Ethiopia earned $ 36 million from the export of Injera

Ethiopia earned $ 36 million from the export of Injera By – Blien Solomon If you ask one thing a habesha man or women can’t live without, it surely would be that thin, soar but tasty food we eat with almost everything, an ‘Injera’. From the moment we started to eat solid food to that last meal we share before we die, a habeshan person would never depart from the local food injera. That was what most of Ethiopians and Eritreans tasted after they had to leave their mother’s breast milk. It’s engraved not only into our diet but our lifestyle and culture. You can go back to history and would be astounded with pictures of our mothers and grandmothers carrying a bundle of wood so that they can heat their ‘eton’ (traditional Injera maker) and feed those hungry bellies. Maybe you would expect with technology and the infusion of cultures, our people would leave this local food behind just like they did with their hometown. But you can’t be more wrong, because where ever a habesha person is, that will be where the injera will also be. So wherever we are, maybe as far as Asia or closer in Africa, injera is something we carry as mementoes from our homes. In our culture, learning how to make an injera is task most young girls undergo and is considered as something a wise woman ought to be able to do. And nothing makes our habesha mothers more proud than for their daughters to be called wise and a wife material. So injera is not just a food, but has become a part of our memories and our childhood. I remember when I was young lady and my mom was teaching me how to make one. It had to be an almost perfect circle with eyes bubbling in every inch of it, but with shaking hands, my injera was far from being circle and ended up looking more of a triangle than something round. The laughter and frequent outburst from my mom for wasting her yeast are one of my favorite memories of all time. The popularity of the food has also been a great business idea to venture in. Ethiopia has reportedly earned $36 million from the export of Injera in the past nine months of the 2014 budget year. Addis Maleda, which is cited as Food, Beverage, and Pharmaceutical Industry Development Institute (FBPID), said the plan was to earn $29 million from the export of Injera during the same period but ended up completing 71 percent of the export plan. So injera not only has been something we just eat but also a source of an income. And here is tip for all of those who want to experience the habesha life style; go to that near Ethiopian or Eritrean restaurant and order some hot and chilly (berbere) soup and dip your injera and savor that good taste of heaven. Source: Borkena Ethiopian News Tags injera export

