Private Investment Takes Flight in Aviation Industry

May 25 , 2024


[ssba-buttons]

Local private operators received the green light last week to expand their services beyond charter flights, offering regular passenger and cargo options. This move by the Ethiopian Civil Aviation Authority is expected to boost the air transport sector, attracting private companies to invest in air travel services. The Authority is partnering with private investors to improve air transport infrastructure by building over 21 new airstrips and helipads in previously underserved areas. Officials believe this expansion is expected to strengthen economic ties and facilitate trade across the country, with a particular focus on increasing accessibility to tourist destinations. This initiative coincides with the launch of a separate project aimed at enhancing passenger experience at Bole International Airport. Partnering with the Ethiopian Civil Service Commission, the project focuses on streamlining processes to reduce passenger wait times. It follows an initial needs assessment conducted in April.


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...