Rehab Commission, Addis Chamber Join Forces for DDR Project


Rehab Commission, Addis Chamber Join Forces for DDR Project

In a bid to garner support from the private sector for the disarmament, demobilisation and reintegration (DDR) project, the National Rehabilitation Commission (NRC) partnered with the Addis Abeba Chamber of Commerce & Sectoral Association (AACCSA) last week. The potential of the business community to contribute to peace and stability was underscored, during the panel discussion at the Inter-Luxury Hotel on Guinea Conakry (Tito) St. Mesenbet Shenkute, the president of Addis Chamber, expressed concern over the decline in international and domestic investment in Ethiopia amid bouts of conflict in different parts of the country. Political science fellow Yonas Ashine (PhD) presented a study highlighting the business community's inadvertent role in fueling conflicts. He emphasised the importance of an inclusive peace-building process, combining humanitarian intervention and reconciliation efforts. Shanko Delelegn, head of the commissioner secretariat, stressed the vital role of the business community in providing financial support for the DDR project, with a substantial financial requirement of 920 million dollars over the next three years. Funding is expected to be sourced from the government, donors, and private capital. He revealed that over 370,000 ex-combatants have agreed to enter the DDR program, with one branch already operational and providing services in Meqelle town, Tigray Regional State.


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Coffee Exports Bring in 1.5B Br in Third Quarter

Ethiopia has earned 1.5 billion dollars from coffee exports over the nine months of the fiscal year. The country had set a target to earn a little over a billion dollars by exporting 201,959tns of coffee during the same period. According to Adugna Debella (PhD), director general of the Ethiopian Coffee & Tea Authority, the export strategy continues to focus on major international markets, with the top 10 destinations, including Saudi Arabia, Germany, and the United States (SU), accounting...


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Central Bank Holds Fourth Exchange Auction

The National Bank of Ethiopia(NBE) sold one dollar for 131.4961 birr in its recent auction. It was reported that 26 banks participated in this auction, which took place last week on Thursday. In a statement issued by the National Bank  following the auction, it was indicated that 70 million dollars was offered for the event. Subsequently, it was reported that 96 pc of the foreign exchange needs of the participating banks were met. In the previous auction, held 15 days ago, the bank had of...


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City Registers 64,075 Births in Fiscal Year

The city has exceeded its birth registration target for the first nine months of the fiscal year, registering 64,075 children—71.15pc more than the set goal of 58,342. This success, with a registration coverage rate of 109.63pc, is largely attributed to the efficiency of the one-centre birth registration service system, which has been rolled out across health centres and courts. The total number of vital events registered, including births, adoptions, marriages, divorces, and deaths, reache...