Addis Ababa (ENA) January 22/2023 Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister, Demeke Mekonnen has extended his warmest wishes for a joyous and prosperous Lunar New Year to the people of China.

“I am confident that we will use the New Year to kick the long-standing ties between Ethiopia and China up a notch,’’ he twitted.

He also expressed hope that the New Year Will symbolize strength, tenacity and boldness for both China and Ethiopia.

Addis Ababa January 22/2023/ENA/ Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed has expressed his wish for a happy Lunar New Year to the people and government of China.

The premier twitted : “Wishing the people and government of China a Happy Lunar New Year and best wishes in the Year of the Rabbit.’’

Addis Ababa January 23/2023 Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed bid farewell to the outgoing President and Deputy President of the Federal Supreme Court for their service to the nation.

It is to be recalled that former Federal Supreme Court President Meaza Ashenafi and Deputy President Solomon Areda resigned from their post.

Tedros Miheret and Abeba Embiale have been appointed as a new President and deputy president of the Federal Supreme Court respectively.

Accordingly, Prime Minister Abiy thanked today the former officials at a program hosted by the Office of the Prime Minister.

“Ethiopia thanks the outgoing President and Deputy President of the Federal Supreme Court for their service to the nation. I wish them well in the path ahead,” Abiy twitted.

Addis Ababa January 23/2023  The Ethiopian Institute of Agricultural Research (EIAR) in collaboration with International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) has launched the Land, Soil and Crop Information Service Project.

This was made public at the stakeholders ‘awareness raising event on the Development of Smart Innovation through Research in Agriculture (DeSIRA), which contributes to the implementation of climate smart agriculture and increase agricultural productivity.

Speaking at the launching program, Advisor to the state minister at the Ministry of Agriculture, Anteneh Fekadu said that Ethiopian agriculture faces multiple challenges as manifested in climate change and variability, soil fertility depletion and soil erosion at large—resulting in huge yield gap thus undermining the national effort to attain food and nutrition security.

Such a giant development need cannot be achieved in a business as usual way doing things, he said.

Soil and water research director at EIAR, Birru Yitaferu on his part said the project is highly relevant and timely in terms of increasing stakeholders’ awareness and strengthening efforts of adapting to climate change through promoting integrated agricultural research and introduction of appropriate technologies into agricultural extension services in Ethiopia.

He further explained that the knowledge and information service of this project supports extension workers and other service providers to grasp techniques and tools of climate smart agriculture to enable farmers cope up with climate induced shocks.

Scientist for climate smart agriculture and policy at ILRI Kenya, John Recha also said the objective of the project is to develop land, soil and crop information service hub in the EIAR.

He added information in one center is not enough to do research, he said adding that volume of data is important for decision making.

The project is implemented in three countries, Ethiopia, Rwanda and Kenya, it was learnt.

Author’s Note:

In 1972, the United Negro College Fund launched a very successful advertising slogan, “A mind is a terrible thing to waste.” It was part of a fundraising campaign aimed at enrolling young beautiful black minds from low income families into historically black colleges.

In 2022, Black students made up 12% of the student population at 4-year US public higher educational institutions. In 2022, the percentage of people in US prisons or jails who are Black is over 38 percent.

What a terrible waste of beautiful black minds!

This commentary is intended to be a clarion call to Ethiopian intellectuals to stop wasting their minds; and with the fierce of urgency of now to pull back from the abyss of reactionary toxic ethnic/tribal politics and become revolutionary forces —  intellectual vanguards — of national reconciliation, development and prosperity.

This commentary is quintessentially about one thing: “Ethiopian minds are the only sources and crucibles of solutions to Ethiopian problems.”

Whatever problems Ethiopia has is not going to be solved by the West or the East. It will not be solved superpowers or regional powers. It will not be solved by multilateral banks and institutions.

Ethiopia’s problems will be solved only by beautiful Ethiopian minds innovating, creating, inventing, imagining, envisioning, researching,  civilly discussing, dialoguing, arguing and debating.

But beautiful Ethiopian minds are wasting and atrophying before our eyes.

Those with the knowledge and knowhow, especially in the diaspora, would rather talk about problems than offer concrete and constructive solutions. Most of us suffer arrested intellectual development and have become pitiful noisemakers.

Much of the diaspora Ethiopian intellectual horsepower and candlepower remains idle, and without an organized body to transfer it to Ethiopia and transform Ethiopian society, economy and politics.

There is a myth about human beings using only 10 percent of their brainpower. I wonder, having observed politics in Ethiopia for the past one-half century, what fraction of the 10 percent we are using.

Most Ethiopian intellectuals want to change Ethiopia but seem incapable of changing themselves. They remain trapped in the quicksand of ethnic politics and spinning their wheels in a quagmire of intellectual mendacity and dishonesty, while Ethiopia drowns in a sea of poverty.

The mind changes the world, indeed the universe. Albert Einstein changed the world when he thought out an equation, E = mc² , that opened the gates of discovery to the universe. Energy and mass are different forms of the same thing. This three-letter equation forever changed human understanding of space, time, gravity, and the universe.

The gates of the universe opened when humans opened their minds to the gates of the universe.

The gates to Ethiopia’s prosperity will open when Ethiopians open their eyes and minds and behold the extraordinary wealth they have in their land, history, culture, traditions and the galvanizing potential of the current generation of youth to propel Ethiopia to the heights of prosperity.

From time immemorial, there has been only one Ethiopia.

There is only one Ethiopia today.

There will be only one Ethiopia until Kingdom Come.

Ethiopia today stands at the fork in the road.

One road is called “Prosperity.” The other “Poverty.”

Prosperity Road is the one much less traveled by the Ethiopian people.

Poverty Road is a dirt road full of potholes and crisscrosses Ethiopia.

It passes  through every village, town, hamlet, city, municipality and community.

Everywhere Poverty Road traverses in Ethiopia, its destination is one and the same.

Poverty Road’s destination is always a dead-end.

It is the noble and sacred duty of Ethiopia’s intellectuals to pave over Poverty Road and use our minds to turn Ethiopia it into multilane highways and freeways of prosperity and progress.

In all the years I have toiled to leave my fingerprint on a rising and soaring Ethiopia, I have been obsessed and haunted by one existential question:

If I don’t do it, who will?

For much of the time, working on the “IT” has been a labor of love.

But God knows that “IT” has also been a crown of thorns on my head and caused me endless heartbreak and much bellyache.

For me, working on the “IT” has been, among other things, manning the modern trenches in cyberspace, (certainly not to be compared in the least to my great forefathers who manned the trenches in the battlefield), defending Ethiopia’s honor, dignity, unity, territorial integrity and sovereignty against enemies foreign and domestic.

The “IT” today is different. The “IT” consists of homegrown terrorists working with their powerful foreign allies – governments, media press-titutes, think tank gunners in the pay of intelligence services, hired hand academics, washed up has-been diplomats and outlaw-makers who want to legislate over Ethiopia. Fighting them 24/7/365 has been a test of fortitude, perseverance and courage.

Ethiopian minds, hearts and guts kept Ethiopia free and independent for thousands of years.

Ethiopian minds, hearts and guts will keep Ethiopia free, independent and prosperous until Kingdom Come.

The old saying is true. There is no fool like an old fool. An old fool fears nothing and therefore asks impossible to answer questions.

It is equally true that “some men and women see things as they are and ask why.”

An old fool dreams of things that never were and asks, “Why not?”

One old fool sees the minds of generations of Ethiopians wasted, and perplexed in the extreme and tortured in the soul, cries out, “It is a terrible think to waste a mind!”

That same old fool — undaunted, steadfast, undiscouraged and resolute — now declares a battle cry: “S.O.E.Y. (Save Our Ethiopian Youth.)”

I see millions of Ethiopian youth yearning, craving and hungering —  to learn, to imagine, to discover, to innovate, to create, to invent — and ask myself and Ethiopia’s diaspora intellectuals, “Why not help them?”

Why not?

Is it not terrible to waste one Ethiopian mind, millions of young Ethiopian minds?

Aren’t prosperity and progress built on a foundation of knowledge cemented with imagination, discovery, innovation, creativity and invention?

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Let me begin with a public confession

For more than a decade, I have been haranguing Ethiopian intellectuals for what I perceived to be their lack of concern, engagement, outrage and blasé attitude over Ethiopia’s plight.

Haranguing may be an understatement. I have been indicting them for the crime of indifference.

Of course, my perception of lack of concern is likely influenced by my own single-minded, relentless, obsessive, uncompromising, and some may say fanatical preoccupation, with the defense of Ethiopia’s honor, dignity, unity, territorial integrity and sovereignty.

For the record, I plead “no contest” to the charges.

In my June 22, 2010 commentary, I exhorted:

Ethiopian intellectuals to exchange their armchairs for the public benches and leave their comfort zones of passivity and silence to become advocates of peaceful change and democracy in their homeland.

At the time, I was on a Diogenian search for Ethiopian intellectuals.

Legend has it the Greek philosopher Diogenes, the putative founder of the school of Cynicism, walked the streets of ancient Athens sticking a lamp in the faces of his fellow Athenians in broad daylight.

Asked why he was engaged in such strange behavior, Diogenes explained he was looking for an honest man.

Like Diogenes, I “walked” the hallowed grounds and ivory towers of Western academia, searched the cloistered spaces of the arts and scientific professions and even traversed the lawless frontiers of cyberspace with torchlight in hand looking for honest Ethiopian intellectuals ready, willing and able to engage in a struggle to keep Ethiopia free, independent, united and prosperous and ready to take down our historic deadly enemies: POVERTY, DISUNITY, INEQUALITY, MORBID POLITICS OF ETHNICTY, STUPIDITY AND ANIMOSITY.

The aim of my June 2010 commentary was to name and shame Ethiopian intellectuals for their pusillanimity, opportunism, duplicity, machinations and chicanery.

In retrospect, it was also a moralizing sermon about the “failure of Ethiopian intellectuals” and to criticize them for things they have done, not done, undone or should have done in self-righteous indignation.

At the time, I wanted to spark public discussion, dialogue and debate that could transform, indeed galvanize, Ethiopian intellectuals into becoming a vanguard of constructive ideas for an Ethiopian renaissance, an Ethiopian Enlightenment.

Indeed, an Ethiopian Enlightenment in which we can apply our minds and reason to overcome ignorance, ethnic and tribal hate and prejudice, poverty and disease and build a Great Ethiopia.

I argued Ethiopian intellectuals have a moral obligation not to turn a blind eye to the government wrongs in their homeland, and have an affirmative duty to act in the defense of democracy, human rights and the rule of law.

I urged them to enter the public arena and take on the issues (become public intellectuals). I hectored and sermonized:

I see an artificial deficit in the supply of transformational and visionary Ethiopian thinkers, with revolutionary ideas to re-invent Ethiopian society. Such thinkers are out there but have chosen to remain disengaged. I would like to see them engaged more. At this critical time in Ethiopia’s history, I believe Ethiopian intellectuals must take a leading and active role in the public debate to shape the future of their homeland. I am unapologetic in demanding their intense involvement in teaching, inspiring and preparing Ethiopia’s youth within and outside the country to build a fair and just society and forge a united Ethiopian nation.

I was disappointed to find out trapped in fear religiously practicing self-censorship and self-marginalization.

It all fell on deaf ears!

But I did not stop the sermons.

I kept on urging them to speak and write and taunted them not to become  “summer soldiers, sunshine patriots” and fair-weathered fans of freedom, democracy and human rights.”

I challenged them to come up with a better plan of government if they do not like the current one.

No one ever responded to my call to action.

