Ethiopia-China Cooperation Committee Bridges the Gap to Rural Electrification

Oct 2 , 2023


[ssba-buttons]

With hopes of scaling up the solar power capacity through a special vehicle funding system, the Ethiopia-China Cooperation Committee has a discussion with the Ethiopian Investment Commission (EIC) officials on its Light Up Ethiopia Villages program. Deputy Commissioner Temesgen Tilahun expressed his commitment to the realisation of the project and implementation of the wider engagement. China has been Ethiopia's largest source of investment for decades in addition to its grants and loans for several government projects. Its investors play a pivotal role in creating job opportunities and transferring technology in the country most of them still involved in industrial parks. Led by the Committee president Betty Xu (PhD) the project aims to increase the business and investment of Chinese enterprises and build an all-round high-end service platform between the two countries.


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...