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Month: April 2019

FACES, VOICES OF ADDIS ABEBA

Posted on by Web Master

The residents of Addis Abeba are pragmatic. They do not expect the city to become the shining city on a hill, although that would not displease them. They do not cry foul when the glittery, animated design-concept renderings of a project created for public consumption fail to materialise in their brick and mortar edifices. What they really want their city administration to do is to clean the filth off the streets, provide a decent public transportation system, control rising rental costs and keep the peace. Uppermost in the minds of 50 city residents interviewed by Fortune were the problems of public transportation and failed infrastructure. The interviewees came from six different locations in the city – Qera, Piassa, Bole, Mesqel Flower, the Stadium area and Haya Hulet – and from various occupations and lifestyles.

Collectively, they are exasperated by the unceasing power and water shortages, drainage problems, transportation challenges and the unclean conditions of the city. They are exasperated by the rising cost of living that is spiraling out of control and persistent unemployment that is gnawing at their aspirations. They registered their discontent about the business environment in the city and insecurities about the rule of law. Unless these issues are addressed by the municipal authorities, they cannot envision a thriving city on a hill.

Residents want their city to live up to its name – New Flower – vibrant, clean, at peace and run by an approachable government. Diversity is crucial they said, as is the preservation of the city’s cultural and historical heritage. They want to see the city administration and mayor have an entrepreneurial spirit and govern with pragmatism and loyalty toward the residents.

They are repelled at rampant homelessness, numerous street children and the income inequality that exists in the city. They are longing for good governance that takes their concerns into account during the decision process.

Parliament Should Rise to the Challenge of the Times

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In all the controversies in relation to the claims over Addis Abeba – largely devoid of substance but rich in noisy rhetoric – it is baffling to see MPs representing the capital in parliament remain silent. Never mind that the city has its own council with 138 representatives and a mandate to work in the best interest of their constituencies – the residents and voters of Addis Abeba. They too are quiet.

The 23 MPs of Addis Abeba in parliament appear as bystanders as a segment of their constituencies were faced with problems such as issues in the provision of housing or a  project that was designed to expand the water supply of the capital. It is as if they are there for nominal purposes, not to uphold the interests of the political parties that have nominated them.

It only exposes the crises of mandate and legitimacy that Ethiopia’s legislative chambers have suffered. Take the recent cabinet reshuffle by Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed (PhD), his third since he came to office in April 2018. It has only been six months since the last reshuffle.

The Minister for Foreign Affairs, Gedu Andargachew, was nominated and was confirmed by parliament in absentia and without a swearing in before the MPs. Although he has begun to convene meetings at the foreign office, he has yet to fulfill his legal obligation of being sworn in. In democracies, it is customary for legislative houses to respect the choices of the occupant of the highest executive office when it comes to nominations. But MPs in Ethiopian parliament have been historically submissive and hardly any of them questioned the recent reshuffle.

The nation now has its fourth Defense Minister, Lemma Megersa, since Abiy came to power; and Aisha Mohammed, now a minister of Urban Development & Construction, has already served in three different cabinet positions during the same period.

Unfortunately, only one parliamentarian was able to object and six abstained. Under functional democracies where there are checks and balances, this would be considered an almost unanimous endorsement by parliament of the executive. In Ethiopia’s case, even such resistance by MPs is considered a leap in parliament’s assertiveness of its constitutional mandates.

An observer would not realise the key importance of parliament in Ethiopia’s government just by looking at the nation’s contemporary politics. In a country undergoing a significant political transition, parliament has decided to take the back seat, rarely asserting itself. This is despite polarising issues of life and death are cropping up regularly across the country.

This is all the more surprising given that there are major reforms being undertaken both by the executive and the judiciary. The former is taking steps to ensure transparency, accountability and improve delivery. The judiciary is trying to introduce judicial review and bolster itself as an institution that can check the executive. There is still a great deal of gaps that need to be addressed, but it is hard not to take note of the effort.

Most of the discourse is taking place outside parliament. From the reestablishment of the electoral board to the civil society organisations proclamation, debates are taking place in forums and talks shows, not in parliament, which eventually passes them with little debate and often with majority votes.

Even the few differences of opinion seen in parliament, a point referenced as evidence of MPs becoming emboldened, are issues that are highly politicised. One of these was the establishment of the Administrative Boundaries & Identity Issues Commission. Matters that require insight and sophistication, such as the Africa Continental Free Trade Deal Agreement or the civil societies law, passed without a hitch. Their significant implication in the socio-economic sphere is often overlooked.

Parliament is also not setting agendas or challenging the executive on bills that are not referred for passing. For a body with the constitutional powers to initiate investigations, it has been comfortable standing behind the scenes as conflicts have rocked the nation, and displacements become a common sight. There has rarely been accountability by perpetrators or any responsibilities assumed for mismanagement or failures by officials to act properly.

Indeed, a truly accommodating and engaged parliament may come along further down the line. Presently, there is no single opposition party in the House, which has made it nearly impossible to hold to account a member of a party in the executive who belongs to the same party as the MPs.

But ever since Abiy’s rise to power, a couple of significant factors have come to the surface that have already been bubbling for the past few years. The EPRDF, whose constituent parties and allies control every seat in parliament, does not practice anywhere near the democratic centralism it used to, a leftist culture of political discipline. The most it can show for its once famous unity of purpose are press statements that talk of the economy and the rule of law in general terms.

The lack of centralism in EPRDF – its operating principle – is best exemplified in the rift in regional and local governments that are increasingly becoming emboldened and protective, as well as demanding of the rights and interests of their constituents. This is a political development that has completely escaped parliament, which is acting not much different from how it used to a year ago.

Members of parliament may have issues of competence. They may not be resourceful for each MP to have its own office and staff. But the biggest problem MPs suffer is a deep culture of apathy, born out of long years of being pushed around by the executive. They are not used to taking matters into their own hands or using the various resources at hand to get to the bottom of problems.

Issues of competence and constraints in resources, in particular, can be addressed by reducing the gap between legislators and researchers. Creating links with external think tanks and introducing the culture of asking for advisory services by external researchers can be beneficial for individual MPs asked to make legislative decisions on matters as complicated as trade agreements, whether bilateral or multilateral.

Nonetheless, the issue of apathy can only be overcome with resolve that should come from them. They should develop the courage to make use of their constitutionally mandated power, such as the power to initiate parliamentary investigations. From the Gedeo incident to the recent one in North Shoa, there are episodes that are being swept under the rug, without anyone else but the executive being aware of what is actually going on.

Democracy takes time to build, and the sort of strong and autonomous parliament can only be best realized through multipartyism. But the momentum and scale of political reforms and almost daily political developments in the country are reasons enough for parliament to cease acting like business as usual.

Hopes, Aspirations of Addis Residents

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Aklilu Wolde was born and raised in Addis Abeba. A seventh child for his parents, he grew up around Taiwan Market in Merkato, officially known as Addis Ketema District.

He had to leave the city in 2008 after a college placement landed him in Dire Dawa. It left him longing for his city despite occasional visits during school breaks. He returned to the capital after graduating in construction technology and management, full of hope and excitement.

“What I love about the city is the older architecture of some of the key sights, such as National Theatre,” he says.

Others residents, too, seem to appreciate the heritage and culture of the city.

