በቁርጥ ቀን ከህዝባችን ጎን ስለቆሙና ለብዙዎችም መነቃቃት ምክኒያት እየሆኑ ስለሆነ እጅግ እናመሰግናለን። Thank you for taking a stand at this critical time. Your generosity is contagious and your resolve is inspiring. https://abay.ethiopianembassy.org/
The joint forum that was established to tackle challenges of Foreign Direct Investment in Ethiopia held its regular meeting today (October 28) in the premises of the Foreign Affairs of Ethiopia.
H.E. Gedu Andargachew, Minister of the Foreign Affairs of Ethiopia, and Ambassador Girma Biru, macroeconomic advisor to Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed led the discussion.
The meeting thoroughly discussed the challenges that foreign investors are facing in the country.
At the occasion, H.E. Lelise Neme, Commissioner of the Ethiopian Investment Commission (EIC) has tabled a paper regarding the overall investment situation in Ethiopia.
She touched upon the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on investment activities in the country.
State Minister, H.E. Tsion Teklu has also presented some case studies on the challenges of doing business for foreign investors in Ethiopia.
The meeting ends charting out further engagements to better address bottlenecks to foreign investment in the country.
Representatives from various government agencies including, the Ministry of Mines and Petroleum, the Ministry of Agriculture, the Ministry of Revenue, the Ministry of Trade and Industry, the Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs, the Investment Commission, and senior officials from the National Bank have attended the meeting.
The UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has voiced his support to the trilateral negotiations on GERD under the framework of the African Union (AU).
At a briefing yesterday, UN Spokesperson expressed Guterres’ full support for the efforts of the Chairperson of the AU, President Cyril Ramaphosa in the negotiations between Egypt, Ethiopia and Sudan on the dam.
“I think, for the Secretary General, our position is one of supporting the on-going efforts of the Chairperson of the African Union, Cyril Ramaphosa, who is encouraging the parties to reach a mutually beneficial agreement,” he said.
“The Secretary General calls on all concerned countries to take concrete steps to finalise an agreement in the spirit of goodwill, consensus and compromise,” he added.
According to him, the dam can become an important instrument of cooperation and partnership between Ethiopia, Sudan and Egypt as they strive towards a peaceful, prosperous future for their own people.
Under the auspices of the AU, the three countries will resume talks on the dam today after seven-week break.
The European Union (EU) also expressed its support for the AU-led tripartite negotiation.
ለኢትዮጵያ እና ለአፍሪካ ኩራት ለሆነው ለታላቁ የኢትዮጵያ ህዳሴ ግድብ ግንባታ ማስጨረሻ ላደረጉት ድጋፍ እጅግ እናመሰግናለን:: ኢትዮጵያችን በብርሃን ትደምቃለች!
https://abay.ethiopianembassy.org/
Thank you for your support to #Ethiopia’s & Africa’s dream project, the #GERD that lights up to millions of people in the dark.
The African Union (AU) led negotiation on the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) between Ethiopia, Sudan and Egypt will resume tomorrow after seven-week break, said AU.
AU Chair and South African President Cyril Ramaphosa confirmed the recommencement of the talks tomorrow following consultations with the Heads of State of the three countries.
President Ramaphosa welcomed the commitment of PM Dr Abiy Ahmed of Ethiopia, PM Abdalla Hamdok of Sudan, and President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi of Egypt to pursue negotiations guided by the spirit of cooperation, goodwill and compromise with a view to reaching a mutually acceptable agreement.
“The resumption of the Trilateral Negotiations on the GERD under the auspices of the AU indicates strong political will & commitment by the leadership of the 3 Parties involved in negotiations to the peaceful and amicable resolution of the GERD matter. It is a reaffirmation of the confidence that the Parties have in an African-led negotiations process, in line with the Pan-African maxim of African solutions to African problems, one of the cornerstones of the African Union,” President Ramaphosa said in a statement.
He reassured the three negotiating parties of the AU’s unremitting support and cooperation, and expressed his utmost confidence that the parties will reach agreement on remaining issues, including those related to the technical and legal aspects of the negotiations.
President Ramaphosa concluded, “Without any doubt, the successful conclusion of the GERD negotiations will enhance and accelerate regional integration, while boosting cooperation and sustainable development in the region, for the benefit of Africa as a whole”.
IGAD has called for dialogue and compromise to bringing solution to the negotiations on the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) between Ethiopia, Sudan and Egypt.
“The negotiation of an arrangement to pave the way for a win-win agreement is the only solution for all,” said Dr Workneh Gebeyehu, the Executive Secretary of the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD).
“The region cannot afford tensions and we should stay away from anything that would contribute to building them up between neighbouring countries that share history and are bound by a common destiny”, he added.