Undaunted, I kept marching on and on taking comfort in Thoreau’s counsel:

If a man does not keep pace with his companions, perhaps it is because he hears a different drummer. Let him step to the music which he hears, however measured or far away.

I kept on marching inspired by Carl Sandburg’s verse:

The woods are lovely, dark and deep.
But I have promises to keep,
And miles to go before I sleep,
And miles to go before I sleep.

Indeed, Ethiopia is lovely and dark, a land of mystery, a dreamland.

And I have made her many promises to keep.

That is why I have miles and miles and miles to go before I sleep!

Ethiopia at the crossroad: Road to salvation or perdition

In 2023, Ethiopians find themselves at the crossroad.

We can march forward confident in the future to a promised land of prosperity, dignity, fraternity, equality and common humanity.

Or we can walk back and freefall into a bottomless vortex of poverty, the shameful politics of ethnicity and live in a society gripped by inhumanity, cruelty, enmity and irrationality.

We can make a right turn and uphold human rights and undo human wrongs. We can be on the right side of history and do right by the people of Ethiopia.

Or we can turn left and be left behind. We can sit on the dock of the bay watching the ship of change sail into a brave new future. We can stand on the platform and watch the train of prosperity leave the station carrying those who have confidence in themselves, their country and the future.

We have a choice to make!

Do we want the Old Ethiopia mired in poverty, the destructive politics of ethnicity and “kililized” territoriality?

Or do we want a New Ethiopia of prosperity, unity, community, accountability, civility and rationality?

We can choose the path of democracy and representative government or go back to the days of fake elektions and demokracy.

We can continue with “kililistans” (apartheid-style bantustans) or build a true federalism of divided and shared powers between the national and subnational governments.

We can choose between the rule of law and the rule of men of terror and the rule of foreign invisible hands.

For the past five years, Ethiopia has shown a magnificent trajectory out an ethnic dictatorship into multiparty democracy, rule of law and expansion of civil liberties.

No one except those whose souls are fatally infected by the corona virus of self-hate and hate of others, the Forces of Darkness foreign and domestic and the dregs of history can deny Ethiopia’s irreversible march to democracy and freedom.

No doubt, the road Ethiopia has taken over the past five years has been bumpy and jarring, but the road map remains clear: Ethiopia is rising and shining above the petty politics of ethnicity, sectarianism and communalism.

The inert, comatose and useless practitioners of ethnic and sectarian politics should learn one lesson: “Ethiopia built and preserved with the blood, sweat and tears of unlettered and illiterate patriots will not be destroyed by educated ignoramuses.”

At this particular moment in Ethiopian history, Ethiopian intellectuals face an existential crisis.

It is time to fish or cut bait. It is time to choose.

The time for fence sitting, flip flopping, vacillating, equivocating and waffling is over.

“I see nothing, hear nothing, know nothing, say nothing” is not an option.

“Let me see. I need to think about it. Maybe…” is not on the table.

Turning a deaf ear, blind eyes and muted lips are unavailable luxuries.

Hiding in the herd of the silent majority is not possible. Being lost in groupthink is futile.

To paraphrase the great Bard of Avon, there is only one question:

To be, or not to be in Ethiopia’s vanguard,
Whether ’tis ignobler in the mind to stand and watch the people suffer
The slings and arrows of the West’s and their terrorists’ outrageous misfortunes,
Or to take arms against a sea of poverty
And by opposing with prosperity end it.

The time now is to put our shoulders to the wheel and noses to the grindstone and join in the heavy lifting crew on the Ethiopian construction site.

But who will lead the way?

The crisis and paralysis of Ethiopian intellectuals: A mind is a terrible thing to waste!

Who are Ethiopia’s intellectuals?

First, the term “intellectual” is ambiguous and open to debate.

When I talk about Ethiopian “intellectuals”, I am using the term rather loosely to include a diverse group of academics, writers, artists, lawyers, journalists, physicians, philosophers, social and political thinkers and others.

In my conception, an intellectual broadly defined is someone who is 1) is capable of facilitating social, political and economic change by analyzing and proposing solution to complex problems and issues facing their societies, and 2) in the business of  asking questions, endless questions, about what is possible and how the impossible could be made possible.

There are engaged and disengaged intellectuals.

Those engaged are always asking questions about their societies, pointing out failures and improving on successes, suggesting solutions, examining institutions, enlightening and teaching the public, criticizing outdated and ineffective ideas and proposing new ones while articulating a vision of the future with clarity of thought. They are always on the cutting edge of social change.

Then there are pseudointellectual empty barrels and windbags who carp and criticize those who do the heavy lifting to build their societies. They spend most of their time pontificating about what “coulda, woulda, shoulda” have been done with 20/20 hindsight.

There is nothing wrong in being an armchair intellectual dishing out criticism, but criticism from the benighted ensconced in their armchairs– though as a rule should be ignored – can be annoying.

An old Jewish saying teaches that “A nation’s treasure is its scholars (intellectuals).”

If that saying is true, I am afraid Ethiopia’s treasury of scholars is completely drained and it is time to declare intellectual bankruptcy.

The American philosopher Ralph Waldo Emerson observed:

The office of the scholar (intellectual) is to cheer, to raise, and to guide men by showing them facts amid appearances. He plies the slow, unhonored, and unpaid task of observation. He is the world’s eye.

In “Man Thinking,” Emerson wrote about the scholar with the heroic mind:

There goes in the world a notion, that the scholar should be a recluse, a valetudinarian, — as unfit for any handiwork or public labor, as a penknife for an axe…  As far as this is true of the studious classes… action is with the scholar subordinate, but it is essential. Without it, he is not yet man. Without it, thought can never ripen into truth. Whilst the world hangs before the eye as a cloud of beauty, we cannot even see its beauty. Inaction is cowardice, but there can be no scholar without the heroic mind. The preamble of thought, the transition through which it passes from the unconscious to the conscious, is action. Only so much do I know, as I have lived. Instantly we know whose words are loaded with life, and whose not.

Many of us in the Ethiopian intellectual community have lost our “eye” sights from willful ignorance and today we are in crises.

Moral crisis: Some of us are mired in a moral crisis of knowing what is right but being afraid to do the right thing, and ultimately doing nothing.

Crisis of critical thinking: Some of us suffer a crisis of critical thinking. We are quick to make conclusions based on hunches and speculations than rigorous analysis based on facts. We are given more to polemics and labeling than evidence-based analysis. We rarely examine and re-examine our assumptions and beliefs but cling to them as eternal truths and propagate them as such.

Crisis of self-confidence and a deficit of intellectual courage: In one form or another, many of us in the Ethiopian intellectual community suffer a crisis of self-confidence and a deficit of intellectual courage. We criticize and castigate those we disagree with in private but are afraid to repeat our strongly-held views in public. Some of us feel compelled to use pen names to express our opinions in the blogosphere. We would like others to admire us and accept and act on our ideas while we hide our real identities behind aliases and fictitious names. Many of us believe listing an alphabet soup of Ph.Ds., M.Ds., J.Ds. Ed.Ds automatically make us intellectuals.

Many of us are afraid to make our views known because we fear the ridicule and ostracism of our associates and peers. We are afraid to take ownership and responsibility for our ideas for fear of being proven wrong and mask our intellectual cowardice with meaningless dogmas and abstractions. Lacking self-confidence, many of us are content to live our lives quietly and anonymously on remote islands of self-censorship and self-marginalization

Crisis of foresight: Most of us also suffer from a crisis of foresight. We can argue the past and criticize the present, but we do very little forward-thinking. As Ethiopia’s “eyes”, we are ironically afflicted by myopia (nearsightedness). We can see things in the present opaquely, but we lack the vision to see things in the distance.

Crisis of communication: We have a serious crisis of communication. Many of us talk past each other and lack intellectual honesty and candor in our communications. We pretend to agree and give lip service to each other only to turn around and engage in vile backbiting. We speak to each other and the general public in ambiguities and “tongues”. Often, we do not say what we mean or mean what we say. We keep each other guessing. We do not listen to each other well and make precious little effort to genuinely seek common ground with those who do not agree with us. We have a nasty habit of marginalizing those who disagree with us and tell it like it is. We hate to admit mistakes and apologize. Instead we compound mistakes by committing more errors. We tend to be overly critical of each other over non-essentials. As a result, we have failed to nurture coherent and dynamic intellectual discourse about Ethiopia’s present and future.

Crisis of intellectual leadership: We have a crisis of intellectual leadership. There are few identifiable Ethiopian intellectual leaders today. In many societies, a diverse and competing intellectual community functions as the tip of the spear of social change. In the past three decades, we have seen the powerful role played by intellectual leaders in emancipating Eastern Europe from the clutches of communist tyranny and in leading a peaceful process of change. No society can ever aspire to advance without a core intellectual guiding force.

The founders of the American Republic were not merely political leaders but also intellectuals of the highest caliber for any age. They harnessed their collective intellectual energies to forge a nation for themselves and their posterity. Their conception of government and constitution has become a template for every country that aspires for the blessings of liberty and democracy. Despite some major shortcomings, the Americans got it right because their founders were visionary intellectuals.

The Challenge for Ethiopian Intellectuals: From paralysis to symbiosis

The challenge to Ethiopian intellectuals is to find ways of transforming themselves into “public intellectuals.”

The phrase “public intellectual” has diverse meanings.

For my purposes, the “public intellectual” is one who applies general ideas to matters of general public concern.

My point is that regardless of our formal training in a particular discipline, Ethiopian intellectuals should strive to engage the broader Ethiopian society beyond our narrow professional concerns through our writings and advocacy efforts. We should strive for something far larger than our disciplines and metamorphosize into becoming the tip of the spear for Ethiopia’s economic prosperity and progress.

Here are a few ideas to transform Ethiopian intellectuals into a formidable force of prosperity and progress.

Get involved. I hear all sorts of excuses from Ethiopian intellectuals for not getting involved. The most common one is: “I am a ‘scholar’, a ‘scientist’, etc., and do not want to get involved in politics.”

Albert Einstein was not only one of the most influential and best known scientists and intellectuals of all time, he was also a relentless and passionate advocate for pacifism and the plight of German-Jewish refugees.

Others plead futility. “Nothing I do could ever make a difference because Ethiopia’s problems are too many and too complex.” The answer is found in an Ethiopian proverb: “Enough strands of the spiders’ web could tie up a lion.” Let each one do his/her part, and cumulatively the difference made will be enormous.

Articulate a Vision. Ethiopian intellectuals individually or collectively should articulate a vision for their country and people. It is ironic to be the “eyes” of a nation and be visionless at the same time.

What are our dreams, hopes and aspirations for Ethiopia? What are the values we should be collectively striving for? Why are we not able to come up with an intellectual framework to propagate actionable ideas for good governance, institutionalization of democracy and protection of civil liberties? The old saying is true, “If you don’t know where you are going, any road will take you there.” “Without a vision, the people perish,” teaches Scripture.

Create and Maintain Think Tanks. Think tanks are said to be “policy actors in democratic societies assuring a pluralistic, open and accountable process of policy analysis, research, decision-making and evaluation.” (I believe many of them, at least in the US, are civilian arms of the intelligence services shaping public opinion garbed in intellectual respectability.) There are hundreds of them worldwide. It is necessary to establish open, transparent and accountable think tanks for Ethiopia to engage in public education, conduct research and mobilize policy advocacy.

On various occasions, I have publicly called for the establishment of an informal policy “think tank” to research and critically evaluate current and emergent issues in Ethiopia. Would it not be wonderful if there could be union of concerned Ethiopian scholars, scientists, intellectuals and professionals who could come together as the tip of the spear in seeking to institutionalize democracy, human rights and rule of law in Ethiopia?