“The people of Addis are very accommodating and nobody cares or even asks where you are from,” says Seleshi Umer, a motivational speaker who moved to the city from Debrezeit seven years ago. “The social life and lifestyle are what attracted me.”

Out of a survey of 50 residents of the city, sentiments and aspirations about Addis Abeba went along the same vein. Asked about what they wanted to see in their city, and what they expected of their mayor, most were pragmatic. They hoped to see a city that would support them in their endeavours to learn, work, enjoy and raise their children.

The residents were interviewed at various locations in the city: Qera, Piassa, Bole, Mesqel Flower, National Stadium and Haya Hulet. They hoped and aspired to see a city where the transportation is functional, the infrastructure working, the streets are clean and kept, rents are affordable, employment opportunities are ample, the cultural heritage is preserved and an urban setting that supports a thriving art scene and human diversity.

Addis Abeba, a century or more since its birth, is home to nearly four percent of the nation’s population. It is the continental hub for Africa, as much as it is the political and economic epicentre of Ethiopia. The city is host to one of the largest number of United Nation’s missions in the world, as well as being the seat of the African Union’s headquarters.

“This is a city that has been continuously giving and getting nothing in return,” says Henok Birqu, 29, a sound engineer. “It deserves more.”

His hopes for the city are the improvement of the quality of life. His idea of progress is the 50-billion-Br La Gare Eagle Hills complex, a project concept that is still in its inception and features hotels, apartments, shops and entertainment centres.

Jointly owned by Abu Dhabi-based private real estate company, Eagle Hills, and the City Administration, it is expected to have three hotels, 4,000 apartments, a mall and entertainment centres developed on a 36ha plot of land. The project is expected to provide employment opportunities to 25,000 people.

Another recent major project in the city is the 29-billion-Br River Revitalisation Project that hopes to clean the riverbeds and riverbanks across Addis Abeba. The cost of a pilot project alone is expected to be 2.5 billion Birr, equivalent to around six percent of the city administration’s budget and almost seven percent of the tax revenue it plans to collect.

The plan incorporates the installations of water treatment plants, tunnel development and stormwater facilities. It will also include roads, playgrounds, sports fields, shops, bicycle paths, walkways and entertainment sections – all of it planned, from concept development to implementation, to be completed in three years.

Just this month, the City Administration announced the construction of another project for a library that will lie on 38,687Sqm of land, Adwa Centre, that will include a museum, a cinema, a conference hall, a children’s zone, a sports centre, art exhibition centres, cafés and a green area.

But such fancy projects are not uppermost on the minds of city residents, who wish for mundane things such as a functional city that is well managed and maintained. They are concerned with the constant power interruptions, water shortages, housing costs, uncollected garbage on their streets, failed infrastructure and the poor services delivered by the municipal departments.

“I want a city that can properly provide me with basic services,” says Wasihun Fantahun, 32, a businessperson.

Only 25 weredasout of the 116 in the city receive uninterrupted running water throughout the whole week. The rest get rationed water that arrives at the taps between one and five days a week. The Addis Abeba Water & Sewerage Authority is able to supply 575,000 cubic metres of water, satisfying just two-thirds of overall demand.

There are a number of projects the city is undertaking to tackle this problem. The most recent is the Legedadi Phase II Water Project to supply potable water to 860,000 residents of the city and others in the outskirts at a cost of 2.4 billion Br.

However, the project was greeted with opposition by the Oromia Regional State government, which stated that the plan required more consultation.

This is an issue that has quickly become politicised. It was one more reminder that national politics will continue to impact how the city is administered. In fact, Addis Abeba has figured highly in the current polarised atmosphere.

Recently, tensions rose after the city administration identified over 51,000 beneficiaries of housing units under its middle and lower-middle income housing scheme. Some of the units were built in Koye Feche and Yeka Abado sites, both in the outskirts of the city, sparking debate about administrative demarcations and compensation made to farmers.

Voices have grown louder over how and who should administer the city as well. This has involved debates over Deputy Mayor Takele Uma, an unelected official who was appointed by the City Council as the de facto mayor.

For some residents, the city’s mayor should be a native of the city.

“Addis Abeba needs a leader that understands the cultural and historical heritage of the city,” says Sisay Sahlu, 27, a journalist.

Nazerth Hailemariam, a  supervisor at Mesqel Flower Hotel, disagrees.

“The recent changes in the city are indications that the residents should support their leader and be patient with him,” she says.

Other residents consider the whole debate about this issue to be a pointless exercise when the most important task of a mayor should be the ability to address infrastructure problems.

“Whoever the mayor is, the basic demands should be addressed,” says Nuredin Shefi, 58, a war veteran.

A recurring and daily problem for the residents is dealing with transportation congestion, struggling with a rising cost of living and unemployment. The last matter has been especially tasking, with residents demanding effective job creation schemes.

The Job Creation & Food Security Agency recently allocated two billion Birr to be used for job creation in the city. The city also has a plan to provide street vendors with free space.

The city recently tried its hand at extending the same scheme for unemployed youth in the city. After multiple vendor stalls were constructed at the most unlikely places, such as islands in the middle of busy streets, the plan was abandoned and the vendor sheds were demolished – much to the relief of residents who complained about the unsightly scenes and the ridiculousness of the scheme.

Adding to the woes of the city are the rampant homeless street children who roam the city streets by night and day. The city’s plan for this was to embark upon a project of rehabilitating thousands of the destitute and the homeless street children after allocating 100 million Br as seed money. After recruiting hundreds of volunteers and housing many homeless people in empty government-owned buildings, the project is still limping along without any direction or long-term plan.

Another consistent problem, despite various efforts, is the transportation issue. There are currently around 585,000 vehicles in Addis Abeba, 60pc of the total vehicles in the country.

Addis Abeba has 366 Anbessa city buses, 188 public service buses, 240 Sheger public buses, 86 Sheger student buses and 64 Alliance City Buses. A few months ago, the Addis Abeba Transport Authority floated a tender for the procurement of 500 buses.

Under the Transport & Traffic Management System project funded by 192.9 million dollars from the World Bank, the city’s Roads Authority has been working on improving the city’s transport and traffic congestion problems.

The project involves expanding the existing traffic signal and control systems in Addis Abeba, improving the conditions of selected streets for pedestrians, modernising the operations of Anbessa City Bus Enterprise and strengthening the urban transport agencies.

Recently, a 3.8Km road project that extends from Pushkin Square to Gotera Interchange and will cost the city 1.5 billion Br, was launched. The 30m to 45m wide road will also include a tunnel and the nation’s first Bus Rapid Transit system.

Population growth, fuelled by urbanisation, is no less a concern for residents.

“Almost every mechanic at my car repair shop is from somewhere outside of Addis,” says Abule Seyoum, 47, pointing to a garage he manages on Gabon Street.

The hopeful see it the other way around. They believe they are the backbone of the city and that the administration could do a better job of accommodating them.

“I came to the city eight years ago, but I am still not able to get an identification card from the city officials,” says Mesfin Motela, a street vendor.

His frustration with the city is not only limited to residents but also with business regulations that find bureaucratic hurdles tasking.

Few believe that the problems of such a complicated and diverse city could be fixed by a magic wand. But there are steps the city administration can take to close some of the gaps, they say.

