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Month: June 2020

FACE THE NUMBERS

Posted on by Web Master

Reporting on the Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic is carefully ordered and classified in terms of gender, place of residence, nationality and age, as Minister of Health Lia Tadesse’s (PhD) daily reports show. But behind the statistics are people.

With 55 individuals having already lost their lives to the virus, it is an unquantifiable loss in terms of the dreams and hopes dashed, the memories lost and the loved ones left behind.

As the number of people confirmed to have the virus reached four digits, and several deaths started to be reported daily, it has become more about “how many” and no longer about “who” – a harbinger of tough times to come.

There were a series of meetings by almost all the chiefs of the regional states in…

Posted on by Web Master

After they made a portentous decision last week in passing a resolution at the House of Federation where they are all members, there were a series of meetings by almost all the chiefs of the regional states in Addis Abeba. Almost; because there was a notable absence in their midst. The Vice President of the Tigray Regional State was not present, gossip disclosed.

It is symbolic of a slump in the relationship the Regional State has with those in charge of the federal government, claims gossip.

It is now self-evident that mega political structures are set in motion, thereby reinforcing each other in furthering polarisation, gossip observed. Two threshold events cemented this motion last week.

Members of the House of Federation have voted in favour – in overwhelming number – of postponing the national elections and extending the lease on life of the political force running the federal legislative houses and regional councils. In a few days, councillors of the Tigray Regional State have voted – unanimously – to hold elections in the Regional State before the term of the existing council comes to an end in the first week of October 2020.

It is a move that rebuffed the resolution made by the highest constitutional institution with the mandate to interpret the Constitution. Leaders of the governing party, the TPLF, strongly believe that the House of Federation has no business in interpreting what the Constitution omits or where there is no dispute over the understanding of a particular article in it, gossip says.

This was a position that forced one of their senior leaders, Keria Ibrahim, to resign from her role as Speaker of the House a day before the case was tabled before the House of Federation. She accused the public exercise of scholarly discussion as a ploy to legitimise the rise of “authoritarianism” in Ethiopia.

These set of actions and counteractions have a war of words by the TPLFites in Meqelle and Prosperitians in Addis Abeba as a backdrop, which deeply worry well-meaning Ethiopians of escalation in the tension, according to gossip.

Mesfin Araya, a medical doctor who is a prominent psychiatrist in Ethiopia, along with five others, has begun an effort to mediate between the two forces, shuttling between Addis Abeba and Meqelle, gossip disclosed. The group has eventually expanded to comprise 46 individuals from religious organisations, businesses, advocacy groups and elders, claims gossip.

Leaders of the four main religious groups – Muslim, Orthodox, Catholic, Protestant – are included, as are prominent individuals such as Haile Gebresellasie and Daniel Gebresellasie, a pastor running the Prison Fellowship Ethiopiat, gossip revealed. Businesspeople such as Gebreegziabher Gebremariam, a former athlete, Fisseha Asres and Negussie Hailu, as well as several elders from the regional states of Afar, Somali and Gambella, are incorporated into this group, disclosed gossip.

The group has received a positive nod from Debretsion Gebremichael (PhD), head of the Tigray Regional State, to receive and give them an audience scheduled for Tuesday, June 16, gossip disclosed. Members of the group have booked a chartered flight from Ethiopian Airlines, expected to return the same day, gossip revealed. As a rare gesture of welcome, the group leaders were granted a waiver from a 14-day mandatory quarantine the state’s council has imposed under a state of emergency decree, extended last week by 75 days, claims gossip.

The group aims to persuade both Addis Abeba and Meqelle to deescalate the growing tension between them, having a plan for a suspension on the war of words they have been firing at each other, claims gossip. Urging the authorities on both sides to impose restraint and discipline on the media under their respective controls is also what they hope to achieve, gossip disclosed.

A Moment of Silence

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The narrow streets of Gojam Sefer in Lideta wind and split into even narrower roads every few metres. The packed houses lined side by side barely leave any space from one gate to the next. It is not an uncommon sight for a neighbourhood in Addis Abeba with its small shops and cobblestone roads.

What was completely out of place, however, was the presence of a drone that was spotted flying high above a few weeks ago.

“I can only assume that whoever sent the drone to film the neighbourhood didn’t want to step a foot in there themselves,” said Masresha Wegari.

Masresha is the last of five siblings who recently lost their mother to the Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19). But their community, not unlike the hovering drone, has stayed away at a safe distance.

“We couldn’t even get service at the stores when she first passed away. The whole community was avoiding us,” he said.

His mother, Alemnesh Atelaw, was 75 years old when she passed away. She was well known in the neighbourhood, an agreeable woman who often played the astaraqior mediator role. After the death of their father 25 years ago, Alemnesh raised all five of her children. Her eldest son stepped in to fill the father role for his siblings, according to Masresha.

But Alemnesh had a long history with diabetes and spent the last few years being cared for by her children. Two days before her passing, her son said she had been feeling very unwell.

“It happened out of the blue,” he said. “We took her to a hospital to get her a check-up. When we got there, we found out her blood sugar had reached a very high level.”

Within a week, his mother had passed away.

A report by Lia Tadesse (MD), minister of Health, on May 5 announced that a 75-year-old woman had died before the results of her samples were confirmed. That woman was Alemnesh. Her family had barely laid her to rest when the hospital informed them that she had died because of COVID-19.

Over 30 people were rounded up from the house in which Alemnesh had lived and sent to a quarantine centre. Her son, Masresha, was also one of them.

“We stayed at Balcha Weldehiwot Health Centre with 18 other friends,” he said. “We left once they gave us the certificate stating our negative result.”

The results took 20 days, because their samples were either lost or delayed due to the queue, according to Masresha. But after they returned home, his sister was taken back into quarantine again. The authorities claimed that her negative result was a mistake.

“She is still there. They retook her sample last Monday, and we’re all waiting on the result,” Masresha said.

With 32 functional laboratories in the country that conduct over 7,000 tests a day, results of samples have varied reasons for being late and, at times, even incorrect.

