ACWA, Ethiopia Ink Power Purchase Deal

Dec 21 , 2019


[ssba-buttons]

ACWA Power, a Saudi Arabian power company, signed a 20-year power purchase agreement (PPA) with Ethiopian Electric Power on December 19, 2019. The agreement was made for two 125MW solar photovoltaic (PV) projects in Afar and Somali regional states. ACWA will sell the power at 0.0252 dollars a kilowatt-hour from Gad Solar Project in the Afar Regional State and 0.0259 dollars a kilowatt-hour from Dicheto Solar Project in Somali Regional State. With a combined capacity of 250MW, the PV projects are estimated to power 750,000 homes in Ethiopia and offset 320,000tn of carbon dioxide a year. ACWA Power was selected as the winner of the project out of 12 pre-qualified bidders.


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...