Establish Expert Panels. We have few experts available to serve as resources on domestic and foreign policy issues affecting Ethiopia. For instance, many Ethiopian experts in the US are unwilling to come forward and give interviews to the media or to offer testimony in official proceedings. We need a roster of experts to represent Ethiopia on the world stage and to help address issues at home.

Teach the youth. Throughout the Ethiopian diaspora, there are many individuals and groups that can organize and provide educational enhancements to students in Ethiopia. There are grade and high school teachers, college professors in all fields, experts in all fields of technology and practitioners in medicine, law, business and engineering, among others. With free internet video technology, much can be done to qualitatively enhance education in Ethiopia in a relatively short time. Malcom X said, ‘Education is the passport to the future, for tomorrow belongs to those who prepare for it today.” Those of us in the diaspora have received our “passports”, it is time for us to give “passports” to the millions of Ethiopia’s youth waiting with open minds.

Teach the People and act in solidarity with them. The “educated” Ethiopian elites debate the future of Ethiopia and the peace and progress of its people. What kind of democracy is needed for Ethiopia? How do we fight against poverty and the need for an equitable distribution of the nation’s wealth? How do we move from bogus ethnic federalism to real political federalism based strictly on a division of power between national and subnational government? How do we fight back against Western interference in Ethiopian affairs? How do we empower ordinary citizens to think and act independently?

Ethiopian intellectuals: From paralysis to symbiosis to praxis…

To be continued in Part II.  “S.O.E.Y. (Save Our Ethiopian Youth.)”

Addis Ababa January 24/2023/ENA/ Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed urged university scholars today to apply intellectualism in producing substantial solutions to national challenges.

According to him, the role of scholars in cultivating the next generation is critical to the nation.

“I (therefore) urge all university scholars to do their part in this regard. Applying intellectualism to produce substantial solutions to national challenges is expected of our scholars,” he wrote on his Facebook.

The prime minister held today discussion with university scholars from all universities throughout the country about the role of scholars in national development.

Abiy also set direction for follow-up by the relevant authorities on critical issues raised by the participants.

Following the discussion forum, the premier further noted that the role of scholars in cultivating the next generation is critical to the nation.

This article is part of the Analytical Reporting to Improve the Federation (ARIF) project.

Neither top-down administrative restructuring nor identity-based autonomy demands are likely to bring peace, democracy, and development to a forgotten corner of Ethiopia.

The spark that ignited calls to form a new Ethiopian region was a dispute over coffee.

In November 2018, when a federal tea and coffee authority undermined Kaffa’s status as coffee’s birthplace, it catalyzed a week of protests in Bonga, Kaffa Zone’s capital.

Demonstrators accused federal authorities of airbrushing Kaffa’s rich history and demanded that a National Coffee Museum in the town finally open its doors.

“We were marginalized enough and neglected in every way,” reflected Muluken Mengesha, one of the leaders of the informal but influential Gurmasho (‘youth’ in the Kaffa language) movement, in a November 2022 interview. The authority’s statement, “denying our history proved that,” said the proud Kafficho who runs a printing business, speaking to Ethiopia Insight in Amharic but switching to Kaffii Noono to greet acquaintances in a Bonga hotel.

Back in 2018, after five days of protests, the demand became for Kaffa to carve its own region out of the Southern Nations, Nationalities, and Peoples’ Regional State (Southern Nations), a sprawling, multi-ethnic bloc undergoing slow-motion fragmentation since Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed took power in 2018.

That process—which may possibly presage the centrally driven break-up of other large regions—reflects a key tension in the ongoing transition that ensued: the prospect of political liberalization has meant very different things to different Ethiopian constituencies.

While many Ethiopian nationalists hoped it heralded the end of ethnic politics, other groups in Oromia region, in the south, and elsewhere in the country saw the power shift at the center as an opportunity for the full implementation of the 1995 constitution’s promise of untrammeled self-rule.

In Kaffa, and the south-west and south more broadly, those tensions have been playing out ever since, and have, like elsewhere in Ethiopia, involved considerable deadly violence between competing local communities and against those considered as outsiders, particularly Amhara.

Like other autonomy proponents in Ethiopia’s tumultuous identity-based federation, those in Kaffa say neglect by the center left them impoverished.

“Foreign researchers who come to this south-western sphere usually leave with pity and remark: ‘the richest area with the poorest people’,” observed Assefa Gebremariam, a good-humored, dapper 72-year-old local historian, at the coffee museum in October 2021.

Administrative Engineering

The popular protests in November stimulated by the perceived slight to Kaffa’s heritage followed a public discussion in July and formation of a committee that presented Kaffa’s autonomy demands to the Prime Minister’s Office a month later.

Kaffa Zone Council approved a statehood request on 15 November 2018 and made a written request to the Southern Nations state council on 5 December, while there was a failed federal attempt to hold a meeting on the issue on 2 December 2019, just before the constitutional deadline for the regional council to organize a referendum. The Gurmasho protested in July 2019 and also on 6 December as the deadline elapsed.

Yet if self-rule was Kaffa’s persistent demand, the center’s eventual response was a new form of amalgamation.

With other nearby zones also demanding their own region under the constitution, Ethiopia’s new rulers engineered the creation of South West Ethiopia Peoples’ Regional State (South West), a combination of six administrative districts, which was formalized following a September 2021 referendum.

Since, the new region has become something of a political poster-child. “This is one big historical outcome of the reform,” claimed Deputy Prime Minister Demeke Mekonen about what he called a “symbol of diversity” at a glitzy 22 June 2022 fundraiser for South West at the Sheraton Addis.

Yet, despite the federal fanfare, on the anniversary of its creation there were no visible signs of developmental benefits from the new structure, and only occasional signs for visitors that a new region was even established.

Since Abiy took office, in addition to South West, the largely mono-ethnic Sidama region was created from Southern Nations region following a sustained autonomy campaign there, while another referendum is promised for the most southerly zones.

Though, in theory, smaller regional units could enhance local democracy and service provision, there is little reason to think that will occur in practice, not least because autonomy-seeking elites are competing to capture benefits from a federal system that has dwindling budgetary resources to distribute, due to reduced growth and shifting central priorities.

Additionally, the manner of the restructuring promises to perpetuate not resolve political grievances.

That is primarily because, while the constitution indicates such administrative upgrading—and even outright secession from the federation—are purely matters of self-determination, that is not the case in practice. Instead, the critical factors are politics and power.

These days, the approach of the all-powerful national Prosperity Party is to coax and coerce local southern elites to combine into multi-ethnic clusters.

Previously, for almost three decades, the omnipotent four-party Ethiopian Peoples’ Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF) used iron-fisted enforcement of party discipline—backed up by a fearsome security apparatus in what was also essentially a one-party state—to prevent any administrative restructuring at the regional level, although there was plenty at sub-regional tiers.

A sign for a South West government office; Bonga; 28 November 2022; Yared Tsegaye.

One way this prevailing top-down reality can be seen in the past few years is through the unequal treatment given to comparable local southern demands. For example, the zones in what may become a south-central region requested statehood around the same time as those in the south-west, but the former have not been ‘granted’ a referendum by the powers-that-be.

For experts on Ethiopia’s federal system such as Yonatan Fessha, the top-down management creates problems—even in those areas that have been granted referendums.

“What makes outcomes from autonomy demands legitimate and successful is an open and fair process of self-determination,” said the law professor at the University of the Western Cape and Research Chair in Constitutional Design for Divided Societies. “I’m afraid that didn’t happen in the south so far either under this government or previous ones, and instead we’ve seen one-sided decisions that were influenced by the political elite and the ruling party.”

Top-down

While the people of the south-west have always lived together and in the past were even administered as one, some question whether regional statehood can help meet the long-held demands of minority groups for increased development and political representation, and quell the inter-communal clashes in the area.

The critics agree with Yonatan that the formation of the new region was heavily influenced by the Prosperity Party, and that there was insufficient public consultation. In this view, the procedure in which new states are formed will have lasting negative effects.

Initially, leaders in Addis Abeba, including Prime Minister Abiy, were unmoved by the proliferating statehood demands and appealed to the Southern Nations zones to remain together. This position was based on the recommendations in a 2019 study conducted by the Southern Ethiopian People’s Democratic Movement (SEPDM), the then-ruling EPRDF coalition’s regional party in Southern Nations.

These sentiments were later echoed through a group of 83 Peace Ambassadors drawn from across the south established in January 2020 by the Office of the Prime Minister.

What seems to have nudged the door ajar is the persistent and powerful Sidama autonomy movement.

“The demands for statehood by several groups in the South West, including ours, was pushed to the forefront and became stronger after the state council’s approval of the Sidama request in November 2018,” said Fikre Aman, the former chief administrator of Bench Sheko Zone who is currently a member of the House of Federation, in an interview with Ethiopia Insight on 9 October 2018 in Addis Ababa during meetings about South West region.

However, for a time, the regional legislature and the SEPDM, didn’t respond to referendum requests from zones within the south-west and elsewhere. As was true in the past, the party-state’s response simply reflected its leaders’ priorities.

Abiy and Peace Ambassadors’ committee head Abadula Gemeda discussing with SNNPR officials; Prime Minister’s Office; 12 May 2020; PMO.

But as the Sidama movement fueled other statehood demands, the committee of Peace Ambassadors headed by Abadula Gemeda, an EPRDF veteran who became a key ally of Abiy, was assigned to discuss with the public and southern elites, then table recommendations to respond to the growing statehood requests.

The group’s initial report with its findings and recommendations—from public discussions it held across Southern Nations zones with statehood demands from 16-20 March 2020—was presented to the southern elites and officials in May 2020 at the Prime Minister’s Office. The deliberations on the report were tense and opposed by some ethnic groups.

For example, one of the ideas the report floated was to constitute the Wolayta, Gamo, Gofa, and Dawro zones into a new North Omo state. North Omo was a zone where the EPRDF had previously tried to engineer a new ethno-linguistic identity and language for these same groups in the late 1990s, an ill-conceived initiative that led to deadly violence.

After some twists and turns, the peace group updated its report with a proposal and presented it to Southern Nations zonal and special wereda heads for deliberations in a Prime Minister’s Office session on 9 June 2020.

The proposal was to split Southern Nations into three geographic cluster regions—namely, Omotic, South Central, and South West regions. Although the peace group didn’t explicitly mention Sidama, its proposal would effectively mean dividing Southern Nations into four.

The blueprint included Dawro Zone and five other administrative units under the South West cluster, and a referendum for that new region was eventually held a little over a year later.

As matters stand, the South West region is the only tangible result of this centrally directed process, but, with a referendum on the way for the Omotic group, it seems safe to assume that in time more regions will be carved out of Southern Nations according to federal priorities.

This may also be the case in the populous Oromia and Amhara regions, where assertive ethno-nationalism presents a challenge to the center and elicits hostility from Ethiopian nationalists.

Any moves to break up those regions may well be vociferously opposed, as is currently occurring in Gurage where there is ongoing strong resistance to the idea of the zone being incorporated into a South Central Region.

Experts caution that the heavy hand of the new ruling party and federal government in the making of South West and elsewhere in the south could be costly in the long run. Legitimizing elite decisions as the people’s will, federalism expert Yonatan argues, will have negative repercussions, particularly in multi-ethnic regions.

Marishet Mohammed Hamza, a doctoral student at the Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies in Geneva, emphasizes the procedural irregularities that have occurred to ensure federal control.

He points out that the House of Federation, the upper house of parliament, handled the process when, according to the constitution, it should have been managed by the Southern Nations assembly. The House of Federation’s role as an appellate body is only supposed to kick in if the regional council has failed to properly adjudicate the matter.

