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Following Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed and Jack Ma’s phone discussion and agreement to partner in the efforts against #COVID19, a teleconference was held yesterday between the Ethiopian and Chinese counterparts to align on the initiative ‘Reversing COVID-19 from Africa.’
Key issues discussed include:
(1) List & amount of items to be shipped to AA & to other African countries
(2) Shipment issues & documentation
(3) Warehouse & local transportation
(4) Handbook (to be translated to local languages as well
(5) Personnel issues
(6) Data & Information platforms
Ensuring #COVID19 preparedness in #Africa to mitigate health disasters is critical. #JackMa and I agreed this morning on ways of working together to halt the spread of #COVID19 on the continent. Great appreciation to Jack Ma for partnering with #Ethiopia to distribute 10-20k corona testing kits per country and more than 100k masks for each African country. In addition, the support package includes distribution of guideline books developed recently on how to treat patients with the virus. Material support coupled with enhanced knowledge is key to #COVID19 containment.
A discussion was held between the Office of the Prime Minister, Federal and Regional Communications Officers and the Regional Health Bureau's Communication leads on how to effectively create awareness on Covid-19. Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed urged government communicators to become soldiers who prevent transmission of the virus by providing accurate and up-to-date information to the public. Centralization of access to information, access to the latest updates from the Ministry of Health, enabling internal communication within the government structure, making effective use of the pre-existing regional government communication system that reaches the lower strata and effective utilization of existing resources are among the key issues raised. In addition to using media, government communication professionals are responsible for utilizing other contextualized alternatives to deliver relevant information to the public and prevent panic.
Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed met with the #COVID19 Ministerial Committee to assess status of preparedness tasks undertaken nationally. State Minister Dr Lia Tadesse briefed the Prime Minister and members of the cabinet on related activities since the announcement of #COVID19.
In #Ethiopia, there is no confirmed positive case thus far. Nevertheless the Ministry of Health, in collaboration with relevant institutions, have:-
Considering global trends, it is inevitable that cases will emerge in country and therefore the public needs to be well aware of prevention precautions and keep calm. Relatedly, members of the public are advised to:
Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed and First Lady Zinash Tayachew together with former Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn and other high level government delegates were received in a warm welcome by residents of South Omo zone at Jinka stadium.
During discussions with community members of South Omo zone, Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed announced that a research delegation led by former Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn will be undertaking a study to identify development projects aimed at transforming the lives of pastoralists in the area.
In addition to key interventions being undertaken by the government to develop infrastructure, modernize agriculture, address water and electricity provision, the discussions Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed held with community members aimed at identifying critical needs and concerns.
As part of his two-year country wide public consultations, Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed together with Minister for Peace, Muferiat Kamil were received in a warm welcome to Tercha town by Dawuro zone residents.
Elders at the Tercha stadium gathered with zonal residents, commended the Prime Minister for being the first Prime Minister to visit the people of Dawuro.
During community conversations with Dawuro residents, Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed highlighted how poverty initiates divisions and the heroism required now is the type that will come together to finish the #GERD and make #Ethiopia a source of energy for its neighbors.
Participants in the community discussion particularly appreciated Prime Minister Abiy for the milestones marked thus far. In particular, female participants marked him as a leader that has elevated and brought women to the fore.
Key issues raised include the need for water provision, increasing supply of electricity commensurate with growing cities and requests for finalizing construction works of roads started. In addition, requests were made to facilitate the registration of Dawuro heritages; to enable research and studies to be undertaken in exploring Omo valley assets and drawing investments into bamboo industry creation as job creation means.
Responding to issues raised, Prime Minister Abiy recalled the key elements of the homegrown economic reform agenda and the 10yr national plan that will be launched soon as a cohesive way forward for addressing the requests made by Dawuro residents.
A first visit to Konta Woreda, Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed expressed how abundant Konta is, bestowed with natural resources that are inspiring for diverse development projects. He indicated the need and commitments to hasten the pace of finalizing the Koysha hydroelectric project and begin generating energy, to attract investment opportunities.
Considering the great natural assets of the area, the potential to transform Konta through investments and generate sustainable wealth is highly possible.