Incorrect names and addresses of people, the poor quality of the samples taken, and manual mistakes that can occur at any stage throughout the process are some of the causes for the delays and errors, according to the Ethiopian Public Health Institute (EPHI). The positive results of samples are tracked through a collaborative effort between the Information Network Security Agency (INSA), Ethio telecom, and the police in cases where the address of the person is not known.

Testing for COVID-19 on all people that have passed away, due to any cause, has also recently come into effect. This is because community transmission has been established in Addis Abeba, according to the EPHI.

The tests on dead bodies are expected to reveal the extent of community transmission. They also ensure proper disposal of the dead body. In a situation where there are a lot of unknown variables, the institute recommends taking the highest precautions.

The social repercussions of this is that many are not able to mourn the death of their loved ones. They have to take condolences through phone calls, sometimes standing from afar.

This has also been true for Abdulhakim Kemal’s family. Friends and family who want to show their respect come only as near as the gate and wave, perhaps say a few words and leave. Abdulhakim lived in Addis Ketema, one of the most crowded districts and currently the location of 25pc of all confirmed cases in the city.

Abdulhakim was well aware of COVID-19 before he passed away and was stricter than most when it came to following health guidelines.

“He had his daughters stay home from work when there was news of the virus in the country. We bought food and other necessary materials ahead of time,” said Shemsu Mohammed, a close relative who refers to Abdulhakim as a brother.

“He was a strong-willed man, but he was loved,” he added.

Abdulhakim worked many years as a tailor and a khatseller in Addis Abeba, where he came to live from Gurage Zone. With a big family of seven, three daughters and four sons, he was well taken care of after his back injury left him bedridden for the last seven years.

A couple of weeks before he died, he complained that he was feeling cold and that he had a headache, according to Shemsu. A hospital trip to Abune Petros did not reveal much to the family. The doctors, Shemsu said, were reassuring and told them that he was okay. But a few days later, they were informed that he needed to be transferred to Eka Kotebe General Hospital and that he had contracted the virus.

Forbidden to go near him in his last few days in the hospital, his family said their goodbyes from afar. Following his death, the family continued self-isolating. No one came in and or out of the house, according to Shemsu.

“We don’t meet people. We only talk to people that come to show their condolences from the gate,” he said.

It has been a shock to the family and the neighbourhood.

With psycho-social support as one of its four training sections, 2,002 of 3,193 registered health extension workers have finalised their audio training under the EPHI. This is alongside the general information, coordination, and training they have received on curbing the spread of the virus. The Institute is also working with the Idir Association in Addis Abeba hoping to reach the 7,500 Idirs in the city.

The late Fantu Tekle used to live in a compound that was and still is receiving regular temperature check-ups. In the neighbourhood of 18 Mazoriye in Kolfe Keraniyo District, their home lies in a compound shared by over 50 tenants. Born in Gurage Zone, Fantu survived most of her children but left a son and daughter, who lives in Saudi Arabia, behind.

She was selling vegetables on the roadside of the neighbourhood for a living, according to her son. But he convinced her to stop so they could take care of her.

“Some of the materials she sold weren’t good for her asthma and my sister and I wanted her to rest,” he said.

When Fantu died of respiratory failure, her son thought it had been her asthma and was not aware that she had tested positive for COVID-19 until after her burial.

“We buried her without knowing she had the virus. So when health professionals came with police to our compound the next day, everyone was in shock,” her son said.

They were instructed not to leave their house. For one particular tenant that drove a taxi for a living, even renting out his taxi was not an option.

“On the fifth day we received a few food items like macaroni, flour and edible oil, but it has been difficult not being able to work during this time,” her son said.

Fantu never got a chance to speak up loudly, always living in someone’s compound, according to her son. Her story involved a wrongful eviction and years of back and forth between courts as a result.

“This is a fight I’ll continue for her. She will get justice,” said her son, who has inherited the laminated court ruling paper.

Many, like Fantu, are now being reported as having the virus after their death following an autopsy report. Some had underlying conditions and had also shown symptoms such as a fever, cough, and shortness of breath. This was not the case for Haluwa Jama, who showed no symptoms at all to the confusion of her bereaved family.

Her son, Hassen Ibrahim, had come with her to Addis Abeba, from Negele Borana in the Oromia Regional State, to get her medical assistance in the city. She had been to several hospitals, even undergone an operation, and had seemed to be in recovery when things suddenly took a turn for the worst. She passed away in her home two days after returning from the hospital.

The 56-year-old Haluwa raised her five children by herself after the death of their father when they were young. She was at one point a farmer in Borena, then a merchant in Moyale, doing whatever was necessary to raise her children.

“She was a kind woman who looked after other children as well. We grew up with our cousins,” Hassen said.

After her passing, Hassen, true to his mother’s last wishes, started preparations to return her body to her hometown, Negele Borana.

However, her sample results arrived while those plans were being formed and revealed that she had the virus. Forced to halt plans for burial, Hassen and his siblings along with two other families in the compound all gave their samples for testing. Within two days he had his negative result in hand and he buried his mother in Borena.

Happy though Hassen undoubtedly is to have fulfilled his mother’s last wishes, burials for people with COVID-19 should be handled with the highest precaution, according to the EPHI. The health facility where the death occurred is tasked with reporting this to the EPHI after declaring it to the family. The Institute then deploys a team to handle the body and oversee the burial process. Even the coffin is purchased at the cost of the government.

Confirmed cases for COVID-19 in the country have reached 2,166. A total of 55 people have died and 176,504 samples have been tested. There are plenty of facts and figures but very little known about the lives impacted by it.

Another victim, Kidus Mohammed, who worked on a farm with his friends growing kale and liked to keep to himself, is reduced to a line in a report: male, aged 45. Individuals like Chanyalew Endreas, a man beloved by his four children, are all too quickly forgotten when the next update comes in.

The reaction of the community towards those that have had the virus is a normal and expected psychological response, according to Henok Hailu, president of the Ethiopian Psychologists Association.

