Day: July 14, 2023

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Green Legacy Way to Show World Climate Change Not Just Lip Service: UNIDO Representative

UNIDO Representative in Ethiopia, Aurelia Patrizia Calabrò, who has participated in the Green Legacy Initiative for three consecutive years, said that the initiative is a way to show the world that climate change is not just lip service.

In an exclusive interview with ENA, the UNIDO Representative and Director of the Regional Hub in Ethiopia has also expressed her readiness to participate in this year’s planting of seedlings next week.

“We have been invited by the Government of Ethiopia as the nation is aiming at 500 million trees to be planted on Monday in one day. So, I am participating myself in this initiative.”

According to her, Ethiopia is a country of bio-diversity and it has been affected by different natural reserve disasters, including drought and floods, among others.

“I think it (the initiative) is a way to show to the world that Ethiopia is on the map that climate change is not just lip service.”

She stated that the Green Legacy is definitely a very important step and the country is not doing it only once every year, adding that this is the fifth year Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed is fully involved.

The Green Legacy, which was initiated by the premier and launched four years ago with an overarching goal of planting 20 billion seedlings, has succeeded in planting 25 billion seedlings, including fruit, and cattle feeds.

“This is something that I really like that it is taking at this highest level, and then going down to the population, and (it is) especially important) for the new generations and kids in school.”

Calabrò further said that the Green Legacy is not only about planting trees, it’s also very much linked to the so-called urban agriculture.

“I have visited the office of the Prime Minister, and I have seen what is being done even inside the office in the production of fruits and vegetables.”

The UNIDO representative thinks this “is really something that is again part of this theory of change where people are instigated and stimulated. It is also linked to import substitutions.”

Calabrò noted that it is a very important step that Ethiopia has been undertaking and there is no way of going back. “You have only to look at the future with great optimism and support all of these important initiatives that are coming now in place.”

Moreover, she elaborated that the Green Legacy Initiative has got momentum among Ethiopians from all walks of life, which shows the “commitment and the pride of the people of Ethiopia.”

Source: Ethiopian News Agency

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Some 75,000 Ex-combatants to Join Rehabilitation Center: Rehabilitation Commission

The National Rehabilitation Commission said today that some 75,000 ex-combatants will join the rehabilitation and training centers until December 2023.

Of the total, 50,000 ex-combatants will be from Tigray region as part of the Disarmament, Demobilization and Rehabilitation (DDR) program, it was indicated.

The National Rehabilitation Commission is undertaking a consultative meeting with NGOs on DDR program.

In his keynote address, the National Rehabilitation Commissioner, Ambassador Teshome Toga, said that the disarmament, demobilization and rehabilitations efforts require massive resources and support from various stakeholders.

He added Ethiopia has by far the largest DDR program compared with other countries.

For instance, the National Rehabilitation Commission has so far identified some 371,971 ex-combatants.

This is the largest number that requires advocacy, financial and material assistance from the National and international partners, the commissioner stated.

Source: Ethiopian News Agency

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Ethiopia, Germany Sign 25 Million Euros Grant Agreement

Ethiopia and Germany signed a 25 million euros grant agreement today to support the improvement of critical rural value chains in the agricultural sector.

State Minister of Finance Semereta Sewasew and Director for Eastern Africa and African Union KfW Group KfW Development Bank, Christoph Tiskens signed the agreement.

The Project namely “Strengthening Rural Value Chains in Ethiopia” is aimed to support the improvement of critical rural value chains in the agricultural sector in East Gojjam and Arsi Zones in Amhara and Oromia Regional States, respectively.

The purpose of the project is to implement climate smart and ecologically sustainable increase of agricultural productivity and market access for high potential rainfed farming systems in the targeted project areas, according to Finance Ministry.

The project targets the improvement of the agro-ecological potential for rainfed agriculture, especially cereal and legume production: access of farmers to inputs and improved capacities of Project Executing Agency (PEA) and Project Implementing Units (PIU).

Source: Ethiopian News Agency

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Ethiopia Needs Greater Innovation, Market Dev’t to Broaden Insurance Uptake: NBE Deputy Governor

There is a need for greater innovation and market development to broaden insurance uptake in Ethiopia, Deputy Governor of National Bank of Ethiopia (NBE) Solomon Desta said.

Opening the conference held in Addis Ababa today with the theme ” Innovation for Resilience – Shaping the Future of Insurtech in Africa” Solomon said “We recognize the importance of innovation in addressing the challenges faced by the insurance industry.”

“In Ethiopia, there is a need for greater innovation and market development to broaden insurance uptake. Despite the recent history of financial sector liberalization and reform, the insurance industry in Ethiopia remains relatively underdeveloped.”

