ADDIS ABABA (Reuters) – Ethiopia will import 150,000 tonnes of wheat to stabilise grain prices amid rising world commodity costs, the prime minister said on Wednesday.
Higher prices for staple foods and fuel have hit developing nations hard as government of some food-growing countries impose export curbs because of worries about domestic shortages.
“The government has signed an agreement to import 1.5 million quintals (150,000 tonnes) of wheat within the next one and half months to stabilise food grain prices,” Prime Minister Meles Zenawi told parliament.
“Food grain price stability was not achieved in some communities due to illegal practices by traders operating outside the law,” he said.
The leader of sub-Saharan Africa’s second most populous country did not say where the grain would come from nor how much it would cost.
The Ministry of Finance says inflation stands at 19 percent, mostly due to high petrol prices.
Meles said the government will take action against black market operators. Last week, police arrested 45 traders.
Food shortages are worse in sub-Saharan Africa because per capita production has fallen in recent years. Drought-prone Ethiopia was one of the most-affected African countries.
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) said on Monday that Ethiopia should tap low-interest loans or grants to help it deal with rising food prices.
A U.S.-funded early warning system, FEWSNET, has said that up to nine million Ethiopians may need food assistance in 2008 due to drought.
(Reporting by Tsegaye Tadesse, editing by Jack Kimball and Peter Blackburn)
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Crossing remote areas, far away from civilization and from the comfort of the modern dwelling lies one of the most well-kept traditions we might expect to see on the African continent. In Southern Ethopia, in the depths of Rift Valley or in the Omo Region, there is a cultural fest – over 45 languages are spoken, several tribes combine their traditions in an amazing display of color and culture that reminds one of ancient times.
Forget the comfort of your car if you want to reach the sacred place. The roads can be terrible but the rewards one receives when reaching the other side is worth the trouble. People in this corner of Africa have remained virtually untouched by a world that moves ever faster, their lifestyles suffering no major changes for the last two hundred years. Even though it can get overwhelming considering the arid desert, most of the people that visited the place were impressed by the country’s beauty – the tall mountains, the vast fields with grains waiting to be harvested, the cooling waterfalls or the lush forest filled with vegetation.
The Ethiopian people somehow seem unaffected by the region’s economical issues – they laugh, sign in greet each day with optimisms, wishing every stranger curious about their lands a warm welcome. Women wear colorful jewels, handcrafted from various plants. A woman would put on daily, besides the clothes, beaded necklaces and metal bracelets, leather skirts or loincloths but also some complex hairstyles you wouldn’t normally expect.
Many fascinating objectives can be found around the Simien Mountains, including Gondar, Ethiopia’s medieval capital or the Royal Enclosure, a series of castles with a unique design in Africa built by the ruling family. Ethiopia’s ancient capital that could rival Egypt’s pyramids, Axum is not the center point for the country’s Christians, with several sacred buildings and one of the largest churches in the world.
On the other hand, the is less frequented but more inviting, due to the variety of flora and fauna. The parks are home to hundreds of species of birds, the country being referred to as one of the best countries for ornithology in the world. Lake Nakuru National Park also offers the chance to explore rhinos, buffalos and flamingos. All in all, Ethiopia can be a fascinating place, to find a lost culture, enjoy remote locations and escape the modernism of it all.
Comptroller’s report shows government failed in its handling of Ethiopian immigrants; community suffers from prevalent drug abuse, domestic violence
Over 100,000 Ethiopian immigrants are currently living in Israel, with 65% requiring some kind of welfare assistance. According to the state comptroller’s report, the Ministry of Social Affairs did not initiate a special program to teach social workers handling Ethiopian immigrants about the community’s culture and needs until 2006.
The harsh report pointed to a study conducted by the Israel Anti Drug Abuse Foundation that showed one quarter of Ethiopan-Israeli youths have used drugs, and two thirds reported consuming alcoholic beverages.
Despite the disturbing results, the comptroller’s report found that the Foundation did not develop a plan for dealing with the drug and alcohol problems of Ethiopian youths until 2007.
The comptroller charged that almost every government authority has failed in some way – on both the municipal and national level – in dealing with the social needs of Ethiopian immigrants.
