Premier Appoints Beker as Deputy Head of Policy Think Tank

Sep 11 , 2020


[ssba-buttons]

Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed (PhD) appointed Beker Shale (PhD) as deputy director-general of the Institute for Strategic Affairs (ISA), a policy think tank engaged in research and policy analysis. Beker, former director-general of the then Ethiopian Revenues & Customs Authority, received his PhD from South Korea Yonsei University in public administration last month. He has a BA degree in organisational management and a master’s degree in leadership. He served at the regional and national levels in different positions rising from wereda administrator in his hometown, Dodola, West Arsi, state minister of Government Communications, and Mayor of Adama to the head of the then Oromia People’s Democratic Organisation (OPDO) until he left the position three years ago to pursue his doctoral degree. Yohannes Buayalew, who was the head of the then Amhara Democratic Party (ADP), joined the Institute last month as the director-general following the departure of Hallelujah Lulie, who tendered his resignation after serving the Institute for two years. Three months ago the Council of Ministers approved the revised regulation that transferred the accountability of the Institute back to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs from the Ministry of Peace.


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...