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The Reporter, Saturday, January 16, 2016Vol. XX No. 1010 |1
Vol. XX No. 1010 | January 16, 2016 | ADDIS ABABA, ETHIOPIA www.thereporterethiopia.com
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Hawassa... page 9
Court drops... page 28
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Decade-long compromise
By Tamiru Tsige
The Federal Supreme Court yesterday dropped 17 out to the 23 charges established by the prosecutors of the Ethiopian Revenues and Customs Authority (ERCA) against Ayat SC and its founder and CEO Ayalew Tessema.
According to the court order, Ayalew’s 12-year sentence has been reduced to eight years while his top finance executives Mehari Mekonen, (PhD) and Getachew Agonafer, who were also sentenced by the Federal High Court to serve a 12-year prison and a 10-year term, had their sentences reduced to five and seven years, respectively.
It was back on May 22, 2013, that the
Court drops
17 counts
against
Ayalew et al
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2| The Reporter, Saturday, January 16, 2016 Vol. XX No. 1010
Computer SecretariesBirtukan Abate, Helen Yetayew,
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Senior Editors Yacob Wolde-Mariam
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EditorsKaleyesus Bekele
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Published weekly by Media & Communications Center
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The gravest challenges presently facing the entire nation are bad governance, miscarriage of justice and rampant corruption. It’s through the unswerving commitment of the government, and more importantly, bringing about a mass movement that these challenges can be overcome. Though the government has repeatedly vowed to root out such misdeeds and take action against the perpetrators, no meaningful steps have been taken so far save for sporadicmeasures. There is a clear lack of resolve to bring to justice government officials culpable of egregious crimes so that they receive the punishment they deserve under the law.
Although no deep-rooted problem can be resolved overnight, we need to see efforts involving the public at large and point to the existence of seriousness that goes beyond paying lip service. There are a host of reasons that make it imperative to address this critical issue. The eruption of pent-up frustration owing to bad governance, miscarriage of justice and endemic corruption is liable to threaten the nation’s peace and stability. The absence of a mechanism which allows the public to express its grievance against selfish individuals in leadership positions from the federal government down to local administrations has engendered a sense of disenfranchisem*nt. The administrative malpractices, abuse of power, miscarriage of justice and misappropriation of public funds and properties they are guilty of are exacting a heavy toll on the country.
Federal government institutions are the biggest source of public discontent. Greedy and incompetent elements within the bureaucracy who are past masters at exploiting loopholes are robbing taxpayers blind through a corruption network they have forged with callous middlemen. Unfortunately, these individuals have the ascendancy over conscientious public servants who discharge their duties responsibly. How long can they be countenanced to bleed the country dry?
At the regional level as well there abound officials who violate the constitutionally guaranteed rights of citizens to liberty of movement, work and acquire property anywhere within the territory of Ethiopia by dispossessing them of their land and forcing them to flee. They also engage in illicit practices in cahoots with their cohorts by amassing millions in ill-gotten gains. Why is it unable to purge them from its rank and make them face the music? No wonder then that the public’s confidence in the government has plummeted.
These elements work hard at preaching difference, discord, tribalism and cynicism instead of promoting unity, solidarity, nationalism and optimism. Though over two decades have passed since the new federal Ethiopia was touted to have been built through the will of its people, visionless individuals who still cling to myopic attitudes are proving to be impediments. They are undermining good governance and justice—the pillars of democracy and national unity—thereby undermining the aspirations of the public and endangering the very survival of the nation. How long should they be tolerated?
The danger that bad governance, miscarriage of justice and endemic corruption pose is not just hypothetical; it’s real and has deadly consequences for ordinary folks. The deadly protests that engulfed the Oromia regional state are a case in point. Accusations that anti-peace forces based abroad are behind the protests notwithstanding, there is no denying that local officials who for long have subjected citizens to ordeal had a hand in the deaths, injuries property damage that they caused by steering the peaceful and legitimate question of the public on the path to violence. Will they ever be held to account?
Whether we like it or not, there is no better system of governance than democracy. If democracy is properly practiced Ethiopia will become a country where diverse opinions are entertained, rights are freely exercised, the national interest takes precedence over the interests of certain groups, the nation’s resources are equitably distributed, there is no place for those who think they can do whatever they please withimpunity, and citizens are truly the ultimate depositories of power.
As we always say the rule of law should be upheld. Otherwise, the bad governance, miscarriage of justice and unbridled corruption we see today is bound to worsen further. Needless to say, it’s only when the constitution is faithfully implemented to the letter and spirit that the rule of law can be respected. It is primarily up to the government to obey and enforce the law. If it neglects this singularly critical obligation and concentrates on consolidating its hold on power, the consequences will be dire for the country and its people. This is why the importance of ensuring that each and every public servant and official are held to account for their action can never be overemphasized.
Holding law-breakers to account
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The Reporter, Saturday, January 16, 2016Vol. XX No. 1010 |3HEADLINES
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The Reporter, Saturday, January 9, 2015
Vol. XX No. 1009
IN-DEPTH
Nature has bestowed upon
Ethiopia various mineral
and hydrocarbon resources.
Gold, gemstone, metallic and
industrial minerals are found in
different parts of the country.
Oil seepages are noted in various
regions. However, Ethiopia
has not been able to extract its
mineral and petroleum resources
the way it was supposed to,
writes Kaleyesus Bekele.
Ethiopia is also endowed with a range of industrial
minerals deposits including potash, lime-stones, coal,
and dolomite, among others. Speaking of minerals most
people think that only gold, diamond and oil are the
essential ones. However, industrial minerals also play a
pivotal role in economic development.
A huge deposit of potash mineral has been found in
the Afar region, Dalol depression. During the Italian
potash to Italy via the port of Massawa. But the owners
“The country
spends hundreds
of millions of
dollars to import
products that
could be produced
locally”
Ethiopia is not very much known in the
mining world. Except for the small scale
gold, tantalum and gemstones exports
the country is not in the list of major
mineral exporters in Africa. There are no
large-scale mines in Ethiopia. The only
large-scale mine is operated by MIDROC
Gold in southern Ethiopia. The company
annually produces four tons of gold in the
Lega Dembi mine in the Oromia Regional
State. It mainly exports the gold bullions to
Switzerland. MIDROC’s Lega Dembi Gold
mine is ranked 170th in the world in terms
of value of production in 2012.
The state-owned Ethiopian Minerals
Development SC (EMDSC) mines tantalum
concentrate in the Kenticha mine in the
Oromia Regional State in the Guji zone.
The tantalum concentrate is mainly
exported to China.
In the south, there is also a small state-
owned mine called Adola, where placer
(alluvial) gold has been mined for over half
a century. Placer gold has been mined in
Ethiopia for more than 2,000 years, but a
significant large-scale mining sector has
not been developed yet.
More than one million people are engaged
in artisanal mining primarily focused
on gold. Artisanal miners pan eight tons
of gold every year fetching a significant
amount of foreign currency.
Gemstones, mainly opal, is produced by
artisanal miners. Rough gemstones are
exported to India, Europe and the United
States. The Ethiopian Ministry of Mines,
Petroleum and Natural Gas (MoMPNG)
is encouraging and assisting artisanal
miners. Tantalum is also produced by
artisanal miners. Artisanal miners
generate more than 400 million dollars, the
lion’s share coming from gold export.
The country has a vast geological
formation bearing gold, “Green belt”,
covering a large area in the northern,
southern and western parts of Ethiopia but
little is explored and extracted.
Ethiopia is also endowed with a range of
industrial minerals deposits including
potash, lime-stones, coal, iron ore,
tantalite, field spar, quartz, dimension
stones and dolomite, among others.
Speaking of minerals most people think
that only gold, diamond and oil are the
essential ones. However, industrial
minerals also play a pivotal role in
economic development.
“The country spends hundreds of millions
of dollars to import products that could
be produced locally,” Lemma Bayissa,
Prospects and red-tape
in the mining sectora local mining consultant, says. “For
instance, take glass sheets, glass and
bottles. These products are made of silica
mineral which is abundantly found in
the rift valley. However, since we do not
have the factories, the country annually
spends millions of dollars to imports these
products,” Lemma told The Reporter.
According to information obtained from
the Ethiopian Revenues and Customs
Authority, Ethiopia spends more than
one billion birr only on glass and bottle
imports.
Iron ore is found in Western Wellega,
Oromia Regional State, and the Shire
area in the Tigray Regional State. These
resources have not yet been surveyed
thoroughly and it has not been extracted.
And yet a huge amount of foreign currency
is spent on iron steel imports.
A huge deposit of potash mineral has been
found in the Afar region, Dalol depression.
During the Italian invasion of 1936-1940 the
colonizers used to transport potash to Italy
via the port of Massawa. But the owners
of the wealth have not been able to utilize
the resource to date. Potash is mainly
used to produce fertilizer. The Ethiopian
government spends more than 100 million
dollars on fertilizer imports yearly. While
nature has stored huge coal deposit in
western Ethiopia, factories use furnace oil
imported with foreign currency.
In the past 25 years no new mine was
opened in Ethiopia. The Lega dembi
Gold mine was discovered and became
operational by the former Union of Soviet
Socialist Republics (USSR) when the Derg
regime was in power some 30 years ago.
Ethiopia has a significant petroleum
potential. Oil seepage has been reported
around Gelemsso, Gewane, Jijiga, Bale
and Wereyelu localities. Oil and gas shows
were noted in the exploration wells drilled
in the Ogaden basin. A natural gas reserve
was discovered in the Calub and Hilala
locality estimated at four trillion cubic feet
(TCF). Forty years have elapsed since the
gas discovery was made but the resource
has not been developed for various
reasons.
Why did Ethiopia fail to utilize its
mineral resources?
Ethiopians who watch officials of the
MoMPNG signing mineral and petroleum
exploration agreements on national TV
often ask why they do not see the projects
come to fruition.
Lemma says that mineral and petroleum
exploration and development work takes a
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The Reporter, Saturday, January 9, 2015
Vol. XX No. 1009
Q & AEthiopia is endowed with mineral resources. It also has significant untapped petroleum
resources. However, the country has not been able to utilize its natural resources.
The contribution of the mining sector to the country’s GDP is minimal. Now the
government of Ethiopia is committed to unleash the potential of the mining sector. In
the Second Growth and Transformation Plan (GTP-II) the mining sector is expected to
significantly contribute to the speedy economic development the country is registering.
Kaleyesus Bekele of The Reporter sat down with Tolossa Shagi, the Minister of
Mines, Petroleum and Natural Gas, at his office and discussed the challenges and
opportunities in the mining sector. Excerpts:
Phot
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The Reporter: Can you tell us
about the plans outlined in the
first Growth and Transformation
Plan (GTP-I) and the achievements
made in the mining sector? It
is clear that you did not attain
all your targets. What were the
impediments you faced in fulfilling
your plan?
Tolossa Shagi: The planning of
GTP-I was based on our performance
registered until the end of 2010. At
that time the artisanal mining sector
especially gold production was
registering a remarkable performance.
We were working with the National
Bank of Ethiopia (NBE) and the
Ethiopia Geological Survey to control
illicit gold trade and we were tying
to bring in more gold to the NBE.
We succeeded in drawing more gold
produced by artisanal miners to the
central bank.
The government secured better
amount of foreign currency from gold
export. Based on this remarkable
performance we set out our plan for
GTP-I. In the first two years of the
GTP-1 we did pretty well (2010-2012).
The price of gold in the international
market was sky rocketing. The price of
an ounce of gold was more than 1,700
dollars. We benefited from the price
hike. In the wake of the gold market
crash in 2013, our revenue began
declining.
How much did you plan to garner
from mineral export and how much
did you actually fetch?
Our initial projection was attainable;
however, after we evaluated the
remarkable performance of the first
two years, we reviewed our plan and
decided to boost the figures. Our
revised plan was to collect 800 million
dollars yearly from mineral export.
Until 2013 we used to collect more than
600 million dollars. But then the price
of gold in the global market soared
and the amount of foreign currency
we generated declined sharply. The
amount of gold export also plumbed.
Due to this reason we were unable to
attain our ambitious plan set up in the
GTP-I.
Is the price decline the only reason
for missing the targets of GTP-I?
Yes and the main reason is the gold
market crash. Due to the price decline,
companies reduced their produce.
Artisanal miners ,too, slashed their
production. It is not only the price
of gold that went down; the price of
other commodities such as tantalum
also soared. Companies and artisanal
miners were discouraged to produce
more. Consequently, the amount
of gold and tantalum, which were
channeled to the international market,
declined. This is not a peculiar
problem to Ethiopia. Major mineral
exporting countries suffered a lot. We
are beginners but the impact on major
mineral exporting countries is severe.
What is expected from the mining
sector in GTP-II?
The mining sector is expected to
augment the country’s economic
growth. Securing an adequate amount
of foreign currency is a big challenge
for us. So the mining sector is expected
to generate a substantial amount of
foreign currency.
We are striving to attract foreign
mining firms. We are providing the
required assistance for companies
engaged in mineral exploration
projects. We are also approaching
and assisting traditional miners to
boost their production by applying
modern techniques. Though the price
of commodities declined, we should
be able to compensate the lost income
by exporting more products. We
should increase the amount of gold
and tantalum that we export, though
the prices of these commodities went
down.
Moreover, we should identify the red
tapes in the artisanal miners and work
to resolve the problems. The Ethiopian
Geological Survey should be result-
oriented and identify prospective
areas for gold discovery. It should drill
in areas where gold bearing rocks are
found and assist artisanal miners.
With the view of boosting gold
export, we allowed investors and
companies to engage in placer
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to develop the
mining sector
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The Reporter, Saturday, January 9, 2015
Vol. XX No. 1009
LIVING & THE ARTS
The holiday season
upon them, Christmas
shoppers have come
out in number to
one of the oldest and
biggest markets
in the capital—
Mercato. Nevertheless,
underneath the
holiday shopping
commotion, Mercato
is exhibiting another
dynamic: a process
that is set in motion by
the drive to transform
Mercato and small
vendors who struggle
to find their place,
writes Henok Reta.
A city within a city. Better yet, a
community within a community. If
there is one place that can bear this
name proudly in Addis Ababa, it is
Mercato. Once dubbed the largest open
marketplace in the continent, Mercato
has a very important place in the social
fabric of the city. For one, the first thing
that comes to mind when an Addis
Ababa in is planning to do a major
shopping is Mercato.
The area is said to be establish by
segregationist policies of the Italian
occupational government to serve
as a marketplace during the Italian
occupation, when it was called Mercato
Indigino – market of the indigenous.
The intention was to marginalize the
local marketers from the center of the
city, Arada Giorgis, which the Italians
called Piazza and where they opened
shops for their convenience.
They say Mercato is a place where
everything except a human being is up
for sale; and it is the place for the best
price bargain that one can imagine to
get in Addis Ababa.
Business is done uniquely in Mercato.
There are products lying on every
narrow ally and street of Mercato
as much as there are in the big well-
structured shops. Insiders say mostly
there is little difference in quality
between goods on the streets and those
in shops. And there is a small matter of
paying proper taxes and the associated
pricing of the products.
If it is your first time to Mercato,
you would be definitely surprised or
even confused to be asked what kind
of product you buy or if a complete
stranger who has nothing but his phone
on him making you an offer on certain
products. Yes, this is another unique
feature of Mercato, a gang of brokers
and commission agents who are fighting
with street vendors to snatch away
potential customers. In fact, this is the
legal shops’ way of responding to the
stiff competition that is coming from the
street vendors.
Legalities aside, the street sale in
Mercato has been the single most
reason why the market was accorded
the largest open market status. But,
Merctao has been undergoing a major
transformation in the past few years.
A lot has to do with the government’s
push to legalize and control the multi-
million birr trading that is going on in
Mercato on a daily basis. Now, high-
rise malls and marketplaces being
constructed in Mercato are changing
the face of this old market for good.
Amidst holiday shopping spree this
week, The Reporter observed that small
street vendors, although struggling, are
still trying to stay visible in Mercato.
“We can never find a place like Merkato
to sell our goods,” says Engidaw
Melaku, 23, who came from Gojjam in
search of better life.
Engidaw sells household utensils in
several places in the capital. He is
among the group of vendors who don’t
Mercato’s minnows
fighting for a place
n
g
is t small
ng, are
cato.
Merkato
w jjam in
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He is
who don’t
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The Reporter, Saturday, January 9, 2015
Vol. XX No. 1009
#REPORTERBOOK
R
R
#SaudiMock
Cartoons highlight anger at
Saudi Arabia
Zuckerberg aims to build virtual
assistant
Cartoons taunting Saudi Arabia’s membership of the United
Nations human rights council have gone viral on social media after
the kingdom executed 47 people in one day.
While the regime’s interior minister claimed most of the 47
executed had been involved in the deadly 2003 and 2004 Al-Qaeda
attacks, a prominent Shia cleric, Sheik Nimr al-Nimr, was also put
to death. He was a vocal supporter of the mass anti-government
protests that flared up in the kingdom’s Eastern Province in 2011.
The UN’s top human rights official has strongly criticized the
executions. Zeid Raad al-Hussein says the killing of Sheik al-Nimr
was “a very disturbing development indeed, particularly as some of
those sentenced to death were accused of non-violent crimes.”
In retaliation to the state executions people on social media started
sharing cartoons mocking the Saudi regime’s membership of the
United Nations human rights council. See the cartoons on the right
This year, Mark Zuckerberg wants to be more like Tony Stark.
In a Facebook post Sunday, the social network’s founder and
chief executive said his personal challenge for 2016 is to build an
assistant powered by artificial intelligence to help him at home
and work. “You can think of it kind of
like Jarvis,” Zuckerberg wrote,
referring to the artificial-
intelligence assistant used by
Stark, the fictional main character
played by actor Robert Downey Jr.
in the movie “Iron Man.”
Zuckerberg said he would code
the AI assistant himself and
start by exploring pre-existing
technologies. He plans to train his
virtual assistant to understand
his voice and help guide
responsibilities at his home, such as keeping watch over infant
daughter Max.
“I’ll teach it to let friends in by looking at their faces when they
ring the doorbell,” Zuckerberg wrote in his post. “I’ll teach it to
let me know if anything is going on in Max’s room that I need
to check on when I’m not with her. On the work side, it’ll help
me visualize data in [virtual reality] to help me build better
services and lead my organizations more effectively.”
AI-powered digital assistants such as Apple Inc.’s Siri,
Alphabet Inc.’s Google Now and Microsoft Corp.’s Cortana are
commanding a lot of attention in Silicon Valley. Facebook Inc.
is developing its own artificial-intelligence assistant called “M,”
which is embedded in its Facebook Messenger app. (The Wall
Street Journal)
INSI
DE
By Kaleyesus Bekele
The Chinese petroleum company, Poly-GCL Petroleum Group Holding Limited, is conducting well-testing in the two gas appraisal wells it drilled in the Calub and Hilala gas fields in the Ogaden basin.
Poly-GCL recently finalized the drilling of two gas appraisal wells in the gas fields. In the history of oil exploration in Ethiopia, Poly-GCL has become the first company to import and operate two drilling rig machines.
Tolosa Shagi, the Minister of Mines, Petroleum and Natural Gas, told The Reporter that this is the first time for an oil company to operate two drilling
machines in Ethiopia. Tolosa said the wells will enable the company to determine the gas reserves in the Calub and Hilala gas fields.
Poly-GCL started drilling Calub11 and Hilala5 appraisal wells in October 2015. A senior petroleum expert at the Ministry of Mines, Petroleum and Natural Gas, told The Reporter that experts of Poly-GCL are conducting the well-testing. “This is not an effort to check if there is gas in the wells. But this test will enable them to learn about the gas reserves that were discovered many years ago. They are trying to confirm the gas reserves,” the expert said.
Previously, 10 wells were drilled in
the Calub gas fields. Out of these eight were made ready for gas production. The Calub gas field is located 1200 km south-east of Addis Ababa. Hilala is 80 km further to the east.
According to the petroleum expert, Poly-GCL will prepare a gas field development plan based on the reserve estimate. The gas reserves in Calub and Hilala are estimated to be four TCF (trillion cubic feet). Another 0.6 TCF gas reserve was discovered by Petronas, Malaysian oil and gas giant, in Genale locality.
Poly-GCL is acquiring 3D and 2D seismic data from its concession in the Ogaden basin. Officials of the Ministry of Mine, Petroleum and Natural Gas,
are happy with the progress Poly-GCL is making.“They have intensified the seismic data collection. They are using two rigs to conduct drilling appraisal and exploration wells. They are doing a very good job,” Tolosa said.
In November 2013, Poly-GCL signed a petroleum development agreement with the Ethiopian Ministry of Mines that would enable the company to develop the Calub and Hilala gas fields located 1200 km south-east of Addis Ababa. The company has also agreed to search for oil and gas in eight exploration blocks in the Ogaden area with a total area of 117,151sq.km.
Poly-GCL conducts well testing
Poly-GCL... page 9
By Yohannes Anbebir
This week, the government of Ethiopia has commenced with cleaning up the longstanding mess at Access Real Estate SC, with police arresting Ermias Amelga, founder and board chairman of the real estate company, on Monday while continuing its investigation on the board of directors and shareholders of the company.
The investigation will not be limited to the real estate company; it will also examine government official’s involvement if there is any, Justice Minister, Getachew Ambaye, assured victims on a consultative meeting between home buyers and the technique committee held on Monday before the arrest of Ermias.
More than 2500 individuals have entered a contractual agreement six years ago to buy homes from the real estate company. Almost all the 2500 individuals have paid the full amount, some of them in foreign currency from abroad via wire transfer believing that the company will deliver on its promise to construct and handover the homes within 18 months.
Access Real Estate has collected a total of 1.4 billion birr but before a row broke between the home buyers and the
House cleaning at Access Real Estate
House cleaning... page 9 Ermias Amelga (L) at the meeting before his arrest.
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4| The Reporter, Saturday, January 16, 2016 Vol. XX No. 1010
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6| The Reporter, Saturday, January 16, 2016 Vol. XX No. 1010HEADLINES
NEWS IN BRIEF
Six Al-Shabaab fighters arrested in
security swoop in Somalia
AfDB approves USD 76.11 mln loan
Africa Union (AU) peacekeepers and Somalia government forces on Wednesday arrested six Al-Shabaab fighters in a joint security operation at Lego neighborhood in lower Shabelle region, southern Somalia.Somali government official in Lego, Abukar Isak, said the operation was conducted in Jame’o, Yakbari-weyne and Lego regions, adding that it was not clear whether key leaders of the Islamist group were killed during the operation.“Somali National Army with support from AMISOM conducted a joint security operation against Al-Shabaab terrorist group here in Lower Shabelle region earlier today. We arrested six suspects and recovered weapons during the operation, we believe they are Al-Shabaab fighters,” Isak said.He said the suspects who are being held in custody will be interrogated with a view to getting more information from them that may lead to the arrest of their colleagues still at large in the region.The Al-Qaeda-linked group has engaged the AU peacekeepers and the Somali government in near daily attacks especially in Mogadishu and regions bordering Kenya.(Xinhua)
The Board of Directors of the continental development bank, the African Development Bank Group (AfDB), on Wednesday, January 13, 2016 approved a loan of USD 76.11 million from the AfDB financing window to Ethiopia for the implementation of the four towns’ water supply and sanitation improvement program.The four program beneficiary towns are Adama in Oromia, Adwa in Tigray, Bichena in Amhara and Gode in Somali regional states.The program aims to improve the health and socio-economic development of the residents of the four towns through increased access to sustainable water supply and sanitation services and improvement in the delivery of the service.The aggregate average water supply and sanitation access in the four beneficiary towns is estimated at 53 percent for water supply and 76 percent for sanitation and the program plans to increase both to 100 percent by 2020, benefiting 635,000 residents of the towns and approximately 227,000 people in other nearby villages, towns and rural population indirectly. (Press Release)
By Kaleyesus Bekele
The Ethiopian Airlines is going to inaugurate the expansion project it has undertaken on its aviation academy at a cost of 55 million dollars.