“The residents of the city are rarely consulted when decisions are made,” says Sisay, the journalist. “They have always been on the receiving end of things, which should change.”

Basic service problems of electricity and water are the result of management and administrative failures, rather than a mere shortage, according to Berhanu Zeleke (PhD), a lecturer at Kotebe Metropolitan University and an expert in urban development studies for the past two decades.

“The way to transform the city is through ambitious projects that the government is currently engaging in,” he says. “The City Administration and its residents need to be patient with the changes they want.”

 

(Berehane Hailemariam, Fortune staff writer, has contributed to this story)

With Cakes and Pastries, Hotels Sweeten Easter

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Ferdinand Akakpo, a chef from Benin, came to Ethiopia in 2015 to join the new staff of Golden Tulip Addis Ababa Hotel, one of seven international franchise hotels in the capital.

Ferdinand, the hotel’s pastry executive, is behind the holiday-themed cakes that are being offered this Ethiopian Easter Holiday, a celebration of a 55-day fast-breaking festival, colloquially known as Abiy Tsome.

Leading a staff of five at his pastry department at Golden Tulip, which sits on Cameroon Street in the heart of Bole District, Ferdinand has prepared a special holiday cake with chocolate toppings influenced by European tradition that is offered at 500 Br a kilogram.

But this price can go up depending on the complexity of the designs and the ingredients used in the making of the cakes, according to Hiwot Teffera, general manager of the hotel.

The hotel has been offering cakes for major holidays since it opened its doors, and the Easter holiday is one of the busiest.

“I think this is because many people have stayed away from cakes for almost two months,” said Hiwot.

During last year’s Easter holiday, the hotel sold 165 cakes, which was a 60pc increase in sales compared to the regular season. In addition, the staff of the hotel bought more than 70 cakes.

In past years, the hotel has not been advertising its holiday cakes, but this holiday Golden Tulip has aggressively pushed its offerings in print and social media.

“We expect a larger sales volume this year as a result of our efforts,” Hiwot told Fortune.

Expecting large orders this time, the hotel has prepared the cakes ahead of time and kept them in a freezer, according to Akakpo.

“We will only add the final decorations on the cakes as the orders arrive,” Akakpo said.

Costumers order the cakes for home consumption and as gifts for family and friends.

Chicken Stew (Doro Wot) is the traditional Easter meal most associated with the holiday, and relatives arrive for the meal carrying cakes and sweets.

The week that follows the Easter celebration is a time of visiting and gifting between families and friends. The week, Dagmay Tinsae, is a holiday that marks the ascension of Jesus to heaven, according to the Ethiopian Orthodox Church.

Diamond Hotel, a new facility that opened its doors a year ago, is one of the hotels that is preparing and expecting to fill a high demand for cakes during Dagmay Tinsae.

“Customers start to place orders starting on the eve of Easter and keep going at least until Dagmay Tinsae,” says Tewedaj Assefa, sales and marketing manager at Diamond, a sister company of Caramel Pastry, another establishment known for the supply of cakes.

Caramel Pastry, which has a branch in Piassa on Adwa Street and one on the ground floor of Diamond Hotel, offers various cakes for this holiday.

“Dagmay Tinsaeis actually when we get the highest number of orders,” Tewedaj adds.

Diamond sells a kilogram of cake for 550 Br and the price can go up to 1,000 Br a kilogram for special orders with unique designs and decoration.

The  pastry market in the city has been growing in recent years, and Enrico Pastry, located on General Wingate Street in Piassa, is one of the old pastry shops in the city that has observed the changes.

In the capital, there are over 3,200 bakery businesses registered at the Ministry of Trade & Industry that make various breads, cakes, biscuits and injera.

Yet the pastry industry has faced the same problems for years – electric power supply interruptions, water shortages, shortages of raw materials, not meeting schedules for customer deliveries and quality, according to Tesfaye Gezahegn, afternoon supervisor of Occasion Pastry & Cakes in front of Medhane-Alem Cathedral Church on Cameroon Street in Bole District.

“We use imported ingredients, but we are sometimes forced to buy from the local suppliers at a higher price to keep our customers and their trust,” Tesfaye said.

During the holidays, Occasion Pastry & Cakes hires more chefs to meet the growing demand. On casual days, the bakery operates with 20 employees, one of whom is a full-time pastry chef.

Sofia Alemu, a mother of two in her mid-thirties, is one of the customers of Occasion Pastry, attracted by the unique designs the pastry offers. She orders birthday cakes for her kids with Spiderman and football field designs.

“My children love the taste, but more than that, they love the special designs on the cakes,” said Sofia.

Convenience is an issue these businesses need to focus on, according to Henok Abera, an accountant who has experience working with some of the hotels in the capital.

“Many people would love to order and have it delivered, be it cakes, cookies, flowers or gift baskets,” he said. “But there is no such service in the country. The businesses are happy with the status quo. If one of them started doing it, it would be a game changer, especially during the holiday seasons because of convenience.”

It’s not just the big pastry shops and hotels that see a sharp increase in sales during this season. Every café and pastry shop in every corner of the city enjoys some part of the bonanza because nearly everyone takes a cake when visiting a relative.

Crowd Funding on Rise to Help Displaced

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Michael Melake, a landscape designer who works in Addis Abeba, was only 12 when the song ‘We are the World’ hit the airwaves across the globe.

Released to raise funds for famine victims in Ethiopia, the music was performed by 45 famous musicians including Michael Jackson, Lionel Richie and Stevie Wonder.

The event was the poster child of Bob Geldof and Midge Ure, who organised the Live Aid Concert in support of drought victims of 1985.

“The song has been engraved in me and my friends’ minds because of the images that were circulating at that time,” Michael said.

Michael says that the recent pictures from Gedeo Zone that are popping up on social media have reminded him and his friends of what happened nearly 34 years ago in Ethiopia.

The issue of Gedeo became popular on social media following an article published in The Guardian and reported by Tom Gardner in March 2019.

The story of those who were pushed out of their homes and livelihoods by inter-regional disputes in Gedeo and West Guji zones has put the issue of internal displacement back on the burner. This is a devastating story of displacement and suffering of people who are left at the mercy of aid agencies in refugee camps far from their villages and homes.

“Witnessing the situation, we felt the urge to do something,” Michael told Fortune.

Michael and his high school friends contributed to buy 85ql of corn, which when milled produced 83ql, and organised to send the grain to Gedeo Zone, where 40,000  victims are sheltered at six temporary campsites.

And Michael is not alone. Many others have jumped on the bandwagon to provide aid to those affected. Some launched their campaigns on social media platforms, while others began collecting money through GoFundMe accounts.

On the GoFundMe website, over 13 accounts have been created that solicit donations in support of Gedeo Zone victims.

As of Mid-April, approximately 1.4 million dollars has been raised, of which 1.3 million was sent to the Global Alliance for the Rights of Ethiopians, a charity chaired by well-known artist and activist Tamagne Beyene.

Several individuals have also tried to use Facebook and Twitter to raise funds for Ethiopians displaced in different parts of the country.

In the past two years, the number of people who require immediate food and non-food assistance has soared, fueled by the growing number of inter-communal disputes.

