Five of this season’s six fastest men will line up in the 5000m at the Athletissima meeting in Lausanne on 5 July, eighth stop of the 2019 IAAF Diamond League. The dwell is much expected to be all Ethiopian showdowns particularly between newly introduced to international arena Tilahun Haile and World all time fourth fastest athlete Solomon Barega.
Tilahun Haile, the fastest this season at 12:52.98, will be facing stiff competition, including compatriot Solomon Barega, whom he narrowly defeated in the series’ leg in Rome, Barega clocking 12:53.04.
The field also includes Asian champion Birhanu Balew of Bahrain, Ethiopia’s reigning world champion Muktar Edris and his compatriot Abadi Hadis, who clocked 12:56.48 in that fast Rome race. Olympic silver medalist Paul Chelimo from the US and Kenyan Nicholas Kipkorir Kimeli will also be on the start line. Balew won in Lausanne last year in 13:01.09, a world at the time.
Swiss road running star Julien Wanders will be taking to the track as well, along with Henrik Ingebrigtsen of Norway.
Salwa Eid Naser will lead the field in the women’s 400m. The 21-year-old, who sped to silver at the 2017 World Championships, has already collected a series of victories in Shanghai, Rome and Rabat. She’ll face Jamaican trio Chrisann Gordon, Stephenie Ann McPherson and Shericka Williams and Courtney Okolo of the US.
Solomon Barega and Tilahun Bekele hot for men’s 5000m in Lusanne
Demolishing history
The 87 years old Buffet de la Gare was demolished on Saturday June 15, by the Kirkos Sub City officials. The historic place was in the process of being listed as a cultural heritage site of Addis Ababa by the city’s Culture and Tourism bureau. Famous Ethiopian jazz singers made their names in the 60s and 70s in this place. “This is destroying the history of the city, it is unacceptable, what is going to be next?” said one resident of Addis Ababa who was watching the demolition as it took place.
Agency starts signing agreement for 40/60 condos
The Addis Ababa Housing Development & Administration Agency (AAHDAA), which is responsible for transferring homes to lottery winners, started signing contractual agreements last Tuesday for the 40/60 condos drawn in the recent lottery, Capital learned.
Along with AAHDAA, the Commercial Bank of Ethiopia has also started loan contractual agreements at their one window system service located around Megenagna.
The contractual agreement which is valid for the next 60 days will deliver 17,000 houses to their owners after they are finished in around a year.
Once people win the lottery, they go to Megenagna to sign the agreement. They must bring a copy of their savings account book for the condo, their first agreement, photos, and ID card and a certified paper saying no house is registered in their name.
In the previous condo lottery draw the houses were put in to the agreement after it was published on Addis Lisan, the Addis Ababa City Government newspaper. But the recent contractual agreement is being carried out with no publication on the newspaper for the winners in.
But the people who are registered in this scheme and saved the full money of the houses are throwing critics on AAHDAA for starting contractual agreement when some issues are still unresolved in the court.
“In the previous condo draw the people who saved the full money for the house were told that they will get a priority to win the lottery and get the houses but contrary to this procedure the agency included the people in the recent lottery who have not saved the full money and we brought the case to court and more than 2,000 houses are blocked and some other people are on the way to open file to block the houses and the agency made a mistake while the issue is still in court.’’
“As a government when something is given to somebody there must be clear environment that is not disturbing it. In case of 40/60 there is great opposition among the full amount saver but the agency is transferring it. This is by passing the law,” said some of those who paid the full amount to get the houses.
Capital asked AAHDAA why the agency has started the contractual agreement when the case is still pending at court. The agency replied that the blocked houses are just not more than 300 and the agency have a reserved house if the people who sued get verdict to get house.
Capital also asked why the agency did not start the 20/80 condo houses contractual agreement for the 37,000 houses that is drawn in this Ethiopian year.
The agency replied that there are some administrative issues that need to be resolved before the contractual agreements begin.
Currently 100,000 condo houses are being built around the disputed Koye Feteche sites and 20,000 houses of 40/60 around Bole Hayat and Bole Arabssa but over 820,000 people are waiting for homes under both plans.
Twenty exporters face severe consequences
The Ministry of Trade and Industry (MoTI) warn 20 high level exporters including prominent actors saying that they will take legal action unless they cease their illegal export behavior immediately, Capital has learned.
In a letter signed by Misganu Arega (Amb), State Minister of MoTI, and copied to the Minister of MoTI, Ministry of Revenue, Office of the Attorney General and Ethiopian Commodity Exchange Authority the state minister accused exporters of selling under the price they bought at the trading floor at Ethiopian Commodity Exchange (ECX). The letter that Capital reviewed stated that one company exported sesame seeds under the price it bought at ECX and goes on to warn the exporter to normalize the business.
In the past the government claimed that the number of exporters was growing, but export earnings failed to grow. For instance, the number of agricultural exporters in the past budget year has grown but export revenue went down.
The government says that some unethical business people have become exporters with the intention of selling products below its actual price to get foreign currency and then turn around and purchase items to import into the country in order to earn huge profits.
Recently the price of some commodities mainly sesame seeds and soya bean, which joined the ECX trading floor at the beginning of the year, has hiked significantly due to buyers, most of which are also importers, buy products at a loss and export it to get foreign currency to import other items.
For instance at the beginning of May during trading at ECX, sesame seeds maxed out at over 7,120 birr per quintal for Humera Type, which had been trading at 6,600 birr on April 30.
Experienced and long established exporters expressed their anger and say that the government must take action to avoid a disaster waiting to happen.
In its letter the ministry recalled many previous discussions with relevant actors in November last year about the issue and need for correction. The ministry also mentioned that 100 exporters are engaged in illegal acts and that it would review their business license and activity if they continue in this way. At the time Misganu told Capital that his office is working prudently to take measures.
“If the system stabilizes we will be competing at the trading floor based on the international market instead of the artificial one created by actors who target only foreign currency instead of profit from export only. And every actor must activate properly,” exporters who have been affected by illegal trading told Capital.
“The traditional exporters working with established international brands who were employing people are leaving the business because of these unethical practices, so we will work to put a stop to this,” Misganu told Capital.
Exporters are recommending the government through the National Bank of Ethiopia (NBE) to follow the import activity instead of leaving it to commercial banks.
“The import sector is the major reason for the current mess in the export industry,” an exporter said.
Currently, importers only process their import activities at any commercial banks but if the central bank forms a department or facility to centralize the pro-forma invoice registration and follow the import sector easily it could help.
“If this system shall be applied it will tackle the multiple registration process by a single person in different banks and even give quotas for banks based on their foreign currency reserve instead of the current long lines to access the letter of credit (LC),” actors in the export/import business said.
“This system may cut unnecessary manipulation on the export market and create equal and fair access for LC operation,” they explained.
