Category: Politics

The Ethio-Qatar Parliamentary Diplomacy Friendship Group and Qatari Ambassador to Ethiopia, Hamad Mohammed Al-Dosari held a discussion today on bilateral relations, according to the House of Peoples of Representatives.

The purpose of the discussion is to introduce to the members of the friendship group with the ambassador of the State of Qatar to Ethiopia, to work together on the treatment of Ethiopian workers in Qatar, it was indicated.

The deliberation also intends to facilitate the exchange of experience between the parliaments of the two countries in various sectors and activities, to further strengthen the existing bilateral relationship, increase cooperation and pave the way for working together.

In the discussion, the Chairman of the Ethio-Qatar Friendship Group, Mohammed Al-Arusi explained that Ethiopia has a historical relationship with Qatar and the relationship is based on mutual benefit and will continue to be strengthened in all fields.

Qatari Ambassador to Ethiopia, Hamad Mohammed Al-Dosari, pointed out that the relationship between the two countries is deep-rooted and developing.

The ambassador further stated that Qatar will continue to strengthen bilateral relations with Ethiopia in media, labor management, investment and other fields.

In the discussion, the relationship between the two countries has continued since 1995 and they have signed 11 cooperation agreements in various sectors of economy, tourism, employment, labor management, investment and infrastructure.

After the discussion, an official visit was made to the Science Museum of Ethiopia, where Ethiopia’s current and future technological as well as scientific development was explained to the Ambassador Hamad Mohammed Al-Dosari.

Source: Ethiopian News Agency

The government of Cameroon says F CFA 76,7 billion will be invested in the coffee sector to revive the sector.

The announcement was made on Tuesday September 12 by the Minister of agriculture and rural development, Gabriel Mbairobe in Kouoptamo, Noun division of the West region of Cameroon as he officially launched the activities of a support project to revive the coffee sector.

The objective of this project is to double coffee production by the year 2027 which currently stands at 11 557 tons (Robusta and arabica) according to figures from the National Cocoa and Coffee Board.

The Government targets a cumulative production of 22,086 tons of quality green coffee by 2027 with 17, 228 tons of robusta and 4,858 tons of arabica.

To attain this objective, the cocoa and coffee development fund will provide 9,9% of the project’s total funding, that is, F CFA 76 billion. More to that, the sum of FCFA 4 billion will also be injected into the project budget as coffee input subsidies for the year 2023 that will be meant for producers.

The project that will run within a 5-year period, shows government’s engagement to revive the coffee sector which plays a very important role in the country’s economy.

Source: Cameroon News Agency

President Hage Geingob on Monday said corporal punishment has no place in the modern world while urging learners to take their studies seriously.

Geingob made the remarks while engaging learners and teachers from the Tsumeb English Medium School, Ontana Combined School, and Nehale Secondary School who toured State House.

Geingob said he has always opposed corporal punishment, even when he was a teacher prior to independence, and urged teachers to instead get involved.

He implored learners to study hard, saying that education opens doors.

“Education can also make us. I was born on a farm and as a farm worker, I became a teacher and president of the country because of education,” he said.

During the interaction, the learners asked the president questions on different topics, including what he considered to be his greatest success as president thus far.

Maintaining peace and stability since Namibia’s independence was the greatest achievement, he responded, noting that it was, however, “the collective work of many people,” some of whom the learners never heard about, but they are the ones who have been delivering.

On his part, Johannes Fillemon, a science teacher from Ontana Combined School in Onyuulaye circuit in the Oshikoto Region, said the visit to the State House was an opportunity for learners to meet the Head of State in person.

They were also expected to visit various institutions in Windhoek, including the Namibia University of Science and Technology (Nust) and the University of Namibia (Unam).

“This is very helpful, especially when visiting the Nust and Unam campuses. Like our school, we don’t have a physical science laboratory. I am a science teacher, but when I teach, I have to improvise, like showing them some videos, so by visiting these campuses, they will actually get to see how things work, and we are going to do some practicals,” he said.

Source: Namibia Press Agency

The Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) is a project that ensures the mutual benefitS of the regional and riparian countries, Foreign Affairs Spokesperson Meles Alem told ENA.

Meles said that the dam has great significance for regional integration.

According to him, the dam is a power plant built with the wealth, knowledge and labor of Ethiopians who have been steadfastly struggling for the accomplishment of the project.

The dam has addressed the quest of a generation and the successful completion of the fourth and final round filling of GERD is a gift for Ethiopians on their new year, the spokesperson elaborated.

Meles noted that Ethiopia has been under immense pressures because of the dam; but succeeded in overcoming challenges by firmly sticking to principle and commitment.

Even if the dam is being built by Ethiopians internal capacity and in their sovereign territory, the benefit of the dam is beyond the nation, the spokesperson underlined.

As a demonstration of one of the benefits of the dam, he cited the power integration works Ethiopia has been pursing with the neighboring countries that will in turn strengthen economic integration.

In addition, the dam has huge benefits in protecting for the lower riparian countries from sediment, floods and ensuring sufficient water flow, Meles said.

Hence, he underlined that the dam is a project that should be a source of cooperation instead of conflict as it ensures mutual benefits for regional and lower riparian countries.