“The House of Federation suspiciously worked beyond its mandate and over others,” he concluded.

Bottom-up

The flipside of this federal manipulation is a relative lack of popular participation, which reduces the chances of some sort of democratic dividend resulting.

Ideally, the public would have thoroughly deliberated and understood the potential pros and cons of forming a new region. However, as was the case elsewhere in the south, there was limited zonal-level consultation in the south-west.

“Almost no information was available about the process to create the state,” Yonatan argued, raising similar reservations he had about the Sidama referendum.

The youth, active in asking for statehood in places like Kaffa, had little say. A week after the referendum, plenty of residents of zonal capitals, including Bonga and Mizan Aman, appeared unenthused about the prospect of forming the new region.

In rural areas, where the needs are the greatest, there is more support for the new region, but less understanding of the process and its details.

Back in 2018 as the transition got underway, such currents were manipulated by both the South West elite and regional political leaders.

In August of that year, Muferiat Kamil, the SEPDM chair and federal Minister of Peace from October 2018 to October 2021, argued that public demands in the south were more about poor service delivery, maladministration, and development than merely statehood, which, she said, was pushed by some self-interested elites.

In contrast, Terefe Tadesse, one of the peace ambassadors and a Prosperity Party representative from a Shey-Bench constituency in Bench-Sheko Zone, argues that people largely bought into the rationale behind creating a new region.

“The public wants the new state because it has demands for services to be nearby” as it experienced during the transitional period in the early 1990s, said the 34-year-old, a coffee and spices exporter as well as a politician. “The elite might have pushed the issue from an administrative and political end, but the public equally knows the benefit.”

Coffee sorting at the Janchu Coffee Farmers Cooperative; 3 September 2020; Janchu Kebele, Debub-Bench District, Bench-Sheko Zone; Yared Tsegaye.

Similarly, Fikre, the former Bench-Sheko Zone Chief Administrator, claims the EPRDF regime had suppressed popular statehood demands and this pent-up sentiment became visible during public meetings in recent years.

“It was one of the untouchable issues, a taboo,” he said about the EPRDF era. “It is a question which has been raised by the people for many years.”

Undoubtedly, the creation of a new region always had proponents among both the ruling and opposition elite in the area.

For instance, the Kaffa People’s Democratic Union (KPDU), an opposition party that emerged during the transitional government period in the 1990s but was dissolved in 1994, was one of those parties that opposed the creation of the Southern Nations bloc and vied for Kaffa’s self-government.

In December 2019, the KPDU was reestablished as a party and placed statehood foremost on its agenda. It gained some support after becoming vocal about the referendum’s postponement and threatened to withdraw from the June 2021 election because of the issue.

During the election, some young Kaffichos criticized the KPDU as an “ethnic party”, while others claimed that its members were former SEPDM now pushing for autonomy after they lost out during the transition.

Yet, its leaders today, many of whom were not among its first generation, argue otherwise. “This is the south-western peoples’ win,” said Kifle Mesesha, an executive committee member.

Rejecting the allegation of opportunism, Kifle and the KPDU Secretariat instead accuse the Prosperity Party of the same. “Its cadres have been manipulating the public to believe that it is only their party that can realize the creation of the new state,” Kifle claims.

Arrested Development

For years, people in the south-west have cited a lack of equitable development and political representation as rationales for statehood. It remains unclear whether the new region will address such concerns, not least because more resources may well not be available as the zones that comprise South West have been relatively weak performers in terms of revenue collection.

So far, due in part to the lack of a national census, South West’s budget is comparable to what its constituent zones were previously allocated from the Southern Nations total. This has tied the hands of the new regional leadership.

“Let alone pursuing and executing bigger developmental projects, it is not enough to cover costs to deliver basic services and existing projects,” South West President Negash Wagesho, a technocrat from Dawro, told the regional assembly in Bonga on 10 August.

Federal Minister of Health Lia Tadesse visits Mareka district health centre with South West president Negash Wagesho; Dawro Zone, 28 December 2022; Dawro Zone Government Communication Bureau.

Given the budgetary shortfall, it will be critical for South West to increase its regional income, and for a new subsidy formula to be adopted when a national census is finally held.

Additionally, owing to poor infrastructure, these areas have been detached from both the center and one another. For instance, because the quickest route is via Addis Ababa, it is about 713 kilometers to travel from Bonga to the former regional government offices in Hawassa.

“Most people in the region have never set foot in Hawassa,” said Terefe, the Shey-Bench politician. “A considerable amount of the yearly budget from [the regional government] to zones in the South West is spent on overhead costs, usually for transport and meetings of officials to Hawassa.”

This, along with a bloated payroll for state employees, is therefore one area where resources can be reallocated towards improving public services in the new region.

While distance is a challenge across much of Ethiopia, as Prime Minister Abiy argued during a 2019 public meeting in Kaffa, in the south-west the normal urban-rural dichotomy has been exacerbated by state neglect and repression.

While the area possesses many natural resources, including valuable metals and minerals such as iron and gold, much of South West lacks basic services.

One notable exception is the Southern Nations Supreme Court, which opened a branch in Bonga. Such measures ease the burden of travel to Hawassa, but other deficits remain, such as poor road infrastructure and health facilities.

Tekle Bezabih, the young former chief administrator of Dawro Zone who is now head of the South West Justice Bureau of the Dawro Zone, believes that if there were comprehensively decentralized basic services, demands for statehood would not have come this far.

The federal administration that came to power in 2018 has been active in two areas that are now part of the new region, Dawro Zone and Konta Special District. This is done through the Koysha Project, a tourism initiative driven by Abiy.

“When the Ethiopian leaders succeeding me come to this place, it will be to enjoy the Chebera Churchura park and Guranto fountains; it will not be to answer [your] questions of road infrastructure,” Abiy predicted before crowds in Tercha on 7 March 2020.

But, if past practice is any guide, such projects do not sufficiently address developmental needs.

For example, the nearby Gibe III dam appeared to benefit these zones because it led to the construction of roads that connected their districts. Yet many residents say that the dam has only led to an increase in traffic on the Sodo-Tercha-Chida road, the main road between the capitals of Wolayta, Dawro and Konta, and added 70 kilometers to the route, a blow for those from the South West who depend on Wolayta’s markets.

Democratic Deficit

While there has been an improvement during the federal era in the representation of minority southern groups, their political agency continues to be limited to the lower levels of government. Though some beg to differ, there is little sign that this will change with the creation of South West.

From 1995 to 2019, the EPRDF controlled Southern Nations’ political affairs through the SEPDM. This was evidenced by the making and remaking of the Southern Nations, along with how local governance and statehood questions were handled. In the absence of a strong opposition, the ruling party had a free hand to govern and quashed any challengers that did emerge.

For some, little has changed.

The South West’s politicians are “familiar faces, who for years have been loyal to the interests of the ruling party,” argued Dereje Korkoba, a psychology lecturer at Mizan Tepi University.

This lack of south-western agency is felt acutely at the regional and federal levels.

Melkamu Shegeto is a Kafficho opposition figure who ran for a Kaffa federal parliament seat in 2021 for the Ethiopian Citizens for Social Justice (EZEMA) opposition party.

“When was the last time you saw a Gurage-, Kembatta-, or a Hadiya-born President [of Southern Nations region] or a Kafficho in a key federal position? There were none,” he argues. In his opinion, power in the south has been dominated by the Sidama.

Melkamu hopes that, by enhancing local government, South West will help people hold elected officials to account and allow them to exercise more political agency.

“Politicians from South West areas in the region have not been accountable or transparent to the people they represent. That is because they are too far from it physically and emotionally,” Melkamu said. “The new state will change that.”

Terefe, who was elected in 2021, has become an influential figure from within the Bench, the main group in the Bench-Sheko Zone. He sees better public administration ahead. “There is more commitment than ever before.”

One challenge, however, is that becoming a region will not automatically solve pre-existing problems, such as the lack of political pluralism.

During the most recent general elections in June 2021, the Prosperity Party, like the EPRDF before it, won the federal parliament and regional council seats in nearly every constituency in the south.

In Kaffa, those in the opposition, such as the KPDU and Kaffa Green Party, tend towards Melkamu’s view that the Prosperity Party is a new entity in name only.

Dereje, the lecturer, is also from Bench-Sheko and supported South West’s creation. He is more critical of the centralizing Prosperity Party than Terefe, but believes South West still gives the people a better chance of development.

“It is better to have a new state and work on that than continue to be despised and forgotten as people,” he said. “We are, at least, no more under southern heels.”

Capital Punishment

From March 2021, Mitiku Bedru, a hydrologic engineer, led a project office for the South West referendum.

When Ethiopia Insight spoke to Mitiku back in October 2021, the office was making plans for a public consultation and review of the draft constitution.

The process involved the creation of a taskforce to oversee and review its contents, such as the official language and, crucially, the designation of a state capital—one of the most divisive issues, mainly between elites from Mizan Aman in Bench-Sheko and Bonga in Kaffa.

Determining the administrative capital is no easy task because South West does not have a dominant group. The competition around this issue is so fierce because of the economic benefits in terms of government jobs and spending that come with being the administrative center.

Therefore, a novel element in South West’s constitution, which was approved on the regional state’s official formation day, is the creation of a multi-city state capital.

What this focus suggests is that the administrative restructuring is as much about trying to capture state resources and investment as it is about improving local democracy, public services, and overall governance.

One of those who has objected is Muluken, the Kafficho Gurmasho leader from Bonga. After being inspired by Abiy, Muluken joined Prosperity Party during its late 2019 founding, partly to “help the Gurmasho push and Kaffa’s pursuit for statehood.”

However that hope was short-lived.

He wrote a resignation letter to South West Prosperity Party office in August 2020 that was circulated on Kaffa social media circles portraying him as a heroic Gurmasho who stood for his people.

The letter criticized how the region was being administered and said the multi-capital policy typified an “authoritarian” top-down approach.

Conflicting Views

Political wrangling aside, a series of serious inter-communal conflicts also jeopardize progress in South West.

It remains to be seen whether the new region will alleviate the drivers of conflict, especially in a national environment of increasing political polarization over clashing visions of a more integrated Ethiopia or a federation that hands more de jure and de facto power to identity-based administrations.

The violence has at times involved attacks against ethnic Amharas and is exacerbated by more demands for sub-regional administrations. At least three of the South West’s five zones—Bench-Sheko, Sheka, and Western Omo—are dealing with such requests, and attendant multi-layered security problems.

For instance, residents of Yeki Wereda and Tepi town of Sheka Zone, whose population is composed of about eighteen ethnic groups and are claimed by the Sheko and Majang, have continued to engage in brutal conflict that has killed hundreds and displaced tens of thousands.

Maji and Surma peace committees; Maji district, West Omo Zone ; 26 November 2022; Maji District Governnment Communication Office.

For people like Dereje, a Sheko, Southern Nations politics has inflicted a double harm, as minorities such as his are subject to dominant groups both at the local and regional levels.

Episodes of bloody local conflicts in the Maji area between the Surma, Dizi, and Me’ent groups have also continued, even while the area’s rich cultural mosaic continues to draw in Western tourists.

In Western Omo Zone, several groups, mainly the Suri in the Surma District of Maji Zone, are still under the suspicion of the federal and regional special forces. They have lived under surveillance amid the continuation for decades of inter-communal conflicts in Maji.

Twenty-six-year-old Ephrem, a member of the Southern Nations Special Forces that was previously stationed in Surma Wereda, said last year that he lost many colleagues. “This is one of the most dangerous areas not only in South West but also across the country,” he said. “Sometimes, you have to deal with armed groups and sometimes traditional archers.”