The airline has put up multipurpose buildings that will be used for classrooms, dormitories, library, an IT center and cafeterias at the premises of the headquarters of the airline. The aviation academy trains pilots, aircraft maintenance technicians, cabin crew and marketing professionals.
Due to the ever-increasing demand for its basic and recurrent training programs from domestic and international customers, the Ethiopian Aviation Academy is currently undergoing massive transformation by heavily investing in equiping itself with modern training aircraft, computer-based trainers, simulators, and other ultra-modern facilities.
The cabin crew training school
recently bought and installed the first mockup aircraft, Cabin Emergency Evacuation Trainer (CEET), used to train cabin crew emergency evacuations. The CEET is fitted with an audio-visual system which includes pre-programmed emergency scenarios such as aborted take-off, engine fire, gear collapse, turbulence, ditching and decompression. The second CEET is on its way to Addis Ababa. Both CEET were manufactured and supplied by a Manchester-based company, EDM. The aviation academy will be inaugurated after two weeks in the presence of senior government officials, members of the diplomatic corps and board members of the airline.
Samuel Assefa, VP, Ethiopian Aviation Academy, told The Reporter that the airline has invested 55 million dollars to expand the aviation academy. Samuel said the aviation academy enrollment capacity grew by 400 percent to 1000
Ethiopian to inaugurate aviation academy
Ethiopian to.... page 27
Plan commissioner.... page 9
By Birhanu Fikade
The newly assigned Commissioner of the National Planning Commission, with a ministerial portfolio, Yinager Dessie (PhD), met with the local media announcing that second generation of the Growth and Transformation Plan (GTP-II), a plan expected to transform the country into Africa’s manufacturing hub, has entered into its commencement phase and expects moderate inflation in the plan period.
The Commissioner explained that in five years’ time a moderate
inflation, which is within tolerable limits, is expected to be one feature of macroeconomic environment. In recent months, the headline inflation rate which was largely tamed within single digits is showing an upward trend. In fact, the headline inflation since it passed the single digit limit has managed to peaked 12.4 percent although it showing signs of decline last month.
The Commissioner highlighted the second five-year plan in relation to the ambitious targets that are set to be achieved. The new economic plan, first
and for most, envisages to sustain an 11 percent annual GDP growth to achieve the middle income status by the end of 2025. The plan ambitiously sees to amass some half a trillion birr revenues from taxes. Both the public and private investment targeted to reach some 4.4 trillion birr in five years, the Commissioner explained. Furthermore, the country’s GDP is expected to reach some 2.5 trillion birr in the GTP-II period.
For that to materialize, huge financing is required. The state of the export regime, the drought and productivity
of agriculture and the industry sectors currently remain way too low to meet the extended financing needs, according to commentators. For instance, during the first quarter of the current fiscal year, export revenue is showing a further decline compared to the same period in the previous fiscal year.
As far as Yinager is concerned, the required finance would largely be mobilized from domestic sources. He, however, failed short of outlining the detailed plan to mobilize the finance
Plan commissioner announces commencement of GTP II
The new aviation academy building, which will be inaugurated at the end of this mints.
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The Reporter, Saturday, January 16, 2016Vol. XX No. 1010 |7HEADLINES
Ethiopian, Avianca Brazil enter into code-
share agreement
Ethiopia, Germany to host informal talks on
Sudan’s armed conflicts
Avianca Brazil and Ethiopian Airlines, both member of Star Alliance, have signed a code-share agreement to introduce code-share services between Brazil, Ethiopia, and future points beyond Ethiopia.
Through this partnership Avianca Brazil will add its code (O6) to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia connecting Brazil (GRU) to Africa (ADD), with the possibility for expansion to China and other viable Asian destinations.
On a reciprocal basis, the largest African carrier, Ethiopian, will be able to reach more destinations in Brazil through Avianca Brazil network under ET code.
Upon the official announcement made during the Star Alliance Chief Executive Board meeting held in Chicago, USA on December 9, 2015, CEO of Ethiopian Airlines Group, Tewolde Gebremariam, remarked, “I wish to thank Avianca, a fellow Star Alliance member, for this mutually beneficial codeshare partnership. Our codeshare partnership will give our customers traveling between Africa and Brazil, the best possible connectivity options with one ticket and one single check-in at first boarding airport.” (Press Release)
The African Union has said informal talks between the Sudanese government and the rebel Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-North (SPLM-N) would resume in the German capital Berlin on January 22.The AU announced that the first round of informal talks on Darfur between the government, the Justice and Liberation Movement (JEM) and Sudan Liberation Movement - Minni Minnawi (SLM-MM) be held in the Ethiopian town of Debre Zeit on January 23.The government and the SPLM-N last December held a successful first round of informal talks that allowed the two warring parties to build confidence and to better understand the positions of each other.The mediators hope that similar meetings on Darfur conflict could be a success and break the stalled talks with Darfur groups.Director of the African Union’s Liaison Office in Khartoum, Mahmoud Kan Thursday said this second round of informal talks between the Government and the SPLM-N will be held in Berlin on January 22 in collaboration with the German government. (Sudan Tribune)
By Yonas Abiye
The House of Peoples Representatives (HPR), during its regular session on Thursday, approved five Member of Parliament (MPs) nominated by the House Speaker, Abadulla Gemeda, to represent the house in the Pan-African Parliament (PAP), constituting the Pan-African Parliamentary group in the HPR.
PAP is one of the multi-member parliaments that the HPR is actively participating as part of its foreign policy framework.
The five MPs, who obtained absolute majority vote are sh*taye Minale, Deputy House Speaker, Atsibha Aregawi, Hordofa Bekele, Seharla Abdulahi and Tekle Tessema. sh*taye was selected to chair the parliamentary
group which will be a member of PAP.
The four members of the parliamentary group came from each major party in the ruling front the Ethiopian Peoples’ Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF): the Oromo People’s Democratic Organization (OPDO), the Tigryan Peoples Liberation Front (TPLF), the Amhara National Democratic Movement (ANDM) and the Southern Ethiopia Peoples’ Democratic Movement (SEPDM). Meanwhile, the one member of the group Seharla Abdulahi, an MP representing Somali People Democratic Party (SPDP), come from the group of parties referred to as affiliates.
Nevertheless, the representation in the group has not satisfied two MPs, themselves from affiliate parties, and objected demanding that more affiliates should have been represented in the
group. The Speaker, who made the nomination, was quick to dismiss the claims arguing that it is not a number game.
PAP is intended to be a platform for people from all African states to take part in discussions and decision-making process on the problems and challenges facing the continent. Currently, the Parliament sits in Midrand, South Africa.
The Parliament has up to 250 members representing the 50 AU Member States that have ratified the protocol establishing it (five members per Member State).
According to the PAP Rules of Procedure, a parliamentarian’s tenure of office begins on the date he
House approves MPs for Pan-African Parliament
House approves.... page 27
By Kaleyesus Bekele
The British gold exploration and development company, KEFI Minerals, on Wednesday announced that it is holding talks with debt financiers who have shown a keen interest in extending a 100 million dollars loan for the development of the Tulu Kapi gold mine in western Wellega.
KEFI said it is holding discussions with potential debt financiers who will stump up USD 100 million. The total capital cost of building Tulu Kapi gold mine is 120 million dollars.
In a statement issued on Wednesday, KEFI said it has agreed a series of tweaks and refinements to its Tulu Kapi gold project that enhanced further the economics of the planned mine. The company said the changes were made after discussions with potential
debt financiers, who will stump up 100 million out of the 120 million dollars of capital costs of building Tulu Kapi, and after talking to other partners.
The chairman of KEFI Minerals, Harry Anagnostaras-Adams, said the development and financing plan has been further improved with the syndicate of contractors and bankers which has emerged from rigorous international selection process. Harry said despite very tough capital market conditions, Tulu Kapi’s robust economics has attracted support for production start-up in 2017 as planned.
“Whilst we continue to optimise our financing options pending finalisation and approval by the National Bank of Ethiopia in mid-2016, we have already selected our preferred syndicate of contractors and the investors of equity and non-equity capital, and look
forward to working with this high calibre consortium to bring this project to fruition.”
The Tulu Kapi gold mine, which is under development at a cost of 120 million dollars, will have the capacity to produce 28,875 kg of gold in the coming ten years. After completing the feasibility study KEFI Minerals signed large-scale gold development agreement in April 2015 with the Ministry of Mines, Petroleum and Natural Gas. Under Ethiopia’s mining law the government of Ethiopia has a five percent stake on Tulu Kapi mine.
Recently, KEFI asked the Ethiopian government to invest up to 20 million dollars on infrastructure near the Tulu Kapi gold mine and increase its stake on the gold mine project. The
KEFI to secure USD 100 million for Tulu
Kapi Gold mine
KEFI to secure.... page 27Mela Industries.... page 27
By Henok Reta
Mela Industries, a local engineering firm, announced on Tuesday that it would start testing the Automatic Teller Machines (ATMs) that the company has manufactured and assembled locally.
According to Naol Addisu, CEO of Mela Industries, the ATMs have already been tested at a factory level but they need to be tested on a functional manner at the banks before getting into a full-fledged production.
“We have been approached by some of the banks so that delivery will no longer be delayed,” he said.
Mela Industries was established in 2013 with its plant in Sebeta, Oromia Regional State. Having the vision of creating East Africa’s first ATM manufacturing and assembly plant the company was founded with an investment cost of some 50 million birr.
Mela
Industries
to test
manufactured
ATM machines
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8| The Reporter, Saturday, January 16, 2016 Vol. XX No. 1010
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The Reporter, Saturday, January 16, 2016Vol. XX No. 1010 |9House cleaning...
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from domestic sources. However, the GTP-II document indicates that saving to GDP ratio is expected to reach some 29.6 percent. Domestic revenue is targeted to reach 19 percent in relation to the GDP and investment is planned to reach at 43 percent in the coming five years.
For the commissioner, lack of financing is not going to be a major hurdle for the government in executing the plan. For him, ensuring productivity, addressing quality issues and increasing exports of agricultural and industrial outputs is the major task the government has to complete.
Critical shortage of foreign currency, lack of execution capacity, widening of the trade deficit, low level of balance of payment, acute outages of power and the like are some of the issues that are challenging the macroeconomic environment at present. Yet, the commissioner eagerly stated that GTP-II will be a remedy to such challenges.
Agriculture, despite being affected by
the current drought and food shortages is expected to play a critical role. Currently, some 10 million people are experiencing food shortage in the country and for that reason some commodities like cereals and oil seeds but sesame have been banned from export. The action is believed to further hamper the ill-fated performance of the international trade of the country. However, the commissioner says these conditions will not seriously impact the exports. He explained the ban was instated to stabilize prices and maintain consumption trends intact.
When asked whether the government will consider further devaluation measures as the International Monetary Fund (IMF) are advising arguing the birr is overvalued against the major basket of currencies, Yinager reacted that the government prefers to exercise cautious when it comes to macroeconomic issues rather than jumping into measures. However, he indicated the existence of ample policy room should the government decided to do so.
Plan commissioner...
Poly-GCL plans to construct a 830 km gas pipeline all the way from the Calub and Hilala gas fields in the Ogaden basin to the Port of Djibouti and to build a gas treatment plant at the port. The company plans to produce three million tons of Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) annually and mainly export it to China through the port of Djibouti. The total amount of natural gas the company plans to pump out from the two gas fields each year is 4 billion cu. m. The total investment cost of the gas development project is estimated at four billion dollars. The company hopes to start gas production in 2018. Tolosa said the ministry expects the company to launch production at the end of the second GTP.
Experts say that the project is very complicated that production may not begin in 2018. “The pipeline design and construction work is time-consuming. Even the negotiation on the pipeline construction between the governments
of Ethiopia and Djibouti will take a prolonged time,” an independent petroleum expert told The Reporter.
“They also need to discover additional gas reserve in the vicinity of the existing gas fields. Other-wise the project might not be feasible. The constriction of 800km gas pipeline and a gas treatment plant is very capital-intensive. That could cost four billion dollars. And 4 TCF gas reserve might not be suffice to make profit out of the project,” the expert said.
The gas reserves in Calub and Hilala localities is estimated at 118 billion cubic meters (4TCF). The gas reserve was first discovered by an American oil company, Tenneco, in 1972. Crude oil reserve was also discovered in the Hilala block. A total of four wells were drilled in Hilala gas field. The Russian company, Soviet Petroleum Exploration Expedition (SPEE), confirmed the gas reserves in Calub and Hilala in the 1980s.
Poly-GCL...
Nonetheless, in past ten months, the action of Ermias was not living up to the expectation of officials and home buyers. The technical committee and the high level ministerial committee, who were looking into the case, found out that Access’s saga is a complicated case and have ruled it out as a criminal undertaking.
“The real estate company was not legally recognized for the last four years; therefore, we had to re-register the company with 31.2 million birr,” the justice minister told home buyers in the meeting. According to the minister, it would be difficult to protect home buyers’ rights if it is not a legal entity.
Mekuria Haile, chairman of the special committee, said on his part that there are 41 plots in various parts of the city associated with Access, some of them
are purchased illegally from individuals and companies, while some are secured with a joint venture arrangement with other real estate developers. “But there is no plot acquired legally by the company,” he said.
Asmelash Woldeselasie, government whip at the House of Peoples Representatives (HPR), also confirmed that the government will investigate how and when this company was formed; furthermore, how it performed as a business will also be looked into.
The special ministerial committee has offered a maximum of two weeks to the board of Access Real Estate to come up with a tangible solution, while another three weeks is given to the home buyers association to propose their own solution.
company. According to home buyers, Access has delivered nothing so far. It was also mysterious how the company failed to deliver one home in seven years time let alone in the 18-month deadline and was baffling where all the money had gone.
Mekuria Haile, Minister of Housing and Urban Development, said on Monday’s meet that, although Access is a real estate developer, not even a single square meter of land is registered legally under its name.
Mekuria is also a chairman to the high level committee setup by Prime Minister Hailemariam Dessalegn to protect the home buyers’ right and also to look into the overall problem.
There is also a technical committee chaired by Nuredin Ahmed, an advisor to the Trade Minister. This committee has negotiated with Ermias Amelga to bring him back home from Dubai where he was in self-exile in fear of prosecution regarding an alleged blank cheque he issued.
There were a total of 81 criminal charges against Ermias when he decided to come back in February, 2015. However, all the criminal cases were allegedly suspended by the government giving him a one year guarantee against any criminal charges against Ermias. According to some reports, the deal with the government requires Ermias to solve the problem within the given period of one year.
Partial view of the participants
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10| The Reporter, Saturday, January 16, 2016 Vol. XX No. 1010IN-DEPTH
Solomon Goshu.
Article 38 of the Draft Press Proclamation of 2000, prepared by the now defunct Ministry of Information, provided for the establishment of a Press Council. As per the draft, members of the Council were supposed to be drawn from the federal government, associations of journalists, journalists, publishers and the society at large. It also stated that the powers and responsibilities of the Council, the appointment of members and the working procedures will all be determined by the Council of Ministers. Such a move is a typical example of a statutory Press Council. Statutory Press Councils including that of Nigeria and Kenya are currently emerging in Africa. International rights groups and media watchdogs such as Article 19 and CPJ oppose a statutory body in favor of a self-regulatory council.
Their objection is based on the logic that as opposed to statutory Press Council, which invites the government to dictate terms on how the press should behave, the Press Council performs better when it is established as a voluntary body, formed and sponsored by the press; not answerable to the government. The primary aims of any Press Council is to preserve the freedom of the press while trying to ensure its responsibility, to further the efficiency of the profession and the wellbeing of those who practice it, and to resolve the grievances of those who feel that they have been wronged.
Press Councils are also known for drafting code of conduct and ethical standards for the practitioners, the possible breach of them having consequences. The great majority of Press Councils’ Code of Conduct, including Great Britain, Canada, and Israel, deals with accuracy, privacy, misrepresentation, harassment, decency, fairness, truth, objectivity, coverage of specified segments of the population (victims, minors, patients,…etc), racism, discrimination, freebies, and confidentiality of sources. Largely, Press Councils exist to show the public that the media industry is willing to self-regulate, and that there is no need for external regulation.
Having this in mind and considering the risk of political interference and abuse of government intervention, the Ethiopian media industry opposed the aforementioned proposed law. “We asked the government to withdraw the provision as we requested to establish it ourselves. The government’s response was positive. Even if we are too late to realize it, we are thankful of such an opportunity by the government,” Amare Aregawi, chairman
of the newly-established Media Council of Ethiopia, said in his speech delivered at the end of Ethiopian Media Council Establishment Conference held at the UN Conference Center on Tuesday.
Mimi Sebhatu, chairwoman of the Media Council Organizing Committee, said that the process of establishing a Media Council which admits its members on a voluntary basis facilitates the media industry to endorse a code of conduct that serves to ensure accountability and quality of service was full of ups and downs.
Despite discussions that spanned for nearly a decade, the country’s highly polarized media industry failed to bridge the difference amongst its players and a self-regulatory media council appeared illusive till this fateful date. As a result, the industry remained underdeveloped with unprofessional and unethical media practice frustrating the larger public.
In the meantime, the government grew impatient as it declared that it has waited long enough. During World Press Day celebration held at Ghion Hotel on May 3, 2014, Redwan Hussien, former head of the Government Communications Affairs Office (GCAO), said the government would set up a statutory media council if media stakeholders fail to establish a self-regulatory body.
But media stakeholders remained determined to avoid a statutory body. And it was with such determination that they held what was dubbed by some as “The Last Consultative Forum” on October 9 and 10, 2014 at the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA). The consultative forum brought together representatives from media establishments, journalists’ associations, civic societies and government agencies. The October 2014 national media consultation forum generated passionate and detailed discussion that has helped refine the draft constitution and code of conduct for the Ethiopian Media Council.
The two-day forum was hailed as a success in that agreements were reached in many of the dividing issues. Issues such as government representation within the Ethics Panel, the body tasked to adjudicate complaints against the media, and source of income for the council were the major dividing issues. In the establishment conference, agreements were reached on all pending issues. However, some participants still expressed their concerns and reservations on similar issues.
Game changer
By any stroke of measurement, the state
Decade-long compromise:The coming of the Ethiopian Media Council
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The Reporter, Saturday, January 16, 2016Vol. XX No. 1010 |11IN-DEPTH
From left: Zerihun Teshome of Zami FM, Tamrat Gebregiorgis of Fortune newspaper, Debebe Woldegabriel, an attorney and consultant and Amare Aregawi of MCC on the podium.
of media in Ethiopia is extremely weak. Particularly, the number and circulation of the print media is one of the lowest even by African standards. For a society as diverse as Ethiopia and with over 90 million population, many of whom are youth, the existing media outlets are far from the expected range. Furthermore, the performance of the existing media outlets suffers from many setbacks.
Many factors are mentioned as the causes for the weak status of the media in Ethiopia. Obviously, above everything else, government interference is mentioned as the main cause. The government interference is explained in terms of closing down media houses, harassing and imprisoning their editors and journalists, and putting undue pressure that forces journalists to censor themselves. As a result, commentators argue that despite the existence of a well articulated constitutional guarantee of freedom of expression in the country, there is hardly any free press or freedom for political dissent.
However, it is also argued that the status of freedom of expression is not only affected by the actions of the government. It is indicated that the broad constituency that helps freedom of expression to thrive is missing in Ethiopia. One of the key foundations for the media to flourish is the existence of professional, ethical and law abiding media practitioners. To the contrary, it is a well documented fact that unprofessional, irresponsible, and unethical media practitioners have punctuate the Ethiopian media landscape since its inception in 1991.
The Government highlights the lack of
ethical and professional responsibility on the side of the private media. Of course, this concern is shared by independent observes as well. Independent researchers pointed out that these media outlets concentrated on entertaining but too often sensational and inaccurate stories, championed the interests of particular groups, and competed with each other to attack and distort the motivation of government officials. For instance, it is identified that Ethiopian private newspapers were run by “under-qualified individuals.” Birhanu Olana, journalist and media researcher, states: “The prolonged debate on the role of professionals in Ethiopian journalism most often associated with the political influence of those in power, giving little attention to the practice and professional ideology of journalists working in the mass media.”
The establishment of a Media Council is a convenient instrument to tackle at least the later problem in Ethiopia. In her opening remarks, Ahunna Eziakonwa-Onochie, UN Resident Coordinator, referred to the establishment of the Media Council as “a notable milestone and what could possibly be a true game changer in the history of Ethiopian media.” For Eziakonwa-Onochie, building a strong media council will help promote ethical, professional and excellence in Ethiopian journalism and promotes dialogue that pushes forward the development of this country that all participants hold dearly.
For Tamrat Gebregiorgis, managing editor of the English weekly Fortune newspaper, the Media Council is a convenient dispute settlement mechanism where the media industry
and its practitioners correct each other. “It will keep the balance between the rights and responsibilities of the practitioners. Lawmakers imposed media laws which they think are rational and proper based on their own understanding whether we like it or not. However, before we even face the mandatory law we need to self-regulate ourselves. The Council will also help the media industry to protect itself from established interest groups,” he said.
Peer pressure is the other important aspect of the Media Council for Tamrat. “We are willing to be adjudicated by our peers. There will be naming and shaming. The decisions of the Media Council will be disclosed to the public through other media outlets. Those who find themselves at the recipient end of the wrong doing will face the threat of their credibility being questioned,” he said.
As is common in other media councils, the Code of Conduct of the Ethiopian Media Council, which is approved in the conference, deals with truthfulness, accuracy, objectivity, impartiality and fairness. Participants of the conference raised some questions and asked for clarification and intention of the legislator. “This code of conduct is the result of compromise. The working group has its reservations on some of the issues. However, we have tried to compile the minimum standard taking the FDRE Constitution as a standard,” Tamrat responded.
Getachew Reda, head of Government Communication Affairs Office, stressed that it is the conviction of the government that influential and organized media will deepen and broaden the democratic process in the
country as it serves to be the eyes and ears of the public that ensures public interest. Getachew argues that the government always welcomes ethical, professional and responsible media that stands for the public interest and the rights of its members.
Getachew also opines that media-government partnership better serves the country than confrontation. “This does not mean that the media is duty bound to cover everything the government wants. The government is cognizant of the fact that the media is accountable to its purpose and the public. As a result, problems and gaps created by the government may as well be entertained alongside the good deeds of the government as long as they are contributing to the creation of national consensus and the consolidation of the democratic system,” Getachew said.
