ETHIOPIA TODAY

Newsletter of the Embassy of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia in Canada

Vol. III No.6 September 2016

The Embassy of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia in Ottawa is located at

1501 - 2 75 Slater Street, Ottawa, ON, Canada K1P 5H9. Tel: 613 565 6637 Fax: 613 565 9175

e-mail: info@ethioembassycanada.org , Website: www.ethioembassycanada.org 1

Ethiopia Inaugurates new Rail line to

Djibouti

Prime Minister Hailemariam Dessalegn and

Djiboutian President Ismail Omar Guelleh have

inaugurated the 756 kilometers Ethio-Djibouti

railway line that connects the capital Addis Ababa

with the port of Djibouti.

The two leaders were accompanied by Togo’s

President Faure Gnassingbe and Chairman of

China's National Development and Reform

Commission (NDRC) Xu Shaoshi and other

dignitaries at the inaugural event.

The standard Gauge, electrified railway is central

element in Ethiopia's plan to encourage regional

infrastructure connectivity, stated Prime Minister

Hailemariam while delivering speech at the

ceremony in the suburbs of the capital.

The 3.4 billion US dollars railway line is capable

of slashing travel time between Addis Ababa and

Djibouti from seven days on roads to about 10

hours and providing Ethiopia with a faster access

to the port.

"It [the railway line] will significantly expand

development, and enhance our competitiveness in

international markets as well as increase our links

with Djibouti in every way," Hailemariam said.

“We believe this railway line will change the

socio-economic landscape of our two countries.”

He said the line will facilitate efforts of expanding

the manufacturing sector and help the nation

attain its vision of becoming a middle income

country by 2025.

The Chinese enjoyed a strong presence in the

implementation of the mega project as they

offered technical and financial assistance.

The Premier extended gratitude for the support

offered by the Chinese saying: "I would,

therefore, like to take this opportunity to thank the

people and government of China for their

undivided and continuous support for the project."

China Railway Group and China Civil

Engineering Construction Corporation, a

subsidiary of CRCC executed the Ethio-Djibouti

Railway project.

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Djibouti's President Ismail Omar Guelleh on the

occassion said the completion of the project

signifies a new phase in the successful

relationship between the two nations.

“What we are celebrating here today goes beyond

a railway. It is first and foremost the celebration

of the ability of the two countries to work together

and overcome the barriers in building

infrastructure on our continent,” Guelleh said.

The landmark project will create huge work

opportunities, according to the Prime Minister

who expressed the government's commitment to

continue building such infrastructures.

The Djibouti port serves as the main port for all of

Ethiopia's exports and imports.

Diasporas in Canada Donate Over

14,000 Canadian Dollars for GERD

Ethiopian Diasporas living in Ottawa, Canada,

have contributed 14,500 Canadian dollars to the

Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD),

according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The money was collected at a fund raising event

organized in connection with the Ethiopian New

Year.

During the occasion, Nebiat Getachew, Charge d'

affaires of the Embassy in Ottawa, said

consolidated efforts are underway to complete the

construction of the dam and called on the

Diaspora to further extend their support.

Public Relations Head of the Council for GERD

in Ottawa, Kidane Gebremariam said Ethiopians

and foreigners of Ethiopian origin in the city have

been extending continuous support to the dam

since its launching.

He stated that this fund raising program was the

sixth and will continue till the completion of

GERD.

Professor Taj Elkhazin, Sudanese scholar at

Carleton University's Institute of African Studies,

noted that the earlier treaties on Nile were unfair

as they did not involve all the stakeholders.

According to Professor Taj Elkhazin, the dam

under construction by Ethiopia is laudable as it is

meant to benefit all the stakeholders and integrate

the region.

Representative of Ottawa’s Mayor, President of

Africa-Canada Association and invited guests

have attended the event.(ENA).

Ethiopia Rated a Top Performer by the

2016 Global Green Economy Index

This year's Global Green Economy Index (GGEI

2016) ranks Ethiopia as one of the top 15

countries in overall climate change performance.

