On May 13th, the ambassador of France in Ethiopia and to the African union, Frédéric Bontems, met with the minister of Finances of Ethiopia, Ahmed Shide, to announce the immediate disbursement by France of 40 million euros of budgetary support to the Ethiopian government in the context of the fight against COVID-19. It will help Ethiopian government to face short-term challenges and support its emergency plan as well the current national efforts to achieve the economic transition of the country. This 40 million euros is part of an 85 million euros agreement signed on June 6th 2019 to support the Ethiopia for the implementation of its ambitious economic reforms, which was the result of a joint declaration of intent agreed during the visit of French President Emmanuel Macron in Ethiopia on March 12th, 2019. A first disbursement of 45 million euros occurred in December 2019. The global remaining amount of 40 million euros was to be disbursed up to 2021. In the COVID-19 context, France decided to release it immediately. AFD has also engaged discussions with all its Ethiopian partners in on-going projects to reallocate funds or to adapt the activities to the most urgent needs related to the COVID19 crisis.

Qatar Airways announced that it will give away 100,000 free tickets to frontline healthcare professionals to say thank you for their heroic work looking after people during the current COVID-19 pandemic.
By maintaining 24/7 operations in recent months, including the provision of over 100 charter flights, Qatar Airways’ mission to repatriate over one million people has received widespread praise and thanks from passengers and governments as the foremost airline taking people home. Given the airline’s work at the frontline of global efforts to repatriate stranded passengers, it now seeks to recognise and reward the world’s frontline healthcare workers. The giveaway started on 12 May and close at 23:59 on 18 May (Doha time). Healthcare professionals can register for this exclusive offer at qatarairways.com/ThankYouHeroes by submitting a form to receive a unique promotion code, offered on a first come, first served basis.
Healthcare professionals from every country in the world will be eligible for tickets.

Tech entrepreneurs from nine African countries will be competing for up to $50,000 USD in equity investment from the comfort of their homes in this year’s MEST Africa Challenge. Following extensive feedback from entrepreneurs, conversations with tech ecosystem players, and the developments of COVID-19 in Africa, the MEST Africa Challenge has announced that this year’s competition will be virtual for the first time since its inception three years ago.
In light of this uncertain time, MEST is expanding the 2020 MEST Africa Challenge to target a larger number of tech startups in need of funding. This means the application deadline for the 2020 MEST Africa Challenge has been extended to May 13th. Additionally, each country final will take place in its own week, during which MEST will be curating and creating conversations and resources specific to their particular local contexts.
“We realize that the MEST Africa Challenge and funding opportunities for African tech startups are now more important than ever,” says Jorn Lyseggen, CEO of MEST. “MEST is committed to support the African tech ecosystem through these difficult times. Through the MEST Africa Challenge, we will help promising startups across the continent get visibility, access to networks, and funding”.
Participating entrepreneurs will take part in country-wide competitions where they’ll pitch virtually to a panel of expert judges. Finalists from each country will go on to compete on a global stage in front of entrepreneurs, investors, corporate partners and ecosystem players for the chance to win $50k in investment from the MEST, and the opportunity to join the MEST incubator community.
For the second year running, the online competition will stand strong in partnership with leading technological giant and headline partner, Microsoft. They will be key to the success of the MEST Africa Challenge as it goes virtual. When asked about the collaboration, Senior Director of Partnerships for Microsoft Africa, Chris Lwanga, said, “Innovation is the birthright of every human being. We believe in empowering every person and organization, like MEST, to do more through our Microsoft for start-ups program.”

On May 12, the Korean community in Ethiopia including the Embassy, businesses, NGOs and development agencies conveyed medical supplies as humanitarian assistance to the Ministry of Health and the Ethiopian Public Health Institute (EPHI) in order to support the Ethiopian government’s effort in the fight against the COVID-19. The Korean government supported the supply of 25,000 portions of the Korean diagnostic test kits. Other supplies and monetary donations were delivered together by KOICA (Korea International Cooperation Agency); Korean companies based in Ethiopia including EKOS, LG, Daewoo; non-governmental organizations based in Ethiopia such as Good Neighbors, World Share, Sarangbat. The Korean companies and NGOs voluntarily and actively participated in the Korean government’s decisions regarding humanitarian assistance, which shows Korea’s willingness to cooperate with Ethiopia in overcoming the COVID-19 crisis. During the ceremony, Ambassador Lim said “to beat COVID-19 and to recover from the devastation it has wrought, an unprecedented level of global solidarity and coordinated action is needed. The Korean government is prepared to fully share all information and insight garnered in our ongoing fight against COVID-19 with the partners in the international community. In particular, it will strengthen cooperation with Ethiopia, the only country in Africa that had dispatched a ground troop during the Korean War.” He added that Korea will not forget the partnership which Ethiopia showed to protect peace and freedom, and both countries have currently been working towards a joint effort to fight the new enemy, COVID-19, to emerge victorious. Minister Lia Tadesse expressed her gratitude for the continuous support and solidarity by the Korean government and the Korean community in Ethiopia. The Minister added that “Ethiopia is proud of Korea, a close partner, that it has successfully overcome the COVID-19 crisis,” and that “we hope Korea to play a crucial role in response to the COVID-19 in Africa, and especially in Ethiopia.”