የሎጂስቲክ ሥርዓቱ ማነቆዎችን ከነመንስኤያቸው መለየት፣ የመፍትሔ ሀሳቦችን ወደ መርሀግብር ለውጦ መተግበርና እንዲያውም ወደ አንድ የኢንደስትሪ ዘርፍ እንዲያድግ የሚያስችሉ ሥራዎች ተሠርተዋል።
የግሉ ዘርፍ አስተዋጽኦ የዳበረ እንዲሆን መንግሥት እሴትን ለመጨመር ሊያደርግ የሚያስፈልገው ድጋፍ ተለይቶ ታውቋል። ለዚህም ዓይነተኛ ማሳያ የሚሆነው በደረቅ ወደቦች ላይ እየተሠራ ያለው ሥራ ነው።
ከቴክኖሎጂ አንጻር የአንድ መስኮት አገልግሎት ሥራው ሂደትን እያቀላጠፈ ነው። የግሉ ዘርፍ እና የባለድርሻ አካላት ሚና እንዲሁም ፋይናንስ ለዘርፉ እድገት ያለው አበርክቶት ሊተኮርበት ያስፈልጋል።
የኢትዮጵያ ሎጂስቲክ ስትራተጂያዊ አቀማመጥ ለምሥራቅ አፍሪካ እጅግ ጠቃሚ ቢሆንም፣ በእሴት ላይ እምብዛምም ዋጋ ባለመጨመራችን እና ሥራው ያለቀለት ምርት የምናስገባ መሆኑ አሉታዊ ጎን ነው። ከዓለም አቀፍ አካሄድ አንጻር ተለዋዋጭና አዳጊ ፍላጎት መኖሩ፣ የተወሳሰበ የንግድ ስርዓት፣ ዓለምአቀፋዊነት አመጣሽ ተጋላጭነት፣ የሎጂስቲክስ ክህሎት፣ ቴክኖሎጂ፣ ስታንዳርዳይዜሽን፣ የመሳሰሉት በዘርፉ ላይ ተጽዕኖ ያሳድራሉ። የሎጂስቲክ ዘርፍ ከፍተኛ መሻሻል እንዲታይበት ሥራዎች በአፋጣኝ ሊከናወኑ ያስፈልጋል።
በሀገር ደረጃ ሁሉንም ባለድርሻ አካላት የሚያስተሳስር የሎጂስቲክስ ስርዓት ገና አላበጀንም። የሎጂስቲክስ ምክር ቤት መቋቋም ይህንን እውን ለማድረግ ያግዛል። የሎጂስቲክስ ዘርፍን ስናስብ የጊዜና የገንዘብን ዋጋ ከግምት ውስጥ ማስገባት አለብን። ያሉት ማሻሻያዎች ጥሩ ቢሆኑም፣ ቀጣይ ርምጃዎች መፋጠን አለባቸው። የሎጂስቲክ ልማት ቁልፍ የኢኮኖሚ አንቀሳቃሽ መሆኑ ሊስተዋል ያስፈልጋል።
Following their tour of various development projects throughout the city, including the Beautifying Sheger and Entoto works, members of the taxi drivers association met with Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed for a brief discussion.
Prime Minister Abiy noted that the development works begun are a generational asset with great potential for expansion through investments. He further emphasised the critical role that transporters play in mobilising tourism and investments through their encounters with different passengers. He assured members of the association that #Ethiopia’s growth is inevitable when we overcome our own limitations to pave the path to prosperity.
Over the past one year and half, efforts to strengthen relations with key international partners have been fruitful. Following the December 2019 visit of the new EU Commission President, Dr. Ursula Von der Leyen, Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed received the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs & Security Policy and EU Commission Vice President, Mr. Josep Borrell this morning.
Prime Minister Abiy underlined that the government remains committed to forging ahead with the reforms begun almost two years ago. Recalling critical political and economic milestones achieved, he shared the work being done by the government to further enhance milestones. On regional peace and security, he reiterated that ultimate sacrifices will be paid to release peace in the region.
Mr. Borrell congratulated Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed for his Nobel Peace Prize win and expressed that the EU is the biggest ally to Ethiopia. He further affirmed continued support during the country’s democratic process and vowed to work closely together.