“This is because we look at information regarding its transmission and the high death tolls of other countries,” he said. “There needs to be more specific and clarified information coming from the government.”

People do not have a deep understanding of what it means to be tested, to be found positive, to be in a treatment centre and the course of the pandemic greatly depends on how information is disseminated, according to him.

Henok also mentioned the importance of a social support system.

“COVID-19 has also taken away our social support system. People cannot mourn. People can’t attend funerals because there’re only limited people allowed,” he said. “We may now need to find replacements for that like the mass media we need to show that there will be death and with death comes other psychological implications.”

Psychologist, psychiatrists, social workers, mental health professionals need to be visible in this process, Henok advised.

The reports may not reveal any more about these individuals than their age and gender, but they were resolute mothers, attentive fathers, and beloved sisters and brothers to the ones who mourn their passing.

History May Look Back on this Time as Needless Moment

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It is characteristic of the general climate of confusion the year 2020 has set in Ethiopia and the global stage in general. There is an air of melancholy.

In just a few months, the spirit of the Constitution was afforded as much respect as its intent was devalued. The circumstances were at first ominous.

The National Electoral Board of Ethiopia (NEBE), citing disruptions caused by the Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, decided to postpone the much anticipated national elections, which were slated for August. It was a fateful decision that failed to pass the test of considerable and thoughtful reflections.

But it set off a substantive and rewarding debate on the letter and spirit of the Constitution, with legal scholars reflecting on the possibilities and implications of postponing the elections. No less encouraging was to see the Council of Constitutional Inquiry (CCI) hold a hearing chaired by Chief Justice Meaza Asheanfi, president of the Supreme Court, for legal and constitutional experts to add to the discussion. It was an uplifting exercise of the sort rarely witnessed in the country’s political history.

Alas! What followed was a decision that overwhelmingly echoed the positions of the incumbent, effectively extending its hold on power beyond what is allowed in the Constitution and without any attendant limits. It even irked some of the individuals who took part in the scholarly debate, with high hopes of a meaningful outcome.

The decision came on June 10, 2020, when members of the House of Federation approved the recommendations that came from the Council a day earlier. Legislators across federal and regional councils had their terms of office extended until the upcoming elections. The time frame for this was made entirely under the discretion of the executive branch.

Unwittingly, a process stewarded by Chief Justice Meaza granted a legal closure to what is essentially a political deadlock. History will remember her and those legislators who have voted in favour of their decision needlessly.

Members of the House of Federation fully endorsed – with only four votes against – the recommendations from the Chief Justice and her team. There will be elections held nine to 12 months from the time the Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic is declared to pose no threat to public health. This may be three years from now, considering that the consensus among the medical community is that the pandemic could last until 2022, which is also the views of the Centre for Infectious Disease Research & Policy of the University of Minnesota.

If the rippling effects of granting the incumbent an extension of its full power based on a contested deliberative political and constitutional process was not apparent, there have been signs of ill omen over the past week.

Three major opposition parties – the Oromo Federalist Congress, Oromo Liberation Front and the Ogaden National Liberation Front – have warned of an increase in tensions. In the case of the first two, the consequence could be a return to public discontent and possible eruptions of anti-government protests that “could transform into violence,” according to a joint statement they released.

Perhaps the most worrying, if not gravely concerning, development is the deteriorating relationship between the federal government and the Tigray Regional Government.

On the same day Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed (PhD) took questions from MPs on the economic and political state of the country, mainly about the impact of COVID-19, Keria Ibrahim, speaker of the House of Federation, resigned. She had not even tendered a formal resignation letter to the House when she made this announcement in a press conference. Keria attributed her resignation to what she claimed was “unconstitutional manoeuvring” to extend the national elections.

It is a decision in keeping with the uncompromising position of her party, the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF), on any attempts to extend constitutionally limited terms of office. Having vowed to continue with the elections for the regional council, the TPLF has reiterated in multiple statements that the legitimacy of the current government is unacceptable without a fresh electoral mandate.

It seems a position followed by a resolution by members of the regional state council to hold elections in the Regional State before September this year. They have also directed the regional administration to request that the electoral board carry out the poll on time. The regional administration was told by the Council to prepare an electoral agency to carry out elections should the National Election Board be “unwilling or unable” to do as such.

It is a view in sharp contrast to the administration of Prime Minister Abiy and the chief of the Electoral Board, who believes election management is not a devolved power.

At an impasse, the regional council wrote a letter addressed to the international community to resolve the impending “danger hovering over” the country by leaders it alleges are “working in earnest to institutionalise an autocratic and a one-man dictatorial rule.” Stressing that the incumbent will no longer have a constitutional mandate after October 5, 2020, the regional government, a part of the republic, asked for external actors “not to sit idly by” while the country falls apart.

It is an indication of the grim political state of affairs Ethiopia is setting itself up for. It is perhaps gloomier than the uncertainty of the past two years that have seen communal violence and partisanship that led to the internal displacement of millions and the assassinations of high-level military and regional government officials.

For Kjetil Tronvoll, the Norwegian professor of peace and conflict studies, there has never been for Ethiopia a moment like this where “so clear indications and clear trajectories” with potential for armed conflicts, if left “unmitigated,” are evident.

Indeed, a notable development within the Ethiopian state over the past year has been the increasing verticalisation of violence, which portends the confrontations that arise as relationships further sour between the incumbent and the opposition. Distinctive of the transition of power in 2018 was the reconfiguration of the form of violence taking place in the country. The three years of political instability that led to the rise of Abiy Ahmed were mostly anti-government protests, including an assault on the institutions and the businesses that were perceived to be either partisan or supportive of the political power base at the time.

The post-2018 period was attended by an added dimension of horizontal conflicts, as the various political groups attempted to assert their hold in a socio-economically and politically transforming state. Hostilities were decentralised, no longer having a generally singular aim, and usually directed at neighbouring, resource-sharing communities.

Hostilities have once again become verticalised. Over the past year, as the promise of a plural democratic settlement fades away and the incumbent deems certain threats no longer tolerable, confrontations between the opposition and the government have increasingly turned violent. Violent clashes both in the Oromia and Amhara regional states, which have gotten international attention, have begun to taint the overwhelmingly positive opinion the administration has been commanding from the international community.

