News

Addis Ababa December 07/2018 Ethiopia and World Bank have signed 100-million
USD loan agreement to finance the implementation of the Resilient Landscapes and
Livelihoods Project today.
The loan will support the government’s effort in areas of climate resilience, land
productivity and carbon storage as well as access to diversified livelihood activities
in selected rural watersheds.
The project is designed to help improve the livelihoods of 645,000 rural households,
predominantly those who are vulnerable to climate variability, recurrent drought
and land degradation, it was learned.
During the signing ceremony, Finance Minister Ahmed Shide said Ethiopia’s diverse
production landscapes provide a range of services for poor rural people.
The government introduced Sustainable Land Management Program 10 years ago,
the minister said, adding that the World Bank has been supporting the program
since its initial days.
Ahmed pointed out that the program is bringing good results and today’s
agreement will scale up the success of the project.
WB Country Director, Carolyn Turk said building successful land management
program will further promote effective landscape management activities that
increase not only land productivity but also contribute to Ethiopia’s Climate Resilient
Green Economy.
“By promoting livelihood diversification and income-generating activities such as
apiculture, poultry farming, sheep and goat fattening, vegetable and fruit farming,
and the use of more efficient cook stoves, it will further help to reduce pressure on
natural resource,” Turk elaborated.
She also said the project will provide beneficiaries with additional income and
generating opportunities and strengthening linkage to value chain.
The project will cover Amhara, Tigray, Oromia, Gambela, Benshangul Gumuz, and
Southern Nations Nationalities and Peoples regional states.

Addis Ababa December 06/2018 Foreign Minister Workneh Gebeyehu and
Italian Deputy Foreign Minister Emanuela Claudia Del Re discussed today about
bilateral and regional relations.
Deputy Foreign Minister Del Re said the officials exchanged views on
development, job opportunities for the youth and cultural exchange as well as
infrastructure.
“Ethiopia is the initiator of the fantastic peace process that we Italians value
immensely; and we need to learn a lot from this,” the deputy foreign minister
added.
The peace process has a significant impact on the global scenario, according to
her.
Del Re added that there is a strong will to make the region stable and
prosperous; and expressed her will to support it as there is demand to invest in
Ethiopia due to the stability in the country.
Foreign Minister Workneh on his part has reportedly emphasized on the need to
strengthen economy relation and urged Italian investors to invest in Ethiopia.
He added that the deputy foreign minister has assured him to fully support
economic integration in the Horn.

Addis Ababa, December 6, 2018 – Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed and Chancellor
of Austria Sebastian Kurz held today bi-lateral discussions on issues of
strengthening trade, investments and technology exchange.
As an avenue for further improving diplomatic relations, the two leaders also
explored the potential for the opening of an Ethiopian embassy in Vienna,
according to Office of the Prime Minister.
Kurz arrived in Addis Ababa early this morning.
Upon arrival at Bole International Airport, he was welcomed by Minister of
Foreign Affairs, Dr Workneh Gebeyehu.
The Ethiopian Premier met with Chancellor Kurz at the end of October 2018, on
the margins of the G20 Investment Summit held in Berlin, Germany.
On the occasion, the two leaders agreed to strengthen the ties between
Ethiopia and Austria.

Africa-China Business Expo, branded as “China –Ethiopia Industrial Capacity
Cooperation Exposition” opened (December 03) at the #Addis Ababa Exhibition
Center. The expo which was organized in line with the decisions passed during the
Forum on #China #Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) targets to elevate the all rounded
partnership between Africa and China to a higher level.
Noting that the expo is happening for the first time, organizers remarked that the
event will help to further elevate the constantly growing Ethio-China trade and
Investment Partnership. The expo will be open for the public until Wednesday
(December 05).
President of the Ethiopian Chamber of Commerce and Sectoral Associations, Melaku
Ezezew (Engineer), said the expo would serve as an important platform to attract
new investors and create joint ventures as well as facilitate technology transfers.
Chief of the Chinese Council for Promotion of International Trade, He Cailong said
the “China – #Ethiopia Industrial Capacity Cooperation Exposition” is a show case
of the key trade and economic partnership between the two sides, adding that the
current expo would help to strengthen the bilateral trade ties in a bid to advance
mutual benefits.
Several companies from both sides will be participating at the expo. 46 Chinese
Companies which have strong investment portfolio in areas of agriculture and food
processing, technology, hospitality industry, mining and automotive sectors are in
attendance.
China –Ethiopia Industrial Capacity Cooperation Exposition will also include feature
Business to Business sessions as well as visits to industrial parks.