Exclusion of online media
The Articles of Association of the Media Council under Article 5 excludes online media from its scope of application or jurisdiction if it is not related with the online products of the print and broadcasting media outlets already members to the Council. The members of the online media expressed its complaint on the conference as well as through different medium.
Zerihun Teshome, one of the key players in the establishment process of the Council representing Zami FM Radio, justifies the exclusion of online media for two reasons. One is the absence of legal framework governing online media in Ethiopia. Second is inconvenience including
Decade long.... page 26
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12| The Reporter, Saturday, January 16, 2016 Vol. XX No. 1010INTERVIEW
ArkebeOqubay (PhD) is special advisor to the Prime Minister with a ministerial portfolio. Arkebe is one of the high-level government officials in the EPRDF’s government for the past two decades and has served his party the Tigray Peoples’ Liberation Front (TPLF), since the days of military struggle. In Addis Ababa Arkebe is a household name having served as the mayor of the city for one five-year term. Nicknamed
“Arkebe’s Shops”, the container shops that he introduces to the capital are relics of his mayorship in Addis Ababa. Later, he also held state minister position at the Ministry of Work and Urban Development where he was largely focused on urban management and infrastructure
development. In the ninth Congress of TPLF which was held months after the departure of the late Prime Minister, Arkebe, together with other veterans announced their decision to step down from their position in the central committee of the party and their intention to continue only as members of the general assembly of the party. In that time, Arkebe also went on to complete his doctoral studies in development economics and publish his dissertation into a book entitled “Made in Africa: Industrial Policy in Ethiopia”. In his book Arkebe argued how the role of an activist state and a well-designed industrial policy can play a critical role in kick-starting industrialization in a poor, under-developed nation like Ethiopia. In general, the book discussed the case of four sectors—Floriculture, Cement and Leather—to review industrial policy application in Ethiopia and its success and failure stories. Still well entrenched in the
policymaking circle, Arkebe was also highly involved in the recently ratified second Growth and Transformation Plan (GTPII) where his government is expecting to witness miracles in its development experiment. The plan is all about structural transformation and seeing the
emergence of the country’s manufacturing base and alleviating the longstanding forex problem. Also tasked with closely following industrial park development in Ethiopia, Arkebe has a thing or two to say about what GTP II would entail in terms of manufacturing growth and the growth path beyond. Asrat Seyoum of The Reporter sat down with Arkebe to discuss the country’s manufacturing ambition. Excerpts:
Pho
to B
y: R
epor
ter/
Nah
om T
esfa
ye
The Reporter: You are frequently quoted as saying that the Ethiopian economy is at its “take-off” stage. What exactly does take-off period mean in economic terms and how long would the economy stay in this status?
Arkebe Oqubay: In general, what we refer to as economy take-off for Ethiopia is the process of stopping the persistent economic decline which was evident when the Derg was in power and signaling a new era of economy recovery. As you know, in the wake of the fall of Derg the main focus was to rehabilitate the war-torn economy that is Ethiopia. After that, the focus shifted towards bringing about economic growth by focusing mainly on agriculture and rural development. As a result of that, we have managed to sustain a double-digit economic growth in the past 12 years. Nevertheless, bringing about a structural transformation is not limited to insuring a double-digit growth. One fact is that we have started from a low base and to bring about sustainable transformation we need a different set of policies and strategies now.
But there are some who argue that this take-off period has been extended too long. What do you say to this? What does the experience dictate in this regard?
The simple fact is the level of economic growth that the country is in right now: it is still in a lowincome category. We say an economy has grown when it is able to graduate to a middle-or high-income level. So when we speak of take-off we are actually referring to the fact that it has reversed its declining trend. If we look at it now, Ethiopian agriculture is showing great dynamism while the manufacturing sector is still highly underdeveloped. It still contributes less than 5 percent to the national production. Based on manufacturing, we can’t really say that Ethiopia’s economy is at the desired level yet. So, it is all about the frame of reference.
One thing that is clear now is that the services sector has dominated both agriculture and manufacturing in its contribution to the national economy. But the traditionalist view of growth has it that in
agrarian economy the growth in the agriculture and the surplus from this growht would drive the growth in manufacturing sector. You government also subscribes to this view. With this in mind and with the active resource allocation role that a developmental state wants to play, don’t you believe that it has gotten out of your hand there?
If you examine the growth of the services sector in Ethiopia it is a healthy outcome of fast economic growth. The growth narrative of most developed countries shows that the growth of agriculture would feed into the sprout of the manufacturing sector and then the emergence of the service sector. In this case, the kind of services we are talking about are those complementary with manufacturing. For example, if you consider a sector like IT they are complementary with manufacturing. However, if you see the growth trend in most Africa countries, including our own, the services boom we have experienced is not related or complemented to manufacturing; in most of these economies it also features the emergence of the informal sector. In Ethiopia, the services sector had had a broad base for about 15 years now; but it can never be taken to be a healthy outcome of a fast economic growth. This is what the question of economic transformation entails for an agrarian nation. You see, for an agriculture-led economy even when there are no policy efforts to transform the economy into manufacturing-based one the surplus from agriculture would push the services sector. This is why a concerted effort is need to develop your manufacturing sector. To demonstrate with practical example, Nigeria is a middle-income country with PCI of USD 3000 and plus. Nevertheless, owing to its extractive industries, mainly oil, some 55 percent of Nigeria’s one is composed of services; and its manufacturing is still at its lowest base. On the other hand, take another middle-income country: Vietnam. It has a PCI of a little over USD 2000, but has a strong manufacturing base. So, the growth of the manufacturing sector is fundamental to bringing about structural transformation. And, that is why we are striving to take the
Manufacturing:
dream and reality
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The Reporter, Saturday, January 16, 2016Vol. XX No. 1010 |13INTERVIEW
manufacturing sector off the ground.
In this regard, can’t it be argued that the focus on manufacturing is a little belated?
Not necessarily. You see, economic growth cannot be driven through wishful thinking . One has to start with the objective conditions on the ground. We had to start with agriculture since that is what we had. We need the growth of agriculture to feed the people , to generate forex to finance our capital and consumer goods demand. Even if we want to see manufacturing growing in those early days, we did not have the resources to do so; first the agriculture showed growth and create resources to support our manufacturing ambitions.
Apart from that, now, your government is trying to take corrective action by redirecting resources from the booming services sector. The way it is going about it is by campaign and trying to sway investors in services to come to manufacturing sector, where the underlying incentive structure still favors the former. Is that a sustainable approach?
Basically, there are ways that the government can use to influence the behavior of the private sector. It either uses various incentives and benefits to lure members of the private sector to a specific sector or it can also trim the profit level that can be generated in certain undesirable sectors. The various campaign and awareness-raising forums would be useful to educate the private sector as to the direction of the government and what the various sectors could offer in terms of opportunities. These forums would help investors make an informed investment decision. However, this is not how one builds an industry. An industry is built around a specific, selected sector by putting in place a strong legal, incentive and support frameworks and by taking measures to relieve sector specific bottlenecks. Apart from helping them to go into manufacturing, there is also a need to support these companies
become profitable since their track record would either encourage or deter others looking towards investing. And this is what the government is trying to do.
It is one thing to put in place an incentive structure and lure investors. But, it is another thing to actually win over those invested in services. In this regard, do you prepare the ground as an incentive structure is that adequate to win over those in services sector?
I would not say that. Because, on the ground if it is still more profitable to be involved in the services sector than the manufacturing sector, we can really say that we have managed to adjust the playing field. When we speak of incentives it is only about tax holidays or duty-free privileges. For instance, investors need finance, land, buildings and structures, infrastructure (electricity, telecommunication and water); they also do not want to face logistical hurdles to export their produce. These days, when one considers the manufacturing business, it is about being able to overcome the stiff global competition both in price and quantity. If they were able to meet customers’ demand in delivery, it would not work. So, these bottlenecks have to be addressed. In this regard, we can’t say that what we have done is adequate. In some sectors like cement, we can see that things have been better and market conditions have also been favorable. What we are trying to do in GTP II is to address these problems by developing industrial parks. This approach will be instrumental to alleviate these bottlenecks by offering centralized services delivery in the parks. Still we can’t alleviate all the bottlenecks in the manufacturing sector but the industrial park approach would definitely relieve some the basic ones.
Talking about bottlenecks, in GTP I we have seen that a number of bottlenecks in government prioritized sectors like leather and textile exist. Fundamentally, complications in relation to the raw
material supply chain have proved to be a big problem. What do you plan to do about it?
If you look at the leather sector, what needs to happen in the long-run is to bring about change in the livestock production of the country. As you know, raw leather is a byproduct of livestock production; the primary production is the meat. So, we need to nurture health and quality supply of raw leather to our tanneries. But, in the short run, there is also the option of importing the raw leather and processing it in the country. Importation of raw materials and processing it locally by itself is a big step forward for our manufacturing sector. Nevertheless, since Ethiopia has the largest livestock population in the continent, we need to find the source of the bottleneck in the supply and take corrective measures. Here one solution could be encouraging livestock rearing in a more modern way through ranches and this is one of the approaches that GTP II plans to follow. In general, our solution in GTP II will definitely be sector specific and more focused on alleviating these bottlenecks.
Taken from the East Asian development experience, institutional innovation has been a big part of the government’s industrialization drive in Ethiopia. Especially, the so-called sector specific “institutes” have been operational for many years now. But, commentators downsize the contribution of these institutions in supporting growth in their respective sectors. What is your take on this?
I do say that they have played their role. But, I can’t argue that the role they have played is sufficient to see their respective sector prosper. For instance, we can see the institutes in horticulture, leather, textile and the like playing their role in relieving bottlenecks. At least, the existence of these institutes has provided a platform
Manufacturing... page 30
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14| The Reporter, Saturday, January 16, 2016 Vol. XX No. 1010COMMENTARY
VIEWPOINT
Recent research from the International Monetary Fund
suggests that countries such as Australia, India, Indonesia,
Japan, and South Africa suffer adversely in El Niño years (often
due to droughts), whereas some regions, including the United States,
Canada, and Europe, can benefit, writes Kenneth Rogoff.
In Africa, Ethiopia is the most astounding success story of the last
decade. Its economy has grown at an average annual rate exceeding
10 percent since 2004, which has translated into significant poverty
reduction and improved health outcomes. writes Dani Rodrik.
The idea that public investment in infrastructure – roads, dams, power plants, and so forth – is an indispensable driver of economic growth has always held powerful sway over the minds of policymakers in poor countries. It also lay behind early development assistance programs following the Second World War, when the World Bank and bilateral donors funneled resources to newly independent countries to finance large-scale projects. And it motivates the new China-led Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB), which aims to fill the region’s supposed eight trillion dollars infrastructure gap.
But this kind of public-investment-driven growth model – often derisively called “capital fundamentalism” – has long been out of fashion among development experts. Since the 1970s, economists have been advising policymakers to de-emphasize the public sector, physical capital, and infrastructure, and to prioritize private markets, human capital (skills and training), and reforms in governance and institutions. From all appearances, development strategies have been transformed wholesale as a result.
It may be time to reconsider that change. If one looks at the countries that, despite strengthening global economic headwinds, are still growing very rapidly, one will find public investment is doing a lot of the work.
In Africa, Ethiopia is the most astounding success story of the last decade. Its economy has grown at an average annual rate exceeding 10 percent since 2004, which has translated into significant poverty reduction and improved health outcomes. The country is resource-poor and did not benefit from commodity booms, unlike many of its continental peers. Nor did economic liberalization and structural reforms of the type typically recommended by the World Bank and other donors play much of a role.
Rapid growth was the result, instead, of a massive increase in public investment, from five percent of GDP in the early 1990s to 19 percent in 2011 – the third highest rate in the world. The Ethiopian government went on a spending spree, building roads, railways, power plants, and an agricultural extension system that significantly enhanced productivity in rural areas, where most of the poor reside. Expenditures were financed partly by foreign aid and partly by heterodox policies (such as financial repression) that channeled private saving to the government.
In India, rapid growth is also underpinned by a substantial increase in investment, which now stands at around one-third of GDP. Much of this increase has come from private sources, reflecting gradual relaxation of the shackles on the business sector since the early 1980s. But the public sector
continues to play an important role. The government has had to step in as both private investment and total factor productivity growth have faltered in recent years.
These days, it is public infrastructure investment that helps maintain India’s growth momentum. “I think two sectors holding back the economy are private investments and exports,” says the government’s chief economic adviser, Arvind Subramanian. “That is why... public investment is going to fill in the gap.”
Turning to Latin America, Bolivia is one of the rare mineral exporters that has managed to avoid others’ fate in the current commodity-price downturn. Annual GDP growth is expected to remain above four percent in 2015, in a region where overall output is shrinking (by 0.3 percent, according to the International Monetary Fund’s latest projections). Much of that has to do with public investment, which President Evo Morales regards as the engine of the Bolivian economy. From 2005 to 2014, total public investment has more than doubled relative to national income, from six percent to 13 percent, and the government intends to push the ratio even higher in coming years.
We know that hikes in public investment, just like commodity booms,
The return of public investment
The return... page 32
Until recently, the usual thinking among macroeconomists has been that short-term weather fluctuations don’t matter much for economic activity. Construction hiring may be stronger than usual in a March when the weather is unseasonably mild, but there will be payback in April and May. If heavy rains discourage people from shopping in August, they will just spend more in September.
But recent economic research, bolstered by an exceptionally strong El Niño – a complex global climactic event marked by exceptionally warm Pacific Ocean water off the coast of Ecuador and Peru – has prompted a rethink of this view.
Extreme weather certainly throws a ringer into key short-term macroeconomic statistics. It can add or subtract 100,000 jobs to monthly US employment, the single most-watched economic statistic in the world, and generally thought to be one of the most accurate. The impact of El Niño-related weather events like the one this year (known more precisely as “El Niño Southern Oscillation” events) can be
especially large because of their global reach.
Recent research from the International Monetary Fund suggests that countries such as Australia, India, Indonesia, Japan, and South Africa suffer adversely in El Niño years (often due to droughts), whereas some regions, including the United States, Canada, and Europe, can benefit. California, for example, which has been experiencing years of severe drought, is finally getting rain. Generally, but not always, El Niño events tend to be inflationary, in part because low crop yields lead to higher prices.
After two crazy winters in Boston, where I live, it would be hard to convince people that weather doesn’t matter. Last year, the city experienced the largest snow accumulation on record. Eventually, there was no longer any place to put it: four-lane highways narrowed to two lanes, and two-lane roads to one. Roofs collapsed and “ice dams” building up from gutters caused severe flooding. Public transport closed, and many people couldn’t get to their
jobs. It was a slow-motion natural catastrophe that lasted for months.
The US as a whole did not have a winter as extreme as New England’s in the first part of 2015, and the effects of the weather on the country’s overall economy were subdued. True, New York City had some significant snowfalls; but no one would have paid much attention had the mayor been more competent in getting the streets plowed. Eastern Canada suffered much more, with severe winter weather playing a role (along with lower commodity prices) in the country’s mini-recession in the first half of the year.
This year’s winter is the polar opposite of last year’s. It was 68º Fahrenheit (20º Celsius) at Boston’s Logan Airport the day before Christmas, and the first speck of snow didn’t come until just before New Year’s Day. Trees and plants, sensing spring, started to blossom; birds were just as confused.
Last winter Boston was something of
Extreme weather and global growth
Extreme weather... page 32
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The Reporter, Saturday, January 16, 2016Vol. XX No. 1010 |15OPINION
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All around the world, the space that people need to express themselves freely and register dissent is shrinking. Even
as the Internet and communications technology have made speaking up
publicly technically easier than ever, ubiquitous state and commercial
surveillance has ensured that free expression and protest remain
constrained, writes Chris Stone.
Before November’s terrorist attacks in Paris, it was legal to stage a demonstration in a public square in that city. Now it isn’t. In Uganda, although citizens campaigning against corruption or in favor of gay rights often faced a hostile public, they didn’t face jail time for demonstrating. But under a frighteningly vague new statute, now they do. In Egypt, government authorities recently raided and shut down prominent cultural institutions – an art gallery, a theater, and a publishing house – where artists and activists once gathered.
All around the world, it seems, the walls are closing in on the space that people need to assemble, associate, express themselves freely, and register dissent. Even as the Internet and communications technology have made speaking up publicly technically easier than ever, ubiquitous state and commercial surveillance has ensured that expression, association, and protest remain constrained. In short, speaking up has never required more courage.
For me, this shift could not hit closer to home. In November, the Open Society Foundations (the global philanthropies of George Soros, which I lead) became the second organization blacklisted under a Russian law, enacted in May, that allows the country’s prosecutor general to ban foreign organizations and suspend their financial support of local activists. Because anyone who engages with us is subject to possible
prosecution and imprisonment, we have had no choice but to cut off relations with the dozens of Russian citizens we supported in their efforts to preserve some fragment of democracy in their country.
Of course, there is nothing wrong with regulating public space and the organizations that use it. In the early 1990s, some new governments in Eastern Europe, Africa, and Latin America, underestimating the power of an active citizenry and civil society, failed to regulate adequately advocacy organizations and the space in which they work. But over the last two decades, as active citizens have toppled regimes in dozens of countries, governments have moved too far in the opposite direction, imposing excessive regulations on those organizations and that space. In the process, they are criminalizing the most basic forms of democratic practice.
In some cases, governments do not even bother to create a legal precedent for their actions. Last spring in Burundi, President Pierre Nkurunziza assumed a third term in office, despite the two-term limit enshrined in the constitution. When citizens took to the streets to protest, they were violently suppressed.
Even countries with some of the world’s most robust democratic traditions have been cracking down. After the Paris attacks, France and Belgium
(where the plot was planned and organized) suspended civil liberties indefinitely, transforming themselves overnight into what are, at least by statute, police states. In both countries, demonstrations have been banned; places of worship have been closed; and hundreds of people have been detained and interrogated for having voiced an unconventional opinion.
This approach is exacting a heavy toll. Thousands of people who had planned to protest at the United Nations climate talks last month had to settle for leaving their shoes. It was a startling image, illustrating how fear can overrun the commitments needed to maintain open societies and political freedoms even in Europe, the birthplace of modern citizenship.
There is no simple formula for regulating public space or safeguarding peaceful political dissent in an age of terrorism and globalization. But two basic principles are clear.
First, the world needs stronger international governance of the movement of people and money, and fewer restrictions on speech, association, and dissent. Lately, governments have been moving in the wrong direction. But 2016 offers plenty of opportunities for correction, in areas ranging from trade to migration.
The public sphere’s new enemies
The public... page 28
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16| The Reporter, Saturday, January 16, 2016 Vol. XX No. 1010
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of relevant experience to Develop Strategic Environmental and Social Assessment (SESA) and Environmental Social Management Framework (ESMF) for Ethiopia. In this public procurement notice, all
in the RFP are hereby kindly invited to submit proposals. Hence, both the respective Technical and Financial Proposals shall be submitted on or before February 9, 2016 at 5:30 PM (UTC+03:00) Addis Ababa/Nairobi Time Zone by CoB in the following address:
Interested Firms for the captioned service can also download the detailed
Notices Website links and UNGM Website Link:
Procurement Notices Website Link: http://procurement-notices.undp.org/view_notice.cfm?notice_id=27597
and on UNGM Website Link:https://www.ungm.org/Public/Notice/40971 Your proposal must be expressed in English and shall be valid for a minimum period of 120 days. It shall remain your responsibility to ensure that your proposal reaches the address above on or before the deadline. Proposals that are received by UNDP after the deadline shall not be considered for evaluation.
Request for Proposal (RFP) Firm Level Consultancy Service to Develop Strategic Environmental and Social Assessment (SESA) and Environmental Social Management Framework (ESMF) for Ethiopia Procurement Reference No. ETH/RFP/2016/01
INVITATION OF BID FOR AUCTION OF EMPTY CONTAINERS
Heineken Breweries S.C would like to sell an estimated
brewery located in Addis Ababa at Kilinto, Akaki-Kality sub-city.
40 feet containers --estimated quantity is 200 both open top and closed top; 20 feet Containers -- estimated quantity is 50 containers.Therefore, we would like bidders to submit their bids as per the following details.
Transportation and Loading and unloading cost of the containers shall be borne by the bidderBidders shall submit their Bid in sealed envelope;Bidders shall submit TIN number or License;Bidders shall submit 50,000.00 birr CPO as a Bid Bond;The bid bond is not returnable until the end of the contract duration;
time to time based on availability of the containers;The bidder shall take the containers as it is irrespective of any visually detectable and/or other type of physical damages;Bidders shall transport the containers within 10 days
Bidders shall settle the payment within 3 days after
Bidders shall submit their bidding documents at the address stated below;Bidders shall submit bid documents to reception desks
Brewery located around Akaki. Heineken Breweries SC reserves the right to accept or reject any or all bids at any time. It is possible to obtain further information from
telephone numbers: T +251 (0) 11 4 70 30 20, M +251 (0) 935 98 60 24, M +251 (0) 0911892170 M +251 (0) 926 75 54 79;
Closing date will be 12 days after advertisem*nt on newspaper.
Invitation to Bid- (RFP–S&L-2015–9122920)For Local Company/Firm only
Topic: To supply, install and commissioning of Network, Hardware and Software components for Social Cash Transfer programme (SCT)
2. Objectives:The project objective is to create local area networks using wired technology at MoLSA, ALSA/OLSA, WoLSA and install hardware and software components.
More details of the requirements for this bid can be found in the RFP.
3. E perience and quali cation:Companies having a minimum of 5 years of experience in carrying out the stated services and registered in Ethiopia.
to collect the complete tender documents by sending an email to Mr.
Monday 18-Jan-2016. Proposals 4.00 am
(East African Time) 05-Feb-2016 (Friday) RFP no. 9122920 in all your correspondences. Due to the nature of the bid, there will be no bid public opening for this offer. UNICEF reserves the right to accept or reject part or all of any or all bids. ADDRESS: UNICEF
4167, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
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The Reporter, Saturday, January 16, 2016Vol. XX No. 1010 |17Advertisment
INTERNATIONAL COMPETITIVE BIDin Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
2304 m²
All GC-1/BC-1 Contractors with valid licenses for the year 2008 E.C./2015 or 2016 G.C/ and who have
Interested bidders shall submit their proposals as per the following conditions:A complete set of bidding document can be purchased by interested contractors by submission of written application and presentation of renewed licenses at the address below against payment of Birr 10,000
Jan 25, 2016 G.C
the address below.
in other Envelope” should be sealed and submitted in an outer envelope. Each bid must be presented in a sealed envelope and strictly in accordance with the instruction to bidders indicated in the bid document. Interested bidders are advised to review the bid document carefully before preparing & submitting their bids. Bids must be delivered to the address below before 10:00 A.M, on the 11th of March, 2016 G.C. All bids
from total proposal, and late bids will be rejected.
rest will be made in ETB.
the 11th of March, 2016 G.C at 10:15 A.M.Failure to observe the instructions & conditions provided in the bid document will constitute grounds for rejection of the bidder from the competition.Zemen Bank reserves the right to accept or reject any or all bids at any time prior to contract award, without thereby incurring any liability to Bidders.