In a century where even the most localised of military conflicts incur an incalculable loss on human lives, the consequences of organised violence are impossible for the country to recover from for decades to come.

It is hard to believe that conflicting parties would assume violent confrontations are to anyone’s benefit; even for the victor, it will not feel like a victory. But this also may well be a matter of unbridled brinksmanship, an attempt from either side to secure maximum negotiating power.

The risks of miscalculation are nonetheless high, and time is of the essence, that a sequence of events will be unleashed that neither side can control once there is momentum.

Neither will it be an issue that will address itself or find a favourable intervention from external actors. It is also clear that neither party will unilaterally change course and accept demands from the other. The last resort of choice for the federal government and its regional challengers to avert a collision course is to reignite the promise of democratisation.

It can only happen when those in the opposition are convinced that they have a say in the future of the country, something that can only happen when there are checks on the power of the incumbent until the next elections are held. A violent settlement can also only be avoided when the opposition, even in the face of authoritarianism, is determined to exhaust every avenue of peaceful resistance, including civil disobedience.

The alternative is too costly to justify.

Flower Industry Sees Light of Day as Europe Opens Up

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Ethiopia’s flower industry, the second-largest exporter to Europe, has started to witness a rise in demand with a total of 32.8 million dollars in revenues earned from roses and summer flowers in the last month.

With the Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) proliferating globally, the flower sector was at the verge of disaster with destination countries in Europe and the Middle East shutting their doors, putting at stake thousands of jobs in an industry that supports 150,000 employees in the country.

However, as of last month, since some European countries like Germany and the Netherlands have started to ease lockdown restrictions, the flower export revenues of the country have reached 166pc of the goal set by the Ministry of Agriculture for the past 11 months of the current fiscal year.

During the months of April and March, the horticulture farms had been disposing of millions of flower stems, in the fear of uprooting the parent plant, and incurred a loss of 25 million dollars. Most of them also struggled to retain their employees.

“We stopped dumping flower stems at the beginning of May,” said Zelalem Mesele, president of the Ethiopian Horticulture Producers & Exporters Association and owner of ZK Flower.

Tana Flora Plc, which was established in 2008 and now has farms in Wengita, Bahir Dar and Addis Abeba, has resumed service to its export destinations, mainly to the Netherlands and countries in the Middle East, primarily through auction markets. The exporter, which used to export 810 boxes a day, is now selling 190 to 540 boxes each day.

“We’ve lost one of the prime seasons for the export of flowers,” said Nega Mekunanit, general manager of Tana, which has over 700 employees under its wing. “We’re seeing a ray of hope now.”

In the last 11 months, the horticulture sector has generated 438.3 million dollars in revenues, according to the May report from the Ministry of Agriculture.

The industry has exported a total of 77,000tn of summer flowers and roses for 351.8 million dollars over the last 11 months, whereas just 53.2 million dollars has been earned for 159,000tn of fruits and vegetables.

The misfortunes of the pandemic have created an opportunity for the Ethiopian flower export market, according to Wondale Habtamu, state minister for Agriculture.

“With the reduced price of Ethiopian Airlines coupled with efficient logistics,” he said, “it has provided the leg-up the sector desperately needs right now as compared to other competitors.”

Sher Ethiopia, which has farms in Ziway, Adami Tulu and Koka, has been exporting 60tn a day on average recently. This number is still close to 15pc less than what the company used to export before COVID-19.

“We haven’t stopped exporting even during the hard times,” said a senior executive at Sher Ethiopia, which was established in 2006 and currently has 11,000 employees exporting mainly to Holland, England and Germany. “Although the amount has dropped by half.”

The other benefit for the sector is the drop in the power of the dollar against the euro. The dollar lost approximately 1.4pc against the euro during the month of May.

“Though the power of the dollar is dropping as compared to the euro,” she said, “our expenses are with dollars even though the income is in euros.”

After the sector was hit hard by the pandemic, the National Bank of Ethiopia (NBE) recommended bank loan rescheduling for borrowers from the industry, financing interest on principal loans, and the temporary suspension of the 3.80 dollar payment for every kilogram of flowers exported.

Ethiopia, which is the second-largest flower exporter in Africa next to Kenya, currently has over 72 active flower farms that are involved in the production of different varieties of flowers. Horticulture represents close to 31pc of the agricultural export sector and has total coverage of 10,897ha of land.

The horticulture industry in the country has over 126 investments engaged in the export of flowers, fruits, herbs and vegetables that generated over 300 million dollars in the last fiscal year.

It will be a long time before the sector is back on track, and the government needs to actively assist the sector in setting its foot back in the market, according to an agricultural economist who wanted to remain anonymous.

“Since the sector is very young in the country,” the expert said, “the government needs to devise a horticulture policy for further development of the sector in these dire times.”

Hussien Mohammed, an associate professor at Hawassa University School of Horticulture & Plant Science, believes that the government played an instrumental role with its immediate solution when the outbreak affected growers.

The pandemic hit domestic investors hard, while international investors have well-founded management when it comes to handling this kind of crisis in terms of insurance and agreements, according to him.

“For most of the time, the horticulture market is a private market, and it’s led through that way,” he said. “But with this small opening, growers have to increase production to make up for the lost seasons.”

Regional Enterprise Secures 1.2b Br Irrigation Dam Project

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South Water Works & Construction Enterprise has secured a contract to construct the Kahild Dijo Irrigation Dam in Silte Zone for 1.2 billion Br.

The Enterprise has been contracted to build the dam in Dalocha Wereda in Southern Nations & Nationalities Peoples’ Regional State. Located 200Km away from the capital, the Dam will have a height of 26.5m and a length of 1,875.8m. It will be built on an 1,800ha site and is expected to benefit over 3,200 households.

The Irrigation Development Commission and the Enterprise, which was founded in 1996 and is currently handling 53 irrigation projects, including the projects of Kerib, Rate and Weyto, signed the contractual agreement on June 8, 2020. The Enterprise was awarded the project without any kind of bidding process.