The report says Ethiopia's performance results

have shown a significant progress since 2014. It

further points out that Ethiopia's performance is "a

step up driven mostly by maintaining a top

position on the Leadership and Climate Change

dimension while simultaneously improving its

result on the Environment dimension

considerably."

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The report noted that Sweden topped this year's

GGEI in the area of climate change performance

followed by the other "Nordics" and then

Switzerland, Germany, and Austria. The Global

Green Economy Index is a data-driven evaluation

of how 80 countries and 50 cities perform in the

global green economy, as well as how experts

evaluate that performance.

The Global Green Economy Index offers an

integrated view of national green performances,

measuring emissions, the environment,

investment, green innovation and efficiency

sectors like buildings, transport and energy

through one unified framework.

Business and Economy

Globeleq Keen to Invest in Ethiopia’s

Power Sector

Globeleq, developer, owner and operator of

electricity generation, has expressed its desire to

invest in Ethiopia.

Following discussions with Ethiopia’s Foreign

Minister Tedros Adhanom, Head of Business

Development, East Africa at the Globeleq told

reporters that the company is interested to invest

in power generation particularly in renewable

energy.

The company is desirous to bring the expertise

and resources to Ethiopia to realize this. “We will

like to bring our international expertise and

resources to invest in building more power

plants,” Wright said,

“We are the largest power producers in Africa for

private generation; we want to bring what we have

done in Kenya and Tanzania Ethiopia.”

The country’s potential for a renewable energy

and the ever increasing demand for power created

by the fastest economic growth is attracting

companies to engage in the country.

During his meeting with the Minister, the Head

discussed on ways of encouraging Globeleq

Company to invest in power sector in the country,

it was indicated.

During the discussion, the Minister affirmed that

companies are encouraged to engage in the power

sector.

The Minister assured that the government will

provide the necessary support to Globeleq and

other companies interested to engage in the power

sector.

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Founded in 2002, Globeleq has around 2,500 mw

of power projects in development and plans to add

significant mw of power generation during the

next 10 years.(ENA)

Ethiopia Mitigates Economic Slowdown

Through Effective, Timely Responses:

IMF

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) said Ethiopia

has mitigated its slowdown in economic growth by

effective and timely policy responses to the drought,

and buoyant industrial and services sectors.

Ethiopia's macroeconomic outturn during 2015/16 has

been adversely affected by a severe drought and the

weak global environment that resulted in 6.5 percent

growth, IMF website stated.

The Executive Board of IMF appreciated Ethiopia's

track record of sustained rapid growth and poverty

reduction during the conclusion of the Article IV

consultation with Ethiopia in September 26, 2016, it

was indicated.

The board commended Ethiopian authorities for their

effective policy responses to the recent severe drought

aimed at mitigating social costs and limiting spillover

effects.

They also welcomed the authorities' priorities for

structural reforms as outlined in the second Growth

and Transformation Plan (GTP II), with a focus on

economic and social development as well as private

sector development.

The IMF pointed out that over the medium-term,

growth is projected to recover to within the 7.3 to 7.5

percent range, reflecting the growth-oriented reforms

envisaged in the recently adopted GTP II.

Business Forum Inspires Singapore

Investors to Invest in Ethiopia

The Singapore- Ethiopia business forum held in

Addis Ababa inspire investors to look Ethiopia as

a potential investment, business and tourism

destination, the country's senior official said.

Singapore business persons and company

representatives drawn from hospitality industry,

health, education, manufacturing, agriculture and

commodity trade are in Ethiopia to explore

investment opportunities in the country.

At the opening of the forum, Senior Minister of

State, Ministry of Defense & Ministry of Foreign

Affairs, Mohamad Malik Bin Osman lauded

Ethiopia's potential saying it is a country with

immense investment potential.

This creates a good opportunity to Singapore

investors to engage in the country, he said.

The trade exchange between Ethiopia and

Singapore has reached 24 million USD in 2015,

but it needs to be further expanded, he said.

The tie is expected to be strengthened with the

launching of a direct flight to Singapore by

Ethiopian Airlines, he added.