Zemen Bank S.C.
(6th oor)
Joseph Tito St.
Tel: +251 115 540 043/49/ or +251 115 539 229
Email: [emailprotected];
www.zemenbank.com
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
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18| The Reporter, Saturday, January 16, 2016 Vol. XX No. 1010INTERVIEW +
Last weekend the fifth edition of Selam Festival was held. This is a festival that brought renowned musicians like Alpha Blondy in the past. The fifth edition also brought on stage the legendary
Mahmoud Ahmed, a celebrated electronic music DJ, Endegena Mulu, and Burundi born French-Rwandan rapper Gael Faye. This year’s festival also hosted forums on Ethiopia’s culture, creative arts, workshops on sound engineering, stage lighting and design. Apart from the performances, this year’s event also faced challenges. Some of those challenges include the cancellation of the performance of hip-hop artiste Yassin Bey, a.k.a. Mos Def, and the interruption of the event due to
heavy rain. Related to this year’s challenges and constraints of organizing a festival, the founder and manager of Selam, Teshome Wondimu, sat with Tibebeselassie Tigabu of The Reporter for an
exclusive interview. Excerpts:
Pho
to B
y: R
epor
ter /
Dan
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The Reporter: Why did Yassin Bey cancel his concert?
Teshome Wondimu: It is because of his travel documents. First he sent us an American passport with the name Dante Terrell Smith, with an expiry date of 2019. Accordingly, we processed it with the Ethiopian immigration office and we secured a business visa. Then one day before the date of the concert, around midnight, we received an email from his manager, Bernard H. Jackson, stating that there is a change of name and passport. The new passport does not belong to a specific country. Rather, it says “world passport” with the date of issue being December 17, 2017 and an expiry date, December 17, 2030.
The passport number is 353562, No 8 with a completely new name Yassin Dante Terrell Smith Bey. The email read that it is a last-minute emergency and Yassin will be traveling under his world passport so the name on the ticket must be changed and should be in lower case if possible.
We were expecting him to arrive on Saturday at 9:00a.m. Rather they kept pushing us to change the invitation completely. How can we go through that while the immigration office is closed on Friday nights? It was an impossible task. They could not comprehend what we were saying. We tried so hard to make it happen. So what we can do was change the ticket to the new name. And we kept asking why he cannot travel with his previous American passport?
Was his American passport revoked?
Yes it was but we did not know about the details. This process started a while ago though there were inconsistencies with regard to changing the flight date. We still cannot comprehend why they sent us the revoked passport knowingly. What happened at Cape Town airport was that the staff of Ethiopian Airlines at the counter could not accept his passport; they actually thought he was joking. The artiste and his manager called us and actually ordered us to intervene by contacting top government officials and the head of Ethiopian Airlines. They kept telling us that we have to persuade the government. That was not possible and it was my first time to hear about world passport (the world passport is a document issued
by the World Service Authority, a non-profit organization founded by Garry Davis in 1954, citing Article 13, section 2, of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. the passport does not indicate the nationality of its bearer, only his/her birthplace. A passport gains credibility only by its acceptance by authorities other than the issuing agent. The world passport in this respect has a track record of over 50 years acceptance since it was first issued.)
We actually started this process a year ago and we were eager to bring him here in Ethiopia for his debut concert. Finally, when we understood it was not possible we posted it on Facebook and at the entrance that he will not perform. Fortunately, we were saved by the presence of Jamaican reggae band Morgan Heritage who agreed to replace him.
How much did you pay Yassin Bey?
What he gave us was a charity price, not an internationally exaggerated price and not that low. We cannot disclose the amount because of the agreement we have. The main issue now is they see this incident as our fault. They kept saying if we want it we could have made it happen. I don’t know what kind of logic that is. What we expect is to get an official apology and pay for the damages they have caused. They were paid in full and his crew came from different parts of the world including technicians and DJs. Cancellation is not new in festivals and concerts but it is Yassin Bey whose music inspired a whole generation of young marginalized black people. Though he is huge elsewhere the majority might not know him but still he is one of the conscious underground hip-hop artiste who has a strong stand about Pan-Africanism and Ethiopia. Additionally, we also wanted to show that Ethiopian festivals have a capability to bring famous artistes and in the meantime setting an international festival standard.
If there were inconsistencies in dealing with the artiste, did you think about revisiting the plan?
When dealing with international artistes, there is a lot of work that should be done. And until Friday we thought everything was going smoothly. We secured his visa and
The challenges
of festivals
www.thereporterethiopia.com
The Reporter, Saturday, January 16, 2016Vol. XX No. 1010 |19INTERVIEW +
ticket. However, it was at the 11th hour that our plan failed and we are really sad about that.
So what is next in dealing with Yassin Bey?
They should return the money urgently. If they don’t we will take legal action.
Do you think the cancellation will damage the image of the festival?
People actually attend festivals not because of specific artistes. Usually, there are more than eight bands who perform in a day and he might play for about one hour. Following his cancellation, it’s only a few people who were disappointed. Cancellation is a usual phenomenon all over the world. So ours is not unique. The pertinent problem in this festival was the unexpected rain. We chose this time of the season because of the weather. As far as our knowledge is concerned, it was a good month for outdoor activities. Unexpectedly, on Saturday there was a heavy rain but the audience were unrelenting and were enjoying the music.
Luckily when Mahmoud Ahmed came on stage the rain stopped. I think it’s his prayer which saved us. It was one of the best performances I watched so far. Many international artistes also were overwhelmed with Mahmoud’s performance.
Yes, the rain disturbed us but things went on smoothly. Amazing performance by Sydney Salmon, Tsedienia Gebremarkos and DJ Marcus Price were also highlights during the night. On Sunday, Morgan Heritage were ready to come on stage and things were going smoothly up to 8:00. Tsehaye Yohannes, Dawit Tsige and Morgan Heritage were all lined up to perform. What followed was a heavy rain, storm and thunder. It was interfering with the electric and sound equipment appliances. Since safety was
our first issue we unplugged all the equipment and switched off the light until the rain stopped.
After this storm, we could not plug and restart the electric appliances. We could not even announce it; since we did not have a microphone. So our security and staff members went to the sheltering space and explained what was going on. This is a natural occurrence and it was uncontrollable and many of the audiences understood our situation. This year’s event started a week ago with a sound and light engineering workshop and a conference on the prospect of Ethiopia’s culture and creative industry. Apart from the good things, this year’s main challenge was to get an approval license from the government. We got the license one week prior to the festival.
This is a renowned festival which happens annually. Why was there a hassle to get a license?
It is not clear to us too. What we know is, we applied early and were waiting patiently. According to the regulation, if one does not have a license, promoting it on various media such as radio, television and newspapers disseminating fliers putting up billboards is not allowed. So what happened is like in previous years. We could not do promotion aggressively. We waited for more than a month to get approval and, finally, we were forced to do promotion only for a week. This has a massive cost and we sacrificed a lot. In Ethiopia, it is easier to do ten indoor concerts: but we chose to do a huge outdoor festivals in order to develop this sector. This year has passed; so we are asking a collaborative effort from government offices and the city administration. Selam can become one of the biggest festival in Africa. For this festival around 30 people from Sweden, three from Kenya and a few people from Rwanda showed up.
Since it was not promoted aggressively, many people did not hear about this year’s festival. Did it affect the number of audience?
Yes it has. It affected us economically and psychologically. After working so hard we had wanted people to see what we prepared. But in this case, we could not promote it. It was only for three days that we were able to promote it. We were happy with the performance of Mahmoud Ahmed, Dawit Tsige, and Gaël Faye.
Apart from that there were hassles on Sunday regarding the reimbursem*nt of tickets and there were unprofessional answers from staff members at the gate who were handling the tickets. And is there any plan of refunding?
It is also clear in our guideline that we will reimburse tickets if it is caused by our fault. But what happened was a force majeure. Still if they have a valid case they can come and should be reimbursed.
Regarding the issue of unprofessionalism these are volunteers who did not have experience in dealing with these types of issues and we believe this should be corrected. Luckily many of the audiences understood our challenges. This will be improved for the next year and we are designing a technical strategy for unexpected occurrences. We will be having shelters if there is going to be rain and we will also apply a clear communication strategy. This also showed us a major gap in festival preparation management education. So our plan next year is to prepare a course to bridge that gap.
What about in dealing with international artistes?
We have a working experience of more
The challenges... page 32
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20| The Reporter, Saturday, January 16, 2016 Vol. XX No. 1010COMMENTARY +
VIEWPOINT +
The Mediterranean migration crisis has exposed the inadequacy
of European and global systems for protecting migrants, which has
enabled populist leaders to win support by stoking public fear. That is
why vigorous action at the European and global levels – which was sorely
lacking in 2015 – is essential this year, Peter D. Sutherland.
The World Bank’s management and member countries need to work
together to create a faster, more responsive institution, one that
exploits its unique advantages to balance aid flows, provide counter-
cyclical support, and offer meaningful advice, writes Ngaire Woods.
The Mediterranean migration crisis has delivered two critical lessons. First, Europe and the international community have grossly inadequate systems for protecting vulnerable migrants. Second, in the absence of such systems, populist leaders will prey on fear to gain political support, undermining the liberal, tolerant societies that have taken 70 years of hard work to build.
That is why vigorous action at the European and global levels is essential this year. In September, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon will convene an extraordinary summit dedicated to building a fair global system for protecting refugees and vulnerable migrants. One hopes that countries will come prepared to make tangible, enduring commitments.
Such commitments were sorely lacking in 2015. Indeed, the international community could have blunted last year’s crisis by providing even modest support for the three frontline countries – Turkey, Lebanon, and Jordan – which together host some four million Syrian refugees. With only around EUR 10 billion (USD 10.8 billion), these countries could have provided better housing, food, and education for refugees, thereby reducing the incentive to flee to Europe. That failure could end up costing Germany alone upwards of EUR 21 billion annually for years to come.
But the financial implications of the crisis pale in comparison to the human and political costs. More than a million people risked their lives crossing the Mediterranean last year, and then endured grueling journeys through the Balkans. Almost 4,000 people died on the way, and many European countries turned their backs on those who survived, refusing them safe haven.
Cynical political leaders ruthlessly capitalized on popular anxiety by promoting an odious nationalist vision that either ignores or distorts real-life experiences with immigration. In the United States, for example, not one of the 780,000 refugees resettled since September 11, 2001, has executed a terrorist attack. Meanwhile, immigrants typically pay more in taxes than they receive in benefits.
Nonetheless, extremist forces are dangerously close to taking political power in some European states, and are gaining traction even in formerly liberal bastions. Anti-migrant parties already are in power in Hungary and Poland. Their success is compelling mainstream parties to adopt anti-migrant policies as well.
All of this has seriously undermined European cooperation. The EU’s program to process the million refugees who arrived on its shores has succeeded in “relocating” a mere 190 of them. Checks at the borders of six countries within the Schengen Area have been
reinstituted, at least temporarily. To the rest of the world, the EU appears chauvinistic and inept.
Of course, the crisis is not solely for Europe to solve; responsibility is not defined by proximity. But the EU might now face an existential threat, which it can overcome only with a strong show of solidarity and global leadership. That is why its member states must take the lead in proposing solutions.
The most urgent priority is to create safe and legal paths for refugees to reach Europe. This does not imply that every vulnerable migrant must be accepted. But the EU should be more systematically generous in determining how many to admit, and it should implement organized ways to facilitate their entry. Such a system would protect migrants and safeguard Europe (by enabling it to vet applicants fully).
Beyond reducing the incentive for asylum-seekers to risk their lives and life savings to cross the Mediterranean, such an approach would show solidarity with the frontline countries, which will continue to host most of the refugees. Equally important, it would put pressure on the rest of the international community to contribute.
That brings us to the second priority for 2016: building a robust global system to
A better year for migrants?
A better... page 28
The World Bank is quietly sliding into insignificance, as its core fee-paying clients increasingly seek other lenders. If it is to survive, its management will need to streamline its loan approval processes and leverage the unique assets that distinguish it from its competitors.
The Bank once comfortably earned enough to be self-sustaining. Today, it is rapidly becoming welfare-dependent. Periodic contributions from wealthy governments have propped up lending to poor countries, but these are unlikely to be increased, and some may be discontinued as donors redeploy aid budgets to refugee programs.
The problem is not that emerging economies have no desire to borrow; they desperately need funds for infrastructure and other investments. The problem is that the Bank is too slow to process loans, which has increasingly made it the last choice for many of its potential clients.
Whereas a commercial lender might take three months to prepare and disburse a loan, the Bank takes more than two years. And its efforts to speed up the process, which began in 2013, have reduced the average time only slightly, from 28 months to 25.2 months; in some regions (accounting for a third of the Bank’s lending), the wait has
actually increased.
One clear indicator of the Bank’s performance is how high a premium governments are willing to pay to avoid it. A 20-year loan from the World Bank has an interest rate of about four percent, and the poorest countries can borrow for less than one percent (“International Development Association loans”). Nonetheless, many countries are choosing much more expensive commercial loans or bond issues. For example, Ghana, despite being eligible for IDA loans, recently chose to raise money from the bond market, from which it received an interest rate several timeshigher.
No wonder emerging economies are excited by the establishment of the BRICS countries’ New Development Bank and the China-led Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank: Both institutions have promised faster lending.
If the World Bank is to survive, its management must streamline its complicated and unwieldy bureaucracy, fixing what internal reviews described over a decade ago as “fragmentation, duplication, and delay” in assurance, safeguards, and fiduciary processes. At the same time, the institution must identify what it is uniquely positioned to do. In 2013,
the Bank declared a new goal – to eradicate extreme poverty by 2030. But this makes it just one of a multitude of organizations seeking to address poverty.
What makes the World Bank special is that it is made up of 188 countries and can act on behalf of all of them, rather than being beholden to one or two. Furthermore, its financial structure enables it to be more autonomous, self-sustaining, and resilient than most other multilateral institutions. These are the attributes it must leverage.
For starters, the Bank is uniquely placed to play the role of a “balancer” in the international aid system, helping to ensure that funds flow toward the countries that most need them. Individually, governments give a lot of aid, but most of it goes to recipient countries with which they have special ties or relationships.
This “bilateral aid” is subject to the whims and trends of the aid industry, sometimes flowing only into specific sectors or to back particular approaches. The result is that some countries get more aid than they need, while others don’t get enough. According to Britain’s Department for
How to save the World Bank
How to save.. page 28
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The Reporter, Saturday, January 16, 2016Vol. XX No. 1010 |21OPINION +
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The visit of America’s president along with the visit of other heads of state and government clearly shows
that countries of the world have started to understand and support
this country’s desire to develop and democratize, writes Fitsum Girma.
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Since 2002, Ethiopia has crafted a well-articulated and a far sighted foreign policy. The document is publicly available and has largely stood the test of time. Of course, no foreign policy, even clear and discerning, is any good unless it is backed by effective and competent implementation. Performance is as important as coherence in drafting a policy.
Last week the official website of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ethiopia published the major achievements of the country’s diplomacy in 2015. Since I came across that post, I began to wonder how exactly can one really measure a country’s foreign policy performance. Can we say it is a success or failure simply by looking at the number of interactions the country has made with the rest of the world? Does success depend upon the quantity of foreign exchange a country has acquired? Is it merely avoiding conflict with a neighbor which is making determined efforts at destabilization? Was Ethiopia’s diplomatic activity of the year 2015 really successful? In addressing these questions and providing my conclusion – since I cannot exhaustively list all the diplomatic activities done last year – I will base my arguments on the activities that I thought are most
important.
Judging either a specific implementation of a country’s foreign policy is a success or a failure is a tricky business. First, a foreign policy outcome unlike other policy outcomes depends not only on a country’s own decision. In foreign policy, one cannot know for certain how others will respond and how that specific action will be perceived by the other side. Hence, the way the counterpart reacts matters. Thus, even the ‘wisest’ choices made to carry out a foreign policy can lead to disappointing results depending on how the other side reacts. Second, the global stage is never still. It is not always possible to be sure if a country’s foreign policy performance has been a success or a failure just by comparing it with the previous year’s performance. Hence, the time factor needs to be brought into equation. Third, to make the backdrop even grimmer, the result of a foreign policy decision made years back might bear fruit years after the decision was made making the judgment of one country’s performance in a specific year a more tedious task. All these factors make it hard to judge whether a specific foreign policy performances of a country in a particular fiscal year is a success or not.
Is there an alternative? Yes, I believe
there is. Even if we cannot objectively evaluate all the ramifications of a country’s foreign policy performance, we can consider its achievements by looking at whether the efforts exerted have helped the promotion of the country’s national interests and in achieving the strategic foreign policy objectives. By utilizing this yardstick, I have attempted to assess and evaluate the diplomatic activity of Ethiopia in 2015.
Ethiopian foreign policy document unequivocally puts that the major objective of the country’s foreign policy is ‘to ensure international conditions that are conducive to achieving our development and democratic objectives.’ Furthermore, the document states that in order to achieve those broad objectives its diplomatic activity should “…attract investments, solicit grants, secure technical support, eliminate or at least reduce external threats, widen the number of international friends, secure allies that can help the country withstand intractable challenges and threats, forecast potential threats and address them through dialogue and negotiation.”
Ethiopian diplomacy in 2015: an appraisal
Ethiopian diplomacy... page 29
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22| The Reporter, Saturday, January 16, 2016 Vol. XX No. 1010LIVING & THE ARTS
Handicraft has been a traditional pastime for Ethiopian mothers for many years. But, it is much more than a hobby, many claim. So much so that the art of the craftsmanship has been passed on from generation to generation as a household value. Nevertheless, with loss of interest in the younger generation and the increasing commercialization of the handcrafted goods, the art seems to be leaving the households and is going out to the mainstream business world, writes Tibebeselassie Tigabu.
Decades ago, a unique trend in the urban interior designing in Ethiopia was the unusual presence of a kitchen cabinet in a middle of the living room, which Ethiopians affectionately call a buffet. The kitchen cabinet was not the only thing that served its decorative purpose in an Ethiopian living room. In fact, a range of kitchenware that includes exotic looking china and silverware are prominent members of an Ethiopian household.
Culturally, Ethiopians hardly employ the use of a ceramic dining plate or silverware. To the contrary, the most traditional food in Ethiopia is consumed by hand. So, what is an actual kitchenware for the rest of the world was an exotic decorative item in Ethiopia and its place is in the prime room of the house— the living room.
This trend of a living room buffet is becoming outdated these days; the living quarter in Addis Ababa and other urban centers these days more or less resemble those elsewhere.
What is more interesting is to go a little bit back from the era of the buffet and find out what decorative items were
used in a living room. Yes, thinking in this direction, one cannot miss the graceful living room dining table know as the mesob.
The mesob is a handmade dining table with its own lid cover. It is completely made out of a straw and it comes in different designs and artistic features. The mesob also has its own hand-woven cloth cover where amazing design and craftsmanship is displayed.
The cover is from the family of traditional hand-woven Ethiopia cloth and is marked with elaborate patterns and bright colors which are discernible in other household items such as pillow covers, runners, table settings, bedspreads and the like.
Come to think about it, craftsmanship has been a way of life for centuries. Starting from out fits, house decorative objects and kitchen utensils all were made completely by hand. The artisanal handicraft was deeply engraved among the society, and it was not among those who do it professionally; rather random individuals possessed the knowledge of weaving, knitting, pottery, basketry, and gardening as it was passed on from
generation to generation.
Chekolu Belete, 55, spent most of her lifetime doing handicraft especially processing cottonwear. Though it looks to be outdated in the urban areas, her inzirt, an instrument she uses to thread the cotton, is always on her hand. If it is not inzirt, other knitting wire like needle and thread is always around her.
Though she has been a civil servant for more than 30 years, her handcraftware is her favorite hobby.
It was a knowledge that was passed on from her mother, whom, Chekolu calls a modern-day renaissance woman who prepares everything the family needs from edible oil and cereal flour to herbal medicine and clothing in the house.
Growing up Chekolu took the knowledge of handicraft from her late mother and the surrounding community. Apart from that, during her childhood handicraft were an integral part of the educational system.
Together with her sisters, they learned how to separate the seed from the cotton and making it soft and fluffy, and then
Handicraft: vanishing
traditional skill
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The Reporter, Saturday, January 16, 2016Vol. XX No. 1010 |236, 2016 LIVING & THE ARTS
ready to be threaded and learn how to use inzirt as a spinning wheel to make a yarn. She reminisces how many of the neighborhood girls used to carry inzirt. It was part of their daily life to knit sweaters, scarves, and decorate the house with colorful embroidery of famous quotes from the bible.
Even as a working mother, she spent her time making a bed-spread cover, table settings, pillow covers and also colorful mesobs. In her neighborhood, she was known for a distinctive feature and highly elaborates patterns of her embroidery work. She concentrated and took her time to make beautiful designs. She does not hide how time-consuming it is though. Drawing complicated intrinsic designs on the cloths and sewing that using a thread and needle of various colors is a laborious activity, Chekolu says. Her production was never for sale. “Many knew how to do embroidery and so I didn’t think I could make money using that,” Chekolu says.
Now her sight is getting weaker. So she does not engage in complicated patterns. “I was born at a time when handicraft did not make money. Now, I see people getting paid thousands of birr for a piece of embroidery on a cloth,” Chekolu says. However, many argue that these days handcraftsmanship is going through a process of merchandising. Traditional handmade items are becoming commodities with high market value; now the craft is there for the monetarily value it drives. Yet again, many argue this trend is not unique to Ethiopia; rather the commodification of the creative process is a global phenomenon.
With increasing market value for handcrafted goods, handcraftsmanship looks to be taking a firm hold; but this is not so with regard to the its practice as a hobby. And, the reflection of this trend is everywhere. For one, handcraft was part of the formal education curriculum in Ethiopia for many years. Back then, students were taught how to use their hand and creative mind. In fact, the handcraft subject was about harnessing the creative mind of students with a piece of cloth, straw or even a piece of wood. The old curriculum, in fact, was heavily invested in handcraft.
Belay Kebede, a young student under the old curriculum, remembers how handcraft used to be the core element of the school curriculum back then. Now, reflecting back, introducing handicraft, home economics and agriculture to students gave him a unique insight to have everyday problem-solving ability and the understanding of the materials of economies, culture and the environment.
One of the main topics was handicraft which incorporates a wide range of creative and design activities including work with thread, textiles, moldable and rigid materials, paper, plant, fibers and thread.
Belay lights up when he remembers a lamp made of horn or a hand-woven headscarf from his school days. Though their handicraft class was based on gender binary definition there were those who pushed the boundary. According to Belay, the women were keen to knit, do embroidery, or make kitchen utensils or decorative items using straw.
The boys sharpen wood, make the design to make stools, practice pottery to make coffee pot chambers, cooking stove made of clay which also incorporates the option of electricity among other things, Belay recalls.
Was that important in their lives? “Of course it was,” Belay says passionately.
Even then, we made kacha (a rope that is made from the remnants of
enset tree) for our scout club members,” Belay says.
According to Belay, the kebeles assigns
a specific land for the youth and the
women who want to participate in handicraft and agriculture.
