Dashen Bank who is the first bank to act on the mitigation of coronavirus effect in the economy donated ten million birr for the battle to combat the virus.
Early this week the bank president, Asfaw Alemu, officially provided the donation for the taskforce formed by the government to mobilize resources to fight COVID 19.
Two weeks ago the bank disclosed new initiatives that mitigate the challenge facing in the economy due to the virus, which WHO declared a global pandemic.
“We are working our part to contribute on tackling the latest challenge the country and the world in general faces. We will also further our support based on the condition of the outbreak,” Asfaw told Capital.
Furthermore the bank has doubled the daily cash withdrawal on VISA and IFB ATM cards to 10,000 birr from the previous 5,000 birr aiming to reduce customers visit to branches.
The Bank has also waived the ATM transaction fee, Extension commission fee in the course of extending the validity of LCs, 50 percent commission fee in the course of extending the validity of purchase orders, and Re-Negotiation fees on loans and advances for a period of 60 days effective from March 23.
The bank also stated that it will continue to take its part to keep the economy from further damage.
Dashen donates 10 million birr for the fight against corona
Coronavirus making it impossible to battle devastating locust swarms in East Africa
African Development Bank approves $1.5 million emergency grant to curb desert locusts
Coronavirus is making it more challenging to eradicate gigantic locust swarms that are wreaking havoc in East Africa.
The outbreak of locusts, which can be carried in component by the wind, has overwhelmed regional officials in various locations — together with Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, South Sudan, Uganda and the Congo.
The COVID-19 crisis, which is straining community health and fitness techniques and means in multiple international locations, has additional a new layer of complication to the fight versus the locusts.
“Obviously, the obstacle for the intercontinental local community will be to address the humanitarian needs of various levels of want and competing crises all about the world,” Cyril Ferrand, the Food items and Agriculture Organization’s East Africa resilience staff leader said.
As new cases of coronavirus have been seen in significantly of East Africa this thirty day period, the pandemic also is slowing the shipping of pesticides that can destroy the insects.
“That’s the hazard of the present-day problem whereby we have big requires for guidance, blended with the reality that with covid-19, even the northern hemisphere is really impacted economically,” Ferrand added.
The bugs can absolutely decimate crops and devastate pasture for animals. This is significantly complicated in a region the place agriculture accounts for key part of economic action.
In related development, the Board of Directors of the African Development Bank on Wednesday approved a $1.5 million emergency relief grant to assist nine countries in the East and Horn of Africa on the control of swarms of desert locusts that are threatening livelihoods and food security.
The proposed assistance will be channeled to the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), which has been mandated to mobilize resources on behalf of the African Union.
IGAD is collaborating with the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) which is leading coordination of development partner support to provide desert locust invasion control, safeguard of livelihoods and to promote early recovery of affected households in the in the East and Horn of Africa. FAO will act as the Executing Agency for the grant.
The funds will be used to control the spread of the current locust invasion, prevent potential next-generation swarms and to conduct impact assessment and monitoring to enhance preparedness and awareness. A portion of the funds would also be allocated to administrative costs.
The nine beneficiary countries are Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, Uganda and Tanzania.
Kenya, Ethiopia and Somalia have been particularly hard hit by the outbreak and widespread breeding of locusts that is expected to create new swarms in the coming weeks. The infestation poses an unprecedented risk to livelihoods and food security in an already fragile region and has caused huge damage to agricultural production.
In Ethiopia and Somalia, the outbreak is the worst in 25 years, and in Kenya, in 70 years.
In Ethiopia, the locusts have devastated more than 30,000 hectares of crops, including coffee and tea that account for about 30% of the nation’s exports. Despite government’s interventions, swarms and breeding have been reported in large parts of the country. In Djibouti, over 80% of 1,700 agro-pastoral farms located in 23 production zones are affected by desert locust infestations.
