On its one-year mark of the COVID-19 outbreak in the country, the Ministry of Health has launched the vaccination on Saturday, March 13, 2021 across the country. This comes in the nick of time as the spread of the pandemic has reached to 20 percent contamination which is worse than ever.
However, more than seven European countries and recently Thailand have suspended the vaccination over the fear of thrombosis /blood clots/ and some countries have also banned the AstraZeneca vaccination for people aged 65 and plus.
To this regard, Dr. Boureima Hama Ethiopian representative of WHO highlighted that, “reports of blood clots received so far are not greater than the number that would have occurred naturally in the vaccinated population” adding that, “every vaccine has its own side effect, even those we use on simple diseases. The WHO has not yet released the so called side effects in relation to taking the vaccine.”
Dereje Duguma, State Minister of Ministry of Health expressed that so far there are no plans of suspending the vaccination as it is not clear that the vaccine was responsible for the so called side effects. “The safety of the vaccine has been studied in certain clinical trials and confirmed well-tolerated,” said Dereje adding that, “the vaccination will play an integral part to end the serious stage of the pandemic and to that end will continue to give the vaccine.”
However as he said, the ministry is fully organized to following up the whole process and condition of vaccinated population to readily combat any side effects that could come.
To maximize the public health benefit, the national COVID vaccine development plan prioritizes the first doses of the vaccine for health and essential workers and other at risk groups. From the first batch of the vaccine, the ministry has planned to give the priority for more than 300,000 health workers and supporters in the country including interns.
On Sunday, March 7, 2021, the Ministry Of Health had received its 2.2 million doses of the first international deliveries of COVID-19 vaccine through the COVAX Facility from the 7.6 million doses of vaccine shipped by Ethiopian airlines. The Ministry Of Health is preparing to receive its entire first quota of 7.6 million doses until the end of April. Even though the quota was said to be nine million doses as reports shows, the number has decreased to 7.6 million doses. According to Dereje, the rest of the doses of the vaccine will be brought in to the country in one month’s time.
During the launching ceremony, Yared Agdiew (MD) head of Eka Kotebe general hospital highlighted that not only have the cases been increasing but also critical patients’ cases have also been rising as well. Similarly, Dereje echoed the same sentiments and told Capital that with 20 percent contamination rate, it is increasingly becoming difficult for hospitals to handle patients with the virus. He expressed that strict measures are being taken to control the spread as the country awaits the better days to come.
“COVID has affected all aspects of our lives. Today, I would like to call upon all of you to spread the message, to create a strong demand for and acceptance of the COVID-19 vaccine and be role models for proven COVID-19 prevention measures. It is my firm belief that through our collective efforts, we will be able to beat COVID-19,” remarked Dr Boureima adding that the arrival of the first batch of the vaccine through COVAX provides an effective tool to ends the acute phase of the pandemic.
Government officials have also received the vaccine to be role models to the public. In Somalia region, Mustefe Mohammed head of the region, Mulu Nega head of Tigray region are some notable mentions.
Ethiopia, Africa’s second most populous nation, has the fifth largest number of COVID-19 cases on the continent, after South Africa, Morocco, Tunisia and Egypt.
COVID vaccine launched nationally
Oromia region finally receives Langano Resort Hotel
After three years delay, Oromia region has settled over 54 million birr to receive Langano Resort Hotel.
The hotel that is located about 155km south of Addis Ababa at the beach of Lake Langano in the Great Rift Valley has two locations that are known as Langano Resort Hotel one and two.
Langano Resort Hotel one is well developed with different facilities including 65 rooms and restaurants.
About three years ago, the regional administration had asked the Office of the Prime Minister to buy and manage the hotel that was accepted by the federal government.
Since then, Public Enterprises Holding and Administration Agency (PEHAA), which is responsible for managing public enterprises and taking lead on the privatization process, has conducted the asset valuation and as a result, had invited the regional administration to settle the payment and take the ownership.
“Due to different reasons including delaying to pay the 54.5 million birr, the transferring process had not been concluded for years,” Wondafrash Assefa, Public Relation Head of PEHAA, told Capital.
He said that the region under Biftu Adugna Business SC settled the payment in advance before the two bodies signed the ownership transfer agreement on Friday, March 12.
Biftu Adugna Business SC was an endowment under Oromo Peoples’ Democratic Party that was one of the four parties under the dissolved ruling power EPRDF.
He added that Langano Resort Hotel one has a compound of 110,700 square meters whilst Langano Resort Hotel two has several summer houses at the beach extended to the south of the lake.
The golden colour of Lake Langano is one of the well-known recreation destinations at the weekend for Addis Ababians and the expat community.