Nevertheless, during the introduction of the new educational curriculum, subjects such as
handicraft were discarded from
the primary schooling system.
Yodit Adane, 24, passed through the
new school curriculum and did not get to learn
handicraft. Rather she developed an interest in looking
after her mother who had a small group of friends who make small income from handicraft. Her mother started teaching her on weekends while she was in high school. She was taught the basics of how to process cotton and knit, “It was important for my mother; so being the only child, it was a way to relate to my mother in things that matter to her the most,” Yodit says.
One of the knitting projects she worked with her mother, a cushion decorators with a color of black, red, yellow and green, was called Tsehay Gebat, Yodit recalls. Named after one of the military missions during the Ethio-Eritra war, Tsehay Gebat was one of the most popular knitting styles during that time. Yodit seems to have
Handicraft... page 42
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24| The Reporter, Saturday, January 16, 2016 Vol. XX No. 1010PROFILE
By Henok Reta
During the childhood years of many Ethiopians, making toy cars from scraps is something exciting. Even in the countryside, where cars are rarely seen, many children grapple barbed wires to form shapes of a big truck or a small sedan. Usually, many of these children are seen rolling their cars made of scarps on streets or float their paper airplanes in the wind.
Probably this is just the most common wish of many youngsters – becoming a pilot, when their teachers pop the question of prospective endeavor. However, not too many have the chance to come close to a plane let alone fly one. Only a few can leave up to their dream of flying of an airplane. So far, 35-year-old Asmelash Zeferu is one of those who is striving to achieve his childhood dream by flying his own aircraft.
When his attempt of flying his own homemade airplane was heard a few months ago, many had to post their reactions on social media while those without internet access voiced their exaltation on the various FM stations. It was an absolute buzz for days and drew massive attention from all sections of society, especially, when he failed to fly. “It was a very disappointing moment but I don’t give up that easily,” he says.
The disappointment occurred last year after he put on his motorcycle helmet and teed up the K-570A on a local open field in the outskirts of the city (Sendafa) for his maiden flight. After producing an unexpected friction, the propeller shattered, damaged the plane’s smoke exit structure, and sent
the engineer quite literally back to the drawing board. “I called it K-570A. K represents the initial of my mother’s name, Kiros, and 570 signifies the number of days it took me to complete my aircraft,” he said.
After constructing the fuselage of his aircraft from wood, he put his plane on the modified wheelbase of an old Suzuki motorcycle – his own take on the all-important landing gear. In addition, the intricate internal latticework of the wings took many months to create. But, once completed, he attached these to his innovation.
Aviation manuals and YouTube tutorials were his guiding stars; every aspect of aircraft manufacture gradually imbibed in painstaking detail.
When the time came, Asmelash opted to model his plane on one used by trainee pilots in the United States in the 1920s and 1930s.
Some items were salvaged, others bought secondhand from the Mercato market. The 8.5 meter wing was crafted from timber imported from Australia, with each wooden panel hand-sculpted. But there was one element of the plane Asmelash could not imitate – the engine.
The design called for a Ford engine, but the amateur engineer “couldn’t get [it] cheap in Ethiopia,” settling instead for a four cylinder, 40 horsepower model stripped from a Volkswagen Beetle.
Having failed to fly his homemade plane in his initial attempt, Asmelash is now planning to conduct the second attempt in February. “February will
be the month in which I will marry my fiancé,” he said. In a special occasion sponsored by the Chinese telecom firm ZTE and other local partners Asmelash will fly putting on his wedding tuxedo.
“We are preparing him to look like a flying bridegroom,” Sun Yue, chief marketing technical officer of ZTE, says. After the weeding and more importantly after the success; as a honeymoon trip, Asmelash and his wife will travel to places around the globe to visit aeronautic companies in China and Europe.
“I am sure, my second attempt will be successful. So that I can win our honeymoon trip, ” he said. Despite the possibility of a second failure, he has no fear or doubt, as this time he has identified the cause of the first failure. “It was not a major glitch that caused the failure, as I identified it. But it was an important lesson. That is why I say I will fly the plane this time around,” he says smiling.
Having achieved this much, recently, Asmelash has secured a scholarship from a Dutch University and going to school is the next plan after the wedding. But the ambitious Asmelash, has set his eyes on a bigger prize, which is after coming back home, establishing Ethiopia’s version of Boeing. “I also hope that I will join NASA after or in the middle of my studies and my ultimate goal is to establish an aircraft manufacturing company in my home country,” he says.
With massive international media coverage, Asmelash has emerged as a celebrity. “He has become an
inspirational figure for the youth both in Ethiopia and outside Ethiopia, so that is why we want to work with him,” Yue says. ZTE has been partnering with him in a program ,“Inspirational African Youth for Technology”. As a result, the company has allocated an undisclosed amount of fund to help him realize his dream while the partnership will get him more support in the course of time. “We appreciate his efforts and determination as it will impact millions of youth in Ethiopia and the continent,” Yue says.
From a severely challenged life experience, where he encountered many obstacles, until his first attempt of flying his homemade aircraft, Asmelash has never doubted that the sky is the limit. “I have seen numerous challenges because of my thoughts and beliefs but I can never imagine it as something impossible to overcome,” he says. And the setbacks he has been facing are giving him the strength of believing that everything is possible.
This is what he told, The Telegraph and CNN during his interview following his debut flight. Though it never took off the ground, it left him with better understanding of what he has done so far and the prospective of it. And though the amateur aircraft engineer cites the opportunity to challenge peoples’ perception of Ethiopia as his foremost motive, he chose to build the K-570A. For a man who spent his childhood living in a very modest accommodation, realizing his dream is an ultimate mission and he believes that he can make history for himself and his home country.
Sky is the limit
The aviation buff Asmelash Zeferu and his fiancée Seble Bekele
www.thereporterethiopia.com
The Reporter, Saturday, January 16, 2016Vol. XX No. 1010 |25ENTERTAINMENT
By Tibebeselassie Tigabu
Adjacent Ginfle River a small restaurant having no name caters to students, teachers and faculty members of the Ale School of Fine Arts and Design. This small bistro is very much intertwined with the community. The humble owner, Emuye, is usually engaged in checking the blood pressure of one of her customers, knitting a laptop case or inviting some of her customers for a mahiber. The place is filled with laughter and one fascinating thing is that the price of food is modest in every sense of the word. For instance, one can have a food called Arsenal (spicy firfir) for 18 birr.
Since the food is affordable and the place being filled with familiar faces, many of the the patrons go there seven days a week. Dining and having coffee is the usual scene at the place but last week around 7pm something new was taking place – there was a video screening on the gate of the small café. Surrounded by pedestrians, the organizers of Addis International video Art festival were hanging a gabi that will serve as a screen for projecting the films.
The pedestrians stopped to watch the moving pictures and though there was enthusiasm from the crowd, there was also a confusion in understanding what the whole thing was. The organizers were trying to describing what video art is; moving pictures in a visual and audio medium. Video art came into existence during the late 1960s and early 1970s as new consumer video technology became available outside corporate broadcasting.
The art is named after the original analog video tape, which was most commonly used recording technology in the form’s early years. With the advent of digital recording equipment, many artists began to explore digital technology as a new way of expression.
One of the key differences between video art and theatrical cinema is that video art does not necessarily rely on many of the conventions that define theatrical cinema.
Pushing the boundary, video art gives a vast platform to experiment. Video art can take many forms, footages from broadcasts, installations viewed in galleries or museums; works streamed online, and performances that may incorporate one or more television sets, video monitors, and projections, displaying live recorded images and sound. Video art does not necessarily rely on many of the conventions that define theatrical cinema; that might not use actors, may contain no dialogue, may have no narrative or ploy or adhere to any of the other conventions that generally define motion pictures. Growing in popularity, nowadays smartphones like the iPhone are using augmented reality applications to alter the way art is perceived.
One of the short films that were screened during this occasion is entitled “Prodigal”. Capturing candid street scenes in urban Romania, this bleak and surprising documentary tracks the relationship between filmmaker Livia Ungur and the place she used to call home. Filming with a long lens from a great distance, Livia and collaborator Sherng-Lee observed strangers and tried to read their lips. From there
fragments of conversation, Livia’s own story emerges. “Prodigal” is a self-reflexive critique of the documentary form, a poetic evocation of urban loneliness, and a melancholy meditation on being home and leaving home.
This screening was part of Addis International Video Art Festival, which took place for ten days from December 23, 2015 to January 3, 2016 in various venues in the city. Addis Ababa is currently in the midst of a massive transformation. It is expanding drastically with over a quarter of its current residents being relocated to new neighborhoods. Old communities are disappearing and new ones are forming. Paralleling to the current state of the city, Addis Video Art Festival presented works that explore and interpret the idea of a “new home” whether it is an external literal physical home, an internal psychological home or a cyber home.
Creating access to the community, the films were screened throughout the city in a variety of locations including tej bets, supermarkets, public centers and neighborhood hangout spots to mention a few.
Amist Kilo is one of the areas in Addis Ababa that is earmarked for redevelopment. And in the heart of the neighborhood is Jimma Tej Bet – an inexpensive bar that serves traditional Ethiopian wine made from honey. The place is filled with laughter. Loud music is playing and clients are taking a sip of their tej. The customary scene of the tej bet was disrupted by the screening of the videos – a move which was not welcomed by some. The murmurs grew while some were eagerly watching the
projector being hanged in the middle of the walk way. Some of them were fretful and were saying, “foreigners are making money by recording us” while others were enthusiastically watching the screen sipping their tej. Though some of the audiences at the tej bet were resistant to the process, in contrast, the passersby at the Ethiopian National Theater were watching the screening calmly. One of the eye catching movies was a film by 20-year-old Palestinian Mahidi Flefiel entitled “Handshakes for Peace”. The film depicts the historic handshake between the late Yasser Arafat of Palestine and Yitzhak Rabin of Israel.
Selected from various countries all over the world, some of the films gave a unique insight on how one perceives home. One of these types of films is Francois Knoetze’s Cape Mongo. Cape Mongo follows the stories of three characters as they journey through Cape Town. Each Mongo character is made from the city’s discarded waste-mythical ‘trash creatures’ which have emerged from the growing dumps of consumer culture. From postmodern shopping malls to the bustling streets of the Bo Kaap to leafy suburbia and desolate shipping-container yards, these characters’ journey conjure up imagery that touches on some of the historical trajectories that have lead up the endemic inequality and social alienation which characterize present day Cape Town. Apart from the international selections, Ethiopian films such as “The Enigma of the New and the Modern”, “Grounded in Movement”, “Inside Out” and “the Newest Flower” were some of the short films that were screened during this occasion.
The Reporter, Saturday, January 16, 2016Vol. XX No. 1010 |25ENTERTAINMENT
Disrupting the
normal scene
through videos
www.thereporterethiopia.com
26| The Reporter, Saturday, January 16, 2016 Vol. XX No. 1010
ENTERTAINMENT IN BRIEF
CONT`D FROM PAGE 11
Fendika to take Ethiopian sounds to
Globalfest in NYC
Alemayehu Esheté to perform @
Alliance Ethio-FrançiaseThe Ethiopia traditional band, Fendika, is among a group of performers lined up to perform at one of the most prominent festivals in North America, Globalfest, on January 17.
Fendika is one of 12 international groups of performers, including from Mexico and Haiti that are scheduled to be showcased at the annual globalfest concert.
Fendika will kick off their New York City show with an appearance at Bunna Café in Brooklyn on Friday January 15th, ahead of their globalfest performance at Webster Hall in Manhattan on January 17.
Led by the exuberant dancer, Melaku Belay, Fendika draws deep from Ethiopia’s tradition dancing while adding creative movements and sounds. Over the last decade, Globalfest has become one of the most dynamic global music platforms in North America, growing from an acclaimed festival, encouraging networking and cultural diplomacy.
Artists that participate in its programs represent diverse musical styles from all corners of the globe, ranging from traditional to contemporary, and everything in between.
One of Ethiopia’s legendary singers, Alemayehu Esheté, is scheduled to perform on January 16 at the Alliance Ethio-Française.
Alemayehu Esheté began his music career as a vocalist in 1960, going against the advice of his father. Enticed by his performance Retata Demeka (Col.) noticed his talent and eventually enlisted him in the famous Police Orchestra of Addis Ababa. Later, Alemayehu started gaining acceptance from audience around 1961 with a release of his song entitled “Alone and Helpless”.
Meanwhile, meeting another great musician, Girma Beyene, resulted in forming a band named Alem-Girma.
Taking inspiration from the then African-American soul singers and blending it with Ethiopian sound got him a nick name the Ethiopian James Brown. With his captivating stage performance and unique voice he was able to win many hearts in the four decades of his music career.
From 1960 until 1974, he was one of the great voices of that generation along with his compatriots Tilahun Gessese, Bizunesh Bekele and Mahmoud Ahmed.
them creates as tracing and involving participants of the online media would be very difficult. He said, “we don’t know the whereabouts of the online media such as Aigaforum.com or Ethiopiafirst.com. Members of the Council should abide by the Code of Conduct, respond to the complaint against them, debate and present their defense in the proceedings. There is no concrete way to access them and ensure their presence in the adjudication process. Involving them will make our jurisdiction out of the territorial boundary of Ethiopia.”
Abdu Ali Hijira, a lawyer and media practitioner, contends that the unique features of online media by itself merits its exclusion. While indicating the fact that online media has a constitutional protection under Article 29 of the FDRE Constitution, Abdu insists that the content responsibility of the online media is totally different from the mainstream media outlets. “There is no system to moderate the content posted in the online media. One cannot control it. The Code of Conduct that we accept here does not work for the online media format. The beauty of the online media is its untraceability and anonymity. Besides, many professionals like lawyers and medical doctors exchange views and ideas on the online media format. Expecting them to respect the code of conduct of journalists is not a
sound proposition. As a result, they need their own code of conduct. The least we could do is help them achieve it in their own way,” Abdu argued.
None of the justifications provided by the participants of the conference persuades Daniel Berhane, a well-known blogger and founder of Horn Affairs online media. “Expecting the government to register all online media outlets is difficult. Membership to the Media Council based on some established criteria would have provided regulatory scheme. In addition, the interaction of the online media and the mainstream media would have helped to create a common professional standard to the betterment of the practice of journalism,” Daniel, told The Reporter.
Source of income
Under Article 40 of the Article of Association of the Media Council it is stated that members’ contribution, donations from domestic sources, fundraisers and democracy funds as sources of income for the council. Some participants expressed their concern and reservation on the appropriateness of accessing domestic donations and foreign or external sources of finance.
Tamrat is adamant that the council should solely rely on members’ contribution. However, if the Council
decides to access such funds, Tamrat advices that maximum care should be taken on the way of doing it. Tamrat argues that relying on members’ contribution will avoid government and donors influence [associated with funds] and create a self-reliant Council. He is also cognizant of the fact that journalists’ associations do not have the same income as publishers. “As these associations are not businesses and do not have regular income, we can decide a fixed contribution from them,” he said.
However, considering financial capabilities of individual media houses, some fear that contributions might deter voluntary membership. According to the Articles of Association, failure to contribute also entails expulsion.
Some participants believe that it is wise to be open to other sources of finance. One participant highlights that lack of financial capacity may prevent the Council from discharging its key responsibility.
Membership
The Media Council is structured to have a General Assembly, the supreme decision making organ composed of regular members as well as honorary and associate members with no voting rights. Under the General Assembly are the Executive Committee, External
Decade long... Audit and the Ethics Panel.
Regular members of the Council are drawn from publishers, broadcasters and journalists’ associations. As per the discussion in the conference, the meaning of journalists’ association includes any association which is connected with the media industry such as the association of the publishers. Some fear that the founding members list shows that it is the ‘owners club’.
Among other things, what bothers Anteneh Abrha, chairman of the Ethiopian Journalists National Union, is the domination of owners of the media outlets as opposed to practicing journalists in the establishment process and in the top leadership of the newly established Media Council. He maintains that all journalists associations allowed to be members of the Media council is commendable. However, he opines that Editor-in-Chiefs should be admitted to the Council automatically as is the case in the Media Councils of Uganda and Kenya. “Publishers have their own association which is a member to the Council. Yet, all publishers are members. In the same token, why are journalists not allowed to be members? I feel like owners are having a better say in the process,” Anteneh said.
For Eziakonwa-Onochie, the establishment of the media council in Ethiopia, is not, and cannot be, an end by itself. “Today actually marks the beginning of an exciting and challenging chapter” she said. She also cited a recent research on African media council which highlights, the relevance and sustainability of media councils and calls for this body to have strong credibility with all stakeholders; continued broad consensus and support from all stakeholders; it calls for vigorous and imaginative management that puts in place strong programs; and last but not least a council that is self-sustainable, proactively seeking reliable channels and forms of funding.
One thing that needs a resolution though is the issue of where to legally register the council. Those in the organizing committee prioritized to “build the house first” before talking about registration.
Partial view of the participants
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Addis in Motion @ Ale School of Fine
Arts and Design
Lamb gets American distributor
Addis in Motion was launched with a conference entitled “Perspectives on Change” on January 9th at Ale School of Fine Arts and Design. The conference brought together various experts in the field including Elizabeth Woldegiorgis (PhD), Jepchumba, founder of African Digital Art, Annemarie Bucher (PhD), and Sara A. Yusuf.
The conference examined ways on how art can be a generator of a community, focused on encounter and engagement of the public and women’s place in society.
At the conference many issues were raised including digital art, displacement of people and the changing face of class systems. Addis in motion is a participatory art project inspired by the urbanization of Addis Ababa and the changing place of the women in the society.
The project is operating on multiple levels: conference, project diary, workshop and artistic practice aiming to raise civic consciousness. This program supports six selected artists to create new artworks in the topic of development. Their final work will be exhibited at Guramayne Art Center.
With its spectacular cinematography and solid storytelling the award-winning Ethiopian film, Lamb, continues to generate international buzz while making its US debut at the 2016 Palms Springs International Film Festival in California earlier this month as well as at the New York Jewish Film Festival on Wednesday evening.
Brooklyn based company KimStim has likely announced that they have acquired distribution rights to the film in the US and plan a theatrical release in spring 2016.
Variety magazine named the director, Yared Zeleke, as one of its “10 screenwriters to watch” as Lamb became the first Ethiopian film to be screened at the 2015 Cannes Film Festival and at various film festivals around the world.
The Los Angeles Times noted that Lamb “is a vision of Ethiopia that the average American might not expect; craggy emerald peaks, picturesque villages, a priest blessing the family for a festive religious celebration.”
The soundtrack to the film include music by Krar Collective and Debo Band (Tadias)
or she is elected or designated as a Member of Parliament. Meanwhile, a parliamentarian’s term should correspond to his own national parliament term or any other deliberative organ that is elected or designated by the parliamentarian.
During the past Ethiopian parliamentary term, Ashebir Woldegiorgis (MD), was the vice president of the Pan-African Parliament. He was also the sole independent member of the parliament in the then house after he won the election in Bonga town of Southern Regional State after he had fought hard in a bitter competition with another well-known figure in the ruling party, Birhanu Adelo, in 2010. He, however, lost the parliament seat in the current parliament after he was defeated by another candidate of the ruling party, Mebratu Gebremariam (PhD), in another still controversial election which have been marred by the violence after Ashebir’s and his rival’s supporters clashed during the last days of the election campaign.
In a related development, the house has also approved seven more draft bills that help cement Ethiopia’s relations with other countries.
Among the draft bills, which were endorsed in its regular meeting on Thursday, visa exemption agreement for diplomatic and service passport holders of Seychelles, Tunisia, and Turkey are the major ones.
According to the agreement, citizens of Ethiopia and the three countries holding diplomatic or service passport will be exempted from visa requirement.
Similarly, the house also approved the agreements that had been signed with Senegal, Togo, Sierra Leone, and Uruguay. The agreements will enable strengthen Ethiopia’s relations with the countries in the areas of peace, education, trade, health and other sectors.
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infrastructure development project may include road construction and electrification. The company also proposed an alternative idea for the Ethiopian government to invest up to 20 million dollars in cash and acquire proportional shares.
KEFI said the equity financing portion of the build (20 million dollars) is being provided by the Ethiopia government.
The Ethiopian government has agreed to invest in the gold mine development project. Tolosa Shagi, the Minister of Mines, Petroleum and Natural Gas, told The Reporter that the government is interested in investing in the infrastructure development in the mine area. Tolosa said the government is studying the amount of investment required to improve the infrastructure near the mine.
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“We had a shared dream while attending computer engineering and international business studies in the US,” the co-founder and vice CEO of Mela, Liya Hailu, said.
Having conducted a survey on the growing electronic banking service in Ethiopia, Naol explained why the company came up with the idea of manufacturing ATMs in Ethiopia. “There is a great demand here and we are working to meet that demand,” he said.
In addition to the impact it would have in saving foreign currency, Naol said that the firm could be an exemplary one in transferring skills and technology. The ATM manufacturing firm has been working jointly with giant state-owned corporations such as Ethio-Telecom, the Metals and Engineering Corporations (MetEC) and the Ministry of Information and Technology to realize the plant.
According to Naol, the Commercial Bank of Ethiopia and several other banks are in line to get the ATM machines that are manufactured locally in a prerequisite basis and production will only be under way as soon as a bank signs order agreement that has a down payment procedure.
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trainees every year. The academy wants to further increase the intake capacity four-fold by 2025.
The fast growth of the airline triggered the demand for more aviation professionals and prompted the airline to heavily invest in its aviation academy.
Ethiopian Airlines Group CEO, Tewolde Gebremariam, told The Reporter that human resource development is one of the pillars of Vision 2025, the airlines 15year development road-map. “As the airline grows, we need more professionals, more pilots, technicians, cabin crew and marketing professionals. We are investing in the aviation academy. We have increased the intake. In 2010 the intake capacity of the academy was 200 students a year. Today, it has an intake capacity of 1000. We are training 1000 professionals a year. That shows that we are employing 1000 people every year. The airline
is creating jobs for more than 1000 Ethiopian brothers and sisters. We have introduced new technologies like the multi-crew pilot license training program,” Tewolde said.
The year 1956 marked the coming into existence of the aviation training department of Ethiopian Airlines with the objective of providing the airline with required skilled aviation personnel. The academy has six independently running aviation training schools – cabin crew training school, marketing and ground operations training school, pilot training school, technical recurrent training school, aviation maintenance school and leadership
The aviation academy is certified by the Ethiopian Civil Aviation Authority, the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), European Aviation Safety Agency, and International Air Transport Association Safety Audit (IOSA).
The aviation academy is recognized by IATA and African Airlines Association. It is also a full member of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) Training Plus program. Ethiopian is one of the few African airlines that has its own aviation academy.
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Second, non-profit organizations working to improve public policy need the same rights to secure international funding as for-profit entrepreneurs seeking to provide goods and services. Foreign direct investment should be encouraged, not hindered, regardless of whether it will support goods production and job creation or stronger public policies and more active citizenship.
The responsibility for changing course does not fall exclusively on governments. All of us who value open public space must stand shoulder to shoulder in support of the policy frameworks and institutions that safeguard it. Now is a time for solidarity across movements, causes, and countries.
