Friday, November 7, 2025
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LEADING OR FOLLOWING?

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Revolutions, mass uprisings, insurrections, etc., particularly of the considered types, almost always ensue as a result of failure on the part of the reigning political leadership. The generalized turmoil that intensified in Ethiopia during the last two years is one such example. The Ethiopian political leadership, (i.e., the one still in play) was completely self-absorbed to see disruptive tendencies taking shape on the ground. Gross maladministration became the order of the day; from the delivery of injustices to the delivery of services. The leadership’s leading political analyses were biased, even blinded, by the superficial and feeble achievements registered in certain sectors of our society. TPTB’s (the power that be) very simplistic and mistaken conception of Ethiopian history/reality resulted in misdiagnosing the country’s age old protracted problems!

Imbecilic self-congratulatory disposition dominated and overwhelmed the ruling entity and their minions. Dominant interests operating at the global level (oligarchs, transnational monopoly capital, etc.,) who are always ready to pounce on the vulnerable, energetically supported the visible degeneration of the ruling party. These entities probably assumed the mal-governance taking place across the country would be helpful to their long-term agenda. The party’s official culture, as flaunted by its degenerate goons, was unbecoming of any revolutionary movement! The unsuspecting sheeple was pressed, directly/indirectly, to accept corruption as the way of life. Numerous party operatives were directly/indirectly involved in the scheme to disfranchise those who were not willing to go along with their foolhardy ways. Parasitic elements were handpicked to facilitate massive embezzlements. ‘Rent seekers’, despite the rhetoric, were celebrated, rather than penalized for their deeds! Obviously, the sheeple realized the whole scheme of publicly condemning rent seekers while secretly condoning their activities was a farce orchestrated by the ‘Mafiosi State’ behind the formal state!

Constructive criticisms intended to rectify the visible degeneration of the ruling elites, not only the politicos, were construed as useless proposition, especially if suggested by outsiders. The ongoing ‘economic development’ that is uncritically celebrated by the country’s largely uninformed population was used to justify generalized decadence. Ethiopia’s ‘Royalties of Corruption’ were visibly facilitated to take over lucrative enterprises, in one form or another, despite plenty of evidence showing massive foul play. In short, the state and the government was captured by the well-organized ‘Mafiosi State’, clandestinely operating behind the scene! Yet again, despite outcries from the general public, the ruling entity chose not only to ignore the sheeple’s grievances but also doubled down on its support to corrupt cronies, determined to derail whatever little good governance that remained in the country. Whether we like it or not, injustice is already recognized, by many, as one of the defining characteristic of the administration of this once revolutionary party! As a result of such gross maladministration and more, the country finds itself in a very precarious situation. Political stability, economic progress, social harmony, etc. are now all in jeopardy!

Even though cronyism is a blinding disease, the ruling party somehow decided not to see it that way. The leadership intentionally preferred very distorted lens to look at the reality of Ethiopia. To those who wanted to remain independent, both in thought and actions, the country became a place of servitude, under feudal-like regime full of mediocrity, buffoonery and widespread corruption. Forget about privileges, even basic rights were denied to those considered second-class citizens, which were almost everybody not connected to the goons of the ‘Mafiosi State’. Some time back all hell broke loose and the sheeple decided to take matters in its own hands. Disruption started to take place all over, without warning and seemingly without organized leadership. These moves, on their own, illuminate the depth of dissatisfaction harbored by the people against the degenerate governing elites and their minions. Henceforth, the sheeple emphatically started to set the agenda for the country; ranging from peaceful disobedience to outright rebellion. It became very clear the ruling party was asleep on the wheels, so to speak. As it stands, the ruling party is trying to play catch up with the agenda put forward by the Ethiopian sheeple. Now who are the leaders and who are the followers?