According to the Minister, the two countries are

working to consolidate the ties. The Memorandum

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of Understanding (MoU) signed to Avoidance of

Double Taxation is among them, he said.

Ethiopian Investment Commissioner Fistum

Arega briefed the investors about the investment

and business potential of the country, urging them

to utilize these opportunities.

Cheap electric power and labor, incentives from

the government including tax holidays are among

the things that made the country suitable to invest

and do business, he said.

Development of infrastructures such as industrial

parks, transport and communication networks as

well as the country's potential for agriculture and

hospitality industry, makes it appropriate

destination for investment, he said. (ENA)

Ethiopia's Supply of Footwear to US

Market Growing: USA Footwear

Association

The first Ethio-US footwear summit aimed at

enabling Ethiopian footwear manufacturers to

enter and consolidate meaningful market share in

the US market was held in Addis.

In his opening remark at the summit, Thomas

Crockett, Leader of the US business delegation

and Director of Government and Regulatory

Affairs with Footwear Distributors and Retailers

of America (FDRA) said Ethiopia's share in US

total footwear imports has been showing gradual

growth.

According to the director, Ethiopia has exported

2,100 pairs of shoes into the US market in the first

six months of the current year, which surpassed

that of 1,500 pair of shoes in the year 2015.

Crockett noted that the factors that contributed to

the progress are Ethiopia's efforts to utilize

African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA),

success in improving export quality and quantity.

He said Ethiopia's huge potential for footwear and

cost-competitive labor force encouraged Footwear

Distributors and Retailers of America (FDRA) to

come and seek partnership with local companies.

FDRA will extend the financial and technical

support to Ethiopian footwear producers that

bolster their competitiveness and encourages top

US footwear buying companies to engage into

Ethiopia's market, according to Crockett.

Knowledge Management and Communication

Advisor with Enterprise Partners, one of the hosts

of the summit, Dawit Ketema told reporters that

US companies are showing a growing desire to

enter into Ethiopia's footwear market by

capitalizing on its AGOA privilege and skilled

labor force.

The advisor stated that the construction of

specialized industry parks that provide investors

with the necessary facilities also encourage US

companies to do business in the country.

However, the share of Ethiopia's footwear exports

to the US market has not reached the desired level

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as compared to the country's huge livestock

resources.

He commended Ethiopian footwear producers to

identify buyers' needs and meet their design and

quality specifications as well as enhance the

marketing system to tap the US huge potential for

footwear exports.

The 11 executive members of the Footwear

Distributors and Retailers of America (FDRA), an

association that represents 80 percent of the

country's footwear markets, had visited shoe

factories and tanneries in Addis Ababa and

surroundings.(ENA).

Ethiopian Electric Power Wins

Excellence in Power Generation Award

Ethiopian Electric Power (EEP) has won the

Award for Excellence in Power Generation at the

East African Power Industry Awards held in

Nairobi, Kenya.

Africa Business Communities, a digital business-

business publisher, said Ethiopia won the award

for striving to be the hub of renewably sourced

energy in the region and beyond. Ethiopian

Electric Power (EEP) is instrumental to this

ambitious plan.

EEP operates and maintains more than 12

hydropower and three wind power plants

distributed in different parts of the country with

installed capacity of more than 4290MW, it was

indicated.

The business website further stated that there are

two major hydropower projects under

construction, namely the Grand Ethiopian

Renaissance Dam (6000MW) and Genale Dawa 3

(254MW).

Ethiopian Electric Power has a portfolio

management unit with a track record in managing

and administrating more than seven mega

generation and transmission projects at a time in

the last 10 years.

Meanwhile, Ethiopian Electric Power CEO Azeb

Asnake was also named Outstanding Woman in

Power.

Azeb is the first woman engineer who had led the

Gibe III Hydro Power Project at the capacity of a

Project Manager. She is well known for her

management skills and has also served as a focal

person of UN Habitat Water for Africa Cities

Program, it was indicated.

