Investment Expo Kicks Off in the Capital

Apr 29 , 2023


[ssba-buttons]

Over 200 investors gathered in the capital last week looking for investment opportunities in agriculture, industry, mining, infrastructure and tourism sectors. The three-day investment expo was ushered by Ethiopian Investment Commission (EIC), under Lelise Neme, in partnership with Ethiotelecom. Officials from the Investment Commissions and Bureaus of the regional states were in attendance. Aisha Mohammed, head of the Afar Investment Commission, discussed that mining investments including Gold, Salt, and Opal are found in the regional state with agricultural opportunities in five zones. Officials from the Amhara Regional State Industry & Investment Bureau were present at the expo held at Sky-light Hotel, African Avenue (Bole Road). Haimanot Abiy, head of promotion at the commission cited Gondor, Semen-Shewa, Wello, and Bahirdar as the prominent investment areas where horticulture and tourism investment opportunities prevail. According to Haimanot, foreign investors are yet to seize the opportunities with local investors taking over the scene. He said the regional state was able to attract more than 50 investors last year which is still not enough. The Commission was able to attract 96 local and foreign investors last year.


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...