Council Approves Telecom Agency Formation

Feb 9 , 2019


The Council of Ministers has approved a proclamation drafted for the establishment of a telecom regulatory agency. The bill was approved by the Council of Ministers and passed the parliament last Monday, February 4, 2019. Tabled by the Ministry of Finance, the bill enables the Agency to set telecom tariffs and licenses and regulates telecom service providers. The new agency will be replacing the Standardization & Regulation Directorate that has been operating under the former Ministry of Communication & Information Technology. In early June of last year, the Executive Committee of the ruling EPRDF unanimously voted to partially privatise some of the most profitable state enterprises, including Ethio telecom, with the government retaining majority stakes.


Radar

Horn Initiative Boosts Regional Development Agenda

A total of 20 projects worth three billion dollars are currently being implemented in Ethiopia under the Horn of Africa Initiative, which held a performance review platform last week. This initiative, established in 2019, seeks to economically integrate Horn of Africa countries through development projects. Finance Minister Ahmed Shide accentuated the initiative's goals of enhancing infrastructure connectivity, strengthening trade and economic integration, building resilience to natural and man...


Radar

Budget Woes Plague Region

The Amhara Regional State's six-month performance review revealed substantial budget shortfalls, achieving only 28.27pc of its targeted revenue. Chief Administrator Arega Kebede reported to the regional council that of the planned 71.65 billion Br for the current fiscal year, only 20.26 billion Br was collected. Despite this, revenue did see a year-on-year increase of four billion Birr. The regional state's tax-to-GDP ratio stands at a low 2.82pc, far below the national average of 7.05pc. Arega...


Radar

Modern Farming Boosted with New Centre of Excellence

The Agricultural Mechanization Centre of Excellence, built in the Qaliti area with collaboration from South Korea was inaugurated last week. The centre was constructed in seven months at a project cost of 14.7 million dollars funded by the South Korean government. It is expected to serve as a hub for inspecting, controlling, researching, and repairing agricultural mechanization machinery while also providing vocational training to develop skilled personnel in the field. Minister of Agricultur...