Tadu Abate and Dibabe Kuma will return to defend their titles at the Haspa Marathon Hamburg, a World Athletics Gold Label road race, on 19 April.
At 22, Tadu is still a youngster in marathon running. After his biggest career victory in Hamburg a year ago, when he clocked 2:08:25 in wet and cold conditions, the Ethiopian improved his personal best to 2:06:13 in Amsterdam. This year he will renew his rivalry with compatriot Ayele Abshero who finished second after last year’s thrilling finish, just a second behind Tadu.
In 2018 Abate had left his experienced rival behind him as well, when the pair finished second and third in Hamburg behind fellow-Ethiopian Solomon Deksisa. Ayele Abshero, 29, who has a world-class personal best of 2:04:23, will be eager to be beat his younger rival this time.
Dibabe Kuma returns to head the women’s field after her surprise last year when she produced a great solo run in the poor conditions to win in 2:24:42.
Fellow-Ethiopian Meseret Belete will be one of her main challengers. Just 20, Belete was sixth at the 2018 World Half Marathon Championships and holds a marathon PB of 2:24:54.
Local attention will fall on German star Philipp Pflieger (2:12:50 PB), who is gunning for the Olympic qualifying standard of 2:11:30. He showed good form two days ago when he improved his PB in the half marathon to 1:02:50 in Barcelona.
Ethiopian Tadu, Dibabe to defend Hamburg Marathon crowns
Total Ethiopia invested 1.3 million birr
Total Ethiopia invested 1.3 million birr to provide road safety cube materials to primary and elementary schools in and around Addis Ababa. The cubes will be distributed to children in elementary schools in order to help them take precaution against road traffic accidents.
(L) Thibault Lesueur, Managing Director of Total, Mulu Gebregziabher, State Minister of Transport and Dagmawit Moges, Minister of Transport. page 3
Commission initiates to set up Private Sector Advisory Council
The Private Sector Advisory Council (PAC) that is expected to involve in government policy formation as well as in the business engagement is formed by the initiative of Planning and Development Commission (PDC).
The tabled documents for the formation of the new council indicated that it would have aims to review and enrich long term and reform plans and programs with a suggestions of the alternatives, propose alternative ways that will enable the flow of information from the private sector to policymakers and vice versa, propose areas to strengthen private sector participation in areas like streamlining public private partnership and other areas.
The council would have monthly meeting co-chaired by chairperson of the council and commissioner of PDC.
Experts argued that even though the country’s economy achieved significant growth in the past decade and half the role of the private sector was very limited, which is considered as a challenge to proof the continuity of the growth.
“The role of the private sector in the economy was stated in a manner in the past but now it has to be classified by investment, access to finance, job creation and others that would enable to create the growth path properly,” experts said.
Endalkachew Sime, Senior Advisor at the Commission said that within a couple of decades the economy boosted significantly and has become the biggest economy in the region but it is now in challenge that should get immediate solution.
“Now it should focus on transferring from equity based growth pattern to efficiency and competitiveness, mainly fill the demand of the market from local source than import dependent economy,” the Senior Advisor, who has been severing in the private sector consultation for many years, told Capital.
Fitsum Assefa, Commissioner of PDC, said at her opening speech that structural transformation is crucial to realize the shift so that the private sector should involve as key player, due to that the commission as its responsibility is working on planning and coordinate stakeholders for execution of the economic transformation.
“Now it is looking in detail how the private sector will support the target with new approach. For instance the second Growth and Transformation Plan stated that the private sector is the engine for the country’s economic growth but when it comes in reality it was not. So now the commission is working how to handle and engage with the private sector for the departure of the economy on the expected path,” Endalkachew explained.
“The initiative is to encourage, enable, empower, create and effective private sector actors in diverse sectors of the economy to participate and contribute to the planning process by providing their respective perspectives, comments, and advises on pragmatic issues that potentially help the formation of a realistic plan with higher chances of implementation through ownership,” the term of reference (ToR) for the formation of PAC stated.
At its introduction part it indicated that one of the strategic platforms of PDC is formulating to strengthen strategic partnership of the private sector.
“Engaging the private sector in the policy formulation process will be guided by principles with multitudes of engagements to be worked out in the future,” it stated.
It added that PAC will serve as a partnership platform between PDC and the private sector for the common goal of having an all rounded and pragmatic planning and implementation follow up process that PDC envisages.
The ToR indicated that unlike the past, the future drivers of the economic growth are expected to be the private investment particularly in the real sector and efficiency in economic management.
Members of the council would be local private sector players, while at the founding meeting 12 private sector representatives including three members from the federal and Addis Ababa Chamber of Commerce and Sectoral Associations, Asfaw Alemu, President of Dashen Bank, Zafu Eyesuswork, insurance sector guru, Seyoum Bereded, President of ICT Association, Tsedeke Yihune, Founder and CEO of Flintstone Engineering, Bethlehem Tilahun, Founder and Executive Director of soleRebels, and others have been called.
According to the organizers, some of the initial founders were unable to appear at the meeting, due to different reasons.
Endalkachew predicted that the members of the council will be increased and would be determined in the coming few weeks but further meeting will be held in the coming weeks.
The ToR has also stated that the council would ensure the participation of research entities and private media houses.
Endalkachew explained that the selection of the private media is it is closer for the private sector understands them.
Private sector scheduled to meet PM
The private sector representatives are expected to meet Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed under the Ethiopian Public Private Consultative Forum (EPPCF) for the second time.
The PM once met with the private sector representatives in the same months of his assignment as premier.
However since then the private sector that comprised from different sector does not meet with the PM for the last two years, while he discussed with different sector in separate meetings.
In previous trends the PM met with the private sector every year under the EPPCF.
Melaku Ezezew, President of Ethiopian Chamber of Commerce and Sectoral Association, which is the umbrella for the private sector under EPPCF, expressed his hope that the PM will meet with the private sector in this two months.
“We have been trying to meet him in different occasion but due to different current affairs and national situation that makes the PM busy it could not be realized,” he told Capital.
“I have been writing about six letters for the Ministry of Trade and Industry, which is a bridge to connect the private sector with the PM under EPPCF,” Melaku said.
He said that he has got a promise to meet PM Abiy in a couple of months.
The forum is one of the major events for the private sector to express its concern regarding the economic condition of the country and tabled digested points that needs solution from the government side.
At the meeting that was held mid April 2018 at Sheraton Addis the private sector raised several issues including access to finance, foreign currency and good governance issues.
One of the challenges to facilitate such meeting with the PM is the frequent reshuffling of ministers at Ministry of Trade and Industry.
