Ethio telecom launches an online market platform called telegebeya which enables its customers to purchase Ethio telecom products.
The new online sales channel which is a new and an alternative sales platform that enables customers to purchase Ethio Telecom products easily from their whereabouts by using telebirr as a payment modality in addition to the company’s existing 615 point of sales and 116 franchise shops.
On this web based sales platform, different smart mobile phones, internet modems, fixed broadband terminals and other telecom services are available to customers with affordable prices. As a first phase telegebeya online sales start up for customers who reside in Addis Ababa The company has promised to expand this web based online sales service and avail it in major cities of the country along with additional telecom products in not the distant future.
In addition as part of its initiative to start new service and products to satisfy its customers the company has launched Ashamtele customer loyalty program to ensure better customer satisfaction and experience.
Ashamtele is said to enable Ethio Telecom’s customers be rewarded for using its services through which customers get incentives and rewards based on points collected using the tracks of each of their diverse telecom services usage like voice, data/internet and SMS, as well as for recharging airtime and making payments for goods and services via telebirr, using the loyalty program registered customers will get various incentives and rewards that will possibly enable them to buy smart mobile phones, tablets and laptop; as well as to buy packages, recharge airtime and pay monthly bills.
Ethio telecom, since the recent past years has been on visible and multifaceted strategic reforms, stemming from telecom infrastructures expansion and latest technologies deployment to massive tariff reduction and emerging new telecom services and products in order to provide reliable and quality services, thereby meeting the ever increasing demands of its customers.
The company announced the operation of these two new schemes on Wednesday April 27, 2022.
Ethio telecom launches an online market platform, telegebeya
Somalia’s federal Parliament elects speakers, deputy speakers
Newly elected Somali parliamentarians have concluded the election of the Speakers and Deputy Speakers of the Upper and Lower Houses of the federal Parliament.
The three-day exercise to elect the speakers took place in Mogadishu, secured by the Somali security forces supported by the African Union Transition Mission in Somalia (ATMIS).
On Tuesday, the legislators re-elected veteran lawmaker Abdi Hashi Abdullahi as Speaker of the Senate, the Upper House of the bi-cameral Parliament.
In his victory speech, Abdi hailed the senators for participating in the election. He also reminded them of the duty to effectively draft laws to address national challenges.
“There are challenges our country faces, such as the prevailing drought situation. I am certain we will address these challenges since we have established the House leadership,” Abdi noted.
The senators also elected Ali Shaban Ibrahim and Abdullahi Ali Tima’adde as first and second deputy Speakers, respectively.
On Thursday, lawmakers chose Sheikh Adan Mohamed Nur, alias Madobe, as Speaker of the House of the People, which is the Lower House of the federal Parliament.
The House of the People also elected Sadiya Yasin Samatar as the First Deputy Speaker. She became the first-ever woman to hold the position. Abdullahi Omar Abshirow was also elected Second Deputy Speaker of the House of the People.
In a speech after his election, the Speaker of the House of the People, Sheikh Adan, noted the security and political challenges facing Somalia and pledged to promote inclusive politics.
“We are committed to leading the country towards reforms, restoring order and ending the suffering of the Somali people,” he said.
The election of the country’s parliamentary leadership paves the way for presidential elections and the conclusion of the electoral process.
Vaccine-preventable disease outbreaks on the rise in Africa
Africa is witnessing a surge in outbreaks of vaccine-preventable diseases over the past year.
Almost 17 500 cases of measles were recorded in the African region between January and March 2022, marking a 400% increase compared with the same period in 2021. Twenty African countries reported measles outbreaks in the first quarter of this year, eight more than that in the first three months of 2021.
Outbreaks of other vaccine-preventable diseases have also become more common. Twenty-four countries confirmed outbreaks of a variant of polio in 2021, which is four more than in 2020. In 2021, 13 countries reported new yellow fever outbreaks in the African region, compared to nine in 2020 and three in 2019.
Inequalities in accessing vaccines, disruptions by the COVID-19 pandemic including a huge strain on health system capacities impaired routine immunization services in many African countries and forced the suspension of vaccination drives.
“The rise in outbreaks of other vaccine-preventable diseases is a warning sign. As Africa works hard to defeat COVID-19, we must not forget other health threats. Health systems could be severely strained not only by COVID-19 but by other diseases,” said Dr Matshidiso Moeti, the WHO Regional Director for Africa. “Vaccines are at the heart of a successful public health response, and as countries restore services, routine immunization must be at the core of revived and resilient health systems.”
