Commissioner's Resignation Takes Staff by Surprise

Aug 8 , 2020


[ssba-buttons]

The unexpected resignation of Ephrem Tekle (MD), head of the  Jobs Creation Commission, surprised the senior staff of the Commission. Ephrem resigned from his post on August 6, 2020, attributing his abrupt decision to personal reasons. The news caught the senior management off guard as the Commissioner was on duty until the announcement of his resignation, chairing meetings to discuss a newly launched project. Most of the Commission's staff learned about the news on Twitter along with everybody else, according to a senior staff member at the Commission. "We're still reeling from the news and haven’t processed it yet," this person told Fortune. Ephrem is the second high-ranking official to tender a resignation in a month and a half following the resignation of Abebe Abebayehu from the Ethiopian Investment Commission, where he had been serving as commissioner for two years. Ephrem, appointed to lead the Commission in December 2018, the same year the Commission was established, has been serving in the public sector for the past nine years at the Ministry of Health and Meqelle University.


Radar

New Directive Tightens Rules for Foreign Employment Agencies

The Ministry of Labour & Skills has issued a directive under the Ethiopian foreign employment framework, setting clear standards for agency size, capital, and operations. Depending on their level, newly established agencies can serve between 10 and over 100 workers a day. Office space requirements range from 100sqm to 700sqm, tied to operational scale. Level-one agencies must hold a paid-up capital of 20 million Br and place a security deposit of 250,000 dollars or its birr equivalent...


Radar

Audit Findings Expose Deepening Gaps in Accountability

A new study reveals that audit irregularities in Ethiopia have continued to rise year after year, driven by weak enforcement and unresolved legacy problems. The finding, commissioned by the Office of the Federal Auditor General (OFAG) and conducted by independent researchers from Addis Abeba University, examined audit reports covering 2009–2023. The study attributes the persistent irregularities to limited accountability, poor follow-up, and reduced audit coverage during political transitio...


Radar

Africa Maritime Conference Sets Sights on Seafaring Innovation

The Ministry of Transport & Logistics has launched the first-ever Africa Maritime Conference, marking a bold move to position landlocked Ethiopia as a continental hub for seafaring innovation at a time of global talent shortages. At a pre-conference briefing, Frans Joubert, CEO of YCF Manning Ltd, underscored Africa's untapped potential in the maritime sector. Of the 1.9 million seafarers worldwide, only four percent are African—despite the continent hosting around 150 maritime academie...