MasterCard Funds COVID-19 Response Centre

Oct 17 , 2020


[ssba-buttons]

MasterCard Foundation and the Ministry of Innovation & Technology have launched a project to support the development of the Citizens Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) Response Data-Driven Health Informatics Portal. The Ministry has received close to 887,000 dollars from the Foundation for the project, which will leverage digital innovation in the response and engagement of citizens on the pandemic. The platform being devised by the project will serve as a joint portal to collect and release information on government intervention policies regarding COVID-19 at a regional and national level. It will also facilitate information flow to citizens on all government COVID-19 responses. Plans for a rapid response centre to respond to questions and concerns from citizens is part of the project. This will use an inbound and outbound call centre with a toll-free line integrated with an information portal. The Response Centre is expected to be run by the Ministry of Innovation & Technology and its partners, including the Ministry of Health, the Ethiopian Public Health Institution, and Ethio telecom among others.


Radar

New Directive Tightens Rules for Foreign Employment Agencies

The Ministry of Labour & Skills has issued a directive under the Ethiopian foreign employment framework, setting clear standards for agency size, capital, and operations. Depending on their level, newly established agencies can serve between 10 and over 100 workers a day. Office space requirements range from 100sqm to 700sqm, tied to operational scale. Level-one agencies must hold a paid-up capital of 20 million Br and place a security deposit of 250,000 dollars or its birr equivalent...


Radar

Audit Findings Expose Deepening Gaps in Accountability

A new study reveals that audit irregularities in Ethiopia have continued to rise year after year, driven by weak enforcement and unresolved legacy problems. The finding, commissioned by the Office of the Federal Auditor General (OFAG) and conducted by independent researchers from Addis Abeba University, examined audit reports covering 2009–2023. The study attributes the persistent irregularities to limited accountability, poor follow-up, and reduced audit coverage during political transitio...


Radar

Africa Maritime Conference Sets Sights on Seafaring Innovation

The Ministry of Transport & Logistics has launched the first-ever Africa Maritime Conference, marking a bold move to position landlocked Ethiopia as a continental hub for seafaring innovation at a time of global talent shortages. At a pre-conference briefing, Frans Joubert, CEO of YCF Manning Ltd, underscored Africa's untapped potential in the maritime sector. Of the 1.9 million seafarers worldwide, only four percent are African—despite the continent hosting around 150 maritime academie...