CBE, Western Union donate 50, 000 birr to flood stricken

The Commercial bank of Ethiopia (CBE) in collaboration with Western Union announced grants totaling Birr 50,000 to be donated to citizens of the Gambella Peoples' National Regional State , who have been stricken by devastating floods.

"As a Bank, we strive to support the communities we operate in. The people of Gambella have supported CBE and Western Union for years and it is fitting that we stand by them through this difficult period. Our sincere condolences go to the families and friends who lost their loved ones during the tragic flood that hit several parts of Gambella region", said Wzo. Melika Bedri, Vice President for Information Technology Services and Marketing at CBE.

Currently, CBE has one Agent location in Gambella offering Western Union Money Transfer@ service. The bank is In the process of upgrading and expanding this branch with a view to rendering swift and efficient services to the people of Gambella. "Our aim is to ensure that the people of Gambella can receive their money within a pleasant and safe environment,” adds Wzo. Melika. (Press release, Nov,10, 2006)

India to help Ethiopia develop agriculture

Indian Ambassador to Ethiopia Gurjit Singh said in a news release that a high-level delegation from India , led by Minister of State for Agriculture Consumer Affairs for Public Distribution of India Kanti Lal Bhuria, has arrived in the Horn of Africa country. The aim of the visit was to increase bilateral co-operation between Ethiopia and India in the agricultural sector, said Mr. Singh. He said India was one of the few countries that produced a food surplus, which is impressive given the billion plus population, and had done so by making use of modern techniques, including fertilizers and irrigation. The Indian delegation would share their experiences with Ethiopia in order to help the country achieve similar successes, including strong growth, in the agricultural sector, said the Indian diplomat.

Agriculture trade between the two countries was currently skewed in favor of India . In 2004/05 India exported 5.79 million U. S. dollars, while only importing 2.34 million dollars back from Ethiopia . Ethiopia has been desperately trying to capitalize on its favorable climate and soil conditions by modernizing to boost agriculture production. However, the country has struggled to deal with the mechanical and skills backlog that would allow it to frog- leap the development that took developed countries decades to achieve. (Xinhua, Nov, 7, 2006)

  Efforts launched to export Ethiopian flowers to Japan

Japanese Ambassador to Ethiopia Kenjiro Izumi said efforts were well underway to export Ethiopian flowers to Japan . While holding talks with President Girma Wolde-Giorgis, who took leave of him at the end of his tour of duty in Ethiopia , Izumi said he had held talks with Ethiopian exporters on ways of exporting flowers and roast coffee to Japan directly. Ambassador Izumi said he had made unstinted efforts to further enhance the bilateral cooperation between the two countries. He said the visit of Japanese Prime Minister to Ethiopia last year had contributed significantly for strengthening of the bilateral cooperation between the two nations.

(The Ethiopian Herald, November 7, 2006)

  Lundin wins two blocks in Ethiopia

Lundin Petroleum AB ("Lundin Petroleum") announced that it has signed a production sharing contract (PSC) for Blocks 2 and 6 in Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia.

Lundin Petroleum signed the PSC with the Minister of Mines and Energy of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia in Addis Ababa on November 7, 2006. The PSC covers Blocks 2 and 6 located in the onshore Ogaden Basin . The massive two-block area spans over 24,000 square kilometers and is located just west of the Calub and Hilala oil and gas discoveries. Lundin Petroleum holds a 100 percent interest in the PSC area through the exploration period, with the Ethiopian Government having an option to participate with up to 10 percent interest following a commercial discovery. To date, no wells have been drilled in Blocks 2 or 6, but indications of light oil, gas and condensate have been documented in well tests and surface seeps to the south and east of the Blocks. Lundin Petroleum is a Swedish independent oil and gas exploration and production company with a well balanced portfolio of world-class assets in Albania, Congo Brazzaville, Ethiopia, France, Indonesia, Ireland, Netherlands, Nigeria, Norway, Russia, Sudan, Tunisia, United Kingdom, Venezuela and Vietnam. The Company is listed at the Nordic Exchange, Sweden (ticker "LUPE"). Lundin Petroleum has existing proven and probable reserves of 146.1 million barrels of oil equivalent as at 1 January 2006. (Press release, Lundin Petroleum, November 07, 2006)

  New name and new office for child right organisation

International Advocates for Children has decided to pick up a new name as per 1 st of October: World Initiative for Orphans. As subtitle: The Global Partnership on Children without Parental Care. The new name better reflects the full mission of the organisation. This week the Headquarters has been moved from Amsterdam to The Hague , The Netherlands, the capital of International Peace and Justice. WIO is an independent, non-profit human rights organisation for orphaned and abandoned children worldwide. Children who are deprived of the guidance and protection of their primary caregivers are more vulnerable to health risks, violence, exploitation and discrimination and they are often deprived of education. WIO strives to guard the fundamental needs of this disadvantaged population by engaging in advocacy, education, problem analysis, and the development of solutions based on sound research that can be applied by countries and NGO's worldwide. WIO is uniquely building bridges between governments, NGO's and experts from all fields, to develop unity and global harmony in finding best practices that work in each region of the world for each individual child.

(Press release The Hague Nov 7, 2006)