The East African Power Industry Convention

(EAPIC) held the East African Power Industry

Awards where some 180 power professionals

gathered from the region.(ENA).

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Tourism and Culture

Demera - Unique Religious Festivity to

be Cherished: Tourists

Ethiopia is known to have a number of cultural

and religious festivals that attract large number of

tourists from around the world. Meskel, the

founding of the True Cross is one.

Every year, a huge number of tourists from

around the world converged on Meskel Square to

take part on the celebration of Demera, an outdoor

festival celebrated a day before Meskel.

Meskel has two occasions, the first is Demera, the

burning of a large bonfire built from branches and

decorated with daisies like flower (adey abeba).

In Addis Ababa, the festival observed at the

Meskel Square. The day after the Demera is

Meskel.

Jeremy Jelliffe, a graduate assistant at the

University of Connecticut, USA, is among the

tourists who attended this year’s Demera festival,

observed by the followers of the Ethiopian

Orthodox Church.

Jelliffe who has been in Ethiopia for the first time

expressed his impression about the festival. “It’s

absolutely beautiful and very powerful spiritual

moment”, he said.

“It was very wise for UNESCO to recognize and

preserve this tradition to make sure the beauty of

Meskel needs to be known to the rest of the world.

I think this is incredibly important as something

that we will cherish for generations to come

looking back at our ancestors who did the same

thing”, Jeremy said.

The Lalibela and the Blue Nile gorge are some of

the places he would visit and said to share his

incredible experience with his friends and families

and hopes to revisit Ethiopia with his family in the

future.

Sunday school students demonstrated Empress

Helena’s search for the True Cross and its finding

in a dramatic way passing by the podium in front

of Abune Mathias, Patriarch of Ethiopian

Orthodox Church, bishops, high-level government

officials and Ambassadors residing in the country

and thousands of followers of the Church attired

with their traditional clothing.

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“I have been to festivals in other countries, but my

favorite country is Ethiopia because it shows the

faith of the people in a way that you don’t see in

many places around the world” said Lorna Lissner

a tour guide from Mexico.

Lissner, who has been to Ethiopia more than

twenty times, also appreciated the wide range of

changes she observed in her visit especially in the

developments of infrastructure, hotel and tourism.

Melissa Lee from Australia, who

celebrated Demera on her second visit to Ethiopia

yesterday, was quite astonished by the colorful

and harmonious celebration.

“It’s an incredibly diverse country with a variety

of peoples and many historical places of tourist

attractions. It has been an amusing experience. I

look forward to coming here again” she added.

In addition to the development endeavors,

promoting its heritages such as Meskel is

important to rebrand the image of Ethiopia, he

added.(ENA)

Ethiopia’s Tourism Sector Spreads its

Wings as more Tour Operators Join the

Industry

With the new national tourism brand: "Ethiopia:

Land of Origins," and a sector marked with vast,

and untapped potential, Ethiopia's tourism

industry is set to experience a huge

metamorphosis as it builds its infrastructure,

brand, and product offer in the coming years

through both public and private efforts.

About 104 new tour operators have joined the

country's tourism industry in the concluded

Ethiopian fiscal year, which is hoped to be a

significant value addition to the sector.

During the same period, Ethiopia's tourism sector

generated 3.4 billion US dollars.

Tewolde Mulugeta, a Spokesperson at the

Ministry of Foreign Affairs on September 14,

2016 related that the new 104 tour operators

helped the country to attract more tourists and

further court foreign direct investment (FDI).

Board Chairperson of the Ethiopian Tourism

Organization and Chief Executive Officer (CEO)

of the Ethiopian Airlines, Tewolde Gebremariam,

on his part said the economic diplomacy made in

the past has paid off, adding that this had its own

significant share in the growth of the tourism

sector.

He further said the number of giant foreign

companies and investors who visited Ethiopia last

year surpassed from the target, of which he added,

about 16 investors have already acquired licenses

to invest in the country.

Out of the 1,021 small and medium size foreign

companies and investors that explored investment

opportunities in the country, over a quarter of

them have secured license to engage in various

investment sectors, he added.