Vacuous elitism only leads to detachment and corruption. Principles deprived relation overwhelmed the country’s administration, and de facto became the modus operandi of the state. It seems the party itself has finally admitted the existence of what we have been calling the ‘Mafiosi state.’ The rhetoric might be in the right direction but unless tangible changes are observed on the ground, there will hardly be any respite! If the ruling entity is not willing or capable of rectifying the problems already highlighted by the Ethiopian sheeple, the next move will be very clear. People will naturally demand the removal of the status quo by hook or a crook! The ruling elites must genuinely grasp the prevailing sentiment of the large majority of the Ethiopian people. There is no denying that the ruling party’s credibility and image is seriously damaged, thanks to its degenerate Mafiosi that has derailed the direction of the once revolutionary front. Instead of appreciating hard and honest work, justice, prudence, decency, etc. the party became facilitator of embezzlement and injustice. The ruling party has a long way to go before it regains some of its legitimacy back. If genuine political space is going to open up, the challenges to the ruling party is bound to be formidable, as it has betrayed the trust and confidence of the large majority of its constituency!

Total Energies inaugurates polished up gas station along Bole Rd

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By Eyasu Zekarias

Total Energies rejuvenates a 45 year old gas station, with upgrades in the service station at a cost of 73 million birr.

Total Energies, which is accessible to more than 130 countries, including Ethiopia, through Christophe Ferrand, Managing Director of Total Energies Marketing in Ethiopia, informed Capital that the newly inaugurated service station has its own water well with the services now being boosted to ten cars being able to get fuel services simultaneously.

Furthermore, it has been pointed out that the capacity of the gas station, which has been in service for close to half a century, has been increased from 80 to 200. To keep the services flowing, the station has hired 22 new employees as well as raised the salary of its employees.

The inauguration ceremony was attended by Total Energies brand ambassador, athlete Haile Gebrselassie, former Ethiopian president, MulatuTeshome, Total Energies Mediterranean and Indian Ocean CEO, Total Africa’s vice president, as well as the French ambassador to Ethiopia.

Located on Bole Road in Addis Ababa, the newly renovated gas station has undergone various improvements, including a new shopping center, a modern restaurant, and two car washes which are included in the service.

Momentum grows to solve the world’s plastic waste problem

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Tshidi Ramogase, Chief Public Affairs, Communication and Sustainability Officer, Coca-Cola Beverages Africa

Today as people all over the globe gather for World Cleanup Day, there is compelling reason to believe that an end to the plastic waste problem is in sight. The next round of negotiations towards a UN treaty based on legally-binding global rules and comprehensive circular economy measures to deal with plastic waste will take place in Nairobi, Kenya, in November.

Progress to date has been encouraging, and at the last round of discussions in Paris, most member states showed strong support for an ambitious treaty. Importantly, the development of a legally binding treaty is supported by a Business Coalition convened by the Ellen MacArthur Foundation and WWF, in collaboration with aligned businesses, including The Coca-Cola Company, and supported by NGO partners.

The coalition sees the treaty as the single most important opportunity to accelerate progress towards a circular economy in which plastic never becomes waste or pollution, and the value of products and materials is retained in the economy.

At Coca-Cola Beverages Africa (CCBA), our commitment is to invest in our planet and our packaging, to help make the world’s packaging problem a thing of the past, working in partnership with The Coca-Cola Company in support of its sustainable packaging initiative called World Without Waste, which it launched in 2018.

We are reimagining our packaging to make it better for our planet and our business. We’re working to design better bottles because packaging shouldn’t harm our world, and if someone wants to recycle one of our packages, they should be able to.

Through various design innovations, we are reducing the amount of plastic in our bottles, increasing the recycled content in our bottles and increasing their ease of recyclability.

In South Africa, our 500ml Bonaqua bottles are made out of 100% recycled PET (rPET).

Other recent highlights include the move to clear Sprite PET in ten markets (South Africa, Namibia, Mozambique, Ethiopia, Tanzania, Kenya, Botswana, Uganda, Zambia and Malawi) which makes it much easier to recycle and has greater value as a recyclable material. CCBA also started using returnable 2L PET in South Africa with the view to roll this out to other markets.

A second pillar of our strategy is collection. The Coca-Cola Company and all its bottling partners are leading the industry to help collect and recycle a bottle or can for every one we sell by 2030. We’re working to bring people together to help us collect and recycle 100% of our packaging.

Regardless of where it comes from, we want every package to have more than one life.

Our approach is a voluntary collection and recycling model funded by industry through a levy on resin, the material used to make PET plastic.