Ethiopia: Ato Girma Wake, Godfather of the African Sky

Ethiopia: Ato Girma Wake, Godfather of the African Sky Ato Girma Wake, the 79-year-old former CEO of Ethiopian Airlines, has been recalled as chairman of the board of the group whose ambitious development he led in the early 2000s. Build a clear roadmap and stick to it. Convince all employees. Focus on training staff. Take care of governance by not mixing politics and the company’s management, even in the case of public companies. Over a 50-plus-year career in African aviation, the mantras of former Ethiopian CEO Girma Wake have not changed one iota. He was destined for the army and says he arrived at Ethiopian Airlines “by chance”, to fellow comrades who were taking aptitude tests. Wake, who was appointed the group’s chairman at the end of March following the resignation of the company CEO Tewolde GebreMariam, is now considered a “titan” of the sector on the continent. Double-digit growth Hired in 1965 in what was then a very small company under US management (it was founded at the end of World War II as a joint venture with the American company TWA), Wake went through various departments: from the flight academy to training. He was then appointed country manager in Ghana, Tanzania, and then Germany. “Ethiopia needed competent national staff to gradually take over the company, so we were given a lot of opportunities: to go abroad, to train… I always loved learning and travelling. That’s why I stayed,” he said in an interview with CNBC in May 2019. He also congratulated himself on the fact that his children had grown up in different countries, and learned other languages and cultures. In 1993, he left Ethiopian for Gulf Air, where he stayed for 11 years – two of them on secondment to DHL Mena – before being recalled to take over the Ethiopian company’s general management. After the American firms Ernst & Young and SH&E carried out an audit, an ambitious strategy called Vision 2010 was born. “At the time, we had a turnover of $300m and annual passenger traffic of around one million people. With the new strategy, we needed to reach a billion-dollar turnover and 3 million passengers per year within five years. We accomplished that within four years,” Wake told CNBC. A charismatic leader According to him, the first challenge was to convince each employee to invest in this strategy, which was so ambitious that many thought it was unattainable. “We had to go from very slow annual growth, in the order of 7% to 8%, to growth of 20% to 25%,” he says. “He is a humane and charismatic leader. He is very well regarded by both the employees and the government because he is always positive,” says Mesfin Tasew, the company’s current CEO, who worked under his direct supervision as director of information technology and then as vice-president in charge of maintenance and engineering. When he was leading the Addis Ababa-based carrier’s development, Wake was also involved in the establishment of the private airline Asky – in which he never held an official position. “During the initial phase of the company’s creation, the founder, Gervais Koffi Djondo, negotiated with him to build the strategic partnership between the two companies,” says Nowel Ngala, commercial director of the Lomé-based carrier in which Ethiopian took a 25% stake. In 2011, Wake retired as he felt that he had accomplished his mission. “I felt that it was up to someone younger to carry the next strategy, Vision 2025, which we had developed internally this time,” he says. He was then appointed president of Rwandair, a position he held from 2012 to 2017, before returning to Ethiopian in 2018 as a director. A Girma-Wake award At Rwandair, “while the day-to-day management was carried out by the general manager [at the time John Mirenge], Girma Wake expanded its fleet and destinations,” says Osei Kojo Cobbina, director of the Rwandan company’s flight operations. He describes the president as “pleasant and a good listener, who was keen to share his knowledge”. It is well known that Wake is always ready to give advice to heads of state (notably in Rwanda, DRC, and Togo), airline CEOs, and all those who show interest in African aviation. Jon Howell – founder of AviaDev Africa, an annual event dedicated to aviation development on the African continent that Wake has sponsored since 2017 – hails Wake as a man who is “straightforward and never afraid to ask or answer tough questions”. “I first met him in 2016 when we were launching AviaDev Africa in Rwanda and he was president of Rwandair. He was enthusiastic about my project,” says the Briton who sees Wake as “an inspiration and whose advice is always much appreciated”. A prize in his name is awarded each year to the person who has contributed the most to the African aviation sector. This award has been given to Raphaël Kuuchi, then vice-president of the International Air Transport Association (IATA), and Chris Zweigenthal, former director-general of the Airlines Association of Southern Africa (AASA) and Adefunke Adeyemi, Iata’s regional director for Africa, in charge of advocacy and strategic relations. From Rwandair to the African Open Sky In Togo, Wake is mainly involved in implementing the African Open Sky, of which President Faure Gnassingbé is a fervent advocate, as he is convinced that companies will have more chances to develop in a larger market. However, even though it has been ratified by 35 countries, which represent 85% of continental traffic, the Single African Air Transport Market is struggling to become a reality. This could change within the post-pandemic context, says Wake. The problem is that there are a lot of small carriers in Africa that mainly need financial assistance. “Closing borders has made states aware of the importance of good connectivity,” he said in October 2020, during a webinar hosted by AviaDev. Wake also advocates increased cooperation between African airlines, under the umbrella of the African Airlines Association (AFRAA). “The problem is that there are a lot of small carriers in Africa that mainly need financial assistance, and very few African airlines that have the capacity to provide this financial assistance to their counterparts, but in areas such as training, maintenance and sharing capacities as well as personnel, I think a lot can be done,” he said in the same speech. Forays into Ethiopian finance In addition to his involvement in African aviation, Wake has worked in Ethiopian finance. In 2011, he briefly chaired the Ethiopian insurance company United Insurance, which accumulated 597.4m birr ($11m) in total premiums during the 2019-2020 fiscal year. He resumed this position – which he relinquished in 2012 to focus on Rwandair – from 2016 to 2018. He is also a founding member, shareholder, and the current chairman of Ethio Lease, the first subsidiary of the African Asset Finance Company (AAFC), a US-based equipment leasing company and the first foreign-owned company that has been licensed to provide financial services in Ethiopia.

Mesfin Tassew has been appointed CEO of Ethiopian Airlines.

Mesfin Tassew has been appointed CEO of Ethiopian Airlines. Mesfin Tassew has been appointed as CEO of Ethiopian Airlines. Mesfin Tasew joined Ethiopian in 1984 as associate engineer and progressed through the ladder and served in supervisorial and managerial positions in the technical areas. In 1997 and 1999 he was appointed as director operations and technical systems support and chief information officers respectively. In 2006, he was assigned as vice president  maintenance and engineering. Recently, he was serving Ethiopian as chief operating officer since Nov. 01, 2010. He holds BSC and MSC degree in electrical engineering from Addis Ababa University. He also holds MSc degree in business administration from the Open University of UK.

