Ethio-China Bolster Ties Amid Resurgence of Belt & Road Initiative

Aug 21 , 2023


Exporters and researchers met with enterprise officials from China last week to promote partnerships and explore trade opportunities amid the resurgence of the Belt & Road Initiative (BRI). Deputy Minister of Finance of China, Min Liao urged Ethiopian researchers to develop robust policy recommendations and effectively address the investment challenges in Ethiopia, such as capital, banking, governance, and security issues. Netsanet Jote (Phd), a lead researcher at the Ethiopian Policy Studies Institute, highlighted infrastructure development as the main benefit of the Belt & Road Initiative (BRI). She pointed out significant investments in transportation and energy sectors, such as the Addis Abeba-Djibouti railroad, which improved connectivity and trade and supported Ethiopia's hydropower projects enabling the country to become a regional exporter of clean energy. The initiative helped expand export markets, attract foreign investment, develop industry and promote education and training programs in China. Melaku Mulualem of the Institute of Foreign Affairs stated that the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA) is in development to allow China's participation in free trade, with an expected maturity date of 2024.


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...


Radar

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...


Radar

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...