Ernst & Young Offers Lowest Sugar Privatisation Bid

Jun 5 , 2021


[ssba-buttons]

Ernst & Young, one of the four largest international consulting firms, is inching closer in its bid to serve as a transaction adviser in the privatisation of 10 out of the 13 state-owned sugar factories in the country. The company offered half of the price named by the only other competitor, Price Waterhouse Cooper (PwC). Ernst & Young offered 3.3 million dollars while PwC offered a little over 6.6 million dollars. Bidding was opened a month ago by the Public Enterprises Holding and Administration Agency. Though 11 companies showed an interest in the invitation to bid, only 6 were able to fulfil both technical and financial criteria, and only two made it into the final round of evaluations. The winner is expected to plan and recommend the best transaction approach that fits each sugar plant besides providing support for the Agency in attracting potential investors during the privatisation process.   EDITOR'S NOTE: This story has been edited on June 7, 2021


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...