The Ethiopian Wildlife Development and Conservation Authority has announced that it is prioritizing the enhancement of the tourism sector by improving infrastructure in national parks that have previously been overlooked, including Gambella.

In an exclusive interview, Kumara Waqjra, Director-General of the Authority, said that the authority is committed to promoting the multi-faceted economic growth of the tourism sector by expanding infrastructure in the national parks.

He explained that the national parks have significant natural bio-diversity that could serve as major tourism attractions; however, these resources have not been properly utilized, and the sector has not reached its full potential due to lack of attention in the past.

The Director-General emphasized that national parks, such as Gambella, have yet to achieve the desired benefits largely due to limited development beyond the Northern Mountains and Nech Sar National Parks, noted that special attention is now being given to the sector to change these situations.

Tourism, he pointed out, is a key component of the country’s efforts to implement a diversified economy so that significant efforts are being made to develop and utilize the rich bio-diversity of national parks to boost the tourism industry.

The 5 million Coders initiative aims to build a globally competitive digital workforce, Head of the Prime Minister’s Office and Minister of Cabinet Affairs Alemtsehay Paulos remarked.

The Ethiopian Artificial Intelligence Institute held the first-round summary program for its 5 Million Ethiopian Coders Initiative.

Graduates of the program included leaders and staff of the Institute, as well as members of AI clubs from various schools who completed their training.

The event was attended by prominent officials, including Alemtsehay Paulos, Worku Gachena, Director General of the Ethiopian Artificial Intelligence Institute, and other senior government representatives.

During the event, Alemtsehay emphasized the government’s strong commitment to realizing Digital Ethiopia 2025.

She highlighted the significant progress being made in empowering human resources, particularly through the 5 Million Ethiopian Coders Initiative, which is designed to build a workforce capable of competing on a global scale.

She also expressed encouragement that the Ethiopian Artificial Intelligence Institute has made it a priority for all its employees to participate in the training.

The Director General of the Ethiopian Artificial Intelligence Institute, Worku Gachena also spoke about the benefits of the initiative, noting that all Institute staff have gained valuable skills from the training.

Minister of Innovation and Technology, Belete Molla underscored that Ethiopia’s ongoing endeavors in the spheres of space science and geospatial have been contributing to the growth of the national economy.

Senior leaders of the Ministry of Innovation and Technology and other relevant institutions visited the Space Science and Geospatial Institute (SSG) and the Entoto Observatory Center today.

Currently, Ethiopia has beenleadinginspace endeavors in the Horn of Africa by building an astronomical observatory and creating a fully-fledged national space agency.

Through its own space programs, the East African nation is employing the programs to accelerate development in various sectors such as in agriculture, industries, and health, it was indicated.

Following the visit, Minister Belete stressed the need for Ethiopia exploiting all its capabilities to develop and utilize technology, adding that that would create opportunities for the country to use and control resources not only on Earth but also in space in the future.

Ethiopia has secured over 1 billion USD from gold exports in the last five months, a development attributed to the recent macroeconomic reforms, according to the Ministry of Trade and Regional Integration.

The third National Anti-Illicit Trade Summit, organized by the Ethiopian Chamber of Commerce and Sectoral Associations, was held in Addis Ababa today.

Opening the summit, Minister of Trade and Regional Integration Kassahun Gofe highlighted the significant endeavors which are being undertaken by the government to control contraband and illicit trading.

During the past five months especially following the execution of the macroeconomic reform, massive regulatory measures have been undertaken in collaboration with regional states and trade structures at all levels, the minister affirmed.

For the minister, due to the collaborative works among pertinent stakeholders, encouraging achievements registered during the stated period

Accordingly, the inflation rate of food-related goods reduced to 19.2 percent from 29.2 percent before the reforms, as a result the measures taken by the government.