Ethiopia’s Ambassador to the #US, Ambassador Kassa Tekleberhan on
Sunday (December 02) held productive discussions with prominent
members of the Sikkoo Mandoo Association, based in Minnesota.
Members of the association expressed their continued commitment to
support the ongoing political and economic reforms in #Ethiopia. The
meeting focussed on ways of enhancing #Diaspora engagement in
areas of business and investment.

Prime Minister Dr. Abiy Ahmed and six other Ethiopians, including Group CEO of
Ethiopian Airlines, Tewolde GebreMariam and CEO of Ethio Telecom, Frehiwot
Tamiru have made it to New African magazine’s list of “100 Most Influential
Africans.” According to New African magazine, the annual list has become an
industry and readers’ much-awaited collation – revealing Africans who contributed
in shaping the African narrative in the concluding year and envisaged to play a big
role in the coming year, both on the continent and in the Diaspora.
There is an equal amount of men and women featuring in this year’s list of “100
Most Influential Africans,” and the report noted Dr. Abiy’s bold moves to ensure
gender parity. It said, “Ethiopia even taking a lead in achieving gender parity in
Cabinet, and appointing its first ever female President under its new reformist
Prime Minister Abiy, the magazine felt it apt to produce a 50/50 ratio in this year’s
list…and this happened as much by chance as it did by design.”

Addis Ababa, December 3, 2018 – The World Bank Group today announced that it
would invest 200 billion US dollars to support countries taking action against
climate change from 2021-25.
Jim Yong Kim, president of World Bank, said the world’s poorest and most
vulnerable are at the greatest risk from climate change and he urged the wider
global community to follow its lead.
He said “We are pushing ourselves to do more and to go faster on climate and we
call on the global community to do the same. This is about putting countries and
communities in charge of building a safer, more climate-resilient future.”

Addis Ababa December 03/2018 – Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz will arrive in
Addis Ababa on Thursday, 6th December 2018 for an official visit to Ethiopia.
During his stay, the chancellor will hold discussion with Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed
on bilateral and multilateral cooperation.
It is to be recalled that PM Abiy and Chancellor Kurz had, on the sidelines of G20
Investment Summit October 2018, agreed to strengthen ties between Ethiopia and
Austria.
Ethiopia and Austria relation dates back to over 50 years.

Ethiopia has overtaken Dubai as a conduit for long-haul passengers to Africa, highlighting the
success of the state airline’s expansion drive and the reforms of its new prime minister.
Travel consultancy ForwardKeys said on Wednesday Addis Ababa airport had increased the number
of international transfer passengers to sub-Saharan Africa for five years in a row, and in 2018 had
surpassed Dubai, one of the world’s busiest airports, as the transfer hub for long-haul travel to the
region.
Analyzing data from travel booking systems that record 17 million flight bookings a day, ForwardKeys
found the number of long-haul transfers to sub-Saharan Africa via Addis Ababa jumped by 85 percent
from 2013 to 2017. Transfers via Dubai over the same period rose by 31 percent.
So far this year, Addis Ababa’s growth is 18 percent, versus 3 percent for Dubai.
Dubai has long been a major global air travel hub because it is the base of Gulf carrier Emirates. Given
the lack of an “open skies” deal smoothing flights across Africa, many passengers traveling between
one part of the continent and another, or from Asia or Europe to Africa, must often transit through
Dubai.
But this is changing.
Ethiopian Airlines [ETHA.UL], the country’s most successful state company, is accelerating a 15-year
strategy it launched in 2010 to win back market share on routes to and from Africa that are
dominated by Turkish Airlines and Emirates.
It is also weaving a patchwork of new African routes to rapidly expanding and lucrative Asian
markets.
ForwardKeys also attributed the recent jump in bookings via Addis Ababa in part to a positive
international response to the broad reforms introduced by Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, who
came to power in April and has upended politics in the Horn of Africa country of around 105 million
people.
It cited two changes in particular: a move to allow visitors to apply for visas online, and Abiy’s pledge
to open Ethiopia’s largely state-controlled economy to foreign investment.
After Abiy made peace with Eritrea to end a two-decade state of war, Ethiopian resumed flights to its
neighbor in July. This month, it relaunched flights to Somalia’s capital after four decades.
And the rise of travel via Addis Ababa looks set to continue. International bookings via Ethiopia are up
40 percent year-on-year for November to January 2019, ahead of all other destinations in Africa,
ForwardKeys said.