Addressing the gathering waiting for Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed at the Durame Stadium in Kembatta Tembaro zone, he acknowledged the people of the area for their strength, knowledge and efforts to live immersed in the spirit of #MEDEMER.
Recounting the philosophy of Kembatta Tembaro elders which emphasizes the ripple effect of individual actions, he stressed the importance of respecting the rights of others to get ones rights respected. The fate of Ethiopia rests on the collective actions of all those that make up this great nation.
“I am certain that the people of Kembatta Tembaro zone will not march to the tune of occasional noises. Our goal is prosperity, guaranteed in a journey of MEDEMER,” Prime Minister Abiy stated, reflecting on their historical foundations of hard work.
During discussions with representatives of the Kembatta Tembaro zone key issues that emerged include infrastructure, electricity and roads request; water supply and sanitation needs particularly in relation to maternal health care.
Participants of the discussion commended Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed for elevating the role of women in society by paving the path for more women in leadership.
Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed highlighted that the government has adopted the theme of “A Year of Finishing” at the beginning of the 2012 Ethiopian calendar with a commitment to addressing concerns of projects already begun. He raised the values of listening to one another and respecting the dignity of all as a critical measuring stick for development.
In response to some of the issues raised, Dr Sileshi Bekele, Minister of Water, Irrigation and Energy gave an indication of the four woredas that are undergoing electrification work soon as well as the five year national goal of full electrification. Similarly, he shared the multi-village scheme design for water works in the area plus additional water projects in the pipeline.
Habtamu Tegene, Head of the Ethiopian Roads Authority also shared the road build projects in the pipeline for which budget has been allocated by the Federal Government, indicating a commitment to undertake these projects within the budget year.
Thousands of residents of the Halaba zone gathered at the Halaba Kulito stadium to receive Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed in a warm welcome. To honor his arrival and in celebration of #MEDEMER the community presented and gifted 120 oxen and 3 camels in a parade.
Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed recalled the rich historical significance played by the Halaba people in Ethiopia’s past and called upon the zones residents to tap into this heritage in countering emerging challenges to enable Ethiopia’s prosperity.
He affirmed strengthened support of the FDRE government to the people of Alaba and encouraged them to forge ahead through hard work.
PM Abiy Ahmed held discussions with community members from the Halaba zone following the welcoming ceremony at the stadium.
Requests for asphalt roads, access to water supply, construction of hospitals and other infrastructure requests were raised during the discussions.
Members of the Ministerial delegation provided information with regards to the various efforts being undertaken to address the needs of Halaba zone.
Prime Minister Abiy acknowledged the key issues raised by participants of the discussion and encouraged them to maintain their unity and love as Ethiopia ascends to prosperity.
Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed attended the National Voluntary Service Program launch event held at the African Union Hall this morning.
In his remarks, Prime Minister Abiy shared the anchoring principle of altruism inherent in voluntary service. He called upon the youth to fully partake in the program and consider the skills they will develop as foundation skills for life.
He cautioned youth to harness their energy for productive purposes and apply wisdom in their engagements, being selective in how time is spent and energy is expended, focusing solely on positive deeds.
Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed met this morning with Dutch Minister for Foreign Trade and Development Cooperation, Ms. Sigrid Kaag who came to Ethiopia to handover a ceremonial 18th century crown. The crown had been missing since 1993 and we rediscovered in Rotterdam, Netherlands in October 2019. The Netherlands government facilitated this handover with the belief that it has a duty to restitute this important artifact back to Ethiopia.
Members of the Ethiopian Reconciliation Commission established one year ago met with Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed to discuss and review progress of activities undertaken, including the development of a strategic plan; forging partnerships with various entities and groups; stakeholder consultations in different areas and taking targeted interventions following conflict in some pockets of the country.
After reviewing the key milestones presented by representatives of the commission, Prime Minister Abiy provided direction in how to further strengthen their activities by focusing on the capacity and potential of the commission to execute key activities through creating goodwill.
Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, when meeting the residents of the Silte Zone at the Werabe Stadium, said “The people of Silte are known for their strong work and dedication for development. They know that citizenship is like a river, their origin is Silte while their destination is the whole wide world. Their journey is one of Medemer. Medmer is wider than a line and therefore we chose the wider road to journey towards prosperity without tiring and slumbering. We do not slumber because we inherited a country full of debt. Talking about debt does not mean paying it. We work for a better and debt free future. We also understand that the people of Silte have questions that are not answered yet. In Medemer, we will put in our best efforts to respond to each question progressively.
It is crucial to preserve the unity and harmony of Ethiopia. Arming youngsters in the name of protecting unity and togetherness is to teach them about war. Instead, let us arm them with a pen and a pencil, a Bible and a Koran and not with weapons. We will continue our journey of Medmer by correcting and straightening those who attempt to divide us with race and religion.”
Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed responded to a series of questions raised by the inhabitants of the Silte Zone. The questions focused on infrastructure, good governance and the current national situations. Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed stated that the government will do everything in its capacity to improve the aforementioned issues and asked the communities to do their part.
It was raised that the issue of forming additional regions was addressed in the earlier discussions with community representatives from the different areas of SNNPR. It was noted that regions will not be established by the number of nation nationalities. At the same time, the people’s right to self-governance will remain respected.
Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed is currently holding consultations with Ethiopian women in UAE who ended up in shelters due to unfortunate circumstances and violence. Ethiopian women who have become successful in their lives in Middle East countries will also be sharing their experiences.
Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed continues his discussion with Ethiopian women who ended up in shelters from Jeddah, Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Beirut, Jazan, Bahrain, Riyadh and other cities.
Senior government officials facilitated the detailed discussion session. Prime Minister Abiy expressed his sadness about the situation they are in due to irregular migration and violence by employers and traffickers. He promised to find lasting solution in consultation with the governments of the Middle East countries.
Prime Minister Abiy said that a consulate will open to closely follow up the status of migrants in Bahrain and consultations will be held to enable the migrants obtain a residence permit. The government of Ethiopia will work to return the irregular migrants whose condition does not allow to get residence permit.
The participants of the discussion underlined that it is traffickers who expose migrants to harm and trouble. They added, they will be part of the solution by working with the governments of the Middle East countries in providing accurate information and evidence to expose traffickers.
Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed has reached an agreement with the governments of the UAE countries to legalize irregular migrants to obtain residence and work permits, as well as mercy to be granted to Ethiopians who have been imprisoned. The request for school construction from the Ethiopian community as well as the request of Protestant Christians to have a place of worship and prayer has also been agreed to.
In addition, today, Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed visited the Dubai Expo 2020 preparations. After looking at the preparations, he remarked "what we have seen is the evidence of what people could do in wisdom if restraints are not placed on their needs.” During the previous Expos, the entire continent of Africa was given a limited place. However, in Dubai Expo 2020, in addition to various spots being allocated, the vast amphitheater allocated for Ethiopia provides a great opportunity to introduce Ethiopian products and culture to the whole world. It has also been agreed that ten thousand young Ethiopians will take part in the constructions of the Dubai expo.
Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed met with members of the Ethiopian diaspora at Shabab Alahli stadium in the afternoon. In his remarks Prime Minister Abiy stated, “I had the opportunity to meet and discuss with the Ethiopian diaspora in U.S.A and Europe. I did the same with the Ethiopian diaspora living in South Africa a few weeks ago. I am happy beyond measures to be able to meet with Ethiopians living in the Middle East countries. All of you Ethiopians and of Ethiopian descent have come here to labour in any field possible and change your lives and that of your people.
The tribulation and pain you endured due to this is an unwritten and amazing book. The contribution you are making for your country while passing through challenges should be told in a unique manner. Your government has signed bilateral agreements with the governments of Middle East countries so that you work with dignity and labour rights. Your government understands that Ethiopia is respected when you are respected. Therefore, we will strive to do everything to protect your rights and dignity. I have sincere respect for your patience and beautiful organization to receive me in a warm welcome and express you love.”
Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed held talks with the UAE Vice President, Prime Minister and ruler of Dubai Hon. Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum. Upon receiving the Prime Minister, Sheikh Mohammed expressed his appreciation and support for Prime Minister Abiy's efforts to transform Ethiopia and his continued work to bring sustainable peace in Ethiopia as well as Africa.
The discussion focused on resolving challenges and responding to various questions raised by Ethiopians living in Dubai and throughout the Arab Emirates. Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed raised issues from his meeting yesterday with the 300 representatives and leaders of the Ethiopian community. Sheikh Mohammed promised to consult with the responsible officials regarding work permit for Ethiopians, access for land to build schools and worship institutions as well as other matters related to the Ethiopian diaspora. One of the outcomes of the meeting is granting the Ethiopian Orthodox Church a land to build a place of worship in Abudabi.
Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed arrived in Abu Dhabi for an official visit. Prime Minister Abiy and his delegates were received with a warm welcome by the Foreign Minister Diab Mohammed bin Zayed and senior leaders.
Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed received Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari in an official welcoming ceremony at the Office of the Prime Minister this morning. The two leaders held bilateral talks together with members of their delegation on various issues of common interest. President Buhari noted the progress Ethiopia has been marking over the past two years and commended Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed for the energy and speed of the reforms. Prime Minister Abiy shared with President Buhari key aspects of the reforms within the frame of exploring national potential, expediting productivity in identified potential ares and building prosperity.
The two agreed to share lessons on similar experiences in common between the two countries, including ethnic and religious diversity, federalism and the youth dividend that can be harnessed for development. Furthermore, they also agreed to cooperate closely on trade and investment potentials, tourism, energy and agriculture development as well as experience sharing on the return of stolen assets, which Nigeria has recently marked key milestones on.
Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed received The Right Honourable Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his delegation this morning. Prime Minister Trudeau shared his gratitude for the warm welcome and expressed the commitment of the Canadian government to strengthen ties with Ethiopia on many fronts. He appreciated the changes and reforms underway in Ethiopia and affirmed to standby as a friend and good partner. Prime Minister Abiy shared the multifaceted reforms underway in Ethiopia anchored in democratization as well as the vision for building holistic prosperity.
The two further explored how to work together on common interests of development, climate change trade, investments in energy, agro-processing, pharmaceuticals and regional peace and security.
አዲስ ወግ አንድ ጉዳይ የግብርናው ዘርፍ ቁልፍ የሪፎርም እርምጃዎች በሚል ርዕስ እየተካሄደ ነው። የዘርፉ ባለ ድርሻ አካላትን በማሳተፍ ለግብርናው ዘርፍ ገንቢ የሆኑ ሀሳቦችን ለማንሸራሸርና ግብአቶችን ለማግኘት የታለመ ነው።
ዶ/ር አንተነህ ግርማ ከግብርና ሚኒስቴር፣ መንግሥት የሚያካሂዳቸውን ቁልፍ የሪፎርም አቅጣጫዎች ያመላከቱ ሲሆን፣ መንግሥት የዘርፉ ባለድርሻ አካላት ሚናቸውን እንዲጫወቱ ለማስቻልና በዘርፉ ላይ የራሱን ተሳትፎ ክፍተት መሙላት ወደሚያስፈልግበት ሁኔታ ብቻ ለማድረግ እየሠራ እንደሚገኝ ተናግረዋል።
የግብርና ሚኒስቴር አማካሪ በሆኑት ወ/ሮ ላቀች ሚካኤል አመቻችነት እና በእንስሳት ሀብት ስፔሻሊስቱ ዶ/ር ወርቅነህ አያሌው፣ የግብርና ተመራማሪው ፕሮፌሰር አለማየሁ ስዩም፣ የኦሮሚያ ግብርና ሕብረት ሥራ ፌዴሬሽን ተወካይ ወ/ሮ አስከበረች በላይነህ እና በሆራይዘን ፕላንቴሽን ሥራ አስኪያጅ አቶ ጀማል አሕመድ አቅራቢነት በመካሄድ ላይ ይገኛል።
“የመሬት ይዞታ እና አጠቃቀምን ማሻሻል፣ በትንንሽ ይዞታዎች ላይ ያተኮረ ሥራን ከመከወን በረ