“IGAD is confident in the African Union led process to bringing about a solution acceptable to Ethiopia, Sudan and Egypt”, the Executive Secretary stated.
He said his conviction that reason will prevail for the benefit of all.
The House of People’s Representatives (HPR) has denounced President Donald Trump’s remark about the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD).
On Friday, the U.S. President suggested that Egypt may “blow up” the dam. He made the remark while announcing a normalization deal between Israel and Sudan.
In a statement sent to FBC today, the House called Trump’s remark irresponsible and neither the Government nor the people of the United States deserve that.
“This kind of irresponsible comment is unexpected from President of a country that boasts itself as a guardian of democracy, equality and justice,” the statement added.
“We believe that the President’s remark doesn’t represent in any way the people and Government of the United States, but it only reflects his personal interest stemmed from personal feeling,” it stated.
The longstanding relation between the people of Ethiopia and the United States as well as the existing strong strategic partnership between the two countries will continue to be consolidated, it said.
“For we Ethiopians, the dam is a flagship project and symbol of unity,” the statement said, adding “no force can stop us from completing the dam.”
Foreign Minister Gedu Andargachew yesterday summoned the U.S. Ambassador Mike Raynor to seek clarifications on the President remarks.
Ethiopia’s Foreign Minister Gedu Andargachew summoned today the U.S. Ambassador Mike Raynor to seek clarifications on President Donald Trump’s remarks about the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) during his telephone conversation with the Prime Ministers of Sudan and Israel.
Gedu underscored the statement on the GERD and the negotiation process as misleading and wrong as the GERD doesn’t stop the flow of the Nile waters, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
He said the incitement of war between Ethiopia and Egypt from a sitting US president neither reflects the longstanding partnership and strategic alliance between Ethiopia and the United States nor is acceptable in international law governing interstate relations.
The Minister further informed the Ambassador that Ethiopia has never and will not in the future succumb to threats to its sovereignty and will be committed to continue the trilateral negotiations under the framework of the African Union.
The Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) is an affirmation of Ethiopia’s commitment for equitable and reasonable utilization of the Abbay River.
Ethiopia’s aspiration and commitment for development is best demonstrated through the unanimous support and contribution to the construction of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD). From the very inception, GERD has been an attempt to answer what has been our generations’ quest for an equitable and reasonable utilization of the Abbay and other rivers contributing to Nile from Ethiopia. About 85% Nile flow originates from Ethiopia. It is an inflection point where a nation and its proud people stopped lamenting the past and toiled to achieve what once seemed impossible. In this regard, a great milestone was reached last August 2020 when the first phase of the water filling was completed before the end of Ethiopia’s winter season.
Parallel to this construction work, Ethiopia has expressed on several occasion its abiding commitment for cooperation on the Nile based on mutual trust and the principles of equitable and reasonable utilization of the river. The negotiation with the lower riparian states has shown significant progress since the AU seized of the matter as a manifestation of Africa’s capability to respond to its own problems. Nonetheless, occasional statements of belligerent threats to have Ethiopia succumb to unfair terms still abound. These threats and affronts to Ethiopian sovereignty are misguided, unproductive and clear violations of international law.
As a developing nation, Ethiopia may be confronted with poverty, but are rich with history, patriotic citizens whose commitment to defend their country’s sovereignty is unparalleled and an ambition and a well-articulated plan for prosperity. Ethiopia will not cave-in to aggressions of any kind, nor do we give recognition to a right that is entirely based on colonial treaties.
We still wish to reiterate our commitment for a peaceful resolution of the matter on GERD based on cooperation, non-interference, mutual trust and the principle of equitable and reasonable utilization.
Ethiopians have raised some 507 million Birr to support the construction of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) in the first quarter of this Ethiopian budget year, according to Office of the National Council for the Coordination of Public Participation to the construction of GERD.
The Office said that the dam has inspired the general public to participate in the national development of the country by using its natural resources and make poverty history.
Public Relations and Media Communication Director at the Office, Hailu Abraham told ENA, public participation to support the dam has increased significantly, especially following the successful completion of first round filling of the dam in July.
Accordingly, the office was able to collect 507 million Birr over the past three months, he said.
Hailu pointed out that 200 million Birr of the total was collected in the month of September alone.
Ethiopians so far have raised over 13 .9 billion birr to finance the GERD since the commencement of the construction of the dam.
According to the office, 121 billion birr has so far been invested for the construction of the dam and expected to consume additional 40 billion birr up to its completion.
Hence, increased public participation is critical to complete the dam according to the plan, the office urged.
Recent data shows that the construction of the dam has now reached more than 76 percent.
The dam is expected to start generating power with its two turbines this Ethiopian fiscal year.