“We’re coming up on the end of the fiscal year, so there is a time constraint to issue bidding processes,” said Michael Mehari (PhD), commissioner of the Irrigation Development Commission, which allocated 14.3 billion Br for irrigation dam construction this fiscal year.

From the total investment of the project, 94pc is covered by the federal government, 0.2pc by the people of the area, one percent by the watershed communities, and 4.8pc by the regional government.

The engineering part of the Dam is expected to be completed in two years; however, the sectoral work implementation will require 10 years. The project, in addition to irrigating land, will be used to support fisheries, animal husbandry, and the production of other agro-processing inputs.

The project is important since it is instrumental to the cultivation of agricultural inputs that can be supplied as raw material to the Bulbula Agro-Industrial Park, according to Ashenafi Shibire, general manager of the Regional State’s Irrigation Development & Scheme Administration Agency.

“It will be an improvement to the development of fisheries and job creation,” said Ashenafi.

Currently, the land is under crop cultivation by the farmers at an intensity of 75pc, amounting to 1,347ha. The area’s existing farms have created job opportunities for about 421 people, while the project is expected to employ close to 1,304 people. The proposed crops to be grown in the project are maize, wheat, teff, sorghum, fava beans, peppers, tomatoes, carrots, onions, potatoes, cabbage and forage.

The Enterprise will work on the construction of the main body of the Dam including the water-retaining and releasing structures. It will work on the reservoir dam, sluice and outlets, spillways, and the major irrigation canal, as well as irrigation development and drainage elements of the project and water conveying structures, including the water distribution canal system.

“The time frame for this project depends on our construction methodology, and we’ll work hard to meet that time frame in a shorter period,” said Endale Assefa, department head of planning, communication and change at the Enterprise, which has also been handling water supply development projects, and was contracted to manage the irrigation dam project for the Omo-Kuraz Sugar Factory since 2011.

This project has gone through a redesigning process in order to make it economically viable, according to Michael.

With the original plan, the project would have cost over a million Br for each hectare of the 1,000ha, according to the Commissioner.

“We had to reevaluate the project design,” said Michael, “and this is part of the reason why the project has taken time.”

The Ethiopian Construction Design & Supervision Works Corporation, which was established in 2015 after the merger of three public enterprises, revised the design of the Dam.

This year, the Commission awarded four projects worth over eight billion Birr including the Kaza Irrigation Dam in western Tigray Regional State for 4.3 billion Br.

Gidabo Irrigation Dam Project, which sprawls on 13,000ha, is underway in Oromia and SNNP regional states. The dam structure of the project is completed and the construction of the canal system is underway.

The total irrigated area so far is less than eight percent of the 15 million hectares of cultivated land and only about 20pc of the estimated 5.8 to 7.5 million hectares of land that could be irrigated.

Irrigation dams in the country need to have comprehensive multi-stakeholder studies, according to Mamaru Ayalew (PhD), associate professor at Bahir Dar University’s School of Hydraulic & Water Resource Engineering.

“This might look like an obvious procedure, but for most of the time this is what causes tension between the government and the people and leaves projects unfinished,” Mamaru said.

The expert also made recommendations that would contribute to the success of the country’s projects – active and inclusive participation of the communities near the dams, well-revised designs, and sufficient budget for the projects.

MetEC Seals Deal to Supply Public Offices with Pickups

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Bishoftu Automotive Engineering Industry, a subsidiary of Metals & Engineering Corporation (MetEC), secured a deal to supply 350 pickup trucks worth over half a billion Birr to public offices.

The Ethiopian Construction Works Enterprise, the Defense Construction Enterprise, different town administrations, and federal and regional courts have made a deal with Bishoftu Automotive Engineering Industry for the assembly and supply of the vehicles at a cost of about 560 million Br. The contract includes 310 N2s model double-cabin and 40 N3 double-cabin pickup trucks.

Originally, Liaoning signed an agreement three years ago with Bishoftu Automotive to provide parts for 500 pickups.

Thus far, Bishoftu Automotive has imported 150 pickups from the total for different government organisations.

Bishoftu Automotive, which was re-established in 2010 with a capacity to assemble four vehicles every eight hours, has already imported the components for 60 N2s model double-cabin pickups two months ago. And so far it has assembled and delivered seven of those vehicles.

The components for the rest of the 290 light vehicles are expected to be imported within the coming two months, according to Fikiru Abebe, head of a secretariat office at Bishoftu Automotive, which was first established in 1984 and operated under the Ministry of Defence. It was re-established in 2010 as a public enterprise under MetEC to perform a leading role in assembling military and commercial vehicles.

Bishoftu Automotive, which resides on the premises of MetEC’s headquarters in Bishoftu (Debre Zeit), 40Km south of the capital, was awarded the contract through a direct procurement process, according to Fikiru.

The company hopes to deliver all of the vehicles within five months, according to Fikiru.

It can not produce the vehicles quickly, however, due to the pandemic, the ongoing foreign currency crunch and a labour force shortage, according to Fikiru.

The engineering industrial firm, which has over 3,000 employees, is now operating with 200 to 300 employees due to the Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, which has resulted in the restrictions against public gatherings.

The Ethiopian Construction Works Corporation, which was re-established in December 2015 and operates in six sectors, signed an agreement with Bishoftu last week to procure 25 light vehicles.

“The order we gave them was for 35 light vehicles, but since they had other orders, they offered us 10 less,” said Alehegn Mossu, deputy CEO of the Corporation in charge of construction equipment and the machinery management division.

After the Corporation receives the pickups they will be deployed to more than 30 new and existing projects, according to Alehegn.

The Corporation has been sourcing the components for pick-up truck from Liaoning since its establishment. However, it is planning to work with different companies, according to Fikiru.

“We’re preparing to announce an international tender to work with raw material suppliers,” said Fikiru.

So far, Bishoftu Automotive has supplied a total of 126 heavy trucks of four different models to the Corporation for 327 million Br. Additionally, it assembles and provides military armaments to local and international clients, including the Africa Union (AU).

