Unrest in Ethiopian public universities has led to increased enrollment in private higher institutions which in turn has led to corruption. Brokers are asking parents for up to 50,000 birr for registration via dealers Capital learned.
Because there have been ongoing ethnic based clashes in public universities all over the country students have left their campuses, opting instead for private schools in Addis Ababa causing their numbers to mushroom.
At the end of August, the Ministry of Science and Higher Education announced that it would sign binding agreements with stakeholders in the education sector to prevent the violence, although little change has occurred.
Last month, alone two students at Woldia University in the Amhara region and one student at Dembi Dollo University in the Oromia region were killed.
Officials from the Ministry of Science and Higher Education think that the problem behavior is being conducted by people from outside the campus using fake student IDs.
As almost all private higher educational institutions have closed registration, parents are looking for ways to register their children through corrupt back channels.
The Higher Education, Relevance and Quality Assurance Agency (HERQA), says they take special cases into account. They don’t have a mandate to decide the registration timetable. It is determined via a monthly report.
Some of the private educational institutions that Capital approached said, they already closed registration for many programs but there are still some students getting in through illegal means.
There are close to 236 private higher education institutions in the country. Most are in Addis.
Alemayehu Kebede Advisor at Ministry of Science and Higher Education, says Ethiopian universities have been facing recurrent ethnic-based conflicts, students have lost their lives and property has been damaged. He adds that one of the sources of conflict is where students and lecturers are places so they are trying to revise this practice.
There are more than 50 public universities in Ethiopia and the country allots a budget of 23 billion birr for higher education.
University unrest fosters corruption
Safety First
The City Government of Addis Ababa Fire and Disaster Risk Management Commission has inspected the safety level of Dashen Bank’s headquarter building which was inaugurated two years ago. They have issued a fire safety certificate.
In November 2017 Dashen inaugurated its 21-story headquarters, with a built up area of 2,700 square meters, while the total area is 4,200 square meters.
In the certificate the city Fire and Disaster Risk Management Commission appreciated the bank’s effort to fulfill the required criteria of the commission.
The Dashen facility is one of the few fire safety certified buildings in Addis Ababa.
Easier trade between African countries to help women
A continental gathering organized by the Centre for African Women and Economic Empowerment (CAWEE) concluded that intra-African Trade should increase in order to take advantage of opportunities. To encourage this women’s entrepreneurship and economic empowerment must be promoted.
During the gathering held last Tuesday at the African Union Hall with the theme “Boosting Intra African Trade, African Women Taking the lead”, President Shale Work Zewdie, Fathi Mahmat African Union Commissioner, and high officials attended the inaugural summit.
“African women entrepreneurs should work to catch the untapped market opportunities within the continent”, Shale Work Zewdie said. 
African States have an intra-trade rate of 16 percent, the lowest in the world whereas Asian countries have an intra-trade trade rate of 60 percent.
“African women are the majority of the African population and the backbone of the economy it is for all those reasons that the AU places women’s issues in their all programs to finance women entrepreneurs,” said Fatih Mahmat African Union Commissioner.
The commissioner further stressed the need to produce quality products and consume within the continents adding that the core of AFCTA is boosting intra-Trade for economic development.
“We need to focus on trade instead of aid as it fuels the economy through job creation by centering the majority of women entrepreneurs,” said Nigist Haile CAWEE Executive Director.
“Working on value-chains through the provision of technical and marketable skills that can help women to get involved in income generating activities,” Nigist adds.
Close to 200 women entrepreneurs from across African continents were participating in the first gathering and a sideline showcased their local products aiming at promoting “Made in Africa” “Buy in Africa”.
Established some 16 years ago, CAWEE had been working in organizing advocacy, consultative forums which addressed the challenges Ethiopian women entrepreneurs face in order to create a class of globally competitive women entrepreneurs in Ethiopia.
CAWEE also has a program formed in part of the overall response to African regional integration challenges and is aligned to NEPAD’s broad vision of economic growth led by the private sector and rooted in greater regional and inter-regional trade.
According to Nigist, CAWEE planned to conduct the gathering every year in the seat of AU in partnership with the UN agencies and AU various commissions in order to encourage African women entrepreneurs taking the opportunities to benefit from untapped market.
Expo 2020 Uniting the world in optimism for a better future
Dubai is set to welcome Ethiopian delegation at the Expo 2020 in October next year, with the event opening the door to future visits.
Dubai Expo 2020 is expected to be the largest such event to be held in the Middle East and Africa and it will be held under the theme “Connecting Minds – Creating the Future.”
The Expo will have a pavilion for Ethiopia to showcase its achievements in agricultural innovation and sustainability. Apart from Ethiopia all other African countries confirmed their attendance.
“Africa is undergoing a dynamic socio-economic and political transformation. There is a lot happening on the continent but the world is yet to hear all about it. It is time to take charge of Africa’s narrative and reclaim its rightful place at the global arena”. Dr. Madueke, Levi Uche, Head of the African Union (AU) Strategic Partnerships Office & Commissioner General for AU’s participation at Expo 2020 Dubai, in his opening remarks at the 3rd Annual Conference of the African Union Interactive Platform for Partnerships Coordination (AU-IPPC) organized to project the African Union participation at the upcoming Expo 2020 Dubai.
“The African Union has been designated as a key partner and stakeholder by the United Arab Emirates (UAE) Government, which has graciously offered a pavilion to the AU as well as committed to a strong spirit of collaboration and co-creation during every step leading to Expo 2020,” indicated Dr. Madueke. He further highlighted that “the AU Pavilion provides an opportunity for the world to understand AU’s institutional history, continental development and represents a platform for Africa to tell her story to the world.”
“We will tell the world about how safe it is to do business in Africa with guaranteed return on investment. We will tell the world about the assets and opportunities that exist in Africa. We will tell the world how we have positioned Africa to promote green growth and industrialization aimed at changing our prospects from a continent known for its abundant natural resources to a continent that trades with the world, trades amongst itself and engages the world in profitable business, mutual beneficial alliances and win-win partnerships” he emphasized in the conclusion of his keynote address.
The international event is organised by the Paris-based Bureau International des Expositions (BIE), and will see over 192 countries showcasing the various ways they plan to bring about scientific, technological, economic and social progress as well as experience the “UAE’s values of inclusion, tolerance and cooperation,” according to the organizers.
Dubai’s government have already spent over USD 40 billion on major infrastructure projects related to the Expo, including a new USD 2.9 billion metro line and an expansion to a new airport near the Expo site.
The event is expected to give the UAE an economic boost of over USD 33 billion.
This week, the UAE also welcomes country representatives from all over the world to discuss the final steps on the journey to Expo 2020 Dubai – a global opportunity to ensure an optimistic future for all.
Preparations for The World’s Greatest Show, opening in less than 11 months, are in full swing and the fourth International Participants Meeting, the largest to date, will see almost 1,000 delegates from around the world set out their commitment to contributing to a huge collaborative effort to change our future for the better. Indeed, Expo 2020 could not come at a more opportune moment.
