MSMEs Set to Export to China via Alibaba

May 23 , 2021


The Ministry of Trade & Industry, in collaboration with Alibaba and the United Nations's Economic Commission for Africa (ECA), has kicked off a pilot programme wherein it trains micro, small and medium enterprises to facilitate the export of their products to China via Alibaba's e-commerce platform. The programme targets producers and merchants invested in the leather products, textile and garment, processed coffee, and opal industries. These sectors were chosen based on consideration of perishability and relevance in China's market. Applicants are required to have proven technical and financial capacity to produce products suitable in quality and quantity for the Chinese market. The application was opened for ten days on April 14, 2021, and applicants will be evaluated by a committee. With the implementation of the project, the Ministry aims to identify gaps in e-commerce trading and identify policy adjustment that might be needed.


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...