In light of Ethiopia’s significantly low insurance penetration, a new approach to insurance and market development is needed to catalyze greater uptake by consumers and to enable the formal market to tap into latent demand, he further elaborated.

The NBE is working towards setting up an independent insurance regulatory body, focusing on encouraging the insurance industry, he further pointed out.

Through this event, he said we aim to encourage collaboration, knowledge sharing and the adoption of innovative practices that will deliver the sustainable growth and expand access to insurance services for all Ethiopians.

Similarly, CEO of FSD Ethiopia, Ermias Eshetu said that the event presents an opportunity to showcase Ethiopia’s insurance sector and contribute to the advancement of the broader African insurance landscape.

By embracing innovation, fostering strategic partnerships, and creating an enabling regulatory environment, we can collectively drive positive change and enhance societal resilience, he noted.

FSD Ethiopia is dedicated to the achievement of accessible inclusive and sustainable financial markets that support Ethiopia’s long-term development goals, it was indicated.

Accordingly, the conference aimed to foster growth, facilitate strategic partnerships, and establish an enabling regulatory environment that supports the advancement of the insurance sector in Africa.

Financial Inclusion Specialist from FSD Africa Elias Omondi said for his part that FSD Africa works to catalyze innovation within the market.

“As FSD Africa, what we do is to catalyze innovation within the market, we want to see the insurance penetration in Ethiopia grow beyond 0.5 percent, we want to see those particular women that have no insurance get access to insurance, and the smallholder farmers get access to affordable solutions.”

Africa which is the most exposed continent is arguably the least protected in terms of insurance and that basically indicates there is a lot of work that we need to do as a continent, he noted.

Source: Ethiopian News Agency

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Namibia is open for business: Mbumba

Vice president, Nangolo Mbumba, on Thursday reiterated that Namibia is open for business and that interested investors should take up available opportunities.

Mbumba made these remarks at the US-Africa business summit held in Gaborone, Botswana, under the theme; “Namibia-becoming the sustainable energy capital of Africa.’

Mbumba stated that Namibia’s energy sector has seen considerable advancements in recent times.

“In realm of oil and gas, the discovery of vast reserves by international companies TotalEnergies and Shell has catalysed a new dawn for our country,” Mbumba said, adding that these reserves, once fully appraised and eventually developed, will contribute meaningfully to our economy and will form a cornerstone in the country’s strategy to alleviate unemployment and income inequality.

Moreover, he stated that with regards to renewable energy, Namibia’s unique geographical attributes place Namibia at a significant advantage above many other countries, explaining that Namibia has 300 days of sunshine annually and is blessed with constant winds.

‘With the signing of the feasibility implementation agreement with Hyphen Hydrogen Energy to produce green energy hydrogen, Namibia is effectively harnessing our natural resources to contribute not only to regional energy equity, sustainability and security, but also to the decarbonisation of our planet,’ Mbumba said.

Source: The Namibian Press Agency

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Brave Gladiators outclass Equatorial Guinea in olympic qualifiers

The national senior women’s football team, the “Brave Gladiators”, will have a two-goal advantage on Tuesday to their return leg of the 2024 Women’s Olympic Games qualifier against Equatorial Guinea.

The Brave Gladiators outclass their opponents 2-0 in the first leg of their Olympic qualifiers at the FNB Stadium in Johannesburg on Thursday.

The 2024 Women’s Olympic Games qualifiers are being used to select two teams that will represent the continent in Paris, France in 2024. The winner of the first-round ties will advance to the second round, where they will face Morocco in October this year.

In their opening match of the qualifiers on Thursday, the gladiators put up an outstanding performance, which saw their talisman, Zenatha Coleman, opening the score in the 34th minute to take the game to the half-time break with a 1-0 lead.

In the second half, Coleman’s brilliant play once again saw her creating an assist for Ivone Kooper, who double the score in the 52nd minute to put the Namibian outfit at an advantage ahead of their return leg in Malabo.

In an interview after the match, gladiators’ head coach, Paulus Shipanga, said playing against a team that is better than them is always a challenge but patience and dedication got them through.

“I am proud of the girls the way they played. I would have liked more goals but we need to be thankful for the ones we scored and played against players that are bigger than us in physique. You are not able to dominate them physically therefore we opted for speed which won us the game,” he said.

He added that his long-term goal is to build something for the next two or three years but with him just being an interim coach that would be difficult to execute but he will do his best to give each player a playing opportunity.

The return leg of the 2024 Paris Olympic Games qualifiers is slated for Malabo Stadium in Malabo, Equatorial Guinea on 18 July 2023.

Source: The Namibian Press Agency

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