Girma Wakie has been appointed President and Chairman of the Ethiopian Airlines Group

Girma Wakie has been appointed President and Chairman of the Ethiopian Airlines Group Girma Wakie has been appointed President and Chairman of the Ethiopian Airlines Group Former CEO of Ethiopian Airlines, Girma Wake has been appointed President and Chairman of Ethiopian Airlines Group. According to The Reporter, former Speaker of the House of Peoples’ Representatives, Abadula Gemeda, has resigned and Girma Wake, a former member of the board, has been appointed. In addition to chairing the board, Girma Wake has been appointed president of the Ethiopian Airlines Group, sources said. Girma has been appointed as President of Ethiopian Airlines for only one year and his main mission is to build a stable management team at Ethiopian. According to sources, there will be an executive of Ethiopian Airlines under the President under the new structure. According to sources, Girma has been appointed as the President of the Ethiopian Airlines Group by the newly formed Ethiopian Investment Holdings. Mamo Mihretu, CEO of Ethiopian Investment Holdings, declined to comment to The Reporter. Tewolde G. Mariam, who previously served as CEO of Ethiopian Airlines, has resigned, according to The Reporter. In an email to the management of the institute, Tewolde stated that he could not continue in office due to health problems and that he had voluntarily retired from his post. Tewolde was the CEO of Ethiopia Airlines, who has served in various capacities for 37 years. According to sources, members of the board of directors of the Ethiopian Airlines are currently in a meeting.

Tewolde G. Mariam, CEO of Ethiopian Airlines, has announced his resignation

Tewolde G. Mariam, CEO of Ethiopian Airlines, has announced his resignation Early Retirement of Mr. Tewolde GebreMariam, Ethiopian Group Chief Executive Officer Mr. Tewolde GebreMariam has been under medical treatment in the USA for the last six months. As he needs to focus on his personal health issues, he is unable to continue leading the airline as a Group CEO, a duty which demands closer presence and full attention round the clock. Accordingly, Mr. Tewolde GebreMariam requested the Board of Management of Ethiopian Airlines Group(the “Board”), for early retirement in order for him to focus his full attention to his medical treatment. The Board, in its ordinary meeting held on Wednesday, March 23, 2022, has accepted Mr. Tewolde’s request for early retirement. Mr. Tewolde led the Airline for over a decade with remarkable success reflected in its exceptional performance in all parameters including but not limited to exponential growth from one Billion USD annual turn-over to 4.5 Billion, from 33 airplanes to 130 airplanes and from 3 million passengers to 12 million passengers (pre-COVID). Under his leadership, the airline group has grown by four fold in all measurements building more than USD 700 million worth of vital infrastructure like Africa’s biggest hotel, Cargo terminal, MRO hangars and shops, Aviation Academy and Full Flight Simulators. The Board, the Senior Management, employees and the whole Ethiopian Airlines family express their gratefulness for his contribution and wish him full recovery soon. The Board will announce the new Group CEO and successor to Ato Tewolde GebreMariam shortly. Mr. Girma Wake, former CEO of Ethiopian Airlines, has been appointed recently as a new Chairman of the Board of Management of Ethiopian Airlines Group by the Ethiopian Public Enterprises Holding & Administration Agency. Mr. Girma Wake is a highly experienced, successful and well-regarded business leader and a well-known figure in the aviation industry who previously led Ethiopian Airlines for 7 years as a CEO and laid the foundation for the fast and profitable growth of the airline. The combination of his experience, work-culture and drive makes him capable of chairing the board and take the airline to the next level. Mr. Girma’s decision-making skills are tested and well proved.

The Renaissance Dam,will officially start generating electricity on Sunday

The Renaissance Dam,will officially start generating electricity on Sunday The Renaissance Dam, which has been successfully tested for the past few weeks, will officially start generating electricity on Sunday, February 19, 2022. As reported a few days ago, water testing of two power turbines has been successfully completed and now the date of the first phase of the dam will be a new chapter in the dam’s history. The government is preparing to unveil this historic chapter of the dam tomorrow. It was also learned that there will be various programs at the dam site. The construction and storage of the dam will continue in the coming years, and negotiations with the lower riparian countries are expected to take on a new dimension. Negotiations between various negotiators have stalled for years. The Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam has been flooded for two consecutive seasons in 2020 and 2021. In the winter of 2021, the dam reached a height of 565 meters above sea level and 4.9 billion cubic meters. Last year, the dam is expected to reach a height of 595 meters above sea level and the additional capacity of the dam will be 13.5 billion cubic meters. However, given the current state of affairs in the country, there are some doubts about the success of the project, but it has been confirmed that the Renaissance Dam will be able to generate electricity with two turbines. Negotiations in the lower riparian countries about the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam, which is just 11 years away from construction, have been held by the African Union, but Ethiopia and Sudan have said they will sign a binding agreement on water management and decommissioning, but Ethiopia has said it will hurt its interests.