Addis Ababa, November 27, 2018 – Prime Minister Dr Abiy Ahmed has begun consultations with
leaders of competing political parties today.
About 81 parties, including those that returned home, are in attendance of the meeting started
at the Prime Minister’s office.
The consultation will focus on highlighting the reforms required to ensure that the upcoming
election is free and fair as well as the shared responsibilities of all.
In his opening remark, the Premier said that today marks the official launch of discussion will
political parties.
He said today’s consultation will focus on how and when to conduct discussion with political
parties as well as how to resolve issues through dialogue.
The Premier noted the National Electoral Board of Ethiopia (NEBE) will use the ideas which will
be raised in today’s discussion as a bench mark to design its own program.
The Premier finally called on all political parties to work together for the country regardless of
their ideology and strategy differences.
Journalists from local and international media houses covered today’s discussion.

Bahr Dar City, the Capital of Amhara Regional State (Ethiopia) and the City of Madison, the
Capital City of the State of Wisconsin (USA) have become Sister Cities on November 20, 2018,
making Madison the second American city to become Bahir Dar’s sister city, next to the City of
Cleveland, Ohio. In total, Bahir Dar has now three sister cities, including Ashdod, Israel’s sixthlargest city.
The process of becoming sister cities for Bahir Dar and Madison started when a group of
Madison (Wisconsin, USA) residents submitted an application in August 2018 that would make
Bahir Dar, a sister city of the Wisconsin’s capital.
As both Bahir Dar and Madison serve as capitals for their respective state or region, the two
cities have large public universities and are located near major lakes, according to the
application.
While Bahir Dar City is known for its Lake Tana (3,200 km2), which was nominated as
UNESCO Biosphere Reserve in 2015 recognizing its national and international natural and
cultural importance, the City of Madison has more than 15,000 registered lakes including manmade lakes (of which 40% have official names). Lake Winnebago is the largest lake (557 km2)
and Petenwell Lake (93 km2) is the largest man-made lake for America’s north-central city,
Madison.

Xylem Inc., a leading global water technology provider, has signed a Memorandum of
Understanding (MoU) with Ethiopia’s Ministry of Water, Irrigation and Energy (MoWIE) for
future cooperation to help advance water security in Ethiopia.
The MoU was signed at an event in Ethiopia attended by Ethiopia’s Minister of Water, Irrigation
and Energy His Excellency Dr. Eng. Seleshi Bekele; State Minister Water Supply and Sanitation Dr.
Negash Wagesho; Xylem President and CEO Patrick Decker; and a representative of the U.S.
Embassy in Ethiopia.
H.E. Dr. Eng Seleshi Bekele noted that the present MoU signed between Xylem and MoWIE
creates an enabling platform to improve water supply and sanitation service delivery and ensure
scheme sustainability. He also stressed that the Ethiopian water supply and sanitation sector
benefit from the broad technical and technological solutions Xylem has been providing.
Xylem President and CEO Patrick Decker spoke about how honored the company is to have the
opportunity to begin exploring solutions for the region, notably non-revenue water, knowledge
sharing, and creating more water and energy efficiencies to maximize resources and lessen impact
on the environment.
“This exploratory partnership is a chance to strengthen our working relationship with the Ministry
and build on positive conversations around water systems optimization, energy, water and sewage
coverage, and to create a foundation that can help advance Ethiopia’s water sector in the future,”
said Mr. Decker.
“As a global leader in water technology, Xylem is committed to helping communities around the
world harness the power of technology to protect and optimize water and wastewater systems. We
are grateful for the opportunity to partner with the Ministry to identify potential ways to leverage
our broad portfolio of leading-edge technologies to help build water security in Ethiopia – and
address one of the greatest challenges of our time: solving water.”
About Xylem
Xylem (XYL) is a leading global water technology company committed to developing innovative
technology solutions to the world’s water challenges. The Company’s products and services move,
treat, analyze, monitor and return water to the environment in public utility, industrial, residential
and commercial building services settings. Xylem also provides a leading portfolio of smart
metering, network technologies and advanced infrastructure analytics solutions for water, electric
and gas utilities. The Company’s more than 16,500 employees bring broad applications expertise
with a strong focus on identifying comprehensive, sustainable solutions. Headquartered in Rye
Brook, New York with 2017 revenue of $4.7B, Xylem does business in more than 150 countries
through a number of market-leading product brands.
The name Xylem is derived from classical Greek and is the tissue that transports water in plants,
highlighting the engineering efficiency of our water-centric business by linking it with the best
water transportation of all – that which occurs in nature. For more information, visit
www.xylem.com.