When simply taking up the activism of a concerned citizen can land you in jail and fear of surveillance encourages mass passivity, single-issue politics is not a winning strategy. The best way to defend public space is to occupy it, even if you are championing a cause different from that of the person standing next to you. In 2016, we must fill – and thus protect – that space together.
Ed.’s Note: Chris Stone is President of the Open Society Foundations. The article was provided to The Reporter by Project Syndicate: the world’s pre-eminent source of original op-ed commentaries. Project Syndicate provides incisive perspectives on our changing world by those who are shaping its politics, economics, science, and culture. The views expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect the views of The Reporter.
The public...
protect refugees and other vulnerable migrants. This requires, first and foremost, agreement by more countries to accept refugees. In recent years, the UN Refugee Agency has been able to resettle fewer than 75,000 of more than 20 million refugees annually. Millions end up in protracted displacement, spending an estimated 25 years, on average, stuck in limbo, unsure when they might return home.
In 2016, developed countries should agree to accept a combined total approaching a million refugees annually, either through resettlement or by issuing humanitarian, student, labor, and other visas. With Canada alone saying that it will resettle 50,000 Syrian refugees this year, it is clear that this target is achievable.
At the same time, the international community must support the integration of refugees in major host countries like Turkey, Kenya, Lebanon, and Jordan. As it stands, such countries receive just a fraction of the USD 3,000-
5,000 per refugee required annually to provide adequate housing, food, health care, schooling, and job training during the first few years of displacement. And that does not account for the costs of building or upgrading infrastructure. Lebanon’s water-supply system, for example, is faltering under the strain of the massive influx of refugees. In exchange for funding, host countries should agree to integrate refugees fully into their schools, labor markets, and civic institutions.
But integrating migrants effectively will be impossible unless European and other countries change how they perceive migrants. If migrants are viewed as a burden or, worse, a security threat, reactionary political forces will continue to gain ground, cutting off opportunities for newcomers and turning such fears into a self-fulfilling prophesy. If, however, host countries enthusiastically integrate migrants, everyone will benefit – including home countries (for example, through
remittances).
Last month in Paris, the international community proved that it could subordinate national self-interest to a greater global goal: confronting climate change. In 2016, the same thing must happen to forge a better system for protecting migrants. It is a matter of life and death for 20 million refugees and millions of other vulnerable migrants – and a profound test of the civic health of democratic societies worldwide.
Ed.’s Note: Peter D. Sutherland is United Nations Special Representative of the Secretary-General for International Migration. The article was provided to The Reporter by Project Syndicate: the world’s pre-eminent source of original op-ed commentaries. Project Syndicate provides incisive perspectives on our changing world by those who are shaping its politics, economics, science, and culture. The views expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect the views of The Reporter.
A better...
International Development, only five of the 30 countries deserving the largest aid allocations get close to the right level.
The Bank is uniquely placed to counterbalance the caprices of individual donors and ensure a better global allocation. Until now, however, its lending has tended to follow donor fashions, rather than complementing them.
A second rationale for the World Bank is the need for “counter-cyclical” aid. At present, when the rich part of the world catches an economic cold, the poorer countries face a double contagion: Their trade earnings plummet, and flows of aid and investment from richer countries dries up. The resulting halts to projects or policies – half-built hospitals, unexpected shortages of medical supplies, bridges to nowhere – play havoc with their economies. As the Bank reviews its financial-management practices, a more consciously counter-cyclical approach could be adopted.
A third rationale for the Bank has been its ability to share expertise
and to develop and reinforce norms among the governments to which it lends. In practice, however, the Bank has struggled to do this effectively. Borrowers have often been reluctant to accept its advice, which they perceive as driven more by theory and ideology than by evidence and practice. Local officials in charge of implementation know that if the Bank’s advice proves impractical, unrealizable, or flawed in some other way, it is they, not some technocrats sitting in Washington, DC, who will lose their jobs (or the next election).
Experience suggests that the Bank’s advice has influence only if its messenger is someone who really knows the country (ideally as a resident), is an expert on the issue at hand, and has the power to get approval in Washington. Senior Bank staff deployed in regions for long periods, such as Jim Adams in Tanzania and Uganda, or David Dollar in China, have enviable track records. The Bank as a whole, however, is unlikely to succeed if it continues to attempt to become a centralized provider of solutions.
In short, the World Bank’s management and member countries need to work together to create a faster, more responsive institution, one that exploits its unique advantages to balance aid flows, provide counter-cyclical support, and offer meaningful advice. This approach could win back the fee-paying clients that comprise its self-sustaining resource base, provide it with its global reach, and allow it to continue to play a vital role in boosting economic growth and reducing poverty in developing countries.
Ed.’s Note: Ngaire Woods is Dean of the Blavatnik School of Government and Director of the Global Economic Governance Program at the University of Oxford. The article was provided to The Reporter by Project Syndicate: the world’s pre-eminent source of original op-ed commentaries. Project Syndicate provides incisive perspectives on our changing world by those who are shaping its politics, economics, science, and culture. The views expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect the views of The Reporter.
How to save...
Eighth Criminal Bench of the Federal High Court, Lideta Division, passed a 12-year sentence against Ayalew, a 90-million birr fine against the company and ruled that construction machinery worth some 86 million birr be confiscated. Back then prosecutors of ERCA requested the court to hand down more that 2-billion-birr fine against Ayat SC and a 79-year jail term and a 2.7-million-birr fine. Ayalew was found guilty of multiple counts including violating a raft of banking and monetary legislations, the Value Added Tax, Income Tax and Customs proclamations as well as the Criminal Code. According to the Federal High Court’s
decision, the share company was fined 90,091,270 birr while Ayalew was ordered to pay 3,235,543.50 birr in fine.
Now the Federal Supreme court has reduced the sentencing and ruled that the company pay 1.5 million birr under three counts.
Ayat SC, before becoming a share company, was a private limited company established in 1996 with a total capital of five million birr and with an objective of alleviating shortage of housing through building and transferring standard residential houses with different sizes, designs, types, locations and payment schemes.
Ayat was the first private organization to appear in the real estate business and had a strategic goal of building and marketing 25,000 residential houses. To this end, Ayat has constructed and handed over thousands of residential houses.
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This document very sensibly relates the success of the country’s foreign policy to the works done domestically to bring about development and democracy. So it would be only fair to start by evaluating the major activities done domestically and their contribution in achieving the broader foreign policy objectives of the country in 2015. In this regard, Ethiopia has done a great deal and received international applause for its strategic performance in many aspects.
Ethiopia held its fifth General Election which saw a record number of voter-turnout measured by any international indicators. The election has been observed by the African Union Election Observation Mission who concluded that the parliamentary elections were calm, peaceful and credible as it provided an opportunity for the Ethiopian people to express their choices at the polls. Despite the fact that the election has left the national parliament completely dominated by the ruling party and its allies, yet the whole process of Election 2015 represents a step forward for a country where democracy is at its infancy. And it proves that the effort the country is making in the political front is of course paying back.
Later in the year, and may be with a far reaching symbolic meaning, Ethiopia for the first time in its history celebrated a National Diaspora Day in the presence of thousands of Ethiopian from the diaspora. It was an excellent example of the government’s assurances that it was undertaking measures to broaden diaspora engagement in their country’s development as well as assisting them in wider roles. Consequently, the diasporas have increased their contribution to the Economy of the country either directly or indirectly. In 2015 alone Ethiopia has received a USD 3.7 billion in remittance from the diaspora, an unprecedented amount which even exceeds the income earned from export and funds received from donors in the same year. This is firmly in line with the foreign policy of the country which states that “Cognizant of the key roles played by Ethiopians residing abroad, especially in the economic sector, the government
should take the initiative in creating the most conducive environment for them to play a constructive role.” In spite of the result it may produce, it is fair to argue that taking the initiative to create conducive atmosphere for the diaspora by itself is a success as what follows in part must depend upon the diaspora.
On the economic front, as a country that labeled poverty as its number one enemy, it is hardly surprising that economic diplomacy is at the center of Ethiopia’s foreign policy. To show the priority given to securing economic benefit from foreign allies, the crafters of Ethiopian foreign policy goes to the extent of equating the ‘foreign service officer’ to the ‘development officer.’ Looking at the past year, it is clear that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs made every effort to meet this objective. A number of Joint Business Fora were held, both in Ethiopia and in other countries, around 300 foreign investors started operations in the country, a significant number of grants and loans for major infrastructural developments were secured, and substantial technical support provided in different fields.
Overall, the efforts of the country to achieve the Millennium Development Goals, notably in halving poverty and attaining the requirements in the health and education goals, were internationally recognized. Prime Minister Hailemariam Dessalegn received the South-South Award 2015 in recognition of Ethiopia’s success in meeting the Millennium Development Goal of halving poverty. This was buttressed by a number of internal infrastructural and other developments including the inauguration of the Addis Ababa Light Railway, the start of operations of the new railway from Djibouti to Addis Ababa and the beginning of power supplies from the Gilgel Gibe Dam. Additional infrastructural projects, linking Ethiopia to its neighbors, were inaugurated in the past year, and the culmination of all this underlined that some of the requirements of successful foreign policy were being achieved at home.
Turning to the bilateral level, the
past year has been a busy one for the lawmakers and practitioners of the Ethiopian foreign policy. Here it suffices to mention some, but a few visits exchanged between Ethiopia and the rest of the world and the subsequent agreements signed. In this regard, the past year has been exceptional in a way that leaders of the two great powers of the world, with different ideological outlook and starkly competing interests in Africa have made historic visits to Ethiopia. This attests that Ethiopia can no more be placed at the margins of world politics as it seriously matters both for the West and East alike.
The visit of America’s president along with the visit of other heads of state and government clearly shows that countries of the world have started to understand and support this country’s desire to develop and democratize. And it shows that over the past years Ethiopia has been effective in creating a supportive international environment to achieve the broader objectives of its foreign policy.
The adoption of the Addis Ababa Agenda at the Third International Conference on Financing for Development, and its input to both the Paris Climate Change Conference of Parties (COP21) and the agreement on the Sustainable Development Goals at the UN General Assembly attests that Ethiopia’s role in the international political arena is of course increasing.
Moreover, in 2015 a myriad of cooperation agreements have been signed with many countries. Perhaps the most important is the Declaration of Principles signed by the President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi of Egypt, President Omar al-Bashir of Sudan and Prime Minister Hailemariam, to underline their decision to resolve any differences through dialogue and consultation. Although this had specific reference to the construction of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam, it drastically reduced Ethiopia’s vulnerability emanating from issues revolving the Nile in parallel with utilizing its natural resource. Moreover, it underlined
Ethiopia’s approach to foreign policy, a policy that stipulates that “[Ethiopia] should give priority to solving problems through cooperation, clarification and patience, while avoiding arrogance and inadvertently harming its interest”.
Regionally, despite being in the hostile region of the Horn of Africa, Ethiopia clearly stated that peaceful coexistence and good neighborliness are at the core of its relations with neighboring countries. Accordingly, Ethiopia succeeded in strengthening its ties with the countries of the region with the notable exception of Eritrea and worked towards developing a peaceful relationship with the people of those countries. This was also emphasized by Ethiopia’s involvement, as chair, in the IGAD process to bring peace to South Sudan though the progress has been slow. Ethiopia’s activity in the AU Mission in Somalia’s growing successes against Al-Shabaab, and its continued participation in UN peacekeeping operations are also other cases in point.
Of course, no foreign policy aims can ever be 100 percent implemented and Ethiopia’s case is no exception. But the question remains: can we draw lessons from what happens and make the necessary adjustments in areas where success was not achieved, or do we tend to repeat the same mistake over and over again? This is the main question to be asked when trying to evaluate our foreign policy performance and here, it can be fairly argued that the past year has been a largely successful year for the practitioners of Ethiopian foreign policy.
But, being vulnerable both internally and externally, Ethiopia should punch above its weight to meet the objectives stated in the policy and this of course requires a coordinated effort both from the government and the people. Working towards minimizing the causes of the country’s vulnerability i.e., poverty, backwardness and good governance is crucial as failing to do so ‘will make the country prone not only to internal dangers but to external ones as well’.
Ed.’s Note: Fitsum Girma is a graduate of Political Science and International Relations. The views expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect the views of The Reporter. He can be reached at [emailprotected].
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where investors in the respective sector can voice their concerns and difficulties. Some of them also offer training and capacity building supports to their sectors. If you ask me, the basic problem around these institutions is the gap in leading the knowledge and technology transfer. For this, limitation in trained manpower has played a greater role. What we need to do is to establish strong relationships with similar organizations abroad and try to learn from them. Basically, what is needed of these institutes is a two-pronged support. On the one hand, those FDI companies need the institutes more to help them in removing bottlenecks in local market. Meanwhile, when we think of Ethiopian investors the capacity building and knowledge transfer role of the institutes is very significant. The institutes could help in recruiting frontrunner FDI companies to come to the sector so that the local manufacturers could learn from these companies over time.
Apart from these innovative and new institutions, the government has also been engaged in the constant restructuring of the existing institutions. In fact, this has been done so frequently that commentators express fears of loss of institutional memory and culture which could be useful for a nation. What are the considerations here?
When we talk about institutional building, it has to be clear that nations, which are striving towards structural transformation, do not always start with a fully developed institutional set-up. In fact, institutions emerge as nations grow and transform over time. Now, if we take the whole bureaucracy, it would be very tough to change it in the space of a few years; but we pinpoint which institutions are critical in terms of ushering in both local and FDI
companies in the manufacturing sector and take action there. For instance, we can take the customs and tax offices, the investment office and Industrial Park Development Corporation as critical to attract and sustain investment in the manufacturing sector.So, we have to try to build their capacity not only by training the personnel but also by forming links with foreign institutions and making use of foreign experts. Most importantly, these institutions have to improve the services they give based on the feedback that is obtained from investors in the manufacturing sector. That being the case, maintaining the institutional memory is always one consideration to which high value is attached.
Your government looks to have chosen the industrial or export zone approach to develop its manufacturing base. Why the exclusive focus on this approach? Is it to attract FDI or does it have its own merit?
It is simple. All we have to do is ask the question what we need to do to bring about fast economic growth. If we are to progress in manufacturing we have to attract some of the best manufacturers in the world; everybody can’t be a beginner. If we say we are beginners when it comes to manufacturing, we have to attract the best FDI in the world and learn from them. We should not have the wrong perception about FDI. Each country wants to attract the best FDI; even the advanced economies. Basically, there are three things we need from FDI: market access, skill and technology and best management practices. We need to sample the best experience in these three areas. So, what do these best FDI companies need to come and invest here? The first thing is they need to go into actual production process immediately; the yare not going
to wait for three and four years. This is also to our advantage. The faster they go into operation, the faster they would start exporting their goods and increase our forex earning. Plus, we also need to generate employment quickly close to 200,000. On top of that,when they go into operation, it will also create the opportunity for the local input sector to flourish. The parks would help these companies to go into operation in a month’s time. For example, one Korean firm in Bole-Lemi Park was able to start exporting within three months and employ 1000 people. Also, from the environmental point of view, it is better to concentrate the manufacturing firms inside parks so that their waste can be managed easily. Even from the local manufacturers’ point of view, parks are quite important in cutting establishment cost and go into operation quickly. The other merit of having industrial parks is the need to have a high-level of coordination between manufacturing firms. Different from agriculture, manufacturing need many supports and it is cost-effective to offer these supports in a more condensed manner. The basic merit is in the speed of development that we aspire to have. If you look into the advanced economies, they have achieved growth in manufacturing over 100 years so they needed no industrial parks. But, most recent experience in Asian development dictates that the industrial park approach is better fit for economies that want to achieve fast manufacturing growth. But, one thing that has to be clear is that an industrial park is not about building factory sheds only. It is the development of full institutions in which infrastructure should be provided at higher quality. On top of that, there are international standards that had to be met. After the Singapore Fire and 9/11 incidents, there are increasingly
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The Reporter, Saturday, January 16, 2016Vol. XX No. 1010 |31more pressing international standards that these factories need to adhere to. Furthermore, we are planning to have more specialized parks where specific sectors would be concentrated in. One thing that has to be clear, however, is that these parks are not meant for FDI companies only. From the very inception, our park design also takes into consideration local manufacturing firms as well.
True to form, the development of the parks these days is becoming just as important as the merit of the parks in Ethiopia. This is especially true with regard to the involvement of the local contractors in the development of the parks. What is the general direction in terms of the development of industrial parks?
The first thing we did with regard to the industrial park development is to undertake a study sampling experiences of Asian nations like South Korea, Vietnam, Singapore and China; from Africa we have also sampled the experience of Mauritius and Nigeria. The industrial park alone does not do miracles; it is a complete set of industry policy and strategy that is instrumental for progress. If you look at some Africa countries like Senegal and Liberia, there park experience dates back to the 1970s. But we can’t say that they have succeeded in building a manufacturing base. So, we have planned to develop industry parks in four towns: Hawassa, Dire Dawa, Adama and Kombolcha. After five years, we have managed to build only the Bole-LemiPark in Addis Ababa which is currently entering its sixth year. But we have not yet fully completed it. This park created 5,000 jobs but took five years; at this rate we will not be able to build our manufacturing base in the next 100 years. So, what we have decided to do is that we need to have a clear direction regarding the development and aim of industrial parks. Hence, we say that we need to have specialized parks, our parks should also be eco-parks and that we need to have all the legal and policy framework in place. So, we have discussed this study and decided that this should be the way to go. For instance, you can’t develop industrial parks without the proper legal framework; hence the parliament ratified the proclamation to govern industrial parks last March. Apart from that, the development of parks also needs a strong institutional guidance in the form of the corporation, which we have established. Furthermore, the development of parks also needs finance. We can’t rely on the treasury to develop a handful of fully functional parks. Hence we went a head and accessed funds from the international bond market. The basic point here is whether we can proceed with our previous pace of developing the parks. Can we afford that? So, we had a task of building parks faster and at a certain quality standards. Given these challenges, we can’t build many parks at once; hence we decided to start with a model park that is Hawassa Park (employment opportunity for 50,000 and export earning capacity of USD 1 billion). We are trying to complete the construction of Hawassa Park within six to nine months. So, one thing that we have to note is that there is no park in Ethiopia so far; not in the full sense of the word (Industrial Park). We have to admit that we don’t have strong local capacity in designing and constructing industrial parks. So, what is a fact is
that we don’t have local constructors who are at the level where they can do that. The Government of Ethiopia has a well-proven track record in supporting and nurturing local construction industry actors. Especially, in the massive low-cost house projects the government has opened up a wide range of opportunities to local contractors. This includes support at a considerable cost for the government because most of these firms were beginners and have to exercise and build their capacity even at the expense of quality and delivery time. One thing that has to be clear is that the government is building these parks for companies and there is a contract that it needs to uphold if these companies are to come and work here. They have to come and work, if we are to pay our debt in time. So, we can’t afford to let our local companies take this chance and learn from it. That is why we have decided to give priority to those contractors who have the experience in developing an industrial park. We don’t have time for affirmative action; not in the first phase of the park development at least. The usual contract execution method is also something we had to look into deeply. If we follow the traditional procedure, we need at least five and six months before we select the contractor, award the contract, pay the advance and so on. That is the kind of time we don’t have. With this in mind, we have said that we require a contactor that does not wait for an advance payment to start the construction process. We also require a contractor that can access its own source of foreign currency since accessing forex can also be another factor that will test the development process; and, of course the capacity to design and construct
parks is also another requirement. Now, when we say this, it is not only about being a foreign firm, it has to be a company with prior experience in development. In this view, of what does the experience in Bole-Lemi Park suggests? The government with a view of nurturing the local construction sector has involved some 23 contractors in the project. But, the outcome is not desirable and is highly unaffordable. So, the government is taking very careful and cautious steps towards industrial park development. Believe me, we will have a second and a third phase in the development of parks, if we succeed in the first phase. Then, we will have the opportunity to involve local contractors since by then they will learn a great deal and will be ready to construct parks properly. So, we need to think critically as to which sectors need urgency and which don’t. For instance, the recently completed Me’eson-Djibouti electric rail project was completed within three and a half years. That is some project we needed to show urgency on since it directly affects our export-import sector. Far as capacity building is concerned, I think the government needs a reminder on the subject since I was personally involved in many capacity building activities with local contractors.
With regard to the construction of parks, the recently canceled bid for the Dire Dawa Industrial Park has sparked quite a controversy among local contractor companies. Can you explain why the bid was canceled? Is it a covert measure to exclude local contractors from the process as it is
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all too often end in tears. The economic and social returns decline and money dries up, setting the stage for a debt crisis. A recent IMF study finds that, after some early positive effects, most public-investment drives falter.
But much depends on local conditions. Public investment can enhance an economy’s productivity for a substantial period of time, even a decade or more, as it clearly has done in Ethiopia. It can also catalyze private investment, and there is some evidence that this has happened in India in recent years.
The potential benefits of public investment are not limited to developing countries. In fact, today it may be the advanced economies of North America and Western Europe that stand to gain the most from ramping up domestic public investment. In the aftermath of the great recession, there are many ways in which these
economies could put additional public spending to good use: to increase demand and employment, restore crumbling infrastructure, and boost research and development, particularly in green technologies.
Such arguments are typically countered in policy debates by objections related to fiscal balance and macroeconomic stability. But public investment is different from other types of official outlays, such as expenditures on public-sector wages or social transfers. Public investment serves to accumulate assets, rather than consume them. So long as the return on those assets exceeds the cost of funds, public investment in fact strengthens the government’s balance sheet.
We do not know how the experiments in Ethiopia, India, or Bolivia will eventually turn out; so caution is warranted before one extrapolates from
these to other cases. Nonetheless, all three are examples that other countries, including developed ones, should watch closely as they search for viable growth strategies in an increasingly hostile global economic environment.
Ed.’s Note: Dani Rodrik is Professor of International Political Economy at Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government. He is the author of The Globalization Paradox: Democracy and the Future of the World Economy and, most recently, Economics Rules: The Rights and Wrongs of the Dismal Science. The article was provided to The Reporter by Project Syndicate: the world’s pre-eminent source of original op-ed commentaries. Project Syndicate provides incisive perspectives on our changing world by those who are shaping its politics, economics, science, and culture. The views expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect the views of The Reporter.
The return...
an anomaly. This year, thanks in part to El Niño, weird weather is the new normal. From Russia to Switzerland, temperatures have been elevated by 4-5º Celsius, and the weather patterns look set to remain highly unusual in 2016.
The effect on developing countries is of particular concern, because many are already reeling from the negative impact of China’s slowdown on commodity prices, and because drought conditions could lead to severe crop shortfalls. The last severe El Niño, in 1997-1998, which some called the “El Niño of the Century,” represented a huge setback for many developing countries.
The economic effects of El Niño events are almost as complex as the underlying weather phenomenon itself and therefore are difficult to predict. When we look back on 2016, however, it is quite possible that El Niño will be regarded as one of the major drivers of economic performance in many key countries, with Zimbabwe and South Africa facing drought and food crises, and Indonesia struggling with forest fires. In the American Midwest, there has lately been massive flooding.