Ethiopia earns $645m from coffee export in 7 months

Ethiopia earns $645m from coffee export in 7 months Addis Ababa – Ethiopia has earned over $645 million (R9. billion) from the export of coffee in the first seven months of the country’s current budget year, which began on July 8, 2021. The revenue came from the export of 162 818 tonnes of coffee, showing a $299 million increase, as against the same period last year, the Ethiopian Coffee and Tea Authority said in a statement on Wednesday. According to the statement, the major importers of Ethiopia’s coffee Arabica are Germany, Saudi Arabia, and Japan. The data from the Authority also shows that Germany continues to be the top market for Ethiopian coffee export. The East African nation exported 39 579.8 tonnes of coffee to the European nation in the past seven months, earning $137.86 million (or 21% of the total revenue). Saudi Arabia and Japan also take the second and third spots in the top 10 destinations for Ethiopian coffee. Over 24 563 tonnes of coffee valued at $86.14 million have been exported to Saudi Arabia, while Japan imported 17 239.25 tonnes of Ethiopian coffee worth $65.79 million in the same period. Belgium, the United States, South Korea, Italy, China, France, and Taiwan, respectively, make up the remaining top 10 destinations for Ethiopian coffee. The 10 countries accounted for 82% of the total coffee export, and the revenue put at 81% of the total revenue generated in the past seven months. Tags ethiopia coffee ethiopian news

Interesting facts about Commercial Bank of Ethiopia new headquarter

Interesting facts about Commercial Bank of Ethiopia new headquarter Information about the huge Commercial Bank of Ethiopia headquarters building: The foundation stone of the building was laid on June 20, 2007 by Bereket Simon, a policy advisor and then Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Commercial Bank of Ethiopia. A long study has been done to carry out the construction and it has taken its own time to find the site; After 18,308 square meters of land was given to the building, a design competition was held with the participation of many, making it the current winner. It took 7 years to identify the building design and construction facility. The building is state-of-the-art and incorporates an unusual structure in Ethiopia. Construction of the building was carried out under the supervision of Addis Ababa University Institute of Technology (AAiT) by the Chinese Government Construction Engineering Corporation. 4 underground and 49 above ground with a total of 53 floors with a total height of 209.15 meters and two large buildings with 11 and 13 floors. It has a total area of over 165,000 square meters. The 11-storey building has a conference hall; It has a modern Assembly Hall that can accommodate 2,500 people at a time, 5 small meeting halls with a capacity of 300 people and 200 seats (all can be connected to each other); It has staff cafeterias and a bank branch. The 13-story building is also used as a commercial center. Includes state-of-the-art cinema with 5 rooms, malls, gymnasium, beauty parlor, children’s amusement park, game zone, restaurants, and food court. The first floor of the main building is a permanent exhibition hall, from the 2nd to the 46th floor holding the office of the head office of the Bank. The 47th and 48th floors are cafeteria and recreation areas. It has 24 elevators, 26 scaffolders. The 4 floors have a range of up to 1,500 cars, including a state-of-the-art mechanical parking, as well as a variety of other services. The entire building has modern fire protection and CCTV cameras, media facilities, and 3 high-rise refurbished floors in the tallest building. It is built for modern security systems. It is equipped with a special technology called IBM to save water and electricity. The building is the tallest building in Addis Ababa, the tallest building in East Africa and across Africa. Construction cost $ 303.5 million. Commercial Bank of Ethiopia Headquarters @tikvahethiopia Tags commercial bank of Ethiopia commercial bank of ethiopia new building

Safaricom Is Set To Launch M-PESA Services In Ethiopia

Safaricom Is Set To Launch M-PESA Services In Ethiopia M-PESA is making its way to Ethiopia, the State Minister of Ethiopia’s Ministry of Finance has confirmed. Safaricom received its first license of operation in Ethiopia last year, but it did not allow for the setting up of the M-PESA mobile financial service. The government of Ethiopia suspended bids for a second license of operations in the same year, stalling the launch of M-PESA. However, the Ministry of Finance in Ethiopia has said it will delink the M-PESA permit from the second license. This will happen by May, allowing Safaricom to continue with initial launch plans. “They have been very active and I think they are planning for a launch sometimes in April and so far have kept their momentum in attaining the critical milestones,” Dr Eyob Tolina, the State Minister of Ethiopia’s Ministry of Finance in an interview. Ethio Telecom, a monopoly in that market, is the only other which is operating a mobile financial service. Telebirr by Ethio telecom allows cashless transactions in a country with no bank-to-bank transfers. Safaricom will introduce M-PESA into a market of 110 million people with a great niche. The growth potential is huge here, considering their robust infrastructure. MPESA services are not just available on sim cards, eSims, my Safaricom app, and M-PESA super App. They are also available in feature phones and through USSD codes. Furthermore, several utilities and bank services are easily accessible to all M-PESA users. It will be interesting to see how Safaricom’s operation will affect the telco market in Ethiopia. Tags ethiopia news ethiopian news today mpesa Safaricom