The Ethiopian Agricultural Transformation Agency (ATA), in collaboration with the Ministry of Agriculture (MoA), Ethio Telecom and Ethiopian Public Health Institute, has incorporated and deployed livestock advisory and COVID 19 health advisory contents on its 8028 Farmers Hotline. The new contents are currently available in five local languages (Amharic, Afan Oromo, Tigrigna, Wolaytigna and Sidamigna).
According to United Nations Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO, 2018), the livestock sector where about 1.3 billion people are dependent on for their livelihood contributes to 40 percent of Global agricultural Gross Domestic Product (GDP). Ethiopia’s livestock is one of the largest in Africa, contributing nearly 20 percent of the country’s GDP, and 15 percent of export earnings (FAO, 2019). The livestock sub-sector supports the livelihoods of about 80 percent of rural people in Ethiopia.
“Farmers across Ethiopia should have easy access to crucial and relevant information for them to make informed decisions regardless of their locations. Moreover, they should also have updates regarding the current pandemic that is challenging the world so that they can protect themselves, their families as well as their community. Hence, we have decided to team up with our partners to ensure delivery of important and up-to-date livestock and COVID-19 information to our smallholder farmers using 8028 farmers toll-free hotline services in a way they can easily access it.” ATA CEO Khalid Bomba said.
ATA, partners to deliver Livestock and COVID-19 information to farmers
Sudanese bury man apparently tortured during detention
Thousands of Sudanese on Tuesday attended the funeral service of a man who was apparently tortured to death this month at a detention center run by a paramilitary force whose members once belonged to a militia that rights groups say committed war crimes in Darfur. Bahaa el-Din Nouri, 45, was snatched on December 16 while sitting at a coffee shop in Khartoum by men wearing plain clothes and riding in a vehicle without license plates. His death sparked outrage across Sudan. Five days later, his body appeared at a hospital morgue in the city of Omdurman, just across the Blue Nile River from Khartoum. The family refused to take the body for immediate burial after seeing signs of apparent beating and torture, and asked for an autopsy to reveal the cause of death. Culture and Information Minister Faisal Mohammed Saleh said Nouri died while being interrogated by the Rapid Support Forces, a force comprised of former Janjaweed militiamen who executed a brutal crackdown in Sudan’s Darfur region in 2000s.
Ministry praises Ethiopian Airlines for outstanding performance amid COVID
The Ministry of Finance has commended Ethiopian Airlines for its outstanding performance and applying strategies that were useful in times of crisis.
During a performance evaluation of the airlines held today, Ahmed Shide, Minister of Finance, said the measures taken by management of the airlines played a key role for the successes achieved now.
The decisions made by heads of the airlines helped Ethiopian to become one of the leading airlines at a global level, besides remaining as the top airlines in Africa, the Minister said.
Tewolde Gebremariam, Group CEO of Ethiopian, thanked board members, administrative staff and employees of the airline for the success attained in this testing time.
By diversifying its services to cargo, maintenance and hotel sectors, Ethiopian managed to earn better revenue during this time of pandemic while other airlines fail, he said.