There is a long history of weather having a profound impact on civil strife as well. Economist Emily Oster has argued that the biggest spikes in witch burnings in the Middle Ages, in which hundreds of thousands (mostly women) were killed, came during periods of economic deprivation and apparently weather-related food shortages. Some have traced the roots of the civil war in Syria to droughts that led to severe crop failure and forced a mass inflow of farmers to the cities.
On a more mundane level (but highly consequential economically), the warm weather in the US may very well cloud the job numbers the Federal Reserve uses in deciding when to raise interest rates. It is true that employment data are already seasonally adjusted to allow for normal weather differences in temperate zones; construction is always higher during spring than winter. But standard seasonal adjustments do not account for major weather deviations.
Overall, the evidence from past El Niños suggests that the current massive one is likely to leave a significant footprint on global growth, helping support economic recovery in the US and Europe, while putting even more pressure on already weak emerging markets. It is not yet global warming, but it is already a very significant event economically – and perhaps just a taste of what is to come.
Ed.’s Note: Kenneth Rogoff, a former chief economist of the IMF, is Professor of Economics and Public Policy at Harvard University. The article was provided to The Reporter by Project Syndicate: the world’s pre-eminent source of original op-ed commentaries. Project Syndicate provides incisive perspectives on our changing world by those who are shaping its politics, economics, science, and culture. The views expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect the views of The Reporter.
Extreme
weather...
than 20 years and this is the first time we faced cancellation. The problem was created with one artiste and the management. Previously, we dealt with international artistes such as Alpha Blondy. We know how to manage but this was also a wakeup call on how to look into details. We heard some rumors about Yassin Bey’s reputation such as his concert in Kenya but we did not consider the negative issues. This is a lesson on how to deal with similar issues.
Every year the artistes that come are much diversified. Electro, afro-fusion, alternatives, hip-hop, salsa and traditional music are some of the genres. What is the criteria in choosing artistes?
We actually have a Swedish and Ethiopian crew and a leading committee. The leading committee is responsible in recruiting artistes. Since Selam is getting popular many artistes are requesting to come. The problem is that most of the artistes are not known by Ethiopians. In established festivals like the Tanzanian Busara, the artistes send an application. In our case we choose artistes that are suitable for an Ethiopian audience. In other countries, embassies influence decisions by
sponsoring an artiste. In our case we do not compromise. If they sponsor us it should be our choice not theirs.
There are also successful commercially viable artistes. Why don’t you bring them or is it because of Selam’s identity or is it because they are expensive?
As Selam we focus on artistes who can pass positive messages. Apart from that, there is the question of money. The renowned artistes request a lot of money and the entrance won’t cover the cost. Most of the artistes actually compromise the price and seem to understand the aim of the festival. It is not only the international artistes, local artistes’ payment is sometimes unattainable.
What about funding?
Cultural funding that come from Europe is decreasing. Europe also has its own crises. Additionally, an event which depends on funding will not be sustainable. We want to limit funds as much as possible and depend on local sponsors. We need long-term sustainable sponsors that believe in our aim. We are established and successful with an international network of artistes. Our biggest achievement is
that people are now calling it one of the biggest East African festivals. From its start we decided that the Sweden and the Ethiopian festival should have the same standard, including artistes’ bookings and content.
What is the unique challenge related to organizing festivals?
Festivals that are modern are not usual. There are cultural and religious festivals, which are popular such as Meskel or Epiphany. The festivals that we organize are like European festivals. Festivals are rare in Ethiopian. Some of them actually phase out because there is no support. And in some cases the market is not lucrative. The other challenge is availability of equipment, skilled manpower, suitable outdoor venues and other issues which require fundamental solutions.
The festival industry can be stronger with experts penetrating the market, easy access to equipment and getting access to various venues. This sector needs a huge investment and support. Ethiopia is a country blessed with ancient heritage, culture, music, food and an ancient civilization. What we need is a clear strategy so that the country can have a very good creative industry.
The challenges... CONT`D FROM PAGE 19
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The Reporter, Saturday, January 16, 2016Vol. XX No. 1010 |33
By Daniel TeshomeTOUCH &
go
Ed.’s Note: Daniel Teshome is a current affairs commentator for The Reporter. He can be reached at [emailprotected].
Public school teachers in the rundown city of Detroit called in sick from work en masse. They did not wait for any approval from their ever lethargic unions; they simply went ahead with their strike; they coordinated their efforts and “failed” to report to work because the severe winter weather made them “terribly sick”.
What makes this interesting besides the obvious one of their method, the calling in sick, is the simplicity (or is it sincerity?) of their demand: more funds for public education. Of course, anyone skeptical of mass movements such as this one would automatically consider, without even giving them the benefit of the doubt, the teachers’ direct demand for increased funds for education is nothing but an indirect demand for a pay increase, which it most certainly is not. They did not raise vague questions; the teachers asked of the government, in the clearest of terms, for school buildings which are visibly crumbling to be renovated and for laboratories and other important educational facilities to be repaired. Those are the facts.
But, as is most often the case in social issues as in everything else, facts alone are unimportant; they have to be taken as integral parts of a whole before any sense can be made of them. A bigger question than what are the mere facts has to be asked.
In what direction is American society or American body politic going? In the simpler days of yore, we could have said either to the Left or to the Right and ended the matter there. Things are not as simple presently. As political terminologies have failed to keep in step with political developments, we cannot avoid using dated terminologies to label or designate (so that we understand) modern circ*mstances.
Previously, when you said Left in reference to American politics or even international politics, it actually meant Left; and when you said Right, it actually meant Right. There were sets of values commensurate with either designation. For instance, it had always been the position of the American Left to urge that the nation avoids foreign entanglements by staying away from directly involving in other peoples’ domestic affairs; in other words, isolationism was the mantra of the Left. And the American Right had always, at least as far as we can be reasonably expected to remember, endorsed the exact opposite
position – aggression, or in other words, militaristic adventurism.
But nothing is what it used to be, or what it ought to be in present-day America; the Left is not entirely Left and the Right is not entirely Right, not anymore. People cross-dress a lot these days. It is a fact, for example, President Barack Obama – someone presumably on the Left – had caused more civilian deaths and other causalities by ordering more American drone strikes in Yemen and other regions, especially in the Middle East and Northern Africa than his predecessor President George W. Bush – someone presumably on the Right. (That is to say nothing of his decision to ignore the plight of millions of Syrians until lately.) The guy who started the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq had conducted less drone strikes than the guy who promised to end those wars. It is also a fact, Bush more than Obama, used his office as president to help social causes, including increased funding for schools in America’s inner cities and HIV/AIDS programs on the African continent.
We only wanted to show how terminologies lag behind events. And only for having said that could we attempt, albeit remotely, to identify in which direction America is headed. Different layers of American society move in different directions. The teachers in Detroit set themselves the task of getting increased funding for their schools and sought to achieve their objective through coordinated action, whereas the teachers’ unions – bastions of social movement in the past but apparently not any longer – heard of the strike like everybody else, after it happened. In this case, the teachers, who are nothing but ordinary citizens after all, can be said to have taken power into their own hands to affect social change – a definite characteristic usually attributable to the Left. The unions, on the other hand, were behind the events; that means, even if they never intended it directly, they played a role that effectively stays the teachers’ actions. In other words, by doing nothing to facilitate the strike, they did everything to conserve the status quo.
Again, this is not the case everywhere in America. Industrial cities, or post-industrial cities rather, have always had the Leftist grit for strikes and protests while other industrial cities, mostly those in the country’s
geographic south, have always had the Rightist aversion for said strikes and protests. The similar conditions but dissimilar political inclinations are of course explained by a plethora of historic, social and other factors which have most influenced the people. In down-to-earth terms, some places are inching progressively to the Left and others are inching regressively to the Right. In parenthesis, why one is portrayed in a seemingly positive fashion as progressing and the other in a seemingly negative fashion as regressing will not be detailed here, but the writer’s bias is just not the only reason.
Taken in aggregate, the moves to the Left and the moves to the Right should give us the country’s general direction, something that would probably be somewhat reflected by the result of the upcoming presidential election. And there is a reason we used the word somewhat here; it is to highlight, for lack of a better way to put it, our less-than-certain certainty.
It does not necessarily follow that the next president embodies all of public sentiment or even a majority of public sentiment. The Americans have what they call the Electoral College system which is something they themselves seldom understand; and I can admit, I understand nothing of it either. Suffice it to say, it is an electoral mechanism whereby delegates in conjunction with the general public elect the next president. That is why the results of American presidential elections are never a proportional representation of the general public’s desires; presidents are elected by a combination of popular vote and electoral vote by delegates, or electors as the Prussians used to call their gilded politicians centuries ago. For instance, Al Gore had won the popular vote count in 2000, but the electoral vote, which is what actually matters, awarded the presidency to George W. Bush.
With that being said, how best to characterize the path on which America has been traveling is something that can only be done in relative terms: yes, there are Left-leaning movements and activities inside the bellies of some of the nation’s most unequal and dilapidated cities; by the same token, there are Right-leaning movements in similar places, the tea party and its psychotic local affiliates being the obvious examples. That means, there is nothing conclusively inevitable about
Some American cross-dressingeither the Left or the Right tendencies.
Be that as it may, we live in interesting times, more so for what rarities we commonly witness these days. An avowed socialist is running for American president. It seems, in some regards at least, a significant number of Americans have managed to put the paranoia of McCarthyism behind them. Commies are still bashed, but less and less.
Of course, Bernie Sanders, the United States Senator from Vermont, insists he is a democratic socialist. (Sure he is. Wink! Wink! V. I. Lenin was only a social democrat too. Even when Karl Marx was around, communist was a term too raw for politics; the words with which his 1848 Communist Manifesto started, “A spectre is haunting Europe – the spectre of communism”, is evidence enough.)
Many voters have not been taking Sanders as a serious candidate, but he seems to have started making a greater impression now, something his non-democratic-socialist rivals were too complacent to expect. Could this guy actually win? The possibility is there. The fact that there is even the slightest possibility a person with Sanders’ background replete with a Sandinista portfolio and whatnot could even be considered to become America’s president is a clear indication that, as some restive parts of the country are looking to the Right for alternatives, others are looking to the Left. A Bernie Sanders victory would not mean much, however, considering the stability (or is it stagnation?) of American lawmaking. It may set a useful precedent for more hardened reds to run for the highest office in the future, but it is least likely to signify a departure from the creed of individualism and greed which have characterized American society until now.
All things considered, the American people have been changing before our very eyes, and with them, their politics too. They elected an African-American for president. They now have a socialist, my mistake, a democratic socialist running for the highest office. They also have women who are running for president. That last bit is utterly unimportant, however, if their being women is their most important political, economic, social and foreign policy.
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34| The Reporter, Saturday, January 16, 2016 Vol. XX No. 1010#REPORTERBOOK
R
R
#TrumpCartoonsTrumping it up!
A tweet helps Indian Railways rescue a girl from human
During the latest GOP debate Texas Senator Ted Cruz got the better of republican front runner Donald Trump on the citizenship back-and-forth – although the fact that a question about the Texas senator’s eligibility to be president was the third one asked in the entire debate amounted to a win for Trump. And, yes, Trump’s answer on a tariff against China was, well, hard to understand (to be kind.)
But, unlike in the previous five debates, Trump seemed engaged throughout. He interjected – like in the conversation about corporate inversions – where it made sense for him to. His response to Cruz’s attack on “New York values” was an effective piece of political rhetoric. His insistence that he is “very angry” because of the mismanagement of the country worked well, too.
Trump’s performances in these debates are never home runs -- he’s too undisciplined and unprepared for that. But, this was, without question his best debate.
See some of the cartoons depicting Donald Trump on the Right.
A 19-year-old orphan girl was rescued from traffickers in India, after a co-passenger tweeted to the Ministry of Railways. The rescue operations played out real-time on Twitter, with help reaching the girl within a few hours.
Radha Lohar was onboard a train from Hyderabad and handed over a letter to a fellow passenger that revealed that she was being forcibly taken to Delhi. This co-passenger then passed on the information to a relative Divyansh Khunteta, who tweeted a photograph of the letter written by Lohar to the Indian Railways.
Railways officials soon alerted the Railway Protection Force Personnel, who entered the train at the Ramagundam Railway Station, and discovered that Lohar had been working with a job placement agency and was being taken to Delhi against her will. She was then helped by a local NGO and will soon go back home.
Indian passengers have been increasingly tweeting their woes, ranging from distress messages to complaints about the service, to Indian Railways to get instant redressal and cut across bureaucracy. Since joining Twitter in July 2014, the railways ministry has deployed a round-the-clock team to monitor Twitter and respond to passenger complaints.
In November, a solo woman passenger received quick help after complaining of being harassed during her journey. In another incident, Indian Railways extended medical assistance to a man who had tweeted about his father’s paralysed condition. (Mashable)
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The Reporter, Saturday, January 16, 2016Vol. XX No. 1010 |35
R
R Periscope videos will soon autoplay in tweets
you all the embarrassing tweets politicians delete
#REPORTERBOOK#CosmicConfusion
Your Twitter timeline is about to get noisier.
Live stream videos from Periscope will soon autoplay inside of tweets on Twitter’s app and website, the company announced Tuesday. The update means you will no longer need to open a separate website or app to watch Periscope streams.
The feature is rolling out to Twitter’s iOS app “over the next few days” and will launch on its website and Android app at a later date, Twitter says.
Once live, the feature will enable videos shared to Twitter via the Periscope app to automatically play in tweets when you’re scrolling through your timeline, search results or another users’s profile. Tapping into a a video will
launch a full screen view of the video, along with the comments and hearts you would expect to see in a typical Periscope live stream.
While the move will be more convenient for some — it’s now a lot easier to check out a live stream and then go back to perusing your timeline — it will no doubt irk many users as it also means there will be a lot more autoplaying videos in your timeline.
t’s also significant in that it marks Twitter’s biggest move toward making Periscope, which it acquired last year, a more official part of its platform. Though Periscope accounts have been linked to Twitter since the app launched in March, you couldn’t watch a stream on your device without opening the Periscope app.
It also stands to increase engagement with Twitter. Periscope live streams can be hours long events so the fact that you no longer need to leave Twitter’s app or website to watch these streams certainly stands to help bolster the company’s engagement metrics. (Mashable)
Twitter has a message for politicians: You can delete tweets, but you can’t hide.
Politwoops, a tool developed by the Sunlight Foundation that archives the tweets politicians fire off and then quickly delete, is back after
a seven-month hiatus. The tool went dark earlier this year after Twitter removed Politwoops’ access to the API on June 3, stopping the ability to track deleted tweets.
Before Twitter shut off its access, Politwoops caught a number of deleted tweets that ranged from exposing politicians’ lack of transparency to revealing
some inappropriate tweets from members of Congress.
One of the most cringeworthy deleted tweets was from Tennessee GOP Rep. Stephen Fincher, who — after listening to a song by the Embers — tweeted, “God I love this song. And beach music. AND shagging.” The tweet was deleted after nine hours, but lived on in infamy thanks to Politwoops.
One congressional staffer was even fired after Politwoops caught a deleted tweet sent during the Superbowl in 2013 that read, “Me likey Broke Girls.”
The Sunlight Foundation thanked Twitter for allowing the service to resume.
“Politwoops is an important tool for holding our public officials, including candidates and elected or appointed public officials, accountable for the statements they make, and we’re glad that we’ve been able to reach an agreement with Twitter to bring it back online both in the US and internationally,” Jenn Topper, communications director for the Sunlight Foundation, said in a statement.
Reporters reacted with glee on Twitter, just in time for the true kick-off to the 2016 elections. (Mashable)
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Afar Pastoralist DevelopmentAssociation(APDA)
BID DOCUMENTFor Purchase of different Items
A. BID INVITATION
Afar Pastoralist Development Association /APDA/ wants to invite all interested and eligible bidders for the supply of the following items:
Food oilPulse(Lentils)Fammax (CSB)
All bidders shall provide written application with original and copies of the following legal documents:
1. under consideration
2.
3. Evidence of settlement of current tax obligation (TIN)
4.
hours upon payment of non-refundable Birr 100.00 (One Hundred Birr) .The bid documents will be sold starting from 16/01/2016 and the bid closing date shall be on 23/01/2016 at 11:00 AM
The tender opening procedure can be attended by all bidders or their legal representatives.APDA reserves the right to fully or partially cancel the bid.
For further information, please call on Tel.0115 53 88 20, Addis Ababa 033 550 0002 Afar region LogiaFull Adress of APDA, Afar Pastoralist Development AssociationP.O.Box 592 Code 1110
Private Enterprise Programme Ethiopia (PEPE)Short-term technical assistance
Scope of Work1.1. Title
Manager Services for Enterprise Partners (EP)
1.2. Enterprise Partners Background
Enterprise Partners (EP) is a wealth-creation programme under DFID-funded Private Enterprise Program Ethiopia (PEPE), which aims to stimulate investment in the private sector and in doing so create jobs and increase household income. As Ethiopia grows towards middle-income status, EP’s emphasis is to enhance the productivity and competitiveness of the private sector while improving
a growth that is inclusive of women and the environment, in line with the government’s plans. PEPE, which runs from 2013-2020, is a programme implemented, in part, by a DAI-Europe led consortium for Enterprise Partners which includes First Consult, ITAD, Enclude and BCaD.
1.3. Services
be considered as a fund manager to provide investment management service for business development loan to local companies as described in Section 3 - Scope of Services.
businesses, do have the ambition and the potential for growth but
improve the general operation of SMEs by focusing on improvement
medium term. It is also to support the investment process SMEs
EP would make available £1m in grant to a Partner Bank to
transformational value-creation effort. The fund is to be used as a catalyst to overcome some of the developmental challenges that
institutional investors. The Partner Bank makes available £2.5m
borrowers deployed as a commercial loan under the Bank’s own commercial terms and guidelines. This loan fund will be separately managed by the Partner Bank’s Commercial Loan Division.
1.4.
RFP must be submitted by e-mail to the contact below no later than due date outlined in this RFP. EP reserves the right to judge should
1.5. Invitation to Submit Proposals
All proposals must be emailed no later than February 07, 2016 at
must also submit one electronic copy of the Respondent’s proposal on CD/CD-ROM, including the transmittal letter and other related
after the above date and time will not be considered.
INVITATION TO BID Nos.LITB-2016-9123245
to procure:
Plastic ItemsInterested and eligible bidders are invited to collect the complete tender document at the address below starting from 18/01/2016. Formal offers return dates are indicated on the bid document.
UNICEF reserves the right to accept or reject any part or the entire bid.
For further information and queries, please contact Tegest Zeleke
UNICEF-UNECA Compound, NOF Building, 2rd oor
Please notify the Supply Section by email: [emailprotected] providing the name of the
person who will be submitting the bid and the proposed date of arrival 36 hours in advance or alternatively you may call telephone no +251 115 184000 or 011 518 41 61 at least three (3) hours before your arrival at the UNECA
Security Gate to arrange to be met
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38| The Reporter, Saturday, January 16, 2016 Vol. XX No. 1010
Bits PiecesBy Leyou Tameru
&
Ed.’s Note: Leyou Tameru is a graduate of Georgetown and Addis Ababa University Law schools, specializing in International Legal Studies. Born and raised in Addis Ababa, she seeks to understand
the impact of economic, political and social issues on everyday lives. She can be reached at @anchihoye
@anchihoye
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Populism vs
RealismKeeping up with real news has become a bit of a challenge. Not only are there so many stories, the order in which they are told makes difficult to discern which ones are important versus which ones are space fillers.
I have been thinking about the newly-elected Tanzanian president, John Magufuli. Ever since his election, which received attention for being very smooth, he has been doing things that caught the attention of Tanzanians as well as other Africans. During the celebration of liberation, he gave up the fancy part to be amongst the people and got his hands dirty by cleaning gutters. He has very strong stance on corrupt officials and has vowed to take serious measures. He’s also recently ordered that all foreigners working illegally in Tanzania be sent back to their country as a measure of decreasing the unemployment rate in the country.
This made me thinking about leaders who did populist actions and a few decades later, all changed. I’m thinking of the likes of Yoweri Museveni, Robert Mugabe which are senior ones to still be alive. There’s the Thomas Sankara and Patrice Lumumba types, that have paid with their life for their popularity. And, recently, some may want to add Paul Kagame along with Magufuli to be a new generation of populist leaders. Now, the question is this: How long will it be before a popular leader has to start making unpopular decisions? Also, looking at how previously “popular” leaders started, is there an evident dooms day coming where they will completely change?
Call me pessimistic or skeptic, I do not think that such “populist” leaders stay that way for a long time. In all honesty, it’s not only unsustainable but it’s not what the people need. The people need someone to create jobs, decrease poverty, keep the country stable and many more things. The duty of the leader is not to show them that she’s with them, rather it’s for her to make the things she has promised a reality. Populist leaders are great at public relations but do not on delivery. To be honest, I do not need the president to come and clean the gutter is a way of showing me that he cars, I would like for him to fund a program to make it so that these gutters are always clean.
One thing all leaders have to understand is that the job they’re doing is thankless. They will get criticized for everything, the good and the bad. I do not want to sound Machiavellian but popularity should not be the priority of our leaders; rather it should be getting the job done.
African history has shown us that populist leaders end their journey in one of two ways: they’re assassinated or turn into bitter old men. I hope in my heart that this is not going to be the case for the new generation of popular African leaders. My hope that this new generation of leaders starts a trend where they are smart enough to focus on getting the job done, strong enough to take widely unpopular decisions that will help their countries make strides while remembering and maintaining their bond with their people. What makes the Magufulis so different is that nowadays the only interaction African heads of state have with their people is the all too common road closure whenever they are leaving the country or going to a meeting. Under these circ*mstances it is really difficult to have a “reality check” as a head of state when all you do is read numbers about your own country and not see how their own people are living.
I guess my point is, it’s great to know that heads of states are aware of their people’s reality. However doing “popular” acts with the community is charming but realistically unsustainable and at times even condescending.
