As of 1 January 2021, Ethiopian TV audiences will access majority of their favourite Ethiopian TV channels exclusively on Ethiosat at 57 degrees East. Ethiopian viewers should have their respective local satellite antenna installer adjust the position of their antenna to access the Ethiosat direct-to-home platform, following the press announcement from the Ethiopian Government.
The partnership agreement signed between Ethiopian Broadcasting Authority (EBA), Ethiopian Space Science and Technology Institute (ESSTI), which represented the Ethiopian government, public and private broadcasters and SES, the leader in global content connectivity solutions, marks for the beginning of a new era for TV viewers in Ethiopia as the country moves permanently towards the consolidation of Ethiopian content into one prime TV neighbourhood.
Ethiosat is Ethiopia’s first-ever dedicated free-to-air (FTA) TV platform, hosted on SES’s NSS-12 satellite.
Ethiopia sets 1 January 2021 for Satellite TV channels to migrate to 57 degrees East
Vera Songwe leads ECA in celebrating UN Arabic Day
On 18 December, United Nations staff, representatives of the Council of Arab Ambassadors in Addis Ababa and the Permanent Mission of the League of Arab States to the AU, Ambassadors, and the Arabic community in Addis Ababa, came together to celebrate the UN Arabic Language Day at the ECA Conference Centre.
In her opening remarks at the event, ECA Executive Secretary, Vera Songwe, spoke in Arabic and said that it was an honor and privilege for ECA to be celebrating the UN Arabic Language Day for the third time at the Economic Commission for Africa.
The Executive Secretary seized the opportunity to salute the Council of Arab Ambassadors in Addis Ababa and the Permanent Mission of the League of Arab States to the AU and ECA for their continued support of this annual event. She also thanked her ECA colleagues for their efforts in the preparation of this event.
Equity crosses the ksh 1,000,000,000,000 balance sheet mark
Equity Group has crossed the Ksh.1,000,000,000,000 rubicon becoming the first bank in Eastern and Central Africa to cross this mark. The milestone was achieved upon successful migration of BCDC to Equity’s Finacle core banking platform. The one trillion mark by Equity lifts the visibility of the financial sector in Eastern Africa significantly to compete favorably with financial institutions in South Africa, West Africa and North Africa for project and development finance.
Speaking when announcing this milestone from Kinshasa Congo where he was witnessing the migration of BCDC to Equity’s core banking platform, Dr. Mwangi said, “We are delighted to witness this milestone that has shattered the psychological barrier of a trillion-shilling balance sheet.” He added, “The benefits to our customers will be immense. The bank is also the most capitalized in East and Central Africa with over Ksh. 142 billion giving it a single lending obligor of Ksh. 35 billion. Equity banking subsidiaries will now be in a position to leverage the Group’s strength to extend large corporate loans across all the countries where Equity operates.
DFC, Rockefeller Foundation sign agreement to invest in solutions to end energy poverty
The Rockefeller Foundation and U.S. International Development Finance Corporation (DFC) announced they have signed a Memorandum of Understanding to work to end energy poverty by promoting investment in Distributed Renewable Energy (DRE) around the world. The agreement will focus on delivering reliable, sustainable electricity to the 800 million people worldwide who currently lack electricity, and 2.8 billion more who have unreliable access, to support economic recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic and foster long-term economic growth.
The partnership will be built around three pillars; Financing, Global Platform, and Green Energy
“The pandemic has undermined decades of progress on poverty reduction,” said Dr. Rajiv J. Shah, President of The Rockefeller Foundation. “Global cooperation and investment are desperately needed to address this crisis and ensure a broad and inclusive economic recovery. Our collaboration with DFC will be key to unlocking significant investment in distributed energy and will build on the Foundation’s work to expand access to reliable, sustainable electricity that can power the lives and livelihoods of hundreds of millions of people.”
