Malawi Wire

The Ethio-Jordan bilateral relations are progressing in many fields, Ambassador Zuhair Ensour told ENA.

Jordan’s Ambassador to Ethiopia, Zuhair Ensour, said that the relations have been moving forward in many fields, including in people-to-people, cultural, and tourism sectors.

According to him, an Ethiopian delegation in Amman is planning to open an Ethiopian Embassy in Amman because there are more than 33,000 Ethiopians staying in Jordan; and this is a very huge community.

The diplomatic relationship between Jordan and Ethiopia is very strong, and the countries also cooperate in the global arena.

“There is cooperation in the field of economy, politics, and culture,” he stated.

High-level visits between the two countries are starting to move and the bilateral relations are showing some progress.

Ambassador Ensour said an agreement in the labor field was renewed last week, referring to the agreement signed between the representatives of the two countries to regulate recruitment.

He believes that the cooperation between the two countries is great, except in the economy.

The ambassador stressed that trade exchange between Ethiopia and Jordan needs to be scaled up as it is about 22 million USD a year.

There are some Jordanian investors in Ethiopia engaged mainly in the manufacturing and agro-processing sectors, he noted, adding that Jordanian investors are happy and ready to invest in Ethiopia.

“When the economy is ready, we are ready to move and bring Jordan investors who are happy to invest in Ethiopia,” Ambassador Zuhair said.

On the other hand, officials from the Ethiopian Ministry of Foreign Affairs visited Amman a few weeks ago and met with high-level officials.

They are most welcome and we are pushing them to hurry up to open the mission in Amman.

He further revealed that the Government of Jordan has provided land to the Ethiopian Christian Tewahdo Church to build a church for the Ethiopian community around the holy site of the Jordan River.

We are waiting for them to build the church, the ambassador said.

Moreover, there are four Ethiopian flights from Addis Ababa to Amman every week that strengthen ties between the countries.

Ethiopia and Jordan are making progress in their diplomatic relations, but there is still room for greater bilateral and multilateral collaboration for the mutual benefit of both nations.

Source: Ethiopian News Agency

Ethiopian Ambassador to Uganda has presented her letter of credence to the President of Uganda Yoweri Kaguta Museveni.

The newly appointed Ethiopian Ambassador to Uganda presented her Letter of Credence to the President Yoweri Museveni, at State House Uganda in Entebbe on Tuesday.

During the solemn presentation ceremony, Etsegenet conveyed a message and greetings from the President of Ethiopia, Sahle-Work Zewde to her Ugandan counterpart and through him to the People of Uganda.

The Ambassador vowed to further enhance the longstanding diplomatic relations between the two countries during her tenure noting that the existing relationship of Ethiopia and Uganda is strategical.

The ambassador also stated that she will give the paramount attention to the development of people to people interaction and enhance economic cooperation of the two nations.

Source: Ethiopian News Agency

About 50 people protested in Windhoek on Wednesday in solidarity with Namibia Economic Freedom Fighter member, Michael Amushelelo.

Amushelelo was arrested in March on allegations that he violated a court order that prevented him from protesting against youth unemployment. He was arrested alongside Popular Democratic Movement (PDM) member of parliament Inna Hengari and social activist Dimbulukweni Nauyoma on 21 March 2023. Hengari and Nauyoma have since been released on bail of N.dollars 5 000 each.

On Wednesday, protestors marched from Katutura Shoprite to Zoo Park in the Central Business District with a petition addressed to the Office of the Judiciary.

Amushelelo and his sympathisers insist that he and his co-accused did not protest, but were merely informing the crowd about the High Court’s order that prevented them from protesting on 21 March.

“We emphasise the crucial need for the judiciary to demonstrate its independence from external political influences. The erosion of trust in the judicial system among the youth is currently a matter of deep concern. The suppression of voices and the fear of political involvement due to potential repercussions cast a shadow on the principles of democracy that our nation upholds,” the petition reads.

Amushelelo addressed the protesters via a phone call. His wife, Julieta Amushelelo, also joined the crowd.

“We must have young Amushelelos rising up in every part of the country so that it becomes a point where prisons are filled with people fighting for justice, and a righteous cause. Remember, we are not fighting for anything other than what was the promise of our forebearers, and that is basically prosperity and a harmonious country that we are all supposed to live in. Unfortunately, the country has become a police state,” Amushelelo told protesters.

The Judiciary’s Executive Director Bernard Kukuri received the petition.

Source: NAMPA

Vice President Nangolo Mbumba on Wednesday launched the #WeAreEqual campaign, a continental action plan by Africa’s first ladies aimed at closing the gender gap in Africa.

#WeAreEqual is an initiative of the Organisation of African First Ladies for Development (OAFLAD), which has a membership of 45 first ladies across Africa. The initiative is aimed at advancing gender equity and closing the gender gap across the continent.

Speaking at the launch at State House, Mbumba said the campaign aims to advocate and improve the lives of women and girls in Namibia and across Africa by promoting gender equality. He said women and men possess the same inherent dignity and deserve the same rights as they have the same potential to contribute to society regardless of gender.

“With this campaign, we want to bring an essential truth that women and men are equal, no exception. Despite the fundamental truth, the reality faced by many girls and women across Africa tells a different story and Namibia is no exception,” he noted.

According to the Global Gender Gap Index (GGGI), Namibia has been ranked as the most gender-equal country in Africa, and the eighth most gender-equal country in the world as of June 2023. No country has however achieved full gender parity yet.

Mbumba highlighted that the campaign will focus on areas where women and girls mostly experience inequality such as health, education and economic empowerment, amongst others.

Speaking at the same occasion, Namibia’s First Lady and President of OAFLAD, Monica Geingos said African first ladies are joining hands to shine a spotlight on the importance of closing gender gaps, how gender equality benefits everyone, and why it is essential for progress on all fronts of development.

“Inequality continuously manifests itself in every shape that challenges society and the result of inequality speaks for itself and we need to listen… #WeAreEqual speaks to the discrimination women and girls experience in everyday lives, and together we can break down the wall that is standing in their equal rights,” she noted.

Geingos further noted that the campaign equally aims to bring together stakeholders and partnerships with the mission to overcome harmful gender practices and build towards the African Union Agenda 2063 where both women and men conquer ‘The Africa We Want’.

The campaign was officially launched in Kinshasa, Congo by OAFLAD in June 2023 and Namibia is the first country to launch its national campaign.

Source: NAMPA