Day: May 3, 2023

Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister, Demeke Mekonnen held discussion today with the Chief Executive Office of the African Union Development Agency-New Partnership for African Development (AUDA-NEPAD), Nardos Bekele-Thomas.

During the occasion, Demeke briefed the CEO on Ethiopia’s post-conflict situation, emphasizing the ongoing reconstruction and rehabilitation efforts in war-affected areas.

He also appreciated the critical role played by AUDA-NEPAD in supporting Member States in their development endeavors.

Demeke underlined Ethiopia’s active contribution to AUDA-NEPAD programs that are vital for eradicating poverty and enhancing the economic achievements in Africa.

He reassured the latter of the Government’s commitment to the implementation of Agency’s development initiatives.

On her part, Bekele-Thomas pointed out areas such as agriculture, science and technology, and small and medium enterprises as key spheres of cooperation between the Government of Ethiopia and AUDA-NEPAD.

The CEO explained the AUDA-NEPAD development programs, vital to achieving the AU Agenda206.

She also stressed that resource mobilization is important to achieve these goals.

Source: Ethiopian News Agency

The Minister of Communication Rene Emmanuel Sadi, has told media practitioners that Cameroon is a State that respects human rights, with press freedom constituting the backbone.

Rene Sadi was invited to the brainstorming event organized by the Cameroon Association of English-speaking Journalists (CAMASEJ) and the Cameroonian section of the International Francophone Press Union (UPF), to mark the 30th edition of the World Press Freedom Day.

During activities that took place in Yaounde, on May 3, the Communication boss said the liberalization of the national media landscape within a period of thirty years, has “profoundly transformed Cameroon from a monolithic system to an effective pluralist regime”.

The Minister said journalists have a duty to respect the ethics and laws which are part of the enabling factors of press freedom within the country.

“It must be noted that in many cases, national media practitioners are often at odds with the rules of the ethics and professional conduct that should guide their work. Such a deficiency is likely to discredit the press” Rene Sadi said.

“The abuses observed and induced by this lack of professionalism expose journalists and the media to the sanctions provided for by the laws and regulations in force.”

The Communication Minister also added that “there is the instrumentalization of the media by certain actors with hidden agendas”. He called on media professionals to exercise more vigilance.

Concerning the social security of journalists, media owners were urged to fulfill their social and legal obligations towards the journalists they employ, notably the provision of employment contracts and the regular payment of salaries.

Minister Rene Sadi said the government is aware of the difficulties faced by national media operators in the exercise of their profession, assuring them of the government’s efforts towards ameliorating the situation.

This year’s World Press Freedom Day was celebrated under the theme; “Shaping a future of rights: Freedom of expression as a driver of all human rights”.

Source: Cameroon News Agency

Ethiopia needs to use the best airlines in Africa (Ethiopian) to promote its beautiful tourism attractions as Mexico open to work with the country to promote the sector, Ambassador of Mexico to Ethiopia Victor Trevino said.

Recently, the government prioritizes the sector as one of the pillars of the economy for the country and has given due attention under the 10-year development plan.

Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed initiated “Dine for Nation” projects on Koysha, Wonchi, and Gorgora believed to inspire and transform Ethiopia’s tourism sector.

In an exclusive interview with ENA, Ambassador of Mexico to Ethiopia, Victor Trevino said Ethiopia and Mexico are very proud countries about their culture and history among others with long-term bondage.

Even though Mexico is too far in terms of geography, Mexico’s first embassy in the whole continent was established here in Ethiopia, he elaborated.

The longstanding friendship between the two nations goes back to 1936 when Mexico strongly condemned the Italian invasion of Ethiopia and supported its independence and status as a member of the League of Nations.

Alongside maintaining the importance of history, the traditions of the two nations, he said “we need to go further for the importance of the future. We need to pass these values to the younger generations and we need to increase our trade ties.”

The Ambassador stressed that increasing trade ties has to be one of the priorities of Ethiopia and Mexico.

“We import more than we export. For example the main import product of Ethiopia to Mexico is the sesame seeds and we export to Ethiopia some parts of agricultural machinery but we need to increase the trade ties further.”

In the near future, he added “we can increase the cooperation in the tourism sector as well. As partners, we must promote the tourism industry in Ethiopia.”

For the Ambassador, Ethiopia has beautiful sites, but unfortunately it is not even in the top five tourist receptionists in Africa even though you have the most important airlines in the continent to promote the sector and you have the beautiful places to visit.

The airline serves 131 international passenger and cargo destinations, including 63 African cities, with daily and multiple flights with a minimum layover in Addis.

The country has lots of cultural heritages, ethnographic attractions, traditional crafts, natural resources, natural beauty, the scenery, the landscapes, and the beautiful weather among others.

“You need more human resources to exploit the tourism resources and to promote it to the global community. We are open to work with Ethiopia to promote scholarships for people to study tourism,” he noted.

Praising the recent peace agreement in Ethiopia, the Ambassador stressed that peace is vital to attract more investment to Ethiopia in various sectors in general and in tourism in particular.

Ethiopia, which is the diplomatic capital of Africa, is known as “the land of origins,” where many important archaeological and paleontological milestones have been uncovered.

Source: Ethiopian News Agency