A January 2019 assessment made by a federal command post established by the Disaster Risk Management Commission (NDRMC), which serves under the Ministry of Peace, show that there are at least 2.9 million internally displaced people in the country.

Two-thirds of the 1.4 million people who were forced from their homes in 2018 were fleeing inter-communal violence, according to a report by the EU’s Directorate for Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations.

The government institution responsible for providing aid and support to those affected by natural or man-made disasters is NDRMC. The Commission gets its funding from the government, international partners and from charitable organisations and individuals.

In early March of this year, the Ethiopian Government announced that 1.3 billion dollars is needed to help 8.3 million Ethiopians who require food and non-food assistance.

Thus far, 29pc of the total funding has been secured, including 149.6 million dollars carried over from 2018; 176.7 million dollars in government pledges; and 48.9 million dollars in international donor funding, according to United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA) report on Ethiopia for the first half of April.

Solomon Mengesha, an electronics shop owner around Dembel City Center in the capital, is another concerned citizen collecting funds to assist these displaced people. He has been leading a campaign, Care & Share, on Facebook for the past four years.

His initiative has provided clothing, blankets and plastic tarps that they pass along to street children in Addis Abeba. Care & Share also has a back-to-school project for students all over the country. Last September his initiative provided a dozen notebooks to 2,500 students in several parts of Ethiopia.

Around the time when the public’s attention turned to the internally displaced people in Gedeo, Solomon posted a request for funds on Care & Share’s Facebook account.

Michael is one of the individuals who responded to Solomon’s call.

Within a week the campaign collected 150ql of wheat flour, six cartons of oil, 83ql of corn flour and other food and clothing items that were sent to Gedeb Woredain Gedeo.

After the aid reached Gedeo Zone, members of Dilla University’s charity club and a group of volunteer youth from the city of Dilla distributed the aid to displaced people in Cheleleqtu, Gedeb Woreda, Qore and Gotiti kebeles.

Once the aid had been distributed, youth volunteers from Dilla compiled a list and sent it to Care & Share where it was posted online to let everyone see that their contributions have reached the intended victims.

When the aid sent by Solomon’s team reached the charity club in Dilla, it identified the campsites where the aid will go and determined the number of people who will receive the aid, according to Binyam Shiferaw, a management staff member at Dilla University and one of the organisers of the charity club.

“We don’t store the aid in a warehouse and wait for officials to sign off on the distribution,” said Binyam. “We just distribute it right away.”

Yared Shumete, an Ethiopian actor, is another person who is using his influence to support the needy. Through his Facebook page, he has been collecting donations to aid those who were evicted from their homes in Legetafo, in the outskirts of Addis Abeba, as a result of recent conflicts.

The Legetafo town administration has dismantled 3,685 homes deemed illegal and left thousands of residents and their families homeless.

Even though his campaign had been able to collect large amounts of food, finding transportation to deliver the aid has proven to be a challenge.

When he shared this issue online, several people offered their help and the aid was transported and delivered within four days from Hager Fikir Theatre, where it was being stored.

Last July, at the height of internal displacement incidents, Yellow Movement, an eight-year-old organisation formed by lecturers and students of Addis Abeba University’s School of Law, started a campaign to collect food and clothing for the affected people.

Even though the movement is primarily dedicated to creating discussions on gender-based violence and women’s empowerment, it decided to get involved in internal displacement issues for the first time.

Using the public trust the movement has garnered over the years, the organisation decide to foray into helping the internally displaced, according to Meraf Admasu, a fourth-year law student and a member of Yellow Movement for four years.

“In our first round of campaigns, we were able to collect clothing and sanitary and kitchen supplies,” she said.

During their second campaign, which started in early April, they collected food items, clothing and more sanitary supplies, along with 4,770 euros raised through a GoFundMe account.

They gathered everything they collected and handed it over to Care & Share, because it could transport the collection and use the money raised to purchase more food items, according to Meraf.

Though there is a government institution formed to handle issues of displaced people, these social media-based campaigns prefer to collect, transport and distribute the donations themselves, independent from the government.

Officials at NDRMC appreciate the initiatives of these volunteers to raise funds, though they believe that the support should be channeled through the Commission.

From a humanitarian point of view, such campaigns are welcomed, as people cannot just watch people suffering, according to Yonas Tesfa (PhD), a law and development expert.

“But it is difficult to regulate them, as they don’t fit into any legal framework,” Yonas added.

Yonas believes that the government can still check on the work they are doing and ask them to present an audit report showing that the collected items from the public are delivered to the beneficiaries.

“And if the campaigns can’t prove the legitimacy of their work, it should be held accountable,” he added.

The recently legislated Civil Society Organizations (CSO) proclamation also supports the formation of such fundraisers and “charitable endowment committees”.

If they fit under a specific legal framework, they will have to get audited and prepare a report on their work, which makes them more accountable and transparent, according to the proclamation.

Budding Cottage Industry Candle Making

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Ismael Nasser, 25, graduated from Addis Abeba University last year in mechanical engineering. Since his graduation, he has been searching for a job in the field of his study to no avail.

Two months ago he saw an advertisement on a flyer that he hoped would bring an end to his job search.

The flyer carried an advertisement for a private firm that trains people in candle making skills, which grabbed his attention and he soon found himself at the company’s doorsteps.

The advertisement was by Addis Eyeta Business Consulting, located near Mexico Square, and offers a five-day training that helps people launch their own business making and selling candles with little startup capital.

Addis Eyeta has been offering the 2,500 Br candle making training for nearly a year and a half.

Ismael took the training, procured the necessary legal document of his rental agreement for the workspace and presented qualifying certificates from the Trade Bureau in his weredato secure his business license.

He launched his business with a new candle brand, Mahi, and embarked upon a candle making business a month ago.

For the past month, he has been operating from a rented facility around Ashawa Meda after investing a total of 40,000 Br.

He bought a locally-manufactured, candle making machine with a capacity of producing 36 pieces in 20 minutes. The machines cost 27,000 to 50,000 Br if manufactured locally, but the imported ones cost between 150,000 Br and 200,000 Br.

The raw material used in manufacturing candles is wax or paraffin wax, a petroleum by-product.

“The company that trained us also supports us to market our candles. Sometimes they even buy from us and resell them,” said Ismael.

Even though commercial candle making has only started recently, it is attracting more entrepreneurs like Ismael.

Emebet Tsegaye, trade registration and licensing system administrator at Kolfe Qeranio District’s Trade Bureau, also attests to this.

“The number of people who come here to obtain their licenses to produce candles is increasing,” said Emebet.

Along with the training, Addis Eyeta also makes candles with its own brand, Eyeta. Eyeta candles cost 3.70 Br a piece to produce and have a wholesale price that ranges from 4.70 to 4.80 Br.

Before it ventured into the training business, the company hired a mechanical engineer, an electrical engineer and a designer, according to Kibret Akasa, one of the managers at Addis Eyeta.

“The most popular candles are the white 40mm diameter candles, but we also produce designed and coloured candles,” Kibret said.

Candle making has also opened other business opportunities for companies that produce packaging material.

Burayu Packaging & Printing Industry, a company located in Addis Abeba mainly working in manufacturing cardboard boxes, trays and packets, produces packaging material for Addis Eyeta.