Bishoftu Automotive has also upgraded to European emission standards, a requirement that governs air pollutants released into the atmosphere from engines. It also improved the vehicle’s engine net weight by 30Kg, from 220Kg, and pushed the engine’s maximum horsepower to 109.

In the eyes of Eshetie Berhan (PhD), an associate professor at Addis Abeba University’s Institution of Technology in the department of mechanical & industrial engineering, assembling vehicles locally is advantageous for saving foreign currency and building local capacity.

He also said that the pandemic might not impact the company from importing the components since most countries are opening up.

“Unless there is a shortage of foreign currency, international shipping will not be a challenge for them, because they started activities,” Eshetie said.

Eshetie also wonders how long the company will keep on importing components.

“The share of the locally-produced material on the assembled vehicles should be increased,” said Eshetie. “The company should partner with the small and medium manufacturers to substitute the components locally.”

Gov’t to Reissue Cancelled Wheat Supply Bid

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The government has started the process of re-floating a tender for the procurement of 400,000tn of wheat after an initial contract was cancelled due to variations in prices.

Last week the Public Procurement & Property Disposal Service cancelled the contract it awarded to two companies to supply the wheat. Martina Mertens Sample and Olam International Limited were awarded the deal for the supply on May 16, 2020, after both of them were deemed technically and financially qualified.

To procure the wheat, the Service has asked for a special procurement permit from the Public Procurement &  Property Administration Agency, the regulatory agency, to re-announce the bid.

Last month, the Service awarded three companies contracts to supply 600,000tn of wheat for market stabilisation and emergency food assistance on behalf of the Ethiopian Trading Business Corporation and the National Disaster Risk Management Commission.

Martina Mertens Sample was awarded a contract to supply 300,000tn of wheat for 65.9 million dollars for three lots. It offered an average of 219.6 dollars a tonne. Olam International, a Singaporean company, was also contracted to supply 100,000tn of wheat for 21.3 million dollars, offering 212.7 dollars a tonne.

The third company GemCorp Commodities, a London-based trading company, was awarded a contract to supply 200,000tn of wheat for 40.7 million dollars. The company offered an average of 203.65 dollars a tonne, which was lower than the other two companies.

While cancelling the contract for the two companies, the Service inked the agreement with GemCorp Commodities on June 9, 2020, to supply 200,000tn of wheat. GemCorp Commodities plans to source the grain from Ukraine and Russia.

Before cancelling the contract, the Service made an analysis comparing the prices the companies offered with the National Bank of Ethiopia’s international wheat market price, according to Abeba Alemayehu, deputy director of the Service in charge of procurement and contract administration.

“We realise that there is a 6.91 dollar a tonne variation between the two prices for the same 100,000tn,” Tsewaye Muluneh said, the director-general of the Service. It procured 1.7 million tonnes of wheat in the last fiscal year from four international companies on behalf of the Ethiopian Business Corporation, the Ministry of Agriculture, and the National Disaster Risk Management Commission.

Between Martina Mertens Sample and Olam International Limited, there is a 2.8-million-dollar price variation, which is not in the interest of the country, according to Tsewaye.

After the initial contracts were cancelled, neither of the companies filed grievances, according to Tsewaye.

“As soon as we get a green light from the Agency,” Tsewaye said, “we’ll float another tender.”

Atlaw Alemu (PhD), a lecturer at Addis Abeba University’s Faculty of Business & Economics, says that it could have been good if the Service had conducted an assessment about the international market price of wheat before awarding the companies.

“In addition to the price set for wheat, it should be noted that the quality of the grain, credit financing, reliability of companies and transportation cost should be considered,” said Atlaw.

Atlaw says that there is not much harm in rebidding the procurement unless the wheat is needed for an urgent purpose.

Before awarding contracts to companies, the Service should adequately review the prices, transportation, credit financing and other criteria of the bidding companies to pick the right one, recommended Atlaw.

Representatives of Martina Mertens Sample and Olam International Limited did not respond to inquiries from Fortune.

Cement Demand Meets Truck Shortage

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Addis Abeba is facing a severe cement supply shortage now that the stocks of many retailers and wholesalers are depleted because of disruptions in the supply chain.

Chronic cement supply shortages have been recurring in the capital since February. But the situation has worsened over the past three weeks, according to retailers, who said that they only have a minimal amount of cement. Last Friday afternoon most of the cement retailers around Qera were closed, and the few who were open had no cement products to sell.

Recently, the Ministry of Trade & Industry decided that only five state-owned enterprises and party-affiliated companies can engage with the wholesale of cement products received from factories.

Guna Trading House Plc, Ambasel Trading House Plc, Biftu Adugna Business S.C., Ethiopian Industrial Input Development Enterprise, and the Ethiopian Trade Works Corporation are the companies that are authorised to exclusively wholesale Portland Pozzolana Cement (PPC) products.

The Ministry authorised the state-owned enterprises to stabilise the cement price and market, according to Eshete Asfaw, state minister for Trade & Industry.

“The cement market was disrupted due to cement supply shortages caused by the involvement of brokers and illegal trading activities,” Eshete told Fortune.

However, the latest shortage was caused by transportation disruptions, according to Eshete.

The Ministry suspended the 12 cement wholesalers for two weeks before it came to the decision to authorise the five firms to wholesale cement products.

“During this period wholesalers across the country were halted from selling cement products while we were assessing the problems,” said Eshete.

Cement transportation interruptions have induced a severe supply setback further complicating the problem. Even after the five companies were authorised to distribute the cement, they could not get trucks to transport the products since most of the vehicles in the country were deployed to Djibouti to transport fertiliser.

The main challenge to the wholesalers is that there is no sufficient cement production, according to Tewodros Mekonen, Habesha Cement’s distributor. “The recent decision by the Ministry of Trade & Industry didn’t affect us as we can still distribute bulk and Ordinary Portland Cement,” said Tewodros. “But the main problem is the cement production shortage from the factories. We can’t get as much cement as we want, because the factories are not producing enough.”

