Day: March 30, 2024

Addis Ababa: Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed and his delegation visited West Omo zone of South West Ethiopia region today.

Abiy wrote on his X account “I am pleased to be visiting the West Omo zone today.”

It’s a region brimming with natural beauty and potential, showcasing how, with proper development support and a peaceful environment, it can significantly contribute to Ethiopia’s progress.

The premier added ‘I emphasized to the community that while fulfilling all development needs may take time, Ethiopia is committed to laying the groundwork for comprehensive development solutions.”

Accompanying the premier included Speaker of the House of People’s Representatives, Tagesse Chafo and Speaker of the House of Federation, Agegnehu Teshager and Minster of Government Communication Service Legesse Tullu.

Source: Ethiopian News Agency

Addis Ababa: The completion of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam without causing harm to the riparian countries manifests Ethiopia’s strong commitment to its principle of not causing significant harm on all parties, Kings of Abbay Media President Ustath Jemal Beshir said.

Ethiopians from all walks of life have contributed to the construction of the dam, which is expected to be fully completed within 7 months, with their own resources to get rid of poverty and ensure mutual benefit with neighboring countries.

In an exclusive interview with ENA, Ustath Jemal said Ethiopia has been committed to fair utilization of Abbay River, especially with neighboring countries, and provide access to electricity to Ethiopians.

‘Ethiopia has now completed the dam without causing any harm to the riparian countries. That means they understand now Ethiopia has no agenda other than ensuring prosperity and getting energy from the dam,’ he added.

The completion of the dam will help all countries near and afar as they could get
cheap electric power from Ethiopia.

Power sharing with Sudan, Kenya and Djibouti is already in operation and additional power selling to neighboring countries with Tanzania has been on pipeline.

The president further noted that Ethiopia didn’t use Abbay for centuries and the riparian countries unfortunately think that the river belongs to them.

Now, Ethiopians have started to use their resources for development by sharing them, and this should be appreciated, Ustath Jemal noted.

According to him, the riparian countries need to cooperate with Ethiopia to work and develop together.

Upon going fully operational, GERD will have an installed capacity of generating 5,150 MW, making it the largest hydropower project in Africa with the amount of electricity it generates.

The dam will provide regulated flow which will help the downstream countries to better manage their respective reservoirs in addition to reducing negative impacts of climate change.

Experts point out that the dam will capture 90 percent of the
sediment protecting irrigation canals and equipment from damages caused by sedimentation

Source: Ethiopian News Agency

Addis Ababa: Nile Basin countries need to foster cooperation in constructing more hydropower projects for the betterment and development of the region, Water and Environmental Engineering Professor Esayas Alemayehu said.

In an exclusive interview with ENA, the professor at Jimma University and Adjunct Professor at Africa Centre of Excellence for Water Management said one of the limitations in this region is lack of capacity in exploiting and managing resources.

“If we enhance the capacity and the capability in different sectors, we can solve the problem and cooperate together to see the new and future Nile Basin countries with better enhancement,” he added.

According to him, Ethiopia has become an example for other countries by constructing and managing such a huge project by Ethiopians.

The professor stressed that the GERD is built with the blood and sweat of the Ethiopian people from all walks of life.

“We have to be proud. We have demonstrated to the world that we are capable of having such a huge pro
ject. There were many challenges internationally and regionally, but we have overcome those challenges and came up with such an exemplary project which showed that Africans are capable of doing big projects by themselves.”

Professor Esayas further said that Nile Basin countries need to foster cooperation to even have more hydropower projects in the region for the betterment and development of the Nile Basin region.

For Ethiopians, he noted that having energy is a lot for many things for different sectors, including agriculture, food security, technology, and industrial sectors, among others. Hydropower is a very crucial renewable energy source.

Moreover, the country will continue supplying power to neighboring countries to accelerate the power integration projects already underway in the region, the professor elaborated.

He also believes that “we need to continue building similar projects with our capacity so that we can have a better Ethiopia in the future.