Territorial Limits

The Abiy administration’s response to local-level grievances in Southern Nations, and perhaps elsewhere going forward, has been territorial restructuring. While that may serve various political purposes, it creates new struggles over power sharing and does not address minority demands.

Whether justified or not by the reality on the ground, South West has become the  political showpiece of the Prosperity Party’s hasty response to statehood questions. But the degree to which the ruling party has controlled the procedure of creating new regions does not bode well for the ability of the strategy to mitigate conflict and address long-standing issues of constrained economic opportunities and political representation.

In sum, without improved respect for the rule of law, and more resources, it is doubtful that South West, or any other new regional state, can adequately meet demands for peace, development, and democracy.

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Main photo: Supporters campaign for a referendum on the formation of South West region. Decha district, Kaffa Zone, 24 September 2021; Abi Tadesse.

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Addis Ababa (ENA) January 24/2023 The first Ethiopian Diaspora Organizations Recognition Program will be held on Thursday, January 26 2023, according to Ethiopian Diaspora Service.

The 52 Ethiopian Diaspora organizations would receive commendation for their contributions to the national calls that have been made on various occasions, it was learned.

In an exclusive interview with ENA, Ethiopian Diaspora Service Director-General, Mohammed Edris, said the program will be held in the presence of high government officials and representatives of the Ethiopia Diaspora.

The recognition program is aimed at encouraging and expressing gratitude to the diaspora community for their contribution in various activities, including public diplomacy, image building and resource mobilization.

The director-general disclosed that 51 of the organizations are based abroad and 1 at home.

The diaspora organizations are contributing significantly towards safeguarding the national interest as well as economic and social development, he added.

According to Mohammed, almost 96 percent chairpersons of the diaspora organizations have confirmed that they will attend the ceremony.

A book that narrates the contribution of the diaspora and how they get organized will be inaugurated on the day as part of the ceremonial event.

The director-general pointed out that the diaspora community has been contributing tens of millions USD for the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam during the past years.

Hence a program is set so that the diaspora representatives would visit the GERD.

Also, the diaspora has contributed 5.1 million USD to the national call campaign made in the two consecutive months this Ethiopia fiscal year.

Addis Ababa January 24/2023/ENA/ Researchers in various institutions said the Government of Ethiopia is giving due attention to climate-smart agriculture to improve the livelihood of smallholder farmers.

In an exclusive interview with ENA, Ethiopian Institute of Agricultural Research (EIAR) Director of Climate and Geospatial Biometrics Research, Girma Mammo, said Ethiopia is the land of contrast in terms of resources, ecology, climate and overall natural resources.

The concept of climate-smart agriculture is not new to Ethiopian farmers and they know it very well, he noted, adding that bringing this potential into full growth has however been difficult due to many reasons.

According to the director, the government has developed a climate-smart agriculture roadmap (2021-2030).Agricultural professional are working with respect to putting this roadmap into practice, he added. “When we go to down to the local level, every region and district have their own resources.

The issue of climate-smart agriculture means putting these local natural resource endowments into full benefit to their highest potential to unlock and use the resources for the benefit of development and improving the livelihood of rural farmers.”

A number of institutions, including farmer-based organizations, are doing their best to really understand the concept and practices of climate-smart agriculture, which is all about moving into modern technologies, including the utilization of indigenous knowledge, Girma elaborated.

Agricultural Transformation Institute Digital Agriculture Rural Financing and Climate Senior Director, Chimdo Anchala, said on his part that it is difficult to transform agriculture unless and otherwise we focus on climate change. Nowadays attention is given to climate change and developing climate-smart technologies that benefit smallholder farmers.

Ethiopia has good policies and strategies for agricultural development when compared to many African countries.“But when we see the digitization and climate aspect, we are a little bit behind many African countries and neighboring countries,” Chimdo stated.

The senior director pointed out that these issues are currently getting attention at high level, starting from the Office of the Prime Minister. “Some of the technologies we have for digitization are already identified and in the process.

We have also established a system with partners one way or another to engage in agriculture and digitization and also in climate. So, we are trying to harness the knowledge, resource we have to really fully implement those best practices or climate smart technologies at ground level.”

Debre Birhan University Shewarobit Research Center Director, Hailu Terefe, observed that the Ethiopian government used to bring technologies and recommendations that are released by research institutes to farmers from top to down.

Some of the technologies failed to adapt the specific environment, Hailu said, adding that it is therefore very important to know specific need of technologies that are really adaptable to specific agro-ecological circumstances.

“It is also very important to involve farmers at the grassroot level because the farmers themselves do have ample knowledge and very rich experience about their environment. So, considering knowledge of the farmers and making the farmers participate in identifying the right technology for their farming system is very important. And nowadays the government is also considering these thing.”

Addis Ababa January 24/2023 /ENA/ Ethiopia and Denmark have expressed desire to heighten relations in various fields of cooperation, according to Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Demeke Mekonen and Danish Minister for Development Cooperation and Global Climate Policy Dan Jørgensen held talks in Addis Ababa today.

During the discussion, the deputy premier stated that Denmark is Ethiopia’s key development partner further expressing Ethiopia’s desire to strengthen relations with the country in various fields of cooperation.

Demeke thanked the Danish Government for taking a reasonable stance when Ethiopia was facing a challenging situation due to the conflict in the north.

The government is resolutely working to ensure enduring peace, he noted.

According to him, access to humanitarian aid has increased and that basic services have been restored in conflict-affected areas.

The Ethiopian government is developing a plan to rebuild and rehabilitate war-affected areas, Demeke pointed out, further requesting assistance from Denmark and other international development partners.

Danish Minister for Development Cooperation and Global Climate Policy Dan Jørgensen on his part elaborated on the years of development cooperation between Ethiopia and Denmark and said that his nation wants to elevate the relationship.

Jørgensen expressed hope that the Pretoria peace accord would contribute to the establishment of a long-lasting peace in the nation.

Addis Ababa January 24/2023 (ENA) Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed is conducting discussions with university scholars with the view to fostering the role of Ethiopian intellectuals in nation building endeavors.

The discussion forum is being held under the theme “the role of scholars in nation-state building.”  

Recall that several consultative forums were held in various places under the same theme across the country.  

Prime Minister Abiy has noted earlier in discussion forums that he had realized the desire of scholars to play their role in nation building. 

The main reason for the holding of today’s discussion is thus the strong desire to use the knowledge of scholars for nation building.      

Addis Ababa (ENA) January 24/2023 A strong army with superior fighting skills and capabilities is being built up to safeguard the sovereignty of the country, Head of Training of the Ethiopian National Defense Forces (ENDF) Lieutenant General Yimer Mekonnen said.

The Defense War College conducted a panel of discussion under the theme of “Current Global and Regional Geo-Politics and the Impact of Security on Ethiopia’s National Security.”

At the opening of the panel discussion, Lieutenant General Yimer said that the panel discussion was aimed at identifying challenges and good opportunities in national peace building and prepare for further work.

Global and regional conditions are directly related to Ethiopia’s foreign diplomatic activities, he stated.

The lieutenant general explained that the Defense War College analyzes the peace and security issues that may happen in the future and forward recommendations that can be used as policy inputs.

Now, there is better peace and stability in Ethiopia, he said, adding “for the honor and sovereignty of Ethiopia, an army with competent leadership and superior fighting skills and capabilities have been built up.”

Noting that the Ethiopian army is known for its bravery, it is supported by modern technology and is a model for Africa as well, he added.

Defense War College Commandant Brigadier General Bulti Tadesse on his part said that the peace and security of one country is interdependent to the peace and security of another country.

He stated that there is a need to systematically analyze the current situation in the region as terrorism is worsening and creating unpredictable regional conditions.

To this end, the existing situation in terms of the geo-political situation will be presented by scholars in the field, he said, adding the forum will also discuss on the threat, terrorist Al-Shabaab, presents on the peace and security of East Africa.

Addis Ababa January 24/2023/ENA/ Ambassadors of Sri Lankan and Eswatini to Ethiopia have presented today copy of their letter of credentials to the chief of protocol for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Demeke Atnafu.

The ambassadors of Sri Lanka and the Kingdom of Eswatini to Ethiopia, Kossinna Kankanamalage Theshantha Kumarasiri and Mahlaba Almon Mamba, respectively, presented copies of their letters of credentials, it was indicated. 

Ambassador Demeke welcomed the newly appointed ambassadors and highlighted Ethiopia’s long-standing bilateral relations with the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka and the Kingdom of Eswatini. 

He mentioned tourism, culture, education, and investment as potential drivers of increased collaboration between Ethiopia and the two countries. 

He also added that, to make the cooperation more meaningful, there should be bilateral political consultations on matters of shared interests.

Ambassador Demeke also reiterated Ethiopia’s commitment to finding African solutions to African problems while covering the Pretoria Peace Agreement and the GERD negotiations during the briefing. 

The ambassadors on their part stated that they would work diligently to strengthen bilateral ties with Ethiopia.  

Addis Ababa, January 24, 2023 (Walta)-Ethiopian Airlines, Africa’s leading carrier, is set to launch a new passenger flight, five times a week except on Tuesdays and Sundays, to Copenhagen, Denmark as of 22nd of May 2023, the airline announced.

Concerning the restrat of new flight, Ethiopian Airlines Group CEO Mr Mesfin Tasew said, “We are glad to open a new route to Copenhagen, Denmark which will be our 21st destination in Europe. With the launch of the flight, Copenhagen will become a crucial gateway for Ethiopian Airlines in northern Europe and southern Scandinavia. Thanks to the wide network of Ethiopian Airlines across Africa, the new flight will enhance the air connectivity between Europe and Africa thereby facilitating trade, tourism and diplomatic relations of the two regions.”

Thomas Woldbye, Chief Executive Officer Copenhagen Airport, on his behalf said, “It has for a long time been our desire to improve the connection between Copenhagen and Africa.”

Upon the restart of the flight he added that the direct route will create new opportunities for Danish businesses, especially the pharma industry, thanks to the state-of-the-art facilities and pharma wing of Ethiopian Cargo and Logistics Services in Addis Ababa.

Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner with 315 seat arrangement, will be deployed by the national flag carrier

Ethiopian first started serving Copenhagen in November 1999 but the flight was suspended after four years operation.

Addis Ababa January 24/2023 /ENA/ A high-level delegation of Pakistan’s Arif Habib Group visited Addis Ababa, where they met with business people and officials of the government of Ethiopia and discussed prospects of investing in the country’s manufacturing sector.

The delegation led by Arif Habib Group of Companies CEO Muhammad Kashif met with Commissioner of the Ethiopian Investment Commission (EIC), Lelise Neme and showed a strong interest in investing in fertilizer, cement, and steel manufacturing in Ethiopia.

During the meeting. Commissioner Lelise Neme briefed the team on the ease of doing business in Ethiopia with incentive packages, and a favorable investment environment.

Ethiopia’s ambassador to PakistanJemal Beker Abdula, on his part expressed gratitude to the delegation for visiting his country and stated that it was high time for foreign investors to invest in Ethiopia, which offered lucrative opportunities, a business-friendly environment, low production costs, and numerous incentives for foreign investors.

Ethiopia has undergone a lot of transformation since Prime Minister Dr. Abiy Ahmed came to power with a vision to transform the country into a major investment destination not only in Africa but also in the world, the ambassador added.

The delegation met with officials from various ministries, namely, of Foreign Affairs, Agriculture, and Mines, where they were briefed on the government’s policies, business opportunities, and commitment and support to harvest the available opportunities in agriculture, manufacturing, mining, and services.

