AfCFTA Strides, National Implementations Fall Behind


AfCFTA Strides, National Implementations Fall Behind

The 15th Council of Ministers Meeting of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) convened in Addis Abeba last week, bringing together stakeholders to discuss boosting trade integration and sustainable development on the continent. The AfCFTA aims to transform small and fragmented markets into a single market of over 1.4 billion people, looking to ensure heightened growth and development. It will enhance Africa's collective bargaining power on the global stage and aligns with the commitment to sustainable development goals and the African Union's Agenda 2063. Ethiopia, represented by the Ministry of Trade and Regional Integration has participated in the AfCFTA negotiation process and initiating pilot trades through the Guided Trade Initiative. The AfCFTA Secretary-General, Wamkele Mene, stressed the importance of accelerating implementation at the national level, emphasizing the need for the inclusion of the private sector, youth, and small and medium enterprises.


Radar

Yirgalem Hospital Inaugurates New Oxygen Production Plant

A new oxygen production plant has been inaugurated at Yirgalem Hospital Medical College in Sidama Regional State. The launch was attended by the regional state's chief administrator Desta Ledamo and Health Minister Mekdes Daba (PhD). Desta noted that a new kidney dialysis centre will soon be opened as well. Mekdes stated that the Ministry is working to increase the number of oxygen production facilities from the current 10 to 34 nationwide. The Yirgalem plant cost 86 million Br to build and h...


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Corridor Develops with Parking, Recklessness Concerns, Research Finds

Research involving 400 respondents across four first-round corridor development routes revealed major challenges to the initiative. The study, conducted by Shaka Analytics and ETC Institute in collaboration with the Addis Abeba City Transport Bureau, examined the impact of the program on transportation patterns, transit accessibility, and parking availability. The routes—Arat Kilo to Bole Deldey, Embassy of England to Arat Kilo, Mexico roundabout to Wello Sefer, and Piassa to Arat Kilo—we...


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Digitalisation Spreads to the Court System

Ethio telecom and the Amhara Regional State Supreme Court have agreed to implement a Smart Court project in Bahir Dar to modernize court operations using digital technology. This agreement includes building a modern network infrastructure, implementing cloud services, creating a modular data centre, establishing a network operations control centre, and connecting the region's courts with a secure digital network. The project is designed to facilitate secure digital information exchange betwee...