Candle making companies supply the product to large-scale wholesalers and retailers. Yeshihareg Dinku, who has been selling candles from outside  St. Qusquam Church in Aqaqi Qality District for about two years, is a street vendor retailing candles to the faithful.

Yeshihareg says that her business has been booming in the past couple of weeks as it is in the middle of the fasting season of the Ethiopian Orthodox and Catholic Christians.

“Normally, I sell most of my candles on Sundays,” she told Fortune. “For the past two weeks, people are coming to churches almost every day and are buying candles from me.”

She gets the big white candles for 6.50 Br a piece and sells them for eight Birr. The smaller candles are bought for 3.50 Br and she sells them for five Birr. She receives her products from wholesalers in Merkato, and sometimes the Church itself sells its excess inventory to street vendors like Yeshihareg.

“Recently, there are many kinds of candles that are being produced,” she said. “I don’t know who is producing them.”

The Ethiopian Orthodox Church is a major consumer of candles used in its traditional liturgy.

G.Mariam H.Mikael, a priest at St.Qusquam Church in Qality District, observes a quality problem in the candles that are in the market and the rising cost of candles.

“In the past candles were cheaper and burn for much longer,” he said. “Now, a candle costs 10 Br a piece and burns out even before we finish our liturgy.”

Yeshihareg also shares the priest’s view, saying that most of the products in the market are fake with similar packaging as the brand names but of lower quality.

“Most of the candles in the market burn out quickly,” Yeshihareg said.

Sidco Candle Factory, a well-known candle maker since 1967 around Tor Hailoch, is one of the companies that is concerned with the fake products that are sold with similar packaging as theirs.

Sidco is one of the 31 companies that are registered at the Ministry of Trade & Industry to manufacture candles and tuaf, special liturgical candles made from beeswax.

“We’re airing television commercials to help our customers and prevent them from being cheated by similar products,” said Enani Negeo, executive secretary and assistant manager at Sidco.

“The quality issue with the fake products that mimic our candles will profoundly damage our reputation. Also, people are complaining about our candles, saying that our products burn out fast,” Enani said.

Ismael and Kibret argue that their products are of good quality, and they are selling their products under their own brand name.

Although the Ethiopian Standard Agency does not have a standard on candles, we think our product is equal to candles from other big factories,” said Kibret, an opinion echoed by Ismael.

“I don’t think there is that much of a quality difference between the candles that are produced in large factories and what we produce,” Ismael argues.

“On top of this, we do not have a market problem,” added Kibret. “We’re selling all that we make.”

Beyond creating choices in the market and substituting imports, these businesses have a role in reducing unemployment, according to Habtamu Berhanu (PhD), a lecturer at Addis Abeba University’s School of Commerce.

In 2017 the country spent 517,000 dollars to import candles.

Habtamu adds that the government has to help local companies to create linkages with raw material suppliers and the market. They should also be encouraged to upgrade themselves to medium-scale companies, according to him.

“Most of them don’t want to graduate from small-scale enterprises, because they want the benefits of the low expectations,” Habtamu said.

Cooking Oil Languishes at Port Amid Market Shortage

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Tadesse Tesema, a 60-year-old pensioner from Aqaqi Qality district, has a lot to complain about when it comes to cooking oil.

He says the price of oil is too high for him to buy it in the open market. As a result, he is obliged to get his ration by shopping at a government-organised union in his wereda, which distributes edible oil under a state subsidy program.

The problem with that option is that the union shops are often out of stock.

For Tadesse, a father of six, and many other residents of the city like him, this has been a daunting challenge for the past couple of years. The national average per capita consumption of cooking oil is 8.9lt of oil  a year.

“It may take more than a month and a half of waiting to get my ration from the union,” he said. “When we finish the oil we get from the union, we have to buy it in the open market, which is more expensive.”

Tadesse receives his subsidised oil from the union in his district where Yeayneshet Kasahun works as an acting manager.

The union itself is facing the same challenge, as it is not receiving its expected allocation of cooking oil in response to the demand of the district, according to Yeayneshet.

“We get 11,000 containers of three-litre palm oil to distribute to 15,000 households,” she said.

When customers are turned down at the union, they assume the associations are hoarding the products, according to Etaferaw Abebe, a member of a consumer union near Gotera.

This is not the first time that the country has been hit by cooking oil shortages, and the government has been devising ways to remedy the problem.

One of the government’s schemes to alleviate the problem facing low and middle-income citizens has been to subsidise basic consumer products, such as sugar, wheat and cooking oil, and distribute them through the union shops at lower costs, according to Wondimu Filate, communications director at the Ministry of Trade & Industry.

In 2011, in a bid to stabilise the market and deal with the supply problem, the government banned private companies from importing palm oil, allowing only government-owned firms to import it.

The policy was readjusted in 2015 to allow selected private companies to import palm oil. The companies were selected based on their capacity and performance in the market, according to Wondimu.

Ten companies, including five private firms, one governmental organisation and four endowments were authorised to import the commodity mainly from Indonesia, India, China, Dubai and the Netherlands. These companies import 40 million litres of palm oil a month and distribute it to the unions across the country.

The government assists these importers by facilitating foreign currency, granting duty-free privileges and helping them in the distribution of the commodities.

These companies import more than 350 million tonnes of subsidised palm oil annually, according to data from the Central Statistics Agency. Yet this does not meet the demand and consumers are left complaining like Tadesse.

Even though the country has an annual production potential of more than 784,809tn of oilseeds, it remains unrealised mainly due to challenges in the value chain.

There are also over 1,000 companies that are registered by the Ministry of Trade & Industry to process oil in the country, and over 912 companies import cooking oil. However, these companies are not allowed to import palm oil, which is consumed by the majority of people due to its affordability.

Three-quarters of all imported goods enter Ethiopia through Modjo Dry Port, the largest in the country with a capacity of holding 14,000 shipping containers at a time.

A 20-foot container can carry 1,056 cartons of three-litre oil jugs or 1,020 boxes of five-litre jugs. For 20-litre and 25-litre jerry cans, that number is 1,039 cans and 882 cans, respectively.

Between February 1 and March 12, 2019, a total of 15,368 containers moved through the port and were delivered to importers, of which 1,551 containers housed palm oil imported by seven importers.

And still over 2,429 containers remain at the port, half of which are carrying edible oil that has been parked out in the elements for over two months.

Health professionals advise that the product has to be stored at room temperature and should be sold within six months of the date of production. Palm oil is also known to have high concentrations of saturated fat, which can be harmful to cardiovascular health.

The product is also one of 18 food items selected by the Ethiopian Standard Agency for inspection, which requires that the product be imported prior to reaching halfway to its expiration date. Importers are also expected to provide the Agency with a production date of the product at least twice a year.

The country’s law states that containers that remain parked at a dry port for more than 60 days will be confiscated and sold in public auctions to recoup port demurrage expenses.

When the Customs Authority confiscates these items, they must send samples of the products to the Standard Agency for inspection.

Cooking oils are treated differently, however, according to Addis Beza, who is in charge of neglected and confiscated containers at Modjo Dry Port.

“Since the product is imported in a government subsidy program to support low-income earners, we treat it as an exceptional case,” said Addis.

Therefore, the administration of the port waits for the importers, however long it takes to collect the product, without putting the items on the auction block.