Arif Habib Group is a giant corporation with $2.5 billion in net assets and a diverse range of investments spanning financial services, industries, and real estate development and advice.

The video game industry has advanced significantly as a result of the availability of photorealistic graphics, reality simulation, and internet connections with millions of other players in today’s games and gaming platforms. Video game playing is no longer only a kid’s pastime evolving into a way of life for people of all ages. In this article, EBR’s Eden Teshome tells a story on how gaming is growing both as a business and leisure both in Ethiopia and Africa, at large.

The global market for video games is enormous, with total revenues of USD180.3 billion in 2021, an increase of 1.4Pct from the previous year, when the industry experienced amazing growth fueled by the global epidemic. By 2031, according to industry analysts, global market revenues will top USD510 billion if the industry maintains its steady course of progressive expansion.

Natural market growth, increased internet accessibility, the creation of cutting-edge video game technologies, and the video game industry’s resilience during the pandemic in 2020, in contrast to many other economic sectors, have all contributed to its current status as one of the largest in the United States. Sales of video game-related software, hardware, and accessories increased as more people turned to video games for leisure as a result of lockdown orders. In the United States, USD1.6 billion were spent on video game hardware, software, accessories, and game cards in March 2020, a 35Pct increase from March, 2019. The market for video games in the United States reached an all-time high of USD85.86 billion in 2021, surpassing the previous record of USD 76.15 billion set in 2020.

A year prior to the pandemic, Yodahe Assefa, a student of international Economics, moved to China to complete his undergraduate degree.

“It began as a pastime to keep me occupied during the lockdown because it was boring to sit around in my dorm room all day without doing anything,” he told EBR. “Even once the lockdown was over, I kept playing the games. It has prevented me from visiting or going to many [unworthy] places, as I once did.” Jodahe enjoys playing a variety of games online, and after two months, he even purchased a gaming laptop.

Internet cafés, cyber spots, and gaming rooms used to be gathering places for gamers throughout Africa. The young gamers would play their favorite games on foreign-made gaming consoles and personal computers. Only a few people have the chance to unwind in their homes while admiring these extraterrestrial wonders. Thanks to cell phones, players can now play their favorite video games whenever they want, and most of the game’s graphics, languages, and even characters reflect the African culture and history. Furthermore, the popularity and accessibility of multipurpose gaming consoles have greatly facilitated the expansion of the continent’s video game sector. Unquestionably, the number of young gamers in Africa has grown significantly over the previous five years, indicating that the gaming sector is expanding.

From Algeria to Zimbabwe, Africa has long been poised for a Technological breakthrough, but, at the dawn of the Fourth Industrial Revolution, may be the ideal time for the continent to take the lead and play a significant role in the gaming sector is now. It is unclear what this signifies for the state of the gaming business today, despite the fact that it has the greatest teenage population. A New zoo analysis claims that Sub-Saharan Africa has seen a more than two-fold increase in gamers over the last five years, and that the region will continue to see the strongest global growth in terms of both mobile gamers and gamers who pay for games.

Around 28Pct of the population in Sub-Saharan Africa, or 303 million people, have access to mobile internet, according to a 2021 Groupe Speciale Mobile Association’s (GSMA) research on the mobile economy. Over 100 million extra mobile customers will be in the area by 2025, with Nigerians and Ethiopians accounting for approximately a third of these.

The survey also reveals that Sub-Saharan Africa now has 186 million gamers, an increase of a factor of two over the preceding five years. African players switched from consoles to tablets or, more preferably, cell phones, which led to this growth. In South Africa, where there are 24 million people, 40Pct of the population plays video games. Ghana has the second-highest percentage at 27Pct, followed by Nigeria at 23Pct, Kenya at 22Pct, and Ethiopia at 13Pct. South Africa is in first place with USD 290 million in yearly gaming revenue in 2021, followed by Nigeria with USD 185 million, Ghana with USD 42 million, Kenya with USD 38 million, and Ethiopia with USD 35 million. Data also shows gamers in South Africa are more likely to pay for games through traditional methods (43Pct) than gamers in Ghana and Ethiopia (33Pct) or Nigerians and Kenyans (32Pct).

This data demonstrates that the African gaming market is growing quickly and is prepared to compete in the global gaming market. This is made possible by homegrown gaming businesses, such as Qene Games. Dawit Abraham, a venture-backed entrepreneur from Addis Ababa, launched the company, which is based in Ethiopia, to create mobile games that showcase Africa’s wonderful culture in the global gaming and entertainment market, where they are now highly underrepresented. Some of Qene Games’ creations include the award-winning mobile games Kukulu and Gebeta. Both of them draw inspiration from an African storyline. For instance, Kukulu is the name of a chicken that originated from the Ethiopian traditional game ‘Akukulu Alnegam’, according to the game’s creators.

According to Dawit, “This is one of several mobile games with an African plot that offers potential for more creativity by mobile game developers.” Dawit continued, “Ethiopia alone has more than one cultural heritage; just think of what Nigeria, South Africa, Morocco, and the entire continent of Africa would present in terms of contributing to its mobile gaming industry.”

In early 2022, in order to connect the gaming business on the continent and encourage the talent development of young African developers, 10 African gaming development firms      formed the Pan Africa Gaming Group (PAGG). As the first game development studio to be a member of PAGG, Qene Games hopes to unlock the potential within the continent’s gaming industry by enhancing the pan-African cultural heritage that is ingrained in the creation of mobile games and by providing opportunities for more recent graduates who are interested in careers in mobile game development.

  In an interview with Forbes Africa, Dawit claimed that: “Due to its more than 3,000 years of history and culture, Ethiopia offers a tremendous source of creative inspiration. The fascinating mythology and folklore as well as the innovative and unique music genres that have been existing for centuries are all endless sources of inspiration for our game developers.”

Dawit believes that Africa may serve as a source of inspiration for developers looking to create real, regionally themed mobile games that would draw international players to the African market. “I also suspect there would be fierce competition among telecommunication operators who have been trying to get into the gaming business to try to fill the gap in distribution and sales,” he added.

  Even though the African gaming market is expanding quickly, there are still issues with distribution and revenue generation. However, according to Dawit, “The time is right, and Africa is the game, therefore these issues won’t prevent Africa’s gaming sector from reaching its potential.”

Since its founding three years ago, the Ethiopian Games Association has sought to map the whole of Ethiopia’s gaming landscape, to foster an active and involved population. It has two primary sections, the first of which is ‘Games for Entertainment’, which is the experience of playing for fun, companionship, or leisure. The second segment, dubbed ‘Games for Social Change’, addresses pressing social concerns by employing entertaining media and games.

“We are a team of about 30 people, but we have 200 to 400 volunteers,” Dagmawi Bedilu co-founder of Ethiopian Games Association and Chief of Strategies at Efuye Gela Publishers told EBR.

Gaming is not without controversy, though. Video game critics will emphasize that there are more negative aspects of video games than positive ones, and supporters will argue the reverse. In all actuality, when played in moderation, video games can have beneficial impacts. When played excessively, there can be negative effects as well.

  “In Ethiopia, there are 25,000 game zones, with more than 3,000 in Addis,” says Dagmawi. The game zones are the healthiest settings for youngsters to spend their free time. The gaming sector can be 10 times more lucrative than exporting wheat and other agricultural products since it does not require a lot of resources; all you need is a laptop and a person with the necessary skills, and we can produce a game fit for the global market.”

In comparison to earlier years, there are more game studios now, according to Dagmawi. Previously, there was only one gaming studio; nowadays, there are five; in contrast, South Africa has fifteen; Kenya has four; and here in Ethiopia, there are between fifteen and twenty independent game developers.

“Although the industry is still untapped and is a work in progress, it is nonetheless hopeful,” says Dagmawi. EBR

11th Year • March 2023 • No. 115

Floors in residences, offices and other such places have seen a series of styles through the years. Until recent times, it was a mixture of cement and sand that would be used to coat most indoor floors in urbanite Ethiopia. Such floors would have been covered by other plastic sheets. For the years that followed, tiles and ceramics have dominated the fashion of coating floors in the capital. Recently, however, the use of epoxy to coat floors and kitchen tables seem to have made an entrance into the business and trend. In this article EBR’s Eden Teshome writes about the material, the trend and the business behind epoxy coatings, and its shifting global market.

If Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed’s (PhD) administration is known for one thing, it has been the rebranding on the looks of public offices. One public office in particular, the Ministry of Water and Energy (MoWE), is said to be the point of pride even for the PM himself.

As one walks into the Ministry’s reception, they’ll see the beautiful floor coated with a shiny epoxy material.   The custom made epoxy coated floor made the interiors of the Ministry very attractive. Indeed, the faux resin epoxy material and the ocean effect design has given the Ministry’s reception quite a pleasant look.

The Ministry is not the only one to have its floor coated with epoxy. It has now become a slowly but surely growing trend to coat floors with epoxy in the capital, introducing a new line of livelihood to young men and women, while bringing a new look to residences, parking lots and offices.

Kalid Abdu is the owner of Inter Emirates Ethio-Industrial Services Development PLC, a company that imports epoxy from Dubai, in the form of a two-pack topcoat for concrete floors that is chemically resistant and made of epoxy resin that has been polyamide cured.

“I’ve been in the epoxy flooring business since 2016.” Kalid shares his story on how he entered the business. “Back then, it wasn’t as well known as it is today. Compared to earlier years we can say the business is growing, but there are still not enough professionals in the field. It is a [fast growing] industry, with [lucrative] profit margin.” Kalid told EBR.

The commercial sector is seeing an increase in the popularity of epoxy flooring solutions. Epoxy flooring adds value by offering proprietors of businesses adjustable aesthetics, rapid installation, minimal maintenance, and optimum durability. But it’s also becoming more common in residences nowadays as a flooring option.

For long Epoxy Floor Coating is usually recommended for heavily trafficked areas in factories, workshops, warehouses, showrooms, garage floors, cellars, packing and similar spaces. However, this is   only becoming a thing of the past.

“Until now, industries and hospitals account for the majority of our clients, but demand from residences is rising.” Kalid told EBR. “The ultraviolet-resistant epoxy we are currently offering is in high demand in residential areas as well as other businesses and is used for outdoor spaces like terraces and parking lots.”

There are various standard forms of epoxy flooring, including: Epoxy terrazzo flooring offering a seamless, colourful, aesthetically pleasing, and long-lasting flooring surface. This kind of flooring is made from a combination of coloured epoxy and certain particles such as marble, mother of pearl, glass, and granite. Following the mixture’s setting, the floor is ground and polished, revealing the aggregate and producing a smooth, aesthetically pleasing, and durable floor finish. Not only are epoxy terrazzo floors durable and aesthetically pleasing, they also require very little upkeep and have a long lifespan (upwards of 40 years). Large commercial venues benefit greatly from this floor system’s beauty, longevity, and durability.

“Our epoxy resin, which costs about ETB1700 per litre, is imported from China and Turkey. We are working to provide epoxy flooring for tables, kitchen tops, hospitals, garages, and parking lots,” Biniyam Mesfin, General Manager of Vector Epoxy Flooring told EBR. “In comparison to other flooring solutions, it is pricey, as it costs about ETB 2500 per square metre. But because granite is more expensive than the epoxy coating, it is a more affordable option for kitchen tops and tables.”

“Most of the time, epoxy outperforms ceramic tile when the advantages of a durable epoxy floor are compared.” Biniyam says. “Epoxy floors certainly live up to their reputation as being durable, low-maintenance, safe, and aesthetically appealing.”

