there is no way you can open a bank account to enable you transfer assets or receive money from abroad…According to [Teddy Kinyoro, a senior programmes manager at GiveDirectly in Nairobi], the problem is rooted in the difficulty accessing the required documentation, especially the alien ID card, which mainly stems from administrative challenges due to the huge backlog of asylum seekers in the country at any given time. (The EastAfrican)