“The upsetting results about this community’s distress have been recognized for years, but government authorities did not fully understand their special need for treatment. Also, no systematic organization for the treatment of this community was put forth, and as a result not enough was done socially in order to sufficiently incorporate them into society,” the report charged.
Treatment took over two years
In Netanya, 60% of the city’s Ethiopian residents, who account for 6.2% of the city’s population, seek the help of social welfare services. However, the state comptroller found that only two Ethiopian social workers were employed at the municipality’s center for domestic violence. Because of the manpower shortage, some cases took up to a year to be handled
One example included in the report was the story of a blind woman who immigrated to Israel from Ethiopia and settled in Netanya,. The woman reported that her husband of 40 years was physically and verbally abusive towards her and her daughter. In April 2005, social workers recommended that the couple be dealt with at the center, but the case had to wait for more than two years to be handled.
The comptroller also slammed the Ministry of Social Affairs for neglecting to process the information received about disputes that were reported by community members. The comptroller emphasized the importance of treating the Ethiopian community’s social issues, as Israel Police records show a relatively high rate of domestic violence among Ethiopian immigrants.
The Prime Minister’s Office said in response that the government had allotted over NIS 800 million (more than $200 million) to the improvement of the Ethiopian immigrants’ absorption. The Netanya Municipality said it understood the need for “discussing the subject,” and that it had reinforced the human resources channels dealing with Ethiopian senior citizens.
The state comptroller found numerous failings in steps taken by the state and local authorities to absorb Ethiopian immigrants. The government decided back in 1999 that a committee was needed to coordinate between ministries and with the many organizations that deal with Ethiopian Jews, but did not establish the committee for eight years. Lack of coordination severely undermined the efficiency of programs to aid immigrants, and of the budgets allocated for them.
For example, the Immigrant Absorption Ministry conducted a demographic survey of the immigrant community between 2000 and 2003, which could have been of immense help to the Social Affairs Ministry, which for years had no data on families in need of assistance.That survey finally took place in 2006, more than 20 years after Ethiopian immigration began. An inter-ministerial committee was set up only last year, and this year a national program for absorbing immigrants was unveiled, which for the first time established the principle of adapting services to cultural needs.
The comptroller found that through 2006, most social workers dealing with the community were not Ethiopian, and had not received cultural sensitivity training.
(AFP) — ADDIS ABABA: Donned in bright red trunks with a mouthguard to protect his teeth, Molla Getachew works on his footwork as part of a daily early-morning routine in a steamy gym in southern Addis Ababa.
With him is Solomon Zinna, a 31-year-old coach who is preparing Molla for the biggest challenge of his career in only three months time – the Olympic Games in Beijing.
The 24-year-old flyweight is the only boxer to have qualified for the tournament from Ethiopia, a country more associated with slender and wiry athletes than for pound-for-pound fighters in a boxing ring.
“God willing, I hope to perform very well and follow in the footsteps of our athletes who have achieved a lot throughout these years,” said Molla.
Diminutive but well-built, Molla has over 50 bouts under his belt, including ten defeats in his nine-year amateur career. His coach however, believes Molla’s athleticism and work ethic could give him the edge in Beijing.
“He is very athletic and strong, his belief in hard work could help him become the most successful Ethiopian in Olympic history,” said Solomon. Despite hailing from a rough neighbourhood in the capital’s Abnet district, where several friends took up boxing, Molla’s heart lay on the football pitch for the best part of his childhood.
He only took an interest in boxing at the age of fifteen, when an unexpected trip to a national championship left him so captivated that he had to climb trees and elude security guards to watch other bouts.
Within weeks, he had signed on to a local project and never looked back.
Molla said his journey to Beijing started in Algeria at the All-Africa Games in July last year, when his inexperience led to an early first round exit at the hands of a Cameroonian fighter.
Bitter over the unsavory defeat a motivated Molla went on to clinch his Olympic berth after a string of impressive results against Seychellois and Zambian opponents during the African Olympic qualifying tournament held in the same country in January this year.
He’s now hoping to shake off Ethiopia’s dismal showing at the Olympics by emulating the success of the country’s fleet-footed athletes.