According to Biniam, this affordable choice will have people choosing epoxy over tiles over and over again because it lasts for years on end. Demand has increased lately, and once individuals are aware of the product, Biniam believes people will eventually shift their interest towards epoxy flooring.

There are also challenges to the infant line of business has been facing. The industry doesn’t have as many professionals as it needs. When Biniam and his colleagues first began, they had to take lessons on how to make epoxy coating online from a page called Sika on YouTube. Sika is a Swiss multinational specialty chemical company that supplies to the global building sector and motor vehicle industry. After that, they started to train and hire experts on site. Recently, they decided to expand their business by opening training sessions to those who want to join their line of business.

“The sessions will last no longer than one week and the trend will grow      as more professionals enter the market soon,” Biniam hopes.

Mehari Belay owns a furniture store called Coco Furniture. Mehari learned about epoxy coating through TikTok videos and wanted to give it a shot by replacing the granite he typically used for kitchen countertops.

“Epoxy is more aesthetically beautiful and less expensive than granite.” Mehari told EBR. “Granite is stronger and of higher quality. If granite is used, the price can reach ETB 7     ,000–20,000; if epoxy coating is used, the price ranges from ETB 3,500–4,000 [for average kitchen top size]. People choose what they wish to use, and we put that into action.”

Around Haya Hulet area in Yeka District, Abinet Moges owns a ten-story building. The building still needs finishing touches, and Abinet already completed the installation of ceramic tiles on six levels before learning about epoxy flooring, but he now says he is interested in experimenting with the latest trend of epoxy coating for the rest of the remaining floors.

“I’ve been in the real estate business for seven years, and  used ceramic floors in each home I’ve constructed and have noticed cracking and chipping over time.” says Abinet. “Epoxy floors don’t have those kinds of drawbacks. Additionally, epoxy floors doesn’t      compromise when it comes to looks; they are available in a wide range of designs and colours, which is fantastic.”

Epoxy coatings can be utilized in a variety of end-user industries, including building and construction, automotive and transportation, industrial, marine, and aerospace, thanks to its characteristics of corrosion resistance, flexibility, and exceptional adhesion.

During the forecast period of 2021–2028, the global epoxy coating market is anticipated to rise at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 5.2Pct, from USD36.53 billion in 2021 to USD52.13 billion in 2028. This is explained by the rising spending on township development, housing, built-up infrastructure, and building development projects in emerging nations like China, India, and others, where epoxy coatings are frequently utilised      for concrete coating applications.

Global powerhouses like China and Saudi Arabia continue to experience extraordinary growth in the industry despite COVID 19’s crippling effects, which is driving up demand for epoxy resin goods in the flooring sector. Companies are turning their attention eastward due to rising demand brought on by urbanization, even though market growth in North America is increasing gradually. The Middle East and the Asian Pacific area, according to market research, have boosted spending for urban infrastructure improvements, which has led to growth in the worldwide epoxy resin market share.

It’s important to note that the usage of epoxy has increased not only in North America but also in nations like Saudi Arabia, South Korea, and South Africa. As a result, China and the Middle East are the main actors fueling demand and market expansion in the epoxy resin industry. Epoxy product usage in the global market was around 3.2 million metric tons in 2020; by 2026, the demand is expected to increase to 4.3 million metric tons.

Epoxy coatings are often applied over concrete floors to give a high-performance, smooth, and durable surface that can support heavy loads and endure for many years. Industrial settings, warehouses, and commercial buildings frequently employ epoxy flooring to ensure sanitary and secure conditions for staff, machinery, and inventory. An epoxy coating needs a clean, slightly porous surface in order to adhere adequately. Epoxy may not adhere to polished or sealed concrete. Moreover, the concrete needs to be fully cured. Before putting epoxy floor coating, it is essential to cure any large cracks and chips in the concrete surface and to clean off any grease.EBR

11th Year • March 2023 • No. 115

Many have referred to the current global digital transformation as the “fourth revolution.” Ethiopia joined this journey and expressed commitment through the “Digital Ethiopia by 2025” strategy launched on June 20, 2020. Digital Ethiopia is an initiative of the Ethiopian Government, to leverage and expand digital opportunities and lead the country towards an innovative, knowledge-based economy.

The country started to witness remarkable changes in the digital landscape after the emergence of COVID-19, which enforced lockdowns, social distancing, and several restrictions that called for rapid digitization on all fronts. In this article, EBR’s Bamlak Fekadu tells the story of how the latest digital revolution is bearing fruit for e-commerce businesses.

The Digital Ethiopia 2025 strategy was included in the ten-Year Perspective Development Plan of the ruling Prosperity Party and synced with the homegrown economy agenda to bear digital economy in the country. The strategy is harmonized with the African Union’s continental digital strategy, alongside United Nations sustainable development goals. Digital Ethiopia includes the deployment and implementation of technologies to create jobs and capital that are based on technology to add value to the   six pillars of the Ethiopian economy: Agriculture, manufacturing, mining, information and communications technologies (ICTs), the creative industry and tourism. With digitization implemented in full force, these sectors are expected to play leading roles in job creation, technology transfer, innovation, and in improving Ethiopia’s capacity to export and generate more foreign currency.

The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, coupled with social distancing and stay-at-home restrictions, fueled the eagerness and readiness of the government to push for digital transformations in Ethiopia. This has provided favorable environment for e-commerce. The regulations and restrictions to prevent the spread of the virus, led to different sectors and service providers to develop digital solutions on e-commerce platforms and digital payment platforms.

Meaza Admasu, a widow who lived in the United States for almost 30 years with her five sons, returned home a few months before the pandemic broke out in Ethiopia. She traveled back to spend the rest of her retirement with cherished family members.  “It was really a scary time for us because Ethiopia’s healthcare service is not developed. It’s not comparable with that of the U.S.,” she said.

The lack of caution by her relatives, coupled with the government’s strong call for social distancing and other safety protocols compelled her to rent a guest house for herself. At this point, Meaza learnt about the burgeoning e-commerce sites that supply food,  beverages, and other groceries shopping. “The first time grocery delivery was made by my eldest son, who made the order on an online platform. For me, it was a surprise to know that e-commerce is developing in Ethiopia.”

After realizing that she could also order her own groceries online, she immediately started doing so. “Unfortunately, the lack of digital payment options made it inconvenient for me.”

It is true that digital transactions and e-commerce are heading in the right direction. For instance, Ethiopian Airlines is already seeing half of its ticket purchases purchased by customers using its mobile app and/or website. The ride-hailing industry is also providing an estimated 90,000 rides on a daily basis utilizing mobile technologies.

According to Cepheus’s analysis on Ethiopia’s digital economy in 2020, despite the country having “virtually no digital economy to speak of”, some notable digital use cases are already firmly in place. The Cepheus portrays banks handling around half a million customer transactions via digital channels every day and ETB260 Billion, which is approximately eight percent of the GDP on an annual basis.

The state giant Commercial Bank of Ethiopia has realized that 62Pct of its customer transactions are taking place via digital channels.

The first ever three-year National Digital Payments Strategy (NDPS) of the National Bank of Ethiopia (NBE), introduced last year, hints that it would apply discouraging instruments like tax incentives and cash handling fees to attain the goal of the NDPS.

The digital strategy that was officially launched on July 15 will be implemented until 2024, Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed (PhD) was quoted as saying that there are efforts within and beyond the Ethiopian payment ecosystem that have laid the foundations for digital payments in Ethiopia.

“I trust that NDPS will assist Ethiopia in meeting the challenges that currently lie ahead as we transform the payment ecosystem to move toward a cash-lite and more financially inclusive economy.” Abiy said in his message on the new strategy.

The NDPS strategy that was developed with the support of partners like the United Nations’ Better than Cash Alliance, amplified the requirements of encouraging and discouraging tools to obtain the expected dream to transform digitization payments in Ethiopia.

Establishing a digital economy without digital payment and digital trading solutions is unthinkable. Under the digitization process in the country, the state has begun the implantation of electronic government procurement (eGP) and an e-commerce scheme at the beginning of the current budget year, which is being piloted at nine public institutions. The procurement platform signifies that the government is diving into the e-commerce pool, involving the Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Innovation and Technology (MinT), Ministry of Revenue, Ethiopian Roads Authority, Ethiopian Pharmaceuticals Supply Agency, Public Procurement & Property Administration Agency, Addis Ababa University, and Addis Ababa Science and Technology University, which all have commenced the pilot program.

Online marketing is one of the plenty resources that hasn’t been utilized to its fullest potential in Ethiopia. This is the case while 17Pct of Ethiopia’s 120 million people were registered users on online platforms.

According to Mathias Aklilu, a marketing specialist, Ethiopia’s large population offers a great advantage to doing really well on online marketing, and there is still so much untapped potential. With internet penetration expected to improve further, the potential is going to be even more attractive.

E-commerce, by its definition, is the buying and selling of goods or services over the internet and the transfer of money and data to execute these transactions. The concept of e-commerce has become common in recent years through social media’s informal digital trading system, which might include hundreds of distributed trading channels in Telegram and Facebook.

E-commerce in Ethiopia is emerging but still at an embryonic stage. This is mainly due to the lack of adequate IT infrastructure and even more with the  absence of an enabling legal framework. Recently, the government approved a national law to regulate e-commerce.

In 2018, the former minister of innovation and technology, Getahun Mekuria (PhD), stated that Addis Ababa was about to house the East African e-commerce center. The e-commerce center, originally planned to be opened in Kenya, is changing its location to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, due to the benefits it can garner from the focus given by the government to the innovation and technology centers, coupled with the higher number of flights Ethiopian Airlines handles with Addis Ababa as a hub. The progress remains undisclosed.

In Ethiopia, there are roughly 30 e-commerce shops, and the Ministry of Revenue is inching towards deploying technology that allows for electronic receipts and other gig and electronic services.

According to Mathias, when social commerce first entered Ethiopia, the major platforms were Viber and Facebook. “There used to be plenty of ‘sell and buy’ groups on Viber until Telegram became the more preferred line of digital communication in the country.”

On the other hand, more established companies provide products and services through their own developed interfaces, diving into the digital business arena, serving B2C and C2C coupled with on-demand delivery e-commerce platforms. Deliver Addis is a premier food delivery service startup as well as a grocery retailer. Asbeza, Addis Mercato, Addis Ber, and Qefira are also among the big fish in the ecosystem.

Asebeza Delivery, a web and mobile application doing online grocery shopping and delivery services with all categories ranging from fruits, vegetables, and groceries, was established four years ago.  “Most of our customers use payment upon delivery, and we use mobile platforms like Telebirr, Hellocash, CBE birr, and Amole.” Bereket Tadesse, Asebeza Delivery founder and CEO told EBR.

“The overall exposure since we started our online business has been positive. People seem      to be adapting to e-commerce platforms. Although we offer different discounts and free delivery packages, the concept of e-commerce has not been [sufficiently understood] even in the capital.” Bereket reflects.

Furthering the growing ecosystem of payment modalities is among the factors that help businesses like Bereket’s thrive. He witnessed that among mobile banking and wallet platforms, Telebirr is the most competitive. He receives most payments on Telebirr, alongside Bank of Abyssinia, as it owns international payment gateways integrated with Mastercard and Visa.

The Electronic Transaction Proclamation No. 1205/2020 has come into effect as of June 30, 2020. Electronic commerce is also defined by the proclamation as the transaction of goods and services through the Internet and other information networks. The proclamation intends to create a more secure legal environment that enables and facilitates the use of electronic transactions.

The proclamation aims at protecting the interests of consumers by giving them the right to complain to MinT when a supplier fails to comply and also to bring a lawsuit before the law.