The other challenge that the wholesalers are facing is the price ceiling, according to Tewodros. “We’ve been ordering cement products from factories at higher prices than those recently set by the Ministry. We haven’t yet even received what was ordered months ago.”

Recurrent disruptions are nothing new in this industry. Last year, from April to August, cement factories were facing electric power supply shortages, according to Haile Assegide, president of the Ethiopian Cement Producers Association and CEO of Derba Cement.

Most of the cement factories were producing half of their capacity due to electric power rationing, according to Haile.

The cement industry has been encountering technical and security problems as well. Because of these problems, the production of cement is declining of late.

Derba Cement has been shut down for 75 days between March 17 and June 1, 2020. The factory stopped operations because of the armed attack inflicted on its senior executives, all of them foreigners, in which one died and four were injured, according to Haile.

The factory, which produces 60,000ql of cement a day, is also facing transportation problems.

“When we started production on June 1,” said Haile, “there was no sufficient transportation facility to supply our products to the market.”

Dangote Cement and Mugher Cement also stopped operations recently to undergo maintenance.

Habesha Cement S.C., which was producing 15,000ql of cement a day, has also stopped production and sales since May 11, 2020, because of technical problems, according to Dilnesa Ejigu, production manager at the company.

During the electric power rationing last year, the factory was producing 10,000ql a day, half of its production capacity.

“We’ve been suffering from power shortages, especially in May and June of last year,” he said.

In December and January, the price of a quintal of cement was between 340 Br to 350 Br. However, the price was hiked to 480 Br to 500 Br in late May and early June. Following this price hike, the Ministry of Trade & Industry intervened and set a price cap for cement factories and retailers to restore the price to what it was in December and January.

The Ministry set 214 Br to 230 Br for a quintal as a factory gate price and 342 Br as a maximum retail price, according to Eshete.

“To stabilise the price of cement,” said Eshete, “we’ve decided the retailers’ profit margins should not exceed 20 Br a quintal,” he told Fortune.

The main problem is the disequilibrium between supply and demand; thus, authorities should be working on production solutions, argued Tekie Alemu, an assistant professor of economics at Addis Abeba University.

The government should work on boosting the supply of cement by helping the factories to produce to their full capacity instead of regulating the market, according to Tekie.

“This regulation and bureaucracy might hinder smooth production, bring unemployment, and disrupt trading networks,” he said. “The general inflation also has an immediate impact on the price of cement.”

“The government should formalise and standardise the brokerage sector instead of driving the brokers out of the market as they are the means of information and the trading networks,” Tekie said. “In order for the factories to function safely, imposing order and preserving peace is also a must.”

Currently, the cement factories across the country are producing 17.1 million quintals of cement a year.

Tech Firm Develops Interactive E-Learning App

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A local tech company has developed a web-based, homeschool tutoring application that will assist students in continuing their studies during the Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, which has led to the closure of schools across the country.

Sevents Plc developed the Sevents Home Tutor App for public and private school heads, teachers, students and parents. The application, which took four months to finalise, is mainly designed for students in grades five through 12.

Launched three weeks ago, the application is designed in English, and it can be used offline after downloading the course materials and exercises. Developed by three experts, the system enables users to share course materials, upload videos, audio and PDF documents, complete exercises and test questions, submit individual assignments and use chat rooms between students and teachers.

The company began the process of developing the application before the spread of the virus. Still, it was finalised quickly following the spread of COVID-19, according to Tsena Negash, founder and general manager at Sevents Plc, a two-year-old company.

“It’s social media that teachers, students, parents and school staff can interact with,” said Tsena.

Public schools can use the system for free, but private schools who want to be a part of the portal are required to pay a fee for two, three, six months or one year depending on their needs. The application can be used as an optional reference for regular times and during lockdowns of schools. It can also be used for private tutors.

“There wasn’t a school community focused on social media where the school community could interact with each other,” said Tsena. “We’re in the process of adding five more languages: Tigrigna, Amharic, Afan Oromo, Somalia and Swahili.”

Schools first create their account and subscribe to the portal, then the administrator of the portal assigns teachers and department heads to a specific grade and subject. Sevents charges private schools an average of 50 Br a student as a subscription fee. The system also enables teachers to build their contact information, register students, and upload lessons, exercises and worksheets in the sections provided by the portal.

Before launching the portal, the company conducted a survey and tested the application for its accessibility and uses within schools, according to Tsena.

An educational expert that worked in the sector for four decades appreciates the use of a variety of technologies to keep teaching on track during the pandemic. But he cautions there should be a regulatory mechanism to make sure the materials on such applications are designed in line with the national curriculum.

“These companies should be encouraged,” said Tirusew Tefera, a lecturer at Addis Abeba University’s College of Educational & Behavioral Studies. “However, the content should be relevant to the curriculum and has to be regulated.”

Since the beginning of the pandemic, several companies have launched digital learning platforms. Cilondis Plc, a local tech firm, has developed the Study Africa Portal for elementary, secondary and preparatory school students to receive content updates from the Addis Abeba Education Bureau via textbook, radio and television. Winner System, a subsidiary of Winner Industrial Engineering, has also developed an online learning management system to help higher education students and teachers continue classes during the pandemic.

Andualem Admassie (PhD), director-general at the Higher Education Relevance & Quality Agency, says that so far they have not registered or given permission to any company to provide online learning management systems.

“No system is transparent and accountable unless it is monitored and evaluated by the government or has secured a quality and standard license,” Andualem told Fortune.

The initiative of these companies can be an example of how one purpose can be diverted into another, according to Abebe Mulu, a lecturer at the University of Gonder.

“If they’re using a cloud server,” he said, “there won’t be many limitations, and nowadays cloud servers are recommended for current technology.”

Abebe advises that such applications and platforms should be simple to students and must be multilingual.

Authority Drafts Law to Regulate Telecom Service Quality

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The Ethiopian Communications Authority, the telecom and radiofrequency regulatory body, drafted a directive that requires local telecom operators to submit a quarterly quality of service report.