Following a highly successful rollout in South Africa, we have extended this model, which is based on the principle of Extended Producer Responsibility, to three additional markets, with plans for further rollout in our markets.

Finally, we are partnering with communities and industry to clean up existing packaging. We’re bringing people together through programmes like beach and river cleanups and other ongoing local activities. To encourage more people to recycle more often, we’re investing to help people understand what to recycle, how to recycle, and where to recycle. We also work with local communities, NGOs, our competitors, and our critics to highlight this critical issue.

We are creating and supporting waste collection and recycling systems across our footprint where they didn’t exist previously and improving collection and recycling rates where systems do exist.

In Mozambique, CCBA has provided training to more than 3,000 women on the safe and efficient collection and sorting of plastic waste, empowering them to earn an income in the plastic waste circular economy.

In Ethiopia, 263 women who made a living collecting firewood in and around Entoto Mountain were left without work when the Entoto Park opened. CCBA supported them to start PET collection in the park and its vicinity, sorting and providing it to recyclers. They now collect about 10 tonnes a month. They were also trained to weave baskets from recycled plastic as an additional income stream.

A model collection centre has been established in Ambo city, near CCBA subsidiary Ambo Mineral Water SC, creating employment for 13 women and two men.

Through the Extended Producer Responsibility model and initiatives like these, CCBA has made solid progress towards its goal of a 100% recycling rate.

In addition, to help stimulate the development of a circular economy for plastic waste, we are bringing the cost down and availability up for recycled materials.

We’re working toward these solutions to create a circular economy that benefits society and works for our business.

We’ve set ambitious goals for our business, to take responsibility for our packaging across its lifecycle and reduce ocean pollution.

NBE’s new quota stifles fresh banks

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By our staff reporter

Despite some new banks airing out concerns to the financial industry regulatory body, National Bank of Ethiopia (NBE), the central bank has sent fresh loan discernment quotas for each and every bank as per the newly adopted cap imposed just a few weeks ago.

As sources in the financial industry inform Capital, the central bank has sent every bank’s quota and has further requested them to submit their execution plan.

In the monetary policy statement that was issued on August 11, the NBE board decided that for the current fiscal year which ends in June, 2024 will see the credit growth being limited to 14 percent. As per NBE’s intentions, all commercial banks will be instructed to limit the growth of their loan books so as to be consistent with this aggregate credit ceiling.

According to the information sourced from banks, NBE has sent their quotas as per the fresh loan disbursement performance that banks registered in the 2022/23 fiscal year that ended on June 30.

Sources said that the regulatory body separately calculated every banks loan disbursement for the current fiscal year as per the maximum growth rate on the consideration of last year’s allocation.

“NBE had asked banks for their disbursement schedule,” sources said.

However, banks particularly those that are new to the sector have raised concerns over the move.

According to the newbie banks, the group of big banks would not be affected by the new arrangement since their allocation was very huge in the past year.

“Some big banks had disbursed about 100 billion birr in a single year, while the new comers that have limited resources are facing a serious challenge. If the regulatory body decides to treat them as long established financial firms it will cause a pinch,” a bank president told Capital.

He added that the big banks will have a space to disburse over 15 billion birr under NBE’s latest decision while new banks will not have a space to facilitate few hundred million birr as a fresh loan if the central bank continues on its stand, “It will be damaging for our business.”

Bankers are now expressing their hope that NBE may take its time to relook its decision.

“Some of us are focused on the general public who are excluded from the financial industry or businesses that were not receiving ample attention on credit provision,” one of the bank presidents said.

As per the initial statement, the central bank stated that the 14 percent cap will continue until the end of the first half of the fiscal year, while experts said that it may continue until the end of the year.

The major aim of put a cap on fresh disbursement is to contain the growing inflation and place it under 20 percent by the end of the fiscal year from the current about 30 percent.

Beside credit cap, the NBE board also changed the interest rate at the NBE’s emergency lending facility that banks utilize when they face liquidity problems from 16 percent to 18 percent.

Moreover, the board has passed a decision to reduce the direct advance that the central government takes from NBE.

“An understand is also to be reached with the Ministry of Finance to make use of this facility, only as a last resort if sufficient Treasury Bills and Treasury Bonds cannot be raised in the market,” the central bank underscored.