Florida International Hotel, one of the top-rated establishments in Gondar city, recently hosted a skill enhancement training program for its food production department employees. Situated conveniently close to the University of Gondar, the hotel organized a comprehensive training session focused on various aspects of Indian cuisine, including grooming, kitchen safety and hygiene, plate presentation, and preparation of a wide range of dishes such as breads, crispy snacks, main courses, and accompanying sauces.

The training program, conducted from March 6th to March 10th, 2024, aimed to refine the culinary skills of the hotel staff. Dr. Thamimul Ansari P, an Associate Professor in the Department of Tourism and Hotel Management at the University of Gondar, led the training as the main trainer and resource person. The sessions were enriched with audio-visual presentations and hands-on practical exercises, allowing participants to learn the art of plate presentation and garnishing firsthand.

Emphasis was also placed on kitchen hygiene, grooming standards, and safety protocols essential for the hospitality industry. The training included live demonstrations of bread-making, preparation of crispy snacks, main courses, and various accompanying sauces and curries, providing valuable insights into authentic Indian cuisine.

The 300 Water Leaders Group will host its first global meeting during the London Global Water Summit from April 15-17, 2024. Esteemed CEOs from utilities in the developing world will attend, including industry leaders from more than 30 countries together serving over 220 million people. These leaders, representing some of the world’s biggest megacities such as Manila, Dhaka, Bogota and Lagos, will convene to tackle the most pressing utility challenges through peer-to-peer networking. 

Launched during New York UN Water Week and officially inaugurated at the 2023 Global Water Summit in Berlin, the initiative aims to unite 300 utilities worldwide dedicated to raising ambition on SDG6. Members make a pledge to extend their services, with the goal to ensure 300 million more people have access to water and sanitation services by 2030. Utilities also submit a roadmap which outlines transformative strategies to achieve their pledge and the most impressive utility roadmap will be crowned ‘SDG6 Champion’ at the Global Water Awards on April 16. Since the group’s inception, the initiative has conducted regional workshops in Côte d’Ivoire, Vietnam, and Mexico.

Eleven Ethiopians are amongst 50 African women selected as Policy Fellows for the second cohort of The Gender Responsive Agriculture Systems Policy (GRASP) Fellowship, an initiative of African Women in Agricultural Research and Development (AWARD) funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). The AWARD Policy Fellowship is cultivating a growing pool of African women to catalyze the design and implementation of gender-responsive agricultural policies across Africa.

A core pillar of Ethiopia’s economy, agriculture accounts for 40 percent of gross domestic product, 80 percent of exports, and an estimated 75 percent of the country’s workforce. However, recurrent droughts and soil degradation, coupled with low technology uptake, hamper productivity. Further, “despite women’s huge contribution to agricultural activities, agricultural policies have disproportionately benefitted male farmers,” explains Kalkidan Yimer, Gender and Inclusion Advisor for Save the Children International in Ethiopia, and AWARD Policy Fellow.

Transformative policy change is needed to address the challenges smallholders face and close gender gaps in agrifood systems – a key focus of the GRASP Fellowship. For its second phase, the GRASP initiative has targeted six new countries: Burkina Faso, Ethiopia, Madagascar, Mozambique, Rwanda, and Senegal.