Ethiopian boxers have featured in all but two editions since the 1960 Olympics in Rome but have only been able to reach the quarter-finals twice in 11 attempts.
In the meantime, Molla and his coach have devised a rigorous four-hour-per day training schedule at a newly inaugurated training facility of the Ethiopian Boxing Federation.
Inside, the thumping sounds of taped fists pounding heavy punching bags reverberate across the yellow-painted concrete walls.
Darting in and out, pint-sized unknowns square-off with sparring partners as trainers send out instructions.
Drenched in sweat, Molla, who fights in the 51kg division, bounces lightly from toe to toe. On the other side of the corner, his ex-trainer Tasew Gebretsadik who coached him through the continental qualifying tournament casts a wary eye on his former protegì.
Gebretsadik, a veteran Ethiopian boxing coach, however believes the Olympics might be a tall order for the unheralded boxer despite his determination to succeed.
“The boy could be psychologically affected since he’ll be participating on the biggest competition of his life,” said Tasew.
Weeks after securing a place in Beijing, a bitter wrangle broke out among members of the federation after the national body decided to replace the coaching staff including Tasew.
Furthermore, four boxers who trained alongside Molla disappeared two months ago in an apparent attempt to get asylum in Namibia after participating in another qualifying competition in Windhoek.
But despite the setback, Molla remains confident.
“I’ve prepared very well. I’m in the right state of mind to be successful in Beijing,” he says.
The Rezidor Hotel Group arrives in Ethiopia and announces a brand new Radisson hotel in the capital city Addis Ababa. The property will feature 209 rooms and open in Q4 2009. “With this signing we are adding a new country to our portfolio and are now present in 52 countries across EMEA”, comments Kurt Ritter, President & CEO of Rezidor. “In the Middle East and Africa we are now having 47 hotels with almost 11,500 rooms in operation and under development.”
The new hotel owned by The Emerald Addis Hotels plc is perfectly located in the business and diplomatic centre of Addis Ababa in close proximity to the African Union Conference Centre. Modelled on the successful Radisson SAS EU Hotel, Brussels, which is located near the European Union, the Radisson Hotel Addis Ababa will include an all day restaurant, a bar lounge, meeting facilities, and a fitness&wellness centre.
Addis Ababa is a diverse and riotous capital city with almost 3 million people, roughly 80 different nationalities, and a multitude of religious and language groups. Nestled at the foot of Mount Entoto, the city was founded in the late 1800s by Ethiopian emperor Menelik II and was later occupied by the Italians during the second Italo-Abyssinian War. When Ethiopians regained control, Emperor Haile Selassie immediately set about rebuilding the capital and formed the Organization of African Unity, replaced by today’s African Union, which has its headquarters in the city.
Addis Ababa is also home to the world-renown early hominid Lucy – her fossilised skeleton, as well as a replica, are housed in the Ethiopian National Museum. The city also boasts the largest open market in Africa (in the Merkato district), several interesting mosques and cathedrals, as well as the world’s largest prefabricated building, Shengo Hall, and Menelik’s Old Imperial Palace, which is the official seat of the Ethiopian government.
Facts&Figures:
Property: Radisson Hotel, Addis Ababa (to open)
Rooms: 209
Between 2007 and 2009, Rezidor will add 20.000 rooms to its portfolio.
About the Rezidor Hotel Group: The Rezidor Hotel Group is one of the fastest growing hotel companies in the world. The group features a portfolio of 333 hotels in operation and under development with more than 68,000 rooms in 52 countries.
Rezidor operates the brands Radisson SAS Hotels&Resorts, Regent Hotels&Resorts, Park Inn and Country Inns&Suites in Europe, Middle East and Africa, along with the goldpoints plusSM loyalty programme for frequent hotel guests. Rezidor has signed a worldwide license agreement with the Italian fashion house Missoni, in order to develop and operate a lifestyle hotel brand of the same name: Hotel Missoni.
In November 2006, Rezidor was listed on the Stockholm Stock Exchange. With 42%, Carlson Companies is the main shareholder.
The Corporate Office of the Rezidor Hotel Group is based in Brussels, Belgium.
For more information on Rezidor, visit www.rezidor.com.
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