Confederation cup participants Fasil Town handed a two year contract to Seyoum Kebede who succeeded popular Coach Wubetu Abate. Seyoum’ debut match is an international return leg match in Darussalam. In the meantime inquest of a fast return to the Premier League Mekelakya appointed Zelalem Shiferaw.
Seyoum who led the Army side Mekelakeya to a miraculous knockout and Super Cup double trophies at the start of the season sacked at midseason following number of shocking defeats including the 5-1 drubbing at the hands of Adama Town. Out of employment for the past six months Seyoum finally landed a dream job at Fasil Town currently engaged in international fixtures. “It is going to be hard to Seyoum for he replaced Wubetu who really performed a miracle to put Gondor in Ethiopian football map” Seyoum’s former teammate at Giorgis suggested.
In the meantime relegated Mekelakya signed former Sidama Coffee, Hawssa Town, Diredawa Town and Debub Police boss Zelaem Shiferaw. Though his recent time records stand impressive resigning in midseason from Diredawa and Debub Police, The Army side gave him a chance to help them win promotion at the end of the coming season.
“Although appointing a seasoned Coach is ideal for winning promotion, Zelalem aka Mourinho is not the right choice for his bad habit of walking out in midseason” a former Mekelakya player currently a talent scout at Ethiopia Medin suggested. “I assure you he will quit at the end of the first round” he added.
Seyoum Kebede boss The Emperors’ new season
Shipping Lines building demolition raises eyebrows
Youth organized to demolish houses around the La Gare area told the Woreda administration that they were unhappy about being sidelined from demolishing the Shipping Lines and Varnero Buildings.
In hard times Ethiopian still profits
Ethiopian Airlines CEO Tewolde Gebremariam says they experienced a revenue growth of 17 percent for a total of USD 3.7 billion.
In a speech to employees, Tewolde said net profits had decreased compare to the 6.8 billion birr 2017/18 profit. The crash and subsequent suspension of the 737-800 Max due to safety issues cost the airline a lot of money. In addition, engine problems in the Boeing 787 led to a shortage of those planes which made Ethiopian reduce flights.
Tewolde added that instability in the county, a slowing economy and the decline of exports contributed negatively to their revenue. The flagship carrier transported 12.1 million passengers in the reported period, up by 13 percent from the previous fiscal year. There were 110,220 flights 80 percent of which departed on time.
Freight grew by 8 percent from previous fiscal year to 400,371 tons.
The airline started six new international destinations including Asmara, Istanbul, Mogadishu, Manchester, Jakarta and Moscow in the stated period.
“The profitability of the airline industry has been up and down. Many airlines in Asia, Europe, and the Middle East and almost all African airlines have experienced losses. We are continuing our profitability though it is not like before,’’ Tewolde said in a statement he sent to the employees of the airline.
“The 25 percent increase of oil, during a global economic slowdown has also reduced the number of passengers from other African countries. The Ebola virus in DRC and its exaggerated reports also cost us money,” he added.
The chief executive also announced that his management decided to increase salaries of the employees by 15 percent.
He went on to discuss Ethiopian’s vision 2035, which would expand passengers, staff, and destinations. “We delivered the 2025 vision plan except for the revenue seven years ahead of schedule and now we are working on another plan.”
Recently, the government decided to sell an undisclosed amount of the airline’s share which has been monopolized by the state.
Ethiopian Air Lines often referred to as simply Ethiopian, is Ethiopia’s flag carrier and is wholly owned by the government. EAL was founded on 21 December 1945 and commenced operations on 8 April 1946, expanding to international flights in 1951.
Cash registers near extinction as nation turns to tech
People who supply sales register machines (SRM) worry that new technology to be implemented as the country attempts to make business easier would cost them jobs.
Sources told Capital that the Association of Cash Register Machine and Software Suppliers sent a letter to the Office of the Prime Minister. The ease of doing business committee was chaired by Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed and recently transferred to the Ministry of Trade and Industry. It has been working to change laws, procedures, and operations to improve the World Bank’s annual ease of doing business ranking.
One of the proposed changes would be replacing the existing SRM with technology used in Rwanda. Committee coordinator Abebe Abebayehu, Commissioner of the Ethiopian Investment Commission, says the new software would save time and money.
However, the SRM suppliers say this could confuse taxpayers. Sources at the association said that the issue was being talked about by taxpayers who fear that SRM’s would cease being used. “We are currently selling the machines to businesses,” a source at one of the machine suppliers, who requested anonymity, told Capital.
He said that the committee should discuss the technology with suppliers before taking further steps. The SRMs have greatly increased tax collection. Eleven years ago, 19 billion birr was collected from taxes and now that figure is 10 times the amount. The government should understand the benefit of the machine, he argued. He went on to say that this is not the right time for the SRM’s be become extinct because many people in Ethiopia are still not computer literate.
Rwanda, which has implemented the new technology, has registered dramatic improvement in their doing business rank. Businesses require a computer (which can be used for other purposes) and a printer to produce invoices.
Suppliers say that purchasing a computer, printer and the Internet, will cost taxpayers more money and may reduce the quality of service. When it launched in April 2018 the Rwanda Revenue Authority provided Internet-based software for free to all VAT registered taxpayers.
Abebe confirmed that replacing the current machines with simple computer-based technology will happen soon. Abebe told Capital that SRM’s will be replaced in stages. “It may start as pilot at selected business in Addis Ababa and in the process it will be expanded to other areas and businesses,” he added. This is being done throughout the world and we have to improve our service, he said.
The association tried to meet with Adanech Abebe, Minister of Revenue but was unable to do so. Sources said that when members of the association talked with Zemede Tefera, State Minister of Revenue, about the issue he said that the ministry is doing this to improve the technology.
Both leaders at the ministry said they don’t have knowledge about replacing SRM’s, but they are informed about the ease of doing business committee, who works to register improvements in various sectors.
In their letter to the PM the association asked to play a part in decisions about the new technology.
“We suppliers and even customers are confused about the current information,” one of the association members told Capital.
Figures Capital obtained from Ministry of Revenue says currently over 200,000 businesses are using SRM which was launched in 2008 throughout Ethiopia. A tax administration expert at the ministry told Capital that the exact figure of the users of SRM is under study. They may not use the Rwandan technology but the ministry will do something to modernize the system.
When the software technology was introduced in Rwanda revenue officials there said the new scheme sharply reduced fraud and was easy to use.
