Day: May 24, 2024

A suspected bag snatcher was set on fire along with his motorcycle by a mob near FONAP at Mile 3 in Bamenda, after a failed attempt to rob a woman, according to local reports.

The incident occurred when the woman managed to alert bystanders, who swiftly intervened and lynched the suspect. Videos of the incident, shared on social media, show the burning motorcycle and the suspect.

‘This is a message to all those who have decided to go out at ungodly hours to snatch belongings from locals,’ one person said in a video posted online.

Authorities have yet to comment on the incident, which has sparked debate on social media about the dangers of vigilante actions.

Many have sued the crisis to make money by intimidating locals at gunpoint as the crime waves in Bamenda increase in a geometric progression.

Source: Cameroon News Agency

Addis Ababa: State Minister of Innovation and Technology Baysa Bedada stressed the importance of bolstering collaboration with development partners to harness innovation and technology projects for Ethiopia’s progress.

The ministry has organized Science, Technology, Research, Innovation, Digitization, and Entrepreneurship (STRIDE- Ethiopia) forum with development partners at Science Museum in Addis Ababa today as part of the concluding STRIDE Ethiopia Expo the ministry launched last week.

Opening the forum, Innovation and Technology State Minister Baysa Bedada stressed Ethiopia’s recent strides in leveraging innovation and technology and the need to bolster partnership for its progress.

The state minister stressed the crucial role of partnerships in a rapidly changing world, where collaboration is essential to navigate advancements like artificial intelligence and the Internet of Things.

‘The Ministry of Innovation and Technology is at a pivotal juncture in its journey towards progress. The Collective eff
ort of our esteemed partners, together with the unwavering commitment of the Ethiopian government, has laid a solid foundation for growth and transformation. As we move forward, let us embrace the opportunities presented by innovation and technology, leveraging our diverse expertise and collaborative spirit to drive inclusive and sustainable development that leaves no one behind,’ Baysa said.

Moreover, the state minister mentioned about the ministry’s efforts in fostering an innovation ecosystem through investments in research and development, promoting entrepreneurship, and establishing supportive policies.

He emphasized the Ministry’s goal of empowering local talent and building a sustainable, needs-based innovation-driven economy.

Baysa further underscored the success of joint initiatives with development partners across various sectors like healthcare, agriculture, education, and governance.

The State Minister called for leveraging Ethiopia’s traditional knowledge and cultural heritage alongside moder
n technology for inclusive and culturally sensitive development.

The state minister concluded by emphasizing the need for continuous learning, experimentation, and embracing disruptive technologies to stay at the forefront of innovation and drive sustainable development.

He also expressed government’s commitment to collaboration with development partners to leverage collective expertise for inclusive and sustainable progress that benefits all Ethiopians.

During a panel discussion held at the forum, representatives from the European Union Delegation in Ethiopia, United Nations Development Program (UNDP), and Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA), expressed the need to support STRIDE initiative to empower the private sector and government institutions for the Ethiopian peoples’ benefit and the country’s progress.

Source: Ethiopian News Agency

Addis Ababa: The Information Network Security Administration (INSA) announced the commencement of registration for National Cyber Special Talent Competition Program as of today.

The registration will be held at national level for the coming two weeks, INSA revealed in a press conference today.

Director of Cyber Excellence Center at INSA, Bishaw Yene said that the 2016 National Cyber Special Talent Competition will be held at the national level for the third time.

He stated that the administration has recruited and trained young people in the area over the past two years to help strengthen the sector.

According to Bishaw, there is a significant workforce shortage in the cyber security field. He noted that developing talent is not a matter of choice.

All interested Ethiopians across the country whose age is 11 and above can register for the competition, he added.

The Director further called on the media, educational institutions, the private sector and key government entities to play their role in promoti
ng the sector.

