Cost of Living Jumps to 22.6pc

Apr 4 , 2020


[ssba-buttons]

Headline inflation, an indicator of the cost of living, continues to spike and reached the highest rate in six years when it hit a rate of 22.6pc last month, according to the latest Consumer Price Index from the Central Statistical Agency (CSA). Driven by inflation in food prices, the rate has shown a 0.8 percentage point rise from the previous month. Last month, food inflation jumped close to two percentage points to 26.9pc, while non-food inflation showed a slight decline to 17.6pc. March's rate, which came out after Ethiopia confirmed its first case of the Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19), is the second highest jump in six years next to the 22.2pc rate that was registered in 2014. Except for wheat, the price of almost all cereals increased, especially that of teff, maize and sorghum, according to the report.


Radar

US Renews National Emergency, Sanctions on Ethiopia

The United States has extended the national emergency and sanctions on Ethiopia for another year under the African Growth & Opportunity Act (AGOA). Signed by President Donald J. Trump, the measure was first declared on September 17, 2021, through an executive order citing the conflict in northern region of the country as an "unusual and extraordinary" threat to U.S. national security and foreign policy. The extension, effective until September 17, 2026, keeps in place restrictions targeti...


Radar

Rockefeller Pitches Clean Cooking to Curb School Meal Emissions

A recent study has revealed the staggering environmental toll of school feeding programs. A single school serving 400 students can burn through the equivalent of 56 hectares of forest each year to fuel cooking. The Rockefeller Foundation flagged the health risks too, with most cooks, predominantly women, breathing smoke levels ten times higher than the World Health Organisation's safe limit. "If every school meal transitioned to clean cooking with electricity and solar, the emissions saved wo...


Radar

Sun-Powered Grid Brings Light to Qunbi District

A new 600KW solar mini-grid in East Hararge'sQunbi district has connected 2,200 households to electricity, marking a milestone in the recent rural electrification push. Ethiopian Electric Utility (EEU) laid seven kilometres of medium-voltage and 10 kilometres of low-voltage lines, installing four transformers to reach communities long cut off from power. Customers cover only meter and installation costs before accessing the service. The project is part of the national strategy to expand energ...