Besides Langano Resort Hotel, there are several destinations at the lakeside but Bekele Molla Langano and the Langano Resort Hotel are the pioneers.
On different occasions, the government had attempted to privatize the recreation facility but it was managed by Filwoha Hotels Enterprise. It was managed by Wabi Shebele Hotels Enterprise until 2010 but when the main hotel of Wabi Shebele Hotel, located at Mexico Square at the heart of the capital returned to the grand family Emperor Haile Selassie, who are the original owners, the lakeside hotel management fell to Filwoha.
Oromia region had proposed to buy the hotel on the aim to undertake additional development and making the youth in the area beneficiaries of the facility.
Habtamu Hailemichael, head of PEHAA and Mohamed Abdi, head of the regional enterprise, signed the transfer agreement.
At the signing ceremony, Habtamu said that he expect the regional enterprise will undertake massive development in the area and create huge job opportunities along the process.
Currently, under the privatization scheme the government is under process to sale some sugar factories and partly privatizes the sole telecom operator, Ethio Telecom.
Other parties of EPRDF; TPLF, ANDM and SEPDM had also managed businesses under the so called endowment. In related with the political reform about three years ago ANDM, which changed its name to Amhara Democratic Party, has decided to transfer the ownership of Tiret Corporate to Amhara region, while the giant TPLF’s (Tigray People’s Liberation Front) Endowment Fund for the Rehabilitation of Tigray (EFFORT) was controlled by the party until the party was removed from power from Tigray region that occurred when the regional party and its force attacked the national defense force on November 3.
In the past, the stated political party companies have also been involved on the privatization and bought some enterprises from the government either on bid but mainly on the decision from the central government.
Fuel cash base supply to start this week
The new initiative that will change the relation of Ethiopian Petroleum Supply Enterprise (EPSE) and petroleum companies is expected to commence in the coming week.
The recently formed Petroleum and Petroleum Products Supply and Distribution Regulatory Authority, which is under the Ministry of Trade and Industry, had conducted different studies under the initiative to improve the petroleum business in general and improve the distribution without fraud.
One of the initiatives was to improve the relationship between the oil companies and EPSE, which is the sole oil supplier for companies, and payment modality for the supply of oil.
In this regard, the authority had disclosed that the companies will start buying the fuel on cash basis which will be fully implemented in one year’s time.
Ahmed Tusa, the first head of Petroleum and Petroleum Products Supply and Distribution Regulatory Authority, told Capital that the companies and EPSE will sign the new contract arrangement in the coming few days, may be up to Tuesday March 16, to introduce the cash base supply.
He said in the first phase that may stay for a month, companies will have to pay the 10 percent of the total amount of the supply and the rate will gradually become 100 percent in a year time.
The existed experience was that companies receive the product on a one month credit scheme, while it has affected the state owned enterprises because of default mainly from new entrants.
Tadesse Hailemariam, CEO of EPSE, recently told Capital that the new arrangement will improve the enterprise’s cash flow and working capital.
Ahmed said that the new scheme will not have any effect on dealers, while the minor cost incur on a liter of oil will be revised by the government to keep the companies and enterprise benefit.
“Any business has a cost like the bank charge or interest that will be revised,” he explained for the case that the new scheme will have additional charge on oil companies which may come with different instruments to settle their bill on the cash base trade with the enterprise.
“The relation with dealers to companies will continue as usual that does not have any correlation with the latest decision that the government has taken,” he added.
Initially the government had announced that the new scheme will be commenced as of March 10. “While some paper works have delayed the process I hope the two parties will sign the new contract in these few days,” he strongly underlined.
EHPEA & EARCS partner to bolster horticulture
The Ethiopian Horticulture Producer Exporters Association (EHPEA) TVET Training Center and Ethiopian Agricultural Research Council Secretariat (EARCS) signed an MoU on Thursday, March 11 for a partnership to collaborate for sustainable engagements on skills development, knowledge, and technology transfer in the horticulture sector, and to further strengthen the public-private partnership and research – industry linkage.
Since 2007, EHPEA TVET Training Center has been offering trainings to its members, supporting the practice and promotion of socially responsible and environmentally friendly operation, as well as building the capacity of members and pertinent stakeholders in the horticulture industry.
The newly signed partnership is the first of its kind, since the launching of the accredited EHPEA TVET Training Center to cater its services for government institutions.
On wards of the program, EHPEA & EARCS jointly will provide a skill based – hands on training to horticulture researchers and university lecturers selected from the national agricultural research system on “High tech/modern production of planting materials (seeds and other planting materials), horticultural crops and nursery management.”