Source: Ethiopian News Agency

Addis Ababa: The World Bank (WB) will continue supporting the National Financial Inclusion Strategy of Ethiopia, which is critical for the growth and prosperity of the country, Bank Senior Economist Michael O’Sullivan said.

The National Financial Inclusion Strategy 2021-2025 was revised in close collaboration with stakeholders across the public and private sectors in an effort to define a coordinated plan to transform financial inclusion for millions of Ethiopians.

In an exclusive interview with ENA, Senior Economist and Head of Africa Gender Innovation Lab at the World Bank, Michael O’Sullivan, said there is really an important momentum around financial inclusion in Ethiopia.

Over the last several years, the World Bank’s data show a growing financial inclusion in Ethiopia.

The World Bank has been working with the National Bank of Ethiopia team and other pertinent actors to help accelerate this process, it was learned.

Commending the recently launched Network of Ethiopia’s Women in Finance (NEWFin) initi
ative as a great effort to try to bring together a network of women leaders, he said these types of approach are bringing more women leaders in the financial sector.

‘We are happy to partner with the National Bank of Ethiopia, and we are also working closely with the Government of Ethiopia in women entrepreneurship projects in the country,’ the senior economist added.

According to him, the National Financial Inclusion Strategy of Ethiopia is going to be critical in terms of bringing more women into the financial space and to the market economy to help contribute to more growth.

So the government leadership on this agenda is very important, and it is also important for the share of growth and prosperity of the country, O’Sullivan said.

Regarding the financial sector reform of the nation, he stated that this is the area that the World Bank is keen to support.

‘We have seen more entrants into the market, especially in digital financial services, and this is an area where the World Bank is keen and collabora
tes with the Government of Ethiopia.’

National Bank of Ethiopia Governor Mamo Mihretu has recently noted that the launch and implementation of Ethiopia’s first financial inclusion strategy marked a historic milestone as the second strategy also noted the wider gap between men and women financial inclusion.

Financial inclusion is an essential prerequisite for sustainable development, inclusive growth, and a fundamental enabler for the stability of the financial system, job growth, digital transformation, and continued economic development.

Source: Ethiopian News Agency

By Charity Nginyu

Reacting to the recent warning issued by the Nso Traditional Regulatory Authority, artist Shey Lontum Yov has publicly acknowledged and accepted the directives regarding the usage of royal cultural attire and articles in his artistic endeavors.

In a communique, released on March 30, Yov began by addressing his beloved fans, friends, and family, expressing gratitude for their unwavering support.

He then proceeded to acknowledge the warning issued by the Ngwerong, the traditional regulatory authority of Nso, emphasizing his respect for their authority and responsibility in safeguarding the cultural heritage and protocol of the Nso people.

‘After verifying that truly Ngwerong authored this warning, I come in all humility to submit to the Ngwerong declaration pertaining to my use of royal cultural habit and articles in the practice of my art. I accept this call to order and recognize the authority and responsibility of Ngwerong to ensure the strict respect of our cultural heritage and protoc
ol regarding the use of insignia and moreover, items attributed to royalty,’ the communique partly read.

Yov openly admitted to using royal cultural items in his art, citing his dedication to promoting Nso culture through his music. However, he clarified that any such usage was never intended to undermine traditions or stand in opposition to the esteemed Fon, the highest authority in Nso. ‘…it was in no way an expression of me standing parallel to my father or undermining the traditions,’ he continued.

The artist humbly accepted the call to order from the Ngwerong and pledged to rectify the situation moving forward.

He announced immediate measures taken by his management team to prevent similar occurrences, including implementing stricter guidelines and adopting a permitted cultural wardrobe for his art.

The Nso traditional authorities, on March 22, 2024, issued a comprehensive warning on artist Shey Lontum Yov, effectively prohibiting him from wearing attires, meant solely for the royalty of the Nso cult
ure.

Source: Cameroon News Agency