“This only helps us to cover the rent of the container, but the oil gives more benefit to society,” said Dereje Tefera, director of Modjo Dry Port.

But sometimes the practice exhausts the patience of the port administration. Four months ago the administration auctioned off 103 containers of oil imported by the National Disaster & Risk Management Commission.

However, the Ministry of Trade & Industry and the Commission itself are now contesting that decision, according to Addis.

The Commission, which has more than 856 containers of palm oil sitting at the port since April 2017, imported the oil for the Internally Displaced People (IDPs).

On average, the Commission’s containers stay for up to 222 days in the port. The oil was imported in three batches from Indonesia and the United Arab Emirates.

Because of the rising number of IDPs, the Commission has imported more items than it can store, according to Aydruse Hassen, logistics and supply director at the National Disaster & Risk Management Commission.

“At our warehouse, we store four million tonnes of wheat, and we have no place to store the oil,” said Aydruse. “Since both the port and the Commission are governmental organisations, the port should cooperate with us as the matter needs a political decision.”

Private importers also claim that they are forced to leave the product at the dry port as they have a storage problem, according to one of the largest importers, Biftu Adugna Business S.C, a company that is obliged to provide 5.7 million litres of oil to more than 15 towns.

“We have storage problems when we receive the quantity of oil at the same time, and we are obliged to leave the containers at the port,” said Tebebu Daba, site director of Biftu, “but never for more than a month and a half.”

Profit margins are also another reason mentioned by the importers for having minimal interest in the supply of the product.

“The profit margin is discouraging,” said Abdurahman Ahmed, CEO AHFA Plc, one of the importers supplying the oil to the union where Tadesse is a member.

The company has been doing this for more than three years. But in the past two months, it has faced a challenge ever since the Trade Ministry terminated the letters of credit (LC) of these importers with the assumption that there is enough palm oil that has already arrived for the National Disaster & Risk Management Commission, which will be distributed to internally-displaced people in the next three years.

“We are only waiting for oil, which is already in the pipeline,” Abdurahman said.

Girma Belete, lecture at the AAU School of Commerce, believes that the issue at the port is fueling the market problem and imbalance in supply and demand.

“It disrupts the value chain, and it may expire, because the product is perishable with impacts on health,” said Girma.

Beyond the issues with the importers, Girma claims that poor customs clearance and late decisions at ports have an impact on the overstay of containers.

The government has to follow up and should create competition between importers, and the importers should commit themselves to stay in the market for an extended period, Girma said. He added that the government should create a sustainable sector and promote local production.

And yet, Wondimu of the Trade Ministry argues that there is no shortage of edible oil in the market. As a sustainable solution, the government is planning to encourage producers, according to Wondimu.

“For oil processing companies and agro-processing industries, the government provides land acquisition and loans,” said Wondimu.

City and Regional Officials Clear ‘Rumors’ on Water Projects

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Officials from the Oromia Regional State government and the City Administration of Addis Abeba are discussing a planned water development project in Legetafo Legedadi area that was announced two weeks ago.

Planned to cost 2.4 billion Br, the project was launched on April 20, 2019, by the City Administration. Two companies were hired to undertake the Legedadi Phase II Project, which is intended to benefit 860,000 residents in Addis Abeba and its surroundings.

A day after the project kickoff, news started to emerge on social media, stating that the regional state administration has requested a discussion with the officials of the City Administration to clear up some points of contention.

The two parties sat for the discussion last week to address the benefits of the Legedadi Phase II Project to communities in Addis Abeba’s surroundings, including Legetafo Legedadi and Sendefa, according to Zerihun Abate, director of the Addis Abeba Water & Sewerage Authority.

“We are discussing how to ensure the equitable distribution of resources to the areas surrounding the capital,” said Zerihun.

Admasu Damtew, head of Oromia Communications Affairs Office, accordingly said that they have talked with the people in order to get a better view of the situation.

“It has been decided to hold off on the project until the two parties can reach an agreement on how to ensure sustainable benefits to the areas surrounding the capital,” read a statement released by the Oromia Communications Affairs Office on April 21, 2019, after a discussion was held between members of communities in the capital’s surrounding areas and city officials.

The water project will include drilling 20 boreholes estimated to pump 86,000 cubic metres of water a day. The project also consists of the construction of 15 reservoirs that can each hold 2,000 to 10,000 cubic metres of water a day.

The project’s owner is the Addis Abeba Water & Sewerage Authority, represented by Zerihun, that signed the agreement with Yemane Abraha, general manager of Aser Construction, and Jianqiong SUN, representative of CGCOC Group.

Ethiopian Design & Construction Supervision Works Corporation has taken over the supervision work.

Addis Abeba, whose residents make up about four percent of the nation’s population, only receives enough water to cover two-thirds of demand. With 575,000 cubic metres of daily supply, the city’s access to potable water stands at 61pc.

Recently, 440,000 residents in Koye Fiche, Qilinto and Tuludimtu areas became beneficiaries of eight water wells constructed by Aser and CGCOC at a cost of 1.2 billion dollars.

“There is no problem with making demands for resources that are being used as long as they are addressed through constitutional means,” said Yacob Arsano, a lecturer and researcher in conflict resolution for more than a decade at Addis Abeba University.

New Wastewater Treatment Plant Brings Relief, Concern

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Bereket Alemu, a 29 years old accountant is a customer and neighbour of Fil Wuha Service Enterprise, the largest hot spa in the city used by thousands of residents.

He uses the hot spa, one of the major wastewater dischargers in the city, at least twice a month and sometimes when he feels the urge.

The hot spa is a major contributor of the nearly 460,000m3 of wastewater discharged in Addis Abeba a day, 80pc of the 575,000m3 of water consumed.

Addis Abeba, as the seat of major regional and international organizations, undergoing rapid socio-economic development and supporting a rising population is facing accelerated demand for potable water both from the domestic and industrial front.

At the same time, the city is dealing with a proportional rise in wastewater discharge that requires treatment before beang released into the natural water bodies.

“I don’t know where the wastewater goes,” Bereket said, “but it most likely ends up in the nearby rivers or on the streets.”

Because of a lack of culture in the proper handling of wastewater and the absence of high volume treatment plants, raw sewage and untreated water drain into open trenches and sometimes even flow on the streets.

In an attempt to address the problem, the city administration constructed the Qality Wastewater Treatment Plant, which was inaugurated in July 2018. The plant was built with 250 million dollars financed by the World Bank.

It has a capacity to treat 100,000 square metres of wastewater a day received from nearly one million residents living in six districts: Kolfe Keranyo, Adiss Ketema, Kolfe, Lideta, Arada and Gulele, in addition to some minor areas in the city.

Addis has three natural drainage areas: Akaki Catchment, Eastern Catchment, Qality Catchment. Their are 12 local primary treatment plants around condominium development areas that by themselves treat 27,500 square metres of waste a day in ‘membrane reactors.’

The new Qality plant is entirely devoted to influent that is received from the Qality Catchment. The plant has been operating since 1973 with a capacity of treating 7,500 square metres of influent a day. The old plant has seen no improvement in the intervening years until the current plan was developed.

The new treatment plant took two years to complete and had undergone six months of testing period. The project was contracted out to AKTOR, a Greek construction company, with a Canadian company, Morrison Hershfield Plc, and local firm ARMA Engineering supervising the project.

