Month: March 2015
- Africa
Prominent opposition figure Bekele Gerba freed from Ethiopian jail
Bekele Gerba was jailed for a year and three months more after he received parole Bekele Gerba who at the time of his arrest was the deputy chairman of an opposition political party, Oromo Federalist Democratic Movement (OFDM) was released from an Ethiopian jail yesterday, March 31st. Bekele Gerba, a former lecturer at the Addis Abeba University (AAU),…
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COMESA to complement sub-regional peace initiatives
Ethiopian State Minister for Foreign Affairs of Ambassador Berhane Gebre-Christos has called on COMESA Member States to complement the efforts of other sub regional groupings in the region and continental Union involved in peace and security to avoid duplication of efforts and institutional rivalry. Addressing the 14th Meeting of the COMESA Council of Ministers of Foreign Affairs in Addis…
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Ignore Lencho Lata’s compromise idea at your own peril
Olaana Abbaaxiiqii I read Lencho Lata’s recent op-ed, “Electoral Absolutism in Ethiopia,” with great interest. Ethiopia is approaching a political dead end and there is no better alternative to seeking compromise and a third way. The absolutist idea of the Ethiopian elitist that Lencho so aptly described and the severe political and ethnic polarization that currently exists will eventually end…
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COMESA to establish virtual university
The stage is set for the establishment of a COMESA Virtual University that will work with a network of universities in a collaborative initiative aimed at enhancing the generation and dissemination of research related to regional integration. The institution will incorporate an Academy of Science, Technology and Innovation as well as Research Networks. The decision was made yesterday by the…
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COMESA Council of Ministers grants Kenya sugar safeguard
The Kenyan sugar sector has been given a one year extension of the existing safeguard subject to review and renewal for another one year. The decision was made Thursday 26 March 2015 yesterday by the COMESA Council of Ministers during its two day meeting in Addis Abeba, Ethiopia. The extension will operate on the basis of the terms and conditions…
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COMESA member states urged to put more funds for infrastructure development
The Deputy Prime Minister of Ethiopia Dr. Debretsion GebreMichael has urged COMESA countries to allocate substantial funds to infrastructure development and renewal, so that the whole region can be inter-linked and equitably developed. He was speaking yesterday when he opened the 34th Meeting of the COMESA Council of Ministers at the African Union headquarters in Addis Abeba, Ethiopia whose…
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Over eighty percent of non-tariff barriers resolved, COMESA
Over 80 percent of Non-Tariff Barriers (NTBs) reported through the online system developed within the tripartite COMESA-East African Community and South African Development Community has been resolved, COMESA said in a statement. According to a status report presented at the ongoing COMESA Policy organs meeting in Addis Abeba, 476 NTBs have so far been reported on the online system, http://www.tradebarriers.org…
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Business dialogue kicks off as COMESA summit continues
The 10th COMESA Business Dialogue under the theme “Taking Action on Illicit Trade- an Industrial Competitive Agenda” begins today at the African Union Conference Center. Hosted by the COMESA Business Council (CBC) and the Ethiopian Chamber of Commerce and Sectoral Associations (ECCSA), the meeting is part of the COMESA Summit 2015, which kicked off on Wednesday the 18th of March.…
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COMESA kicks off summit in Addis Abeba
Kalkidan Yibeltal The biggest event in the Common Market Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) calendar is underway at the African Union here in Addis Abeba. The two weeks meetings kicked off on Wednesday 18th March, 2015. The first event was the 14th meeting of the Committee on Peace and Security, a closed meeting dealing with the issues impacting on the…
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Egyptian President El-Sisi meets PM Hailemariam Desalegn
Mahlet Fasil Egypt’s visiting President El-Sisi met with Ethiopia’s Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn this morning at the national jubilee palace. Following the closed door meeting the two leaders met the press and said they have discussed bilateral issues, such as focusing on boosting trade and investment ties between the two countries and security. Yesterday, the two leaders along with…
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