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The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ethiopia and stakeholders today (September 22) co-organized a briefing on the “Dine for the Nation” project for resident diplomats in Addis Ababa.

H.E. Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed initialed the “Dine for the Nation” idea to gather financial resources for tourist attraction sites planned at Koysha, Wonchi, and Gorgora.

H.E. Eng. Abraham Belay, Minister of Innovation and Technology and H.E. Eng. Habtamu Tegegn, General Manager of Ethiopian Roads Authority, briefed the diplomats on the Koysha, Wonchi, and Gorgora projects.

At the occasion, H.E. Gedu Andargachew, Minister of the Foreign Affairs of Ethiopia, delivered opening remarks.

He said the success stories of the recent Addis Ababa city beautification projects inspired the Government to aspire even for more grand scale projects at the national level.

The minister said the projects on Koysha, Wonchi, and Gorgora would add value to the transformation of Ethiopia’s Ecotourism.

The projects will also employ many people in the countryside and further stimulate the country’s aspiration to build a Green Economy, he added.

Mr. Gedu concluded his speech calling on the diplomatic community to make a practical contribution to the realization of these noble projects.

State Minister H.E. Burtukan Ayano also made a briefing about the establishment of a fundraising committee to support the projects.

Facilitated by Spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ethiopia, H.E. Ambassador Din Mufti, the audience discussed various issues regarding the projects.

Prime Minister Dr Abiy Ahmed this morning inaugurated an artificial intelligence (AI) center.

The center was designed to support young entrepreneurs through capacity building and research excellence.

It will be a site for development of functional and problem solving technological innovations.

The opening of the centre is expected to modernize various sectors and facilitate the transition to digital economy.

It would also help to save both time and money by replacing human labor with technologies.

The establishment of the centre was approved by the Council of Minister early this year.

The Prime Minister seized the opportunity to caution all Ethiopians locally and abroad to not be tools of money laundering.

“Amidst a period of currency change, I call upon all Ethiopia loving Diaspora to use appropriate channels of remittance to ensure that you’re not a channel for illicit currency transfers,” he said.

Last Monday, Ethiopia introduced new banknotes that have enhanced security features and other distinctive elements.

The new banknotes replace the birr 10, 50 and 100 notes while an additional birr 200 note has also been unveiled.

Ethiopia’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Gedu Andargachew yesterday joined a virtually held annual ministerial meeting of the group of Least Developed Countries (LDCs).

The meeting aims to provide strategic guidance for the last year of implementation of the Istanbul Programme of Action and articulate the key sustainable development priorities of LDCs.

Gedu delivered a speech that pointed out strains that threatened Ethiopia’s efforts to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and implement the Istanbul Programme of Action (IPoA).

He said the unprecedented COVID-19 pandemic has further weakened some of the development gains achieved by LDCs over many decades.

The LDCs have also continued to face multiple structural challenges, including poverty, unemployment, and the adverse impacts of climate change, he said.

Despite the apparent problems, Gedu said, Ethiopia is expanding rural development programs to achieve food security and promote agricultural productivity.

Ethiopia is also investing in social and physical infrastructural projects to meet some of the 2030 Development Goals, the minister added.

Noting that LDCs remain far below many of the targets set by the SDGs, he called on to recommit to accelerating the full and effective implementation of the 2030 Agenda and the Istanbul Program  of Action (IPoA).

According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the meeting was hosted by Malawi’s Foreign Minister, Chair of the LDC Group, and attended by ministers from 47 LDCs, “Friends of LDCs” and the UN Deputy Secretary-General.

The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development is a commitment to eradicate poverty and achieve sustainable development by 2030 worldwide, ensuring that no one is left behind.

The IPoA aims to help LDCs overcome the structural challenges they face to eradicate poverty and achieve internationally agreed development goals.

The government of Ethiopia today introduced new currency notes, with enhanced security features and other distinctive elements.

The new currency notes replace the birr 10, 50 and 100 notes while an additional birr 200 note has also been unveiled.

The birr 5 note remains unchanged and will be turned into coin format soon, according to office of the Prime Minister.

The currency change is aimed at gathering currency circulating informally and outside of financial institutions, curbing corruption and contraband and support financial institutions confront currency shortage.

Most of the print work is currently in country within the National Bank of Ethiopia (NBE) vault, the office added.

Distribution mechanism and planning having been developed and will go in effect through concerned bodies, it noted.

As security plays a key component in the currency change process, a federal command post will be set up to oversee this process with the expectation that Regional Command Posts will also be set up, the office indicated.

The command post will be composed of members from the National Defense Forces, the National Intelligence and Security Service (NISS) and Federal Police.

While Ethiopia has never had a symbol to represent its currency, a new symbol has been designed and will be soon unveiled to symbolize the birr, the office stated.

Prime Minister Dr Abiy Ahmed attended the African Green Revolution Forum (AGRF) virtual summit held 8-11 September, 2020.

It also attracted Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu, African Union Commission Chair, Moussa Faki Mahamat, UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed, former Ethiopian PM Hailemariam Dessalgen and former UK PM Tony Blair.

The summit, co-hosted by the Government of Rwanda and the AGRF Partners Group, discussed on transforming African food systems.

At the event, Prime Minister Dr Abiy shared Ethiopia’s experience and insights on agriculture development.

“While our agriculture sector still demands intensive modernization and innovation, we have been making remarkable progress to further build upon our strengths,” he said.

He further said that “continued public investments with enhanced private sector participation, particularly in technology and innovation will further fuel our progress.”

The Prime Minister extended gratitude to Rwandan President Paul Kagame for hosting the summit.

The AGRF is the world’s premier forum for African agriculture, bringing together stakeholders in the agricultural landscape to take practical actions and share lessons that will move African agriculture forward.