The plant falls under Category B treatment system classification, one of three classifications developed by the World Bank.

Category A requires a full environmental assessment; Category B requires a lower level of environmental investigation than the former; and Category C requires no environmental analysis.

The plant falls under Category B, where its potential impact on human population and the environment will be reviewed with a less stringent condition than Category A.

The plant is currently operating with less than 40pc of its capacity, 37,000 square metres of wastewater treatment a day.

There are two main sewer lines feeding the Qality Sewer system, the Western Addis Abeba Sewer Line, which is 28Km long, and the Eastern Addis Abeba Sewer Line, 18Km in length, which is still under construction.

The aim of the treatment plant is to create a stable and healthy environment by reducing wastewater from the environment in the city and to protect public health, according to Zekarias Fanta, sewage collection treatment and re-use core process leader.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), wastewater treatment includes removing suspended particles, organic material, bacteria, parasitic organisms, allege, viruses and fungi from the influent. The process also involves the removal of medical and pharmacological substances and industrial chemicals.

The Qality Plant, however, does not have the capacity to remove industrial and pharmacological waste and is limited to treating domestic influent from bathroom and kitchen waste, according to Tadeg Mengesha, a process engineer at the plant.

The two main sewer lines convey wastewater to Qality Plant from multiple lateral lines that are connected to households in a network spread across the city.

The collected waste then enters the primary treatment area, where large floating objects such as plastic bottles, sticks and rags are screened out using 75mm and 50mm square screens and the odor is treated.

The secondary treatment is where microorganisms and suspended solid matter are removed from the wastewater in big tanks where nearly 20 cylinders with a capacity to treat 2,000 square metres each help ensure further break down and treatment of the influent.

The final tertiary treatment removes 70pc of impurities from the wastewater. Then the wastewater is disinfected in a mixture of chlorine and sodium hypochlorite before being released as effluent. The solid matter produced in the process then undergo incineration in heat digesters.

The treated effluent from the new plant is directly released into neighbouring vegetable crop farmlands that lie adjacent to the plant and the Aqaqi River. There are no other facilities to recycle or re-use the effluent beyond the treatment. Some crop farmers have benefited from the release of treated water in the past but are now facing new challenges.

Two local brothers, Abiy Amenu and Aregahegn Amenu, are farmers who live in Aqaqi Qality sub-city near the plant.

The brothers inherited the farm from their father, and they have been using the effluent water for cultivation ever since the establishment of the old plant.

The main difference between the old and the new plant, they argue, is that they receive more effluent now and the new water has less of a bad odor. However, they point out that the effluent they received from the old plant was cleaner on the whole, and matters have gotten worse in recent months.

The brothers claim that no effluent is currently being released from the new plant, as it is being used to irrigate hay within the plant compound.

The farmers claim that whatever effluent being released now from the plant is no longer clean or suitable for farming, although they were told otherwise.

The Amenu brothers point to a pond with raw untreated sewage flowing on the surface that has been discharged from the plant. The plant operators do not dispute that raw sewage is being released, and they claim that it is caused by operation deficiencies dealing with sewage trucked to the plant.

“We used to grow vegetables, but now we have turned our fields to growing hay,” said Abiy.

Hay, grown seasonally, generates good income but not as much as crop vegetables.

“Releasing untreated sewage is illegal and cannot be a solution for the problem,” Jemal argues.

Without disputing the claims made by the farmers on the release of raw sewage on farmland, Tadeg said that the problem does exist and that the management is working to remedy the problem and facilitate all the proper services.

One of the other challenges facing the plant is its inability to regulate the acidity of the treated wastewater. The new plant does not have the capability to regulate pH, the scale that measures acidity, and the release of acidic effluent into the environment is a major health concern.

“We have informed people not to use the effluent to cultivate food crops,” said Misbah Idreas, administrator of the plant.

There is also the claim of illegal hookups to the main sewer lines by industrial sources that may account for the high level of acidity problem in the treated wastewater. Acknowledging this problem, Zekarias argues that the main reason behind this is an infrastructure problem, especially when there is construction damage done to sewer lines.

The plant is not currently running at full capacity, as there are a number of other challenges facing the plant including water and electric power supply interruptions. The lack of awareness about wastewater issues among the residents has also been cited by Zekarias as a problem.

“It’s very difficult to install sewer pipes in the city even when the people are cooperating, primarily due to existing infrastructure deficiencies,” Zekarias said.

Many treatment plants around the world use treated water as a recycled product for irrigation, construction, car washes and other uses outside of human consumption.

As Zekarias says, the main purpose of the plant is to protect the health of citizens and the environment, as well as to recycle the treated effluent and put it to good use.

Zekarias acknowledges that there is very little if any experience in industrial scale wastewater treatment in the country. There is still more work that needs to be done to achieve full capacity.

He states that the country needs more help from experienced countries and firms to participate in solving the problem.

“We have called an international bid for companies to support in the operation of the plant, as well as maintenance, and also to provide training for our workers,” said Zekarias.

Reusing the wastewater depends on the quality of the treated water, according to Jemal Mohammed, a civil engineer and consultant on water supplies and sanitation issues.

Although the city is facing a rising demand in water use and confronting constant shortages, treated wastewater is not being properly utilised, even by adjacent farmers as is happening in Qality.

“Resources are limited, but demands for water are increasing with a rising population,” said Tadeg. “We’re conducting a study to start recycling and reusing the treated wastewater for different applications.”

Since the treatment plant has limited the capacity to treat household wastewater, industries have to implement their own treatment plans before they release their wastewater into the environment, according to Tadeg.

“The authorities have to conduct monitoring and follow-ups, especially in industrial areas,” suggests Jemal, adding that institutional strength is needed and that building a treatment plant cannot be the only solution unless there is an effort to regulate and contain the wastewater problem.

Ethiopia, China Partner to Power Mega Projects

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Ethiopia and China have signed a partnership agreement to invest in energy transmission and distribution lines for the nation’s mega projects.

The project will build power transmission and distribution lines to 16 industrial parks, part of the Meqelle to Djibouti railway line and to other cities in the country.

The agreement was signed last week as part of the second Belt & Road Forum for International Cooperation held in Beijing, China. Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed (PhD) had traveled to Beijing to attend the Forum with Ethiopian delegates. The Forum has also brought the news about China’s cancellation of all interest-free loans it had advanced to Ethiopia through the end of 2018.

In this partnership that involves 1.8 billion dollars in investment, State Grid Corporation of China (SGCC), will be holding a majority share, 80pc, while the remaining interest will be held by Ethiopian Electric Power (EEP), according to a source close to the case. The plan also calls for revenue sharing between the two partners.

Established in 2002 as a state corporation, SGCC is not new in Ethiopia. It was awarded the 1.5-billion-dollar construction project for the power transmission line of the Great Ethiopian Renaissance Dam that has a total length of 1,136Km.

SGCC was also awarded the GDHA 500KV power transmission and transformation project, a transmission line extending from the GERD to Akaki, as well as the power transmission and transformation project for the light railway transport system in the capital.

Ethiopian Electric Power conducted the feasibility study of the new energy transmission and distribution lines project, according to Moges Mekonnen, communications director at the EEP.