The fourth and final round filling has been conducted based on the policy of sovereignty of Ethiopia and to enable 65 million citizens access electricity, Meles noted.

Recalling that Ethiopia had not signed any agreement regarding Abay River, the spokesperson added that the country will not be stopped from its development efforts by those one-sided colonial era agreements.

Meles, who said that Ethiopia enjoys good relationship with the riparian countries beyond the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam, stated that Ethiopia will further strengthen collaboration with the countries on development and shared benefits of the respective peoples as well as regional issues.

Source: Ethiopian News Agency

State Minister for Political and Economic Diplomacy at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Mesganu Arga, held discussions with Mike Hammer, United States Special Envoy for the Horn of Africa, today.

The two sides discussed a range of bilateral, regional and international issues of common interest, according to Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Source: Ethiopian News Agency

Swapo Party deputy secretary general Uahekua Herunga has encouraged party members to desist from spreading inaccurate information, specifically referring to members who are advocating for an extra-ordinary congress.

Herunga, during a ground-breaking ceremony for the Tallismanus party office in the Otjombinde Constituency on Saturday, cautioned party members to be cognisant of “some party members” who want the party to have an extra-ordinary congress to vote for a party presidential candidate for the 2024 presidential election.

“These members include senior party members. As the deputy secretary general of the party, I want to make it clear that we are fresh from the renewal of our mandate, we have elected our Swapo Party leaders at all levels, and we are guided by the constitution of the party and other documents,” he said.

“People are asking how we arrived at the sole presidential candidate, dear comrades before the party congress everybody, every Swapo Party member, knew that the Swapo member who becomes vice president of our party will automatically become the presidential candidate,” he added.

At the same occasion, Swapo vice president Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah applauded party leadership and members in the Otjombinde Constituency and encouraged them to work hard and recruit more members for the party.

“The new Swapo leaders are ready to serve with commitment, dedication and honesty,” she assured the members, adding that for members to fulfil the last congress solution they should long for unity of purpose.

“As national leaders we are obliged to protect the Swapo constitution, rules and regulations and to implement the decision taken by our elective congress, being the highest decision-making body of our party,” Nandi-Ndaitwah said.

The party welcomed 122 new members from Otjombinde while members and sympathisers pledged N.dollars 174 300 for the construction of the party office in Tallismanus.

Source: Namibia Press Agency

The completion of the fourth filling of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) is a remarkable achievement for Ethiopia, scholars said.

Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed announced the completion of the fourth round filling of the GERD today.

Since the commencement of the construction of the dam 12 years ago, Ethiopians have been collectively mobilizing resources for the GERD, especially raising about 18.3 billion Birr to finance it, it was learned.

The scholars noted that the completion of the fourth filling of GERD is a remarkable achievement for Ethiopia.

Addis Ababa University Political Science and International Relations Lecturer, Yonas Ashine told ENA that GERD is the mark of this generation that will impact the future and is Ethiopia’s identity.

The progress in the dam also asserts Ethiopia’s right to utilize the Abbay River and holds significant hydro-political implications for Ethiopia, the lower riparian countries, and the region at large, ushering in cooperation possibilities in developing transboundary resources.

“Beyond the generational impact, the role of the dam on the Abay River hydro-politics is so huge in view of political economy, because it changes the status quo and ushers in Ethiopia’s right of fair use of the waters without harming the lower riparian countries. If taken positively, it is an indication of a project for transboundary resources development and cooperation. It is also the footprint of this generation that strengthens Ethiopia’s connection with the river,” Yonas said.

Upon completion and start of generating hydropower, the lower Nile riparian countries will realize that the hydro dam will not harm them; and the dam will provide a lesson on how to utilize transboundary resources together and in cooperation, he observed.

The benefit of this dam is beyond Ethiopia, it is also to the benefit of lower riparian countries as well as to the entire region, Yonas added.

Upon completion, the dam will promote fair utilization of water resources and serve as a model for transboundary cooperation, he said.

Kotebe University of Education President, Berhanemeskel Tena told ENA that the completion of the fourth filling is a remarkable achievement, which is beyond just filling the water to the reservoir for Ethiopians, for it is attained amid pressing challenges.

“Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed broke the news of the completion of the fourth filling today. It is a big announcement because GERD is the hope of all Ethiopians and a tool to combat poverty. For me, GERD is a flagship national project creating national consensus without a difference because the dam has reached all the way from its inception to the completion of the fourth filling with the concerted support of all Ethiopians. So it is our fingerprint of unity and it is beyond just filling the water to the reservoir,” he said.

The success has a big implication entailing that Ethiopia is able to overcome its challenges and make progress, he added.

We have overcome the challenges we faced yesterday and reached here, Birhanemeskel said, adding that the way we passed yesterday is an indication that we will overcome today’s challenges and achieve a prosperous Ethiopia.

He further said that it is a project where more than 80 ethnic identities in Ethiopia speak the same language and the completion of the 4th round of the dam is a demonstration that Ethiopia can achieve any project even in the face of challenges.

The dam is a symbol of our unity and strength to eradicate poverty and pass on a prosperous nation for the next generation, he noted.

Source: Ethiopian News Agency