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The Reporter, Saturday, January 16, 2016Vol. XX No. 1010 |39
Aries Start accepting more personal responsibility. If there is a chance spend more time with your beloved. You should try to get involved into new business project - it will bring you in contact with new friends. Keep in mind that this is not the best time to take risks or to spend your money blindly. Set new, more global goals and start acting toward them - this is the right time for it. This week lucky numbers are: 51, 81, 2, 65, 68
Taurus It is time to reevaluate your motives, goals and concerns and set a reasonable plan so that you are sure to succeed. Education may be the key that opens that secret door into the world of success. Family members may want you at home, when your heart is telling you to spend time with someone you recently met. This week lucky numbers are: 55, 91, 5, 93, 74
Gemini This is the perfect time to connect with old friends. Get involved into community or a family event and you will feel how much you are being loved. Promotion will be yours if you act professionally in time of crisis that is about to begin. Talking to those you trust and respect will help you realise and get over any inner problem. Friendly relations will provide an atmosphere in which everyone can grow and prosper. This week lucky numbers are: 45, 47, 1, 79, 20
Cancer There is a good chance for you to e pect in your nancial situation as well as in your private life. It is necessary to to take a time out for a little rest and relaxation. Good book, cup of tea, old friend any topic will be perfect. Romantic opportunities are on the horizon if you are involved in large groups or organizations so work with others. This week lucky numbers are: 3, 78, 83, 73, 53
Leo Don’t forget to deal with the needs of other people. Changes at home will be to your bene t so don’t put up a fuss. You will be over emotional during this week and likely to misunderstand what’s going on. Don’t be too shy to ask questions and clear any discrepancies quickly. . Do your best, but don’t make too many promises or you may exhaust yourself. This week lucky numbers are: 81, 27, 61, 58, 45
Virgo There is a chance that you will nd yourself experiencing problems with coworkers and employers. Don’t get upset and try to plan your day more carefully. It is not the best time to make investments or unwise expences. Think about your budget before booking a trip. You’ll be reminded of how important it is to enjoy other people’s company. You’ll be a source of warmth for those you love. This week lucky numbers are: 45, 95, 85, 47, 73
Libra It is possibly that someone takes command, no matter if you like it or not. Don’t ght the inevitable. Pleasure trips will
nely turn out to be better than you have even anticipated. You should avoid being involved in secret affairs or underhanded involvements. A promotion or a raise will be in order by the end of this week. Get yourself ready for more ambitious work.This week lucky numbers are:66, 51, 1, 85, 25
Scorpio Someone is impressed with your talent, ideas and the way you handle the most of your problems. Find out who it is and you will get another good friend. You must be careful with what you share with your partners- one of them is aiming to get your place. Think hard before going into business with friends or family. Minor health problems could result through exhaustion. By week’s end, you should expect easier connections and more agreements. Your charmed touch will help you to achieve your goals. This week lucky numbers are: 47, 93, 22, 7, 40
Sagittarius Good time to meet your friends and do something entertaining but not very expensive. Socializing will be more than just entertaining. Act in a friendly way and you will meet someone who will in uence your future life in a positive and unique way. In the professional area of your life you are best to keep a low pro le - listen, observe and learn. By the end of the week everything will seem to take its own place. Finish what you start, and try to have fun from your work. This week lucky numbers are: 18, 62, 37, 30, 41
Capricorn Take a look around you - if you are all alone it is the right time to reevaluate your personal life. Your lack of interest in your partner can become a beginning of the end. A problem can solved in discussion. Be aware of any emotional deception. You’ll be assertive, inventive, intuitive and everyone’s favorite guest. This will enable you to set your sights even higher than usual. By the end of this week you will nd yourself in unusual place. This week lucky numbers are: 82, 69, 3, 83, 40
Aquarius You’ll have amazing ideas, but the big bosses may try to block your attempts at implementing them. Be prepared to deal with groups and organizations of greater magnitude. Partnerships could be tense. Don’t push your luck. You need a change and you need to earn more cash. Don’t take your frustrations out on the ones you love. This week lucky numbers are: 49, 81, 80, 76, 47
Pisces Don’t let small mistakes cause unprecedented remarks with a loved ones. The good week to make investments. Express your opinion clearly and loudly for all to understand. You will have to face an emotional problem with your loved one that you have been avoiding for some time now. Don’t try to get a support from elders in your family who don’t under stand your present situation. This week lucky numbers are: 49, 3, 8, 26, 10
US officeBox
C r o s s w o r d
Your Zodiacs (astrology-online.com)
Ku
nch
o K
omm
ents
ACROSS
1. Honk5. Tree with rough serrated leaves8. Crust over healing sore12. ____ mater13. Fatty part of milk15. Stiltlike bouncing toy16. Thin17. _____ Johnson Laugh-In actor18. End of a prayer19. US elected official22. Grown males23. ___ Angeles24. Magma26. Native of Crete29. Huckstering31. Anger32. To frizz hair34. Car type36. Coarse Polynesian cloth38. With quills40. Mark on skin caused by the blow of a whip41. Semi-precious stones43. Enlist45. ___ King Cole46. Ranges or extents48. Fools
50. Long base of a ship51. Small mythological being52. Breast support54. Moving about61. Sinks63. Playfully make fun64. A Great Lake65. Woody plant66. Dog-_____ pages of a book67. Bristle or stiff hair68. Joke or fool around69. Diethylstibestrol70. Russian emperor
DOWN1. Magnesium silicate2. Margarine3. Arabian country4. Intertwine5. Mistakes6. Permits7. Disfigure8. Resort9. Officer of a military unit10. “A Death in the Family” author11. Capital of the former West Germany13. Roman emperors14. Pale complexion 20. Officer Training Corps
21. Small sleeps25. Vista26. Dice game27. Puts in new containers28. Backs of necks29. Painter _____ Matisse30. Ceremonies31. International Trade Organization33. Needle35. Fisherman’s tool37. Plant of the lily family39. Sang inarticulate sounds42. Specification or speculation 44. German for “purple”47. The best49. Most often52. Bell System Technical Journal53. Naked55. Absorb written material56. Serious attention57. Utilizes58. Angers59. National Institute for Trial Advocacy60. Toothed wheel61. Place
SPO
T TH
E D
IFFE
REN
CES
Can you spot the 12 differences between the two pictures? Solution Solution
1 Star Wars: The Force Awakens
2 The Revenant
3 Daddy’s Home
4 The Forest
5 Sisters
6 The Hateful Eight
7 The Big Short
8 Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Road Chip
9 Joy
10 Concussion
Hello mom, how are you and how is the trip to
Bahir Dar? You must be having a good time!
Everything is great here but Dad made me do something I would never have dreamed
of doing?
Come on dad! Everybody knows
what that is.
Really?! What did he made you do this time?Everything is great
here my dear. How are you and your dad
doing?
LEISURE
Yesterday the there was no power and he
made me read him a newspaper using
candlelight!!! Can you believe it?!?!
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40| The Reporter, Saturday, January 16, 2016 Vol. XX No. 1010
claimed? If so, why invite them to get involved in the first place?
I think the claim that suggest a systematic exclusion of local contractors is based on a wrong perception for the development work that the government does. The fact of the matter is most of these companies are here because of the government. Including those grade one contractors, most of the work they have done is in the government projects; it was also the government which furnished them with loans and advance payments when working on these projects.And, we should not be misled into thinking that this practice is common in many countries; in Ethiopia the government has gone out of its way to support the construction sector. The other thing is the three requirements that we have mentioned earlier are really basic things: capacity to design and construct parks, having own foreign currency source and having own source of finance and will wait for the government’s advance payment to start its work. Now, with regard to Dire Dawa, it is the first park which was floated bid. The bid was canceled just before financial proposals were opened to be reviewed. Had the financial proposals been opened, it could have raised doubts about wanting to favor a certain party or not; but it was canceled before we had the chance to review the financial proposals. The basic reason for the cancelation was that we found certain provisions in the bid document that are inconsistent and conflicting. Some of these provisions were largely open to interpretation and they would have created confusion. In fact, we are just learning things as to how we should handle the bid process with regard to industrial park development. For example, the original bid document contained a provision that allows the participation of Joint Venture (JV) companies in the bid process. However, we did not specify whether the foreign company in the JV should be based in Ethiopia or elsewhere. This is important since the foreign company if based abroad it will require four to five months to mobilize equipment and personal; and we don’t have that kind of time. On the other hand, still with regard to JV companies there is a condition that needs to be fulfilled by each companies in JV with respect to their annual turnover. This has to be stated clearly. Ultimately, this confusion would have negative consequences on the outcome of the bid process. So, in a nutshell, what we did is strived for even more clarity and fairness. Companies that were part of the canceled bid could lodge a number of complaints, but it does not mean these complaints carry any weight. Beyond the Dire Dawa bid, the things that we have tried to clarify would help the coming bids for the construction of industrial parks in other towns. Yet, again we have invited these same companies to bid for the other parks. We have tried to follow the same approach that we have been following other government projects in the development of Bole- Lemi Park, which is using the project to build the local capacity in undertaking park developments. But, that approach did not serve us well especially when
we have pressing timetables to make manufacturing work in Ethiopia.
But there are some who claim these added clarification should have been part of the technical specification of the original bid document in the first place. And that it raises legal and procedural issues on the procurement process that you are following?
One thing that had to be clear is that with regard to the park development we are conducting ourselves very carefully since we can’t afford to fail. If we fail, we have huge file of foreign debt that we need to settle which would be difficult to do without the parks and companies using these parks to earn foreign currency for the country. So, there is no legal or procedural doubt as we are trying to be highly
transparent. If you take a bid process for road construction, the government has been doing it for many years and we know the ins and outs of floating a bid for such projects. However, our experience in the construction of industrial parks is almost next to nothing; hence we exercising extreme care while conducting ourselves. On the other hand, the end goal of building a park is not merely erecting the facility; it is rather having companies use it to develop our manufacturing base. So, if the final product is not good enough for companies will stand to lose billions of birr. On top of that, there are always clarifications and complaints from the participating companies. So this requires more clarification and refining of the bid document. For instance, we have received a complaint from one of the local companies (with
Manufacturing... CONT`D FROM PAGE 31
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The Reporter, Saturday, January 16, 2016Vol. XX No. 1010 |41
JV arrangement) which could pass the technical evaluation stages. It requested explanation why it did not progress to the financial stages while other local firm (with JV arrangement) managed to go through to the financial phase. So, we had to consider the bid document carefully and make the said adjustments. Anyway, we have canceled the bid at technical stage and if these companies have the capacity to take part in the bid process, there is no harm done in revealing their technical strength and can always participate in the next bid. Nevertheless, had the financial proposal been opened, I could have understood the discomfort. Still, after the Dire Dawa bid, if there are other lessons to be learnt and things we need to incorporate, we would not hesitate to do so.
I understand that you are working to alleviate the longstanding forex problem in Ethiopia by promoting value addition and export orientation. But on the other hand, already invested manufacturing companies are facing severe shortage of forex to even satisfy their raw material import needs. Don’t you see some sort of a vicious circle there?
Yes, it is a fair description of the problem. It is no secret that Ethiopia faces a severe shortage of forex for years. Partly this is because of our growth; the massive expansion in the investment goods demand could not be matched with the growth our currency earning capacity. If you look at the growth of export in GTP I, it is very low; in the GTP II we plan to have around 30 percent growth in exports. This problem is highly complicated because our export sector is based on low-value agricultural sector and not value addition or manufacturing. If you ask me how this happened I would say that it is because we failed to remove the bottlenecks in the manufacturing sector and nurture export of value-added goods. Also, we have also failed to stir our agricultural export sector to a direction which is competitive in the global market in
terms of price and quality. It will take time for our agriculture to be based on irrigation. And as you know, we are prone to frequent draught and that will detract from our agricultural export. So, the economy needs another leg to stand on to move out of this vicious circle. That is developing our manufacturing sector fast. When we expand our manufacturing base it has a two-fold effect on our forex earning capacity. For one, we will add value to our agricultural products there by boosting the price they fetch in the global market. On the other hand, our manufacturing will also help us substitute our import commodities saving a bulk of foreign currency. That is why we say manufacturing is a life and death matter for us at this particular moment. However, we should not take Ethiopia’s forex shortage to be a unique phenomenon; a number of countries while at their early stage s of development were highly tested by currency shortage. And, that is another reason why we could not afford to wait or take other priorities like nurturing local capacity in development of industrial parks. We have to have factories up and running as soon as possible; otherwise we will have hard time to leave the particular vicious circle you were referring to. One can’t leave this vicious circle by doing the same old thing that it has been doing for many years.
As we know, power is another bottleneck that the Ethiopian manufacturing sector is struggling with. Currently we see that consumers and manufacturers competing for the power and even the recently inaugurated the Addis Light Rail project is not safe from power cuts. What do you plan to do about that?
If we are to have manufacturing development we need to reduce the power problem to a level which is not a bottleneck for manufacturers. Globally, the profit margin for the manufacturing sector is quite thin. For instance, if a manufacturer could not produce for 5 days in one month, it means that they
have lost 15 percent of their production time. They can’t be profitable in this condition since their production capacity is limited. This could also lead to manufacturers not meeting their order in time and being forced to sever their market relationship with their clients. I also know about manufacturers that were unable to meet their delivery timetable and have, due to power cuts, had to change their mode of transport from a shipment to air transport that is quite costly. So, power is a key factor for manufacturing. In our case, we should not only think about alleviating our power shortage problem but also should think about nurturing this sector as big industry. We can’t say we have done enough in this regard, but government recognizes it as big obstacle. However, we do have immense potential to develop this sector and we have to do more if we aspire to be top manufacturing country in Africa in the coming ten years.
As you have mentioned in your book, one of the issues with the Ethiopian industrial policy design in the past was the inability to offer incentives and follow the effectiveness of these policies by installing the appropriate sanction regimes. Why can’t the government implement this carrot and stick approach? Why do we wait for investors to fail or abuse the incentives instead of doing necessary follow-up?
Well it needs capacity to administer an incentive regime. You need an experienced bureaucracy to monitor the incentives given and how they are used for the intended purposes. There is delicate balance that could be kept. For instance, you say that you want to monitor your incentives strictly but there is a danger of stowing down from the work of a manufacturer when applying serious monitoring. So, it needs an experienced bureaucracy to monitor that. Others developed this over time; but we are still beginners in manufacturing and it will take time. But, even at this stages, the efforts are not that bad.
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42| The Reporter, Saturday, January 16, 2016 Vol. XX No. 1010
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External Vacancy AnnouncementEssential Job Responsibilities:
systems and implement health insurance schemes at the national, regional, woreda, and health facility levels in Ethiopia. The communication Specialist, under the supervision of Chief of Party of the project is for developing and implementing both the internal and external communications programs of the project. He/she will assist the project in improving our counterparts’ and the public understands of the project’s interventions in the Health Sector Development Program (HSDP) of the Country.
Speci c duties and responsibilities include:Work with project senior management team to create a communication strategy and publicity protocols for the project, in adherence to USAID regulations as outlined in the project’s Branding & Marking Plan. Elements of the strategy will include development of project brochures and briefs, dissemination of
use when speaking with media, creation of standard packages of publicity materials to use at all public events sponsored by the project, press releases, dissemination protocols for project reports and deliverables and the like.Lead development of the project website, create processes for obtaining up-to-date information from technical staff, and manage of the website to ensure that information/data and links are accurate and updated on a regular basis.
and produce newsletter.Support documentation of project activities, outcomes and results in various forms, including success stories intended for client and media distribution, description of best practices and lessons learned and case studies, in collaboration with the Sr. M&E Advisor, Sr. Research & Knowledge Management Advisor, and project senior management team.Networking with HSFR/HFG technical specialist and stakeholders beyond the project to promote coordination of materials and communication messages and strategies to avoid gaps and overlaps in information going to counterparts and the public.Develop dissemination strategy for project documents and maintain of both the FMOH and project‘s library. Maintain repository of project, client and collaborating partner press releases, newsletter and articles.Participate in the set-up and preparation of all project sponsored events by providing technical support and advice on communications strategies.With guidance from the project senior management team on topic areas, conduct observations and interviews, write and edit articles and distribute content for electronic and print communication.Support the design and preparation of all project promotional activities within allotted budget.Provide training and guidance to project staff on general communications
Skills/Knowledge Required:
Minimum 8 years work experience in media, journalism, communications,
Must have excellent written communication skills, in both English and Amharic; must write clearly and informatively, know how to edit work for spelling and grammar, present technical and numerical data effectively and be able to read and interpret written information.Must be an effective oral communicator who speaks clearly and
demonstrates group presentation skills, participates effectively in meetings.Able to work effectively as a team member, is open to the views and opinions of others and is able to provide leadership where and when
Excellent computer skills. Written and oral competency in both Amharic and English.Female applicants are highly encouraged.
CV and relevant documents at the following address no later than January 23, 2016 at 5:00 PM. Late submissions will only be considered if the applicant pool is low or if
E-mail to: [emailprotected] mail to:
P. O. Box 42521, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia Only short listed candidates will be contacted.
forgotten the craft for quite some time before reviving it three years ago. She had a lot of spare time. So she started making jewelry and continued with the knitting. “It was therapeutic and a way of communicating with my mother,” Yodit says.
According to a research entitled, “The Education and Training Policy and Its Implementation” by the Ministry of Education, the proclaimed strength of the old curriculum is highly overrated. It argued that it paid a mere lip-service to the importance of handicraft but did not deliver on the rhetoric. The research continues to argue by saying that the old system did not help students to develop or cultivate practical and vocational skills in practical terms.
However, students who passed through the old school system, such as Helina Debebe, oppose this idea. Rather, she believes the introduction of the subjects such as handicraft from the 3rd grade onwards widens pupils’ horizon by adding imagination and creativity. Though it is not part of her adult life, she believes the exercise was good, “It definitely expands your imagination,” Helina says.
Though some people make sure that tradition of handicraft gets passed on to their beloved ones, in case of Helina, it did not have managed to pass to her since she did not have the interest. Looking back, she understands the relevance of this subject; which is improving group work. Most of these activities were grouped based and she believes it increases the group spirit.
With no longer a mainstay of a formal curriculum, many of the young urban students lost the technique of knitting a sweater, decorating the house with piece of cloth or making colorful straws. This is not necessarily a bad thing, for Dilamo Ottore, Head of Addis Ababa Education Bureau. He says the new education curriculum was necessary so that students learn in accordance with potential and needs.
According to Dilamo, the curriculum was designed to provide basic education and integrate knowledge at various levels of vocational training. He does not believe that these subject matters were omitted altogether. He argues that many of the subjects in the primary level were rather reintegrated into the system under different subjects in vocational training stream: agriculture, industrial arts, commerce and home science construction, basic bookkeeping, apprenticeship. But, he admits that many of the vocational graduates do not seem to be involved or interested in producing handcrafted goods.
In contemporary Addis Ababa, apart from commercial weavers in kechene and Shiromeda, most of the popular handicraft are confined to organizations which are established for a purpose of charity. Going to churchil area or some touristic places, one can notice almost many of the handcraft are not from Ethiopia. Rather they are imported from neighboring countries such as Kenya. Those mesobs that are served as dining table are downgraded in exotic elements to touristic restaurants.
Handicraft... CONT`D FROM PAGE 23
www.thereporterethiopia.com
The Reporter, Saturday, January 16, 2016Vol. XX No. 1010 |43THE REPORTER SPORT
By Dawit Tolesa
Ethiopia has enjoyed a rich tradition of producing some of the world’s fastest distance runners over the past decades. The country has had a healthy rivalry with East African neighbors Kenya and this has spurred each nation to achieve impressive records on both track and field.
Athletes play a critical role in the image building of a country in the international arena. Most of these celebrated Ethiopian athletes come from specific locations – Bekoji or Asella in the Oromia Regional State.
Bekoji, a small town lying some 230 kilometers south of Addis, is the home town of Derartu Tulu, Fatuma Roba, Tiki Gelana, Elfinesh Alemu, the Bekele brothers, Kenenissa and Tariku and the Dibaba sisters, Tirunesh, Genzebe and Ejegayew. Tourists, who are curious to know about the secret behind this town, always try to figure out by spending time there.
It was in 1934 that Bekoji was founded and far-famed athletes have become international stars by dominating the tracks with the help of their personal managers.
The population of Bekoji is estimated to be around 40,000 and every morning youngsters are busy training to follow in the footsteps of great athletes like Kenenissa and Derartu. The aspiring young athletes train five days a week and some of them are in sports projects financed by the federal government. They run short, middle and long distances on the streets of the town as they are not fortunate enough to exercise on a professional track.
The athletes say that the stadium built by contributions from local residents used to host zonal competitions but now they are unable to make proper use of the track because grass has grown all over the running field.
“I am required to train on tracks since I am a 400 and 800 meters runner but I couldn’t train at the stadium. So
I exercise on the streets. The town administration promised to solve the problems in the near future but we haven’t found any solution yet,” Daniel Assasahegn, a 400 and 800 meters distance runner, told The Reporter.
Data indicate that the town administration has planned to repair the stadium and running field and has earmarked one million birr for the renovation.
“Our administration has pledged one million birr for repairing the stadium. However, we also need help from our former well known athletes and sponsorships from organizations,” the town’s youth and sport bureau head, Musa Wako, told The Reporter.
Meanwhile, according to residents of the town, tourists always say that the reputation the town has and the facilities on the ground do not match at all. They also add that the athletes who were born and raised in Bekoji were
supposed to do something about it.
In relation to this, residents complain that some of the athletes who took land for investment have left the plots idle and this has displeased the public.
In addition, another concern raised by residents is in relation to a documentary film made by foreigners entitled “Town of Runners”. The film navigates through the town’s athletics establishment and has been shown in different European cities. Eventually, the money collected was given to the town’s sport bureau but residents claim that the money has been embezzled.
Coach Sintayehu Eshetu, who has been instrumental for the successes of most of the athletes, stated that throughout his career and travels across the world he has met with different foreigners who are eager to know about Bekoji. He says that the people he met really feel sad when they learn that the town does not own a professional running track.
Sintayehu also added that they [the foreigners] are willing to help the town.
A resident of the town, Dereje Bekele, says that when people from different places come to the town for meetings and other purposes, they usually ask the residents why there is lack of infrastructure in the hometown of the famous athletes and Dereje and other residents feel embarrassed because of that.
Another difficulty raised by Birtukan Bogale, an up and coming athlete, is that they have shortage of trainers. A lot of athletes travel to Bekoji from nearby rural areas to get advanced trainings under experienced coaches. However, they say that there is lack of coaches.
Finally, Birtukan says that to follow in the footsteps of Kenenissa and Tirunesh, a lot has to be done and the concerted effort of every stakeholder is highly required.
Commanding the tracks
By Dawit Tolesa
The Ethiopian national team, the Walias, will play against the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) in their first standoff of the African Nations Championship (CHAN) tomorrow at the Stade Huye Stadium in Butare, Rwanda.
Starting tomorrow, 16 countries will vie for the crown of the 4th edition CHAN with only national team players who are playing in their country’s own domestic league are eligible to compete in the tournament.
A month ago Coach Yohannes Sahile started selecting players from the different Ethiopian premier league clubs. Now the Ethiopian national team delegation has traveled to Kigali, Rwanda, having on board 34 members including 23 players, 3 coaches and other staffs.
The Ethiopian national team played one tune-up game over the weekend where they drew 1-1 against visiting Niger.
“We have been preparing for the last two weeks as much as possible and have played a tune-up match against Niger.
My players are well aware that playing in CHAN will boost their experience,” Yohannes said.
The Walias are drawn in group B alongside the DRC, Cameroon and Angola. All group B matches will be played at Stade Huye Stadium, a newl-refurbished 10,000-seat arena in South Province. The first match will on January 17 against the DRC.
The Democratic Republic of Congo is a great footballing nation on the continent. At this year’s tournament, the DRC from Group B and Zimbabwe
from Group D are the only countries to have featured in the past three editions since the inaugural showpiece in 2009 in Ivory Coast. DRC has been ranked as high as 46 in the FIFA Rankings.
The Africa Football Confederation (CAF) will divide a total of USD 3.2 million among the 16 participating teams at the 2016 African Nations Championship in Rwanda, with the winner going home with USD 750,000.
The top two teams of each group advance to the quarter-finals. The teams are ranked according to points.
Walias to face DRC first
CHAN match
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44| The Reporter, Saturday, January 16, 2016 Vol. XX No. 1010
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