Ethiopian Cargo and Logistics Services and Liege Airport, the Ethiopian cargo hub in Europe, have marked 17 years of a thriving partnership that has played a pivotal role in connecting Africa to the rest of the world.

Over the past 17 years, the strategic alliance between the two organizations has been mutually beneficial, contributing to the growth and development of both Ethiopian Cargo and Liege Airport. In 2023, Ethiopian Cargo uplifted around 160,000 tons of cargo from Liege Airport, cementing its position as a leading global air cargo provider.

“This partnership has been instrumental in Ethiopian Cargo’s success as one of the global leaders in the air cargo industry,” said Mesfin Tasew, Ethiopian Airlines Group CEO. “Liege Airport provides us with a strategic location and world-class infrastructure, enabling us to offer our customers seamless and efficient cargo solutions.”

Laurent Jossart, CEO of Liege Airport, expressed his delight at the long-term partnership, stating, “Ethiopian is a magnificent success story and continues to grow here. The company links different continents with a fleet of state-of-the-art aircraft that are among the most efficient in terms of noise and environmental performance.”

On May 30, 2024, Miroslav Kosek, the Ambassador of the Czech Republic to Ethiopia, inaugurated the continuation of the Borana Disaster Risk Reduction and Resilience (BDRRR) Project. This project is a significant initiative aimed at alleviating the suffering and enhancing the resilience of the pastoral and agro-pastoral communities in the Borana zone of the Oromia Regional State.

The Czech government has demonstrated its commitment to global humanitarian efforts by allocating a total of 165 million Czech korunas this year to save lives, alleviate human suffering, reduce vulnerability, and swiftly stabilize and strengthen the resilience of populations affected by disasters and conflicts worldwide. A portion of these funds is directed to Ethiopia, specifically to support the BDRRR project.

The Borana zone, home to approximately 1.7 million people, predominantly pastoralists, has been severely impacted by recurrent droughts, exacerbated by climate change. Over the past four years, five consecutive failed rainy seasons have led to the death of over 3.3 million livestock, severely disrupting livelihoods and forcing thousands to abandon their homes.

The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) and the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on the sidelines of the 77th World Health Assembly to expand their partnership to strengthen epidemic and pandemic prevention, preparedness and response in Africa.

United by a shared mission, the organisations will collaborate to boost regional vaccine research, development, and sustainable manufacturing leadership and capabilities in Africa, fostering a faster and more equitable response to emerging infectious diseases.

“The New Public Health Order calls to action to build resilient health systems capable of managing recurrent, high-impact infectious disease and outbreaks; an action-oriented partnership such as this is at the core,” said Dr. Jean Kaseya, Africa CDC’s Director General. “This collaboration with CEPI in research, clinical trials, and local manufacturing of medical countermeasures will elevate Africa’s readiness against outbreaks, epidemics, and pandemics, thus consolidating the continent’s preparedness far beyond where we were prior to the COVID-19 pandemic.”