Ex-MetEC Chief Kinfe Dagnew Walks Out

Mar 16 , 2024


[ssba-buttons]

After enduring a lengthy period of incarceration spanning five years and four months, Kinfe Dagnew (MG), the former director general of the Metals & Engineering Corporation (MetEC), was granted release last week. Kinfe had been embroiled in a legal battle since 2018, facing charges of high-level corruption related to various transactions overseen during his tenure. Among the allegations were irregularities surrounding the Rivera Hotel and PVC Profile Factory, with accusations of transactions conducted without adherence to proper and legal bidding processes. His release was alongside the former head of the Somali Regional State, Abdi Mohamed Omar (Abdi Ile). According to a local media report, the Ministry of Justice sent a statement indicating that the charges against both have been dropped for "lasting public interest."


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...