Ethiopia Investing on Quality Education, Foreign Minister UnderscoresGobabis councillor arrested for alleged rape

Addis Ababa: The government of Ethiopia has prioritized investment over the past five years, to enhance quality education, said Foreign Affairs Minister Taye Atske Selassie. The 44th Ordinary Executive Council Session of the African Union (AU) opened here at the headquarters early today. The two day meeting will be followed by the 37th Head of States and Governments of AU members states from 17-18th of February under the theme of 'Educate an African fit for the 21st Century: Building resilient education systems for increased access to inclusive, lifelong, quality, and relevant learning in Africa.' In his keynote address to the session, Taye said the African Union theme for the year 2024 resonates deeply with the expectation of people across the continent for progress and development.Taye stated the theme also underscores the urgent need to build a resilient education system that provides increased access, adding it also aspires to promote exclusivity, respond to lifelong education and ensure education for all children in Africa. Speaking on Ethiopia's enormous reform on the education sector, the foreign minister revealed that the government of Ethiopia has prioritized investment to enhance quality education. 'Throughout our nationwide school feeding programs, feeding over 6 million students daily…we have ensured participation and witnessed the positive impacts that education can have on the lives of our people,' Taye indicated. Through a deliberate policy intervention, the minister elaborated that the government increased public boarding schools and remote learning centers thereby enhancing inclusive and quality education. In this respect, he stressed the need for working together tirelessly, critical to ensure that every child in Africa can have access to education. Taye also urged all member states to join hands with the African Union Commission in launching the theme and continue advocating for an agile, resilient and transformational education system. Turning his focus to Africa's development aspirat ions, the foreign minister underscored that the African Union's closer participation with the G-20 is indeed essential. According to him, participation in the African Union as G-20 would provide us with a unique platform to contribute to global economic governance and decision making. 'We must therefore ensure that the voice of Africa is heard and that our participation is meaningful,' Taye underlined. The minister also went on to mention the BRICS which is instrumental in advancing South-South cooperation. 'Ethiopia will certainly leverage its BRICS membership with other sisterly African countries to further advance the shared interest of our continent and strengthen global governance and multilateralism,' he reaffirmed. Noting that Africa undoubtedly has immense potential for economic prosperity, Taye noted that the successful implementation of Agenda 2063 is our collective aspiration. Thus, the strong political will and determination, effective coordination and robust partnership among member states a s well as regional economic communities are vital to realize the agenda, he underlined. Source: Ethiopian News Agency GOBABIS: A Gobabis local authority councillor was arrested on Tuesday after he allegedly sexually molested a 19-year-old schoolboy at the town. According to an incident report by the Omaheke regional police, the incident reportedly happened Tuesday morning, when the victim went to the governor's office to collect a document. The suspect who was attending a meeting at the Omaheke governor's office, then allegedly instructed the victim to follow him to a toilet where the act allegedly happened. 'It is alleged that the victim followed the suspect to the toilet, where the suspect undressed the victim and inserted his (victim's) private parts in his mouth and thereafter ordered the victim to have sexual intercourse with him,' reads the Namibian Police report. The councillor is expected to appear in the Gobabis Magistrate's Court on Thursday while investigations continue. Source: The Namibia Press Agency