Two doses of the measles vaccine provided on schedule results in long lasting protection against the potentially deadly disease. Countries are expected to attain and maintain measles vaccination coverage of 95% with two doses to reach measles elimination. In 2019, six countries in the African region attained 95% coverage with first dose measles vaccination, while only three met this target in 2020, according to estimates by WHO and UNICEF.
To urgently scale up coverage and protect children, WHO and partners are supporting African countries to carry out catch-up routine vaccination campaigns, with more than 90% of the 38 African countries responding to a global survey reporting that they implemented at least one routine catch-up immunization campaign in the second half of 2021.
Some countries have successfully integrated other critical immunization campaigns with COVID-19 vaccination. For example, Ghana integrated COVID-19 vaccination with yellow fever campaigns in December 2021 to curb an outbreak that erupted a month earlier. Nigeria recently launched a vaccine scale-up strategy which guides the integration of routine immunization with COVID-19 vaccination for mothers and their babies.
Mass vaccination campaigns are also boosting COVID-19 vaccine uptake. Between January and April, the percentage of Africans fully vaccinated against the virus rose to 17.1% from 11.1%.
While mass vaccination campaigns are the quickest way to administer a large volume of vaccines, WHO is committed to supporting countries to strengthen essential, primary health care services to deliver COVID-19 vaccines. The longer-term solutions will likely see benefits to communities beyond COVID-19.
“Routine immunization, a long-established practice in many African countries, has been severely strained by the impact of COVID-19. In the wake of this pandemic, we are committed to supporting countries devise smart approaches to scale up both COVID-19 vaccination and restore and expand routine immunization services,” said Dr Benido Impouma, Director, Communicable and Noncommunicable Diseases Cluster at WHO Regional Office for Africa.
WHO held a virtual press conference today led by Dr Impouma and facilitated by APO Group. He was joined by Hon Dr Kailash Jagutpal, Minister of Health and Wellness, Government of Mauritius, and Professor Helen Rees, Executive Director, Wits Reproductive Health and HIV Institute, University of Witwatersrand, South Africa.
Also on hand from the WHO Regional Office for Africa to respond to questions were Dr Thierno Balde, Regional COVID-19 Incident Manager, Dr Messeret Shibeshi, Immunization Officer, Dr Richelot Ayangma Mouko, Medical Officer for the Polio Eradication Programme, and Dr Mory Keita, Incident Manager for Ebola outbreak response in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Chronic Land Degradation: UN offers stark warnings and practical remedies in Global Land Outlook 2
The way land resources soil, water and biodiversity are currently mismanaged and misused threatens the health and continued survival of many species on Earth, including our own, warns a stark new report from the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD).
It also points decision makers to hundreds of practical ways to effect local, national and regional land and ecosystem restoration.
UNCCD’s evidence-based flagship Global Land Outlook 2 (GLO2) report, five years in development with 21 partner organizations, and with over 1,000 references, is the most comprehensive consolidation of information on the topic ever assembled.
It offers an overview of unprecedented breadth and projects the planetary consequences of three scenarios through 2050: business as usual, restoration of 50 million square km of land, and restoration measures augmented by the conservation of natural areas important for specific ecosystem functions.
It also assesses the potential contributions of land restoration investments to climate change mitigation, biodiversity conservation, poverty reduction, human health and other key sustainable development goals.
Warns the report: “At no other point in modern history has humanity faced such an array of familiar and unfamiliar risks and hazards, interacting in a hyper-connected and rapidly changing world. We cannot afford to underestimate the scale and impact of these existential threats.”
“Conserving, restoring, and using our land resources sustainably is a global imperative, one that requires action on a crisis footing…Business as usual is not a viable pathway for our continued survival and prosperity.”
GLO2 offers hundreds of examples from around the world that demonstrate the potential of land restoration. It is being released before the UNCCD’s 15th session of the Conference of Parties to be held in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire (COP15, 9-20 May).
Says Ibrahim Thiaw, Executive Secretary of the UNCCD: “Modern agriculture has altered the face of the planet more than any other human activity. We need to urgently rethink our global food systems, which are responsible for 80% of deforestation, 70% of freshwater use, and the single greatest cause of terrestrial biodiversity loss.”
“Investing in large-scale land restoration is a powerful, cost-effective tool to combat desertification, soil erosion, and loss of agricultural production. As a finite resource and our most valuable natural asset, we cannot afford to continue taking land for granted.”