Source: Ethiopian News Agency

Addis Ababa: The National Digital Transformation Council has passed decisions aimed at bolstering the engagement of the private sector in the ongoing national efforts to build digital economy in Ethiopia, Deputy Prime Minister Temesgen Tiruneh remarked.

Recall that, as per Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed’s directive, a National Digital Transformation Council was formed with the goal of monitoring and assessing the execution of policies and strategies pertaining to digital and technological development, as well as proposing potential next steps to expedite the process.

During its second regular session today, the council decided to review existing laws, policies, and strategies related to the digital sector by experts to determine whether they are practical to engaging the private sector in the area and to outline the process of their implementation, chairman of the council, Deputy Prime Minister Temesgen Tiruneh stated.

The review to be conducted by experts is expected to point out the extent of existing laws in
encouraging the private sector play leading role in Ethiopia’s digital economic system and propose new laws, Temesgen added.

The council has also decided to include representative from the private sector in the National Digital Transformation Council.

Source: Ethiopian News Agency

Addis Ababa: Ethiopia launched today a five-year food safety master plan to draw attention and inspire action to prevent, detect and manage foodborne risks.

The master plan is designed in an inclusive process and validated by a cross-society of food safety stakeholders of the country.

The master plan intends to give a better understanding of the nation’s current food safety situation and provides guidance on future measures.

Speaking at the launching ceremony, State Minister of Health Dereje Dhuguma said the government of Ethiopia has been investing a lot in terms of improving food security, but it needs to improve food safety as ”there is no food security without food safety.

To this end, ‘I fully believe that the master plan will support us to identify the challenges and the gaps that we have to safety, and it will prioritize the actions that we are going to take over the coming five years,’ he stated.

He stressed the importance of coordination and collaboration between different stakeholders among co
untries in order to have a meaningful impact on the ground noting that food safety is a global agenda.

Head of Rural Development Division at African Union, Janet Edeme said over the past two years, the African Union through its initiative, the Partnership for Aflatoxin Control in Africa (PACA), has extended support to improve food safety to its member states in 12 countries, including Ethiopia.

The food safety initiative is country led and puts member states in the driver’s seat, she said adding the initiative is a hallmark of the African Union’s efforts.

To this end, the AU has been working with the Government of Ethiopia, who has embraced this process to address food safety in the country.Hence, the launch of Ethiopia’s National Food Safety Master Plan is not the end of the project, but actually the beginning of a process to transform the food safety systems of the country.

The food control assessment is accompanied by a strategic plan for implementation by all stakeholders and this will ensure that the
documents developed are not shelved but are actioned for positive change, she underlined.

Edeme further reiterated unweaving commitment of AU’s support to the government of Ethiopia in implementing the food safety master plan.

Ethiopian Food and Drug Authority Director General, Heran Gerba said on her part food safety and quality is a policy direction in Ethiopia.

It is also essential to build a system for ensuring food safety and quality using a comprehensive and integrated farm to table approach in which all value chain actors play vital roles.

Hence, this developed National Food Safety Master plan in parallel with the National Food and Nutrition Policy and strategy becomes a very good instrument for the implementation of the food safety system at the national level.

As the National Food Safety Master Plan document is developed in a well-coordinated and collaborative manner and its implementation also requires a well-organized collaboration and coordination, she underscored.

Ethiopian Agriculture Aut
hority Director General, Ambassador Diriba Kuma said this plan aims to draw attention and inspire action to prevent, detect and manage foodborne risk, contributing to food safety, economic prosperity and lead to sustainable development.

‘This is a great moment for all of us to garner synergy to implement the master plan which will be a great responsibility to transform the food safety status of our country,’ Diriba elaborated.

Moreover, he added that food safety is intimately linked to many other SDGs and African Agenda 2063 including economic growth, innovation, responsible consumption and production as well as climate change.

Over the past few years, attention has been given by policymakers to improve nutrition and in most cases food strategy was developed and implementation is going on at various levels to improve food safety at national and community levels.

Source: Ethiopian News Agency