“Using electronic commerce positively impacts market opportunities, thereby empowering citizens to be included in the economy and also enabling Ethiopia to be part of the digital era.” Mignot Tariku, a freelance programmer who designed several web and mobile applications for online retail businesses, told EBR.

Numerous institutions, such as the World Bank, have been supporting Ethiopia’s path to digitization. The World Bank has injected a credit amount of USD200 million for the Ethiopian Digital Foundation Project, a five-year project, through its facilitator ministries of finance, and innovation & technology.

The proposed project will also contribute to the Jobs and Economic Transformation (JET) agenda by supporting disadvantaged groups to adopt digital technologies and participate in the so-called “platform economy” through accommodation sharing, ride sharing, and other gig-economy services. It will also help by financing digital entrepreneurs and incentivizing digital businesses to onboard more people to participate in the digital economy, for instance as suppliers for e-commerce platforms.

According to the Cepheus Capital Report, the size of digitally transacted economic activities in Ethiopia will grow ninefold to ETB3 trillion, representing 39Pct of the GDP by 2025. The report portrays that ETB350 billion was transacted in 2020 in gross transaction value, which is equivalent to 10Pct of the GDP, of which ETB5 billion was generated as net revenue/profit.

Mekdes Ashenafi, Deputy Chief Operating Officer at Addis Berara, urges people to cope with the dynamic nature of technology, which exhibits a rapid evolution in less than a decade.      “With improved access, Internet users are growing rapidly. Digital solutions providers are also growing; however, the majority have stuck to the traditional trading.

Mekedes has seen the importance of the national digital payment strategy which opens up the gate for several fintech companies and banks to bring in payment modalities.

With a growing visitors, on their online platforms, her firm accepts international cards alongside debit cards on interoperable POS and several mobile money and wallets like HelloCash and Amole, and cash on delivery. Telebirr, a mobile money and wallet service powered by the state giant ethiotelecom, has also been in the market since May 2021, reaching 28.2 million subscribers in March 2023, up from 21.8 million subscribers in June 2022. Currently, telebirr digital payment system has 112 master agents, 98.8 thousand agents, 25.5 thousand merchants and 615 service centers. The platform has been integrated with 18 banks to transfer money from bank to telebirr and over ETB263 billion has been transacted so far. Further, the service is allied with nine international remittance partners. Thousands of companies have also integrated their services with telebirr to solve payment related hustles.

Meanwhile, issues regarding e-receipts are the most common challenge online businesses face with revenue authorities and officials. A regulation called “Electronic Transaction” that would provide the legal framework for e-commerce and other related aspects, including e-receipts, is in the final approval process. According to Abiyot Bayou (PhD), director of the digital transformation program, the Ministry is advocating for e-commerce through several acts, including amendments to existing regulations.

The e-commerce culture is not where it has to be now in comparison to the evolution of the world and neighboring countries. “The Ministry is working to support a sustainable ecosystem; however, creating awareness should not leave for the service providers and the Ministry alone.” he said.

“Currently we are passing through technical and legal steps to award an e-receipt system,” he says, “and interoperability is being achieved through EtSwitch.”EBR

11th Year • March 2023 • No. 115

For the longest time, young men and women in Ethiopia have dealt with substances such as khat, cigarettes and alcohol. Widely consumed and considered as part of the culture in some parts of the country, khat used to be the primary point of concern as far as substance abuse is concerned. In recent years, the list of substances being abused by teenage boys and girls seems to be getting longer. As this concerning list gets longer, EBR’s Bamlak Fekadu looks into the consumption of opioids and its impact on the youth.

57-year-old retired former air force pilot Atnafu B. Maryam is a father of two, who sustained injuries during the 1999–2000 Eritrean – Ethiopian war. The heat was so extreme that several bullets still remain in his body, causing using him to experience excruciating pain during the colder months. He frequently chooses to take stronger painkillers, such as opioid medications, to manage the pain.

Atnafu used these drugs to temporarily relieve his pain, but it wasn’t long before he began to notice that his younger son Kaleb, 26, who frequently used the opiate Tramadol, had developed an addiction to it.   He remembers the occasion when he met the owner of a pharmacy in his neighborhood. “This pharmacist asked about my health with great concern.” Atnafu shares “It was unusual. Then he warned me about my consumption of Tramadol and the damage it could do to me and cautioned me not to send Kaleb without prescriptions.”

To clear his confusion, he sat with the pharmacist to understand more about the impact it could have on his health. “It was alarming to learn that kids are using opiates like Tramadol for purposes other than for medical use, and to realize that my son is one of them,” Atnafu told EBR.

After taking the advice, Atnafu began to notice his son’s physical and emotional changes, which were preceded by itching, tiredness, and a mood swing. Kaleb had been using      Tramadol for three years. He started using Pethidine, a Tramadol substitute, but his body had adjusted to the medication. Kaleb developed the habit of using opioids to alleviate a migraine that was triggered by sadness of being kicked out of college. He is said to have started to get better recently, following an open dialogue and placing him in a rehabilitation program.

On November 1, 2022, the Ethiopian Food and Drug Authority (EFDA), which oversees 23 private hospitals, 1,169 drug stores and pharmacies, and 63 specialty health centers operating in the capital, made an unusual announcement enacting strict control ordering      pharmacies in Ethiopia to refrain from selling Tramadol. The warning was issued by the A     uthority in response to mounting complaints of painkiller addiction and rising drug use among high school students, which it claimed was putting many lives at risk.

The Authority issued an order mandating stringent control of the drug and forbidding sales to anyone unless they have a special prescription from a licensed doctor. The medication will be subject to strict regulation, as its use can lead to fatigue, lack of appetite, severe headaches, sweating, mental instability, and sleep disruptions.

In response to the findings of a study done by the authority, the EFDA removed Tramadol from the list of over-the-counter (OTC) drugs four years ago. The study found that Tramadol misuse had increased to worrying levels, with an eight percent prevalence rate in the 13–19 age range in and around Addis Ababa. Eight of 100 pupils in this age bracket from 218 secondary schools, in the capital, may have fallen into this trap.

Tramadol was an OTC drug available at neighborhood pharmacies, available for sell without even a prescription. It gained popularity among high school students because of its accessibility and comparatively inexpensive cost when compared to other addictive drugs. One kilogram of cannabis, often known as marijuana, might be sold for ETB 3,500, compared to up to ETB 2,800 for one gram of cocaine. A strip of Tramadol, containing 10 capsules, costs not more than ETB 30.

According to the Authority, the number of youths who use Tramadol without a doctor’s prescription has been increasing in recent years, leading to addiction. Many young people      purchase Tramadol without prescriptions, and some typically use excessive dosages.

Simeon Hailay is one of several high school kids who, tragically, spent two years ensnared by addiction. Simeon attended a public high school in Lemikura District, a neighborhood on the outskirts of Addis Abeba’s northeast. While he was a grade 11 student, Simeon momentarily stopped going to class as a result of his severe addiction to several substances, including cigarettes, khat, marijuana, alcohol, opioids, and cough syrup.

As a result of the psychedelic drugs, he later began to encounter visual illusions. Simeon described having “fuzzy moving visuals that made me feel nervous.” His addiction caused him to become socially isolated, further worsening his mental health.

“Tramadol strips are sometimes combined with cough syrup, like I used to do with dry gin.” Simeon told EBR. “My parents took me away for a month to a monastery in Debre Birhan, which is around 120 kilometers from the city.”   He asserted that he experienced stress and sadness as a result. A relative who works at St. Paul’s Hospital Millennium Medical College recommended putting him in the New Life Rehabilitation Center at the hospital located on Sheh Ojele Street, founded by Sister Yirgedu Habtu.   After close to three consecutive months of therapy, he is clean from all of his addiction and plans to resume his education.  “I have a plan to create awareness about substance abuse, addiction, mental health, and the significance of rehabilitation centers to the community,” he told EBR.

The government-owned Ethiopian Pharmaceutical Supply Agency, which was founded in 1947, is the largest pharmaceutical purchaser in the nation, buys medicines and medical supplies and disperses them via its 19 locations to hospitals and medical facilities all over the nation. In order to service more than 5,000 healthcare facilities, it imported medical supplies and equipment worth ETB17 billion last year. 90Pct of the medications imported into the nation are a result of its import bill.

The agency imports nearly 1,000 different medications, including Tramadol. The agency distributes the medicine to its branches depending on the quantity of patients and the demand from the medical facilities. EFDA’s experts are working to raise awareness of the problem among high school students and teachers, about how it might damage children’s health.

From 2022 to 2030, the market for opioids is projected to increase at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 1.2Pct reaching a value of USD22.66 billion. The introduction of novel opioid drugs for the treatment of patients with chronic pain and rising approval rates are the two main factors anticipated to fuel market expansion. For instance, Trevena, Inc.     ‘s Olinvyk (oliceridine) injectable, designed for the treatment of individuals with severe pain, received FDA approval in August 2020. It costs about USD194 for a supply of 10 ml      of the opioid   agonist olinvyk, which is given intravenously to patients. Although it puts users at risk for addiction, abuse, and misuse, no one is immune to the risk of addiction, although it can happen to patients.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), opioids have analgesic and sedative effects and are commonly used for the management of pain. Opioid medicines such as methadone and buprenorphine are used for maintenance treatment of opioid dependence and cause euphoria after intake, which is one of the main reasons they are taken for non-medical reasons.

As of the WHO’s study worldwide, about 275 million people (or 5.5 percent of the global population aged 15–64 years) used drugs at least once in 2019. Among them, about 62 million people used opioids. About 36.3 million people suffered from drug use disorders in 2019.

Most people who became dependent on opioids used illicitly cultivated and manufactured heroin, but the proportion of those using prescription opioids is growing. Worldwide, about 500 000 deaths are attributable to drug use. More than 70 Pct of these deaths are related to opioids, with more than 30 percent of those deaths caused by overdose. According to WHO estimates, approximately 115 000 people died of opioid overdoses in 2017. Opioid overdoses that do not lead to death are several times more common than fatal overdoses.

Forbes Business Magazine pegs the market size of the addiction treatment sector at up to USD35 billion. Bridge Market Research has conducted analysis on this market size and growth rate for the drug addiction treatment sector by type (opioid addiction, benzodiazepine addiction, barbiturate addiction, and others) for the forecast years of 2023–2030. During the aforementioned projection period, drug addiction therapy market is expected to register a 7.3Pct growth rate. The market had a gross value of USD15.5 billion in 2022, this figure is expected to reach USD30.8 billion by 2030.

The WHO’s special initiative for mental health highlighted that nearly four out of five people with mental illnesses, including substance use disorders and neurological disorders, do not receive good quality and affordable mental health care globally. According to Netsuh Workafes, a public health expert with over 10 years of experience, although substance use is a known public health issue and a pressing one in Ethiopia, its true scope and severity have not been adequately investigated.

According to Netsuh’s assessment, the widespread abuse of drugs and narcotics by children has reached a concerning level, yet parents and schools are not aware of the problem.

Ethiopia is a member of the International Narcotics Commission Board , established in 1968 as the independent monitoring body for implementing the UN international drug control conventions. The board inspects, monitors, and gives permission to member countries if they import narcotic drugs beyond the acceptable amount.

The authority said that they will make serious monitoring and follow-ups on pharmacies and others that have been selling the drug arbitrarily. All regional health inspectors strictly implement the legal and administrative steps in violating the directive.

“People with mental illness are at an increased risk of experiencing human rights violations, stigma, and discrimination like Simeon faced,” Netsuh said, urging stakeholders and the Ministry of Health to address mental health issues with contextually designed and effective stigma reduction, alongside organizing mental health care facilities.. EBR

11th Year • March 2023 • No. 115