In the feasibility study, EEP identified 29 energy projects to be developed through a public-private partnership arrangement with a total investment of 1.26 billion dollars.

These projects consist of building power supply and distribution lines to Aqaqi Industrial Park, Ambibarah Industrial Park, Adama Industrial Park, Meqelle Industrial Park and Bure Agro-Industrial Park among others.

Ethiopia has invested 30 billion Br in constructing 11 industrial parks across the country. Seventeen more integrated agro-industrial parks are in the pipeline. Upon completion, these parks would require a power supply that is equal with the current generating capacity of the country, according to former Prime Minister Hailemraim Desalegn, who reported these figures to parliament two years ago.

Considering electric power is a binding constraint in the industrial sector, the government has established a separate directorate under the Industrial Park Development Corporation to oversee power supply and distribution. The industrial parks will also have their own industrial power managers.

The railway line that stretches from Awash to Weldia, a part of a railway extension project that links Meqelle to Djibouti, is the other beneficiary of the new project. The project will finance the construction of Awash-Weldia Railway Power Transmission Project that requires around 132 million dollars in investment.

The financing will be used to build traction power stations, a power station that produces electric current used for railways. But how many traction power stations will be built is going to be identified when the detailed design of the project is done, according to the same source.

The entire railway line has a scheme value of 1.7 billion dollars — the route aimed at connecting the northern part of Ethiopia with the central part and the Djibouti corridor. The corridor is the main transport line for freight traffic of imported and exported goods through Djibouti Port.

“When these projects started, the finances for the electric power transmission and distributions lines were not secured,”  Moges told Fortune. “Therefore, some of them could not be operational even after being completed as they don’t get electric power.”

“This agreement will facilitate not only uninterrupted power supply but also enable the creation of jobs,” reads a statement from the Office of the Prime Minister.

Tigabu Atalo, an energy consultant for over a decade, sees the partnership as a wise investment, stating that energy is the primary enabler of economic activity.

“For Ethiopia, the industrial parks are going to be the economic and production centres,” he said.

However, he has reservations, adding that the project contracts, which were provided on a turnkey basis, undermined the local private sector participation.

“I do believe, most of the distribution sector work could be built by with local private sector capability minimum foreign currency requirements,” he said. “Whether the agreements signed take note of such improvements, it will be a matter of time before we see.”

 

Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed (PhD) met with President Xi Jinping of China during his visit to Beijing for the second Belt & Road Forum for International Cooperation last week.

Ethiopian to Introduce Paid Lounge Service

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Ethiopian Airlines Group is searching for a private company that will run an exclusive lounge at Addis Abeba Bole International Airport inside the newly inaugurated Terminal II that will be open to all passengers for a fee.

The pay-per-use lounge will serve all passengers in transit, arriving passengers who have cleared customs, as well as departing passengers before checking-in.

Service providers with experience of operating three-star hotels and above are invited by the Airlines to take part in the bidding process.

The lounge will have a seating area, open bar, restaurant for fast food, business centre, work stations equipped with internet, telephones, photocopiers and a fax machine, a wellness and fitness centre and a cigar room. It will provide alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages, light snacks and breakfast items.

The bidders will be setting prices themselves for the services but should consider the market price, according to the airline, which served 10.6 million passengers in the last fiscal year.

Owned by Ethiopian, the lounge will cover a 1,030Sqm area. The winning company will be awarded a seven-year concession with options to extend. The concessionaire will share with Ethiopian a portion of the annual sales.

Ethiopian airlines will hold the right to add other service providers and does not give a profitability guarantee for the concessionaire. The awarded company may need to perform some minor maintenance and repair work on the lounge.

Ethiopian airline will evaluate the bidding companies, based on the preliminary requirements, technical evaluations and the financial offers. During the evaluation, the company will give 40pc of the weight to the technical documents, while 60pc of the weight will be for the financial offer. Concerning the financial offer specifically, 40pc of the weight will be given to revenue sharing and 60pc of the weight to a minimum annual guarantee, respectively.

The Airline will also have customer agents who will take care of all passenger needs from check-in, immigration processes, baggage handling and taking orders. Passengers will pay for these extra services based on the class of service.

The Airport has another lounge that provides the same service to passengers of Cloud Nine, members of Star Alliance Platinum, Gold and Silver members, as well as holders of Sheba Miles.

The 74-year-old airline with 16,002 employees flies to 119 local, regional and international destinations. In the last fiscal year, it netted 233 million dollars in profit. The Airport operates two terminals: Terminal I is dedicated to domestic flights, the Middle East and some flights on the African continent,  while Terminal II services all other international flights.

Fisseha Asres, a hotel consultant and managing director of Afro Hospitality Management & Support, views the opening of the lounge positively.

Offering services to transit travelers who will be staying in the airport for an extended time, and not requiring memberships like Cloud Nine lounges, is a significant advantage, Fisseha said.

But he fears that the price could be too high for ordinary customers, as the service will be on par with international standards.

Fire Department to Acquire 24 New Fire Trucks

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The city’s Fire Department is procuring 24 differently sized fire fighting vehicles for 161 million Br paid directly from the City Administration’s budget.

Ten of them are large fire fighting vehicles, while the rest are small fire trucks that can easily access congested and narrow streets. So far, the Addis Abeba Fire Emergency Prevention & Rescue Agency has received five of the large fire fighting vehicles and is expected to receive the remaining equipment in a month’s time.

The vehicles are imported from Europe and are equipped with the latest features. The handover ceremony is expected to be attended by Deputy Mayor Takele Uma.

The new trucks will be additions to the existing 40 fire fighting trucks, four machines, six water tanker trucks and 33 ambulances that are owned by the Agency, which has eight branches in the city: Piassa, Qera, Mesalemia, Saris, Aqaqi Qality, Bole, Kolfe and Gulele. Each branch operates two fire fighting trucks.

The Agency, which was established in 1934, is building the ninth branch around the Summit area. Reports say only water and electric power installations are left for construction. The new branch is expected to be inaugurated on the same day as the handover of the vehicles.

In the first three quarters of the current fiscal year, a total of 423 accidents were registered by the Agency in the capital and special zones of the Oromia Regional State. Addis Abeba took the lion’s share of the total accident list, accounting for 70pc. These accidents caused 62 deaths and damaged 221 million Br worth of property.

Out of the total number, 299 are fire accidents, while the remaining are other types of emergency accidents. During these emergencies, the Agency has deployed 751 pieces of machinery, 349 ambulances, 42 pickup trucks, 5,638 firefighters and protected property valued at 2.9 billion Br.

Early last year, the Authority, which operates with 1,350 employees, procured 20 fire trucks at a cost of 133 million Br. It also acquired an excavator, six command cars and fire-retardant foam chemicals for 16 million Br. The delivery of these trucks was delayed due to a foreign exchange crunch in the country.

Anteneh Tref, who has ten years of experience in safety as a senior marine engineer, believes that the Agency has to give priority to training its staff.

“The procurement of the fire fighting vehicles alone can’t make the Agency efficient,” Anteneh said. “It has to be accompanied with extensive training of the staff.”

In fact, the addition of the vehicles will strengthen the capacity of the Agency, but it also needs to increase the capacity and operational efficiency of their staff, Anteneh concluded.