The draft directive, which has been in the making for the past seven months, went up for public consultation mid-last week and will stay open for comments for four weeks. The directive is among the 12 legal items that have been in the drafting process to enable the Authority to issue a license for two new operators.

In compiling their quarterly report, the service providers will evaluate their internet, interconnected networks, cellular mobile networks, and infrastructure, in addition to their public switch telephones, Voice Over Long Term Evolution (VoLTE), and high-speed wireless communication services. The performance indicators for the services will be assessed based on the measurement methods provided by the Authority.

For voice calls, the companies are expected to evaluate the unsuccessful call ratio, network availability, call set-up time, call drop rate and mobile service coverage signal strength, among other factors. End-to-end delivery time, delivery success rate and service accessibility are some of the parameters to rate the quality of text message services.

The period needed to attach to the network, failure ratio of connection to a network, data transfer rates, speed of data travelling from users to the network and back, and the period needed to access the internet successfully will also be key performance indicators to rate internet service providers.

The main aim of the directive is ensuring service quality, according to Balcha Reba, director-general of the Authority.

“The Authority can take measures after analysing the service quality of the operators,” said Balcha. “We can also conduct audits taking raw data from the operators.”

On the companies that fail to comply with the standards and rectify the identified problems, the Authority can impose sanctions, according to the draft directive.

Service providers should also sign a well-outlined service level agreement with the customer. The agreement should include the level of performance offered to the customer, a compensation payment and a mechanism for claiming compensation.

If the provider made served the customer incorrectly, it is subjected to provide redress and compensation, according to the draft directive.

So far, with the latest one, the Authority has availed five directives for public consultation. Last month, it issued a directive that enables it to issue licenses for service providers, handle dispute resolution, and ensure consumer rights and protection.

The fourth draft directive that is availed with the quality of service law will enable the Authority to administer the national telecommunications numbering plan, allocate and administer numbers, and supervise efficient use of those numbers.

The directives are lining up for approval and enactment before the two new telecom service providers join the industry. Three weeks ago the Authority issued an expression of interest (EOI) inviting interested international telecom operators to indicate their interest before June 22, 2020.

Based on the EOIs, the Authority will announce a request for qualification for the shortlisted companies to measure their technical capabilities. Then a request for proposal will be floated to pick the two winning companies.

Along with the two new operators, Ethio telecom is also required to re-register and follow the new procedures to obtain a license. The Authority will license the three full-service operators for 15 years, and their license is subject to renewal.

Before the establishment of the Authority, Ethio telecom has been filing reports to what was then the Standardisation & Regulation Directorate under the Ministry of Innovation & Technology. Hence, the reporting mechanisms did not involve enforcement.

With Ethio telecom’s limitations, it would be too hard for the enterprise to meet the requirements, according to Abebe Gashaw, an ex-senior manager at Ethio telecom and general manager XMG Business Group Plc.

“For example, the standard call seizure ranges from four to five seconds, but now Ethio telecom’s call seizure rate is around 40 to 60 seconds, and this is just one parameter the enterprise fails to satisfy with its current services,” he said.

And this happened after switches were changed, according to Abebe.

The expert also recommends the Ethiopian Communications Authority strengthen its regulatory capacity and human resources on top of issuing the legal directives and the requirements.

Abebe also recommended the Authority incorporate all the International Telecom Union (ITU) service quality recommendations to local quality measurement methods.

Chaka Coffee Feeds 300 People

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Chaka Coffee, one of the coffee shops and cafes in the capital, has started feeding 300 people whose lives have been affected due to the Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic once a day.

The beneficiaries are from Bole District, where the weredaadministrations of the District selected them. The feeding is taking place on the premises of the weredasthemselves. The beneficiaries are divided into three groups. In the first group the company feeds 140 people, while the second and third teams serve 100 and 60 people, respectively.

The company kicked off the programme last month. It will continue for three more months with the possibility of being extended if things do not get back to normal, according to Besrat Belay, managing director at Chaka, which was established five years ago with one million Birr in capital. Currently, it raised its capital to 20 million Br and operates with 150 employees.

The beneficiaries are commercial sex workers, street children and people living in poverty, according to Seblework Bekele, spokesperson of Wereda 04.

Chaka Coffee sources food ingredients locally and spends 35 Br a meal for each person, excluding the cost of electricity, employees’ salaries for this programme and other expenses. From Monday to Saturday, the company offers injerawith different stews, and macaroni and rice are served on Sundays. Chaka spends more than 10,000 Br a day and a little over 300,000 Br a month for the feeding programme.

The company started the initiative for only one month by providing food for 500 people, but it extended the programme for three months and reduced the number of people being served every week, according to Besrat.

“This round of feeding will continue until September,” Besrat told Fortune.

The meals are cooked at Chaka’s kitchen by chefs who were cooking meals for the Addis Abeba City Administration school feeding programme but lost their jobs following the closure of schools due to COVID-19.

Meron Werku was one of the chefs that were hired by Chaka after she left her job cooking for Misrak Dele School.

“I’m getting 150 Br a day, and we work in shifts,” she said.

Chaka delivers the cooked meals to the premises of the weredaspacked in plastic bags using its own vehicles.

Seyid Ebrahim, who lives in the District, is one of the beneficiaries included on the list after being selected by his weredaand receiving a coupon.

“I’ve been getting the lunch since the first day of the programme,” he said.

Apart from the feeding initiative, the company is supporting different charity organisations such as the Macedonians Humanitarian Association, Muday Charity Association and Gergesenon Association for Supporting Peoples with Mental Disorder.

Abeje Berhanu (PhD), an associate professor at the College of Social Science at Addis Abeba University, appreciates the move of the company since it is helping many people at a time by feeding those in need and hiring chefs who lost their jobs due to the pandemic.

Abeje also called on other private companies to join the effort, explaining that the government by itself cannot satisfy the needs of the people who will be affected by the pandemic.

If the situation gets worse, a total of 30 million vulnerable people will require food support, according to the latest data from the Ministry of Finance.