At least 18 of 47 Kenyan counties are affected with more than 70,000 hectares of crops under infestation according to recent FAO reports. Locust swarms are devastating pastureland, maize, cowpeas, beans and other crops despite the government’s efforts to curb the outbreak.
Locust swarms are reportedly also threatening Uganda, Tanzania, South Sudan, Sudan and Eritrea.
Efforts to control the infestations will require around $147 million, of which $75 million has been provided by governments, donors and UN agencies including FAO and the World Food Program (WFP). However, a significant funding shortfall remains.
Coalition launched to accelerate research on the prevention and treatment of COVID-19 in low and middle income countries
A group of scientists, physicians, funders, and policy makers from over 70 institutions from over 30 countries have launched an international coalition to respond to COVID-19 in resource-poor settings. The COVID-19 Clinical Research Coalition aims to accelerate desperately needed COVID-19 research in those areas where the virus could wreak havoc on already-fragile health systems and cause the greatest health impact on vulnerable populations. Three institutions from Ethiopia, Addis Ababa University, CDT-Africa from Addis Ababa University and University of Gondar joined the coalition.
In a comment published in The Lancet, the members of the coalition argue that international research collaboration and coordination is needed urgently to support African, Latin American, Eastern European, and certain Asian countries to respond effectively to the worsening pandemic and speed up research adapted to resource-limited settings.
The coalition brings together an unprecedented array of health experts, including public-sector research institutes, ministries of health, academia, not-for-profit research and development organizations, NGOs, international organisations, and funders all committed to finding COVID19 solutions for resource-poor settings.
One important research response to COVID-19 has been launched already, the World Health Organization (WHO)-led SOLIDARITY trial, an unprecedented global effort. But the authors found that out of almost 600 COVID-19 clinical trials registered, very few trials are planned in resource-poor settings. The authors commit to sharing their technical expertise and clinical trial capability to accelerate COVID-19 research in these settings.
The scale of the challenge is clearly beyond the scope of any single organization. The coalition will facilitate a coordinated approach, so that all data from all regions can be collected in a similar fashion, pooled and shared in real-time. This will help countries and the WHO to make rapid evidence-based decisions on policies and practice.
“We welcome the launch of this coalition, which takes advantage of existing multinational and multidisciplinary expertise in running clinical trials in resource poor settings, and will help the World Health Organization (WHO) in its coordinating role in the global response to COVID-19,” said Dr Soumya Swaminathan, Chief Scientist, World Health Organization. “Although the epicentre is today elsewhere, we must prepare now for the consequences of this pandemic in more resource-constrained settings or we stand to lose many more lives.”
Members of the Coalition call for specific commitments to ensure access, so that effective new treatments are made available as soon as possible in resource-poor settings and are affordable and readily accessible.
So far more than 70 organizations have joined this coalition, with a call made to other organizations ready to contribute existing capacity to join.
Association battling price increment
Water bottlers association denounces unreasonable price increment of the product by retailers meanwhile there is no change at the factory.
Ethiopian Bottled Water, Soft Drink, Fruit and Vegetable Manufacturing Industries Association (EBSFMIA) that met with media on Thursday April 2 stated that members of the association do not make any price increment on their products.
The association said that it has learnt that price increment on products is observed in the past few weeks in relation with the outbreak of coronavirus at the retail market.
“We have confirmed that the price of bottled water is sold with a higher profit margin at retail markets, which is totally unacceptable,” the association said.
“It called relevant government body to control those who illegally hike the price of basic needs,” the association stated.
It recalled that based on EBSFMIA code of conduct the manufacturer selling price range is set by the association and is revised every one or two months. Currently the price of manufacturing product price range is reduced in relation with the recently revised excise tax, production increment and lower demand observed recently, according to the information that Capital obtained from the association.
At the same time the distribution rate that is handled by separate distributing agents is also going well but the price at the final sellers has extraordinary profit margin, which is baseless, the association claimed.
The government disclosed that the price of some basic commodities have shown increment in the past couple of weeks after the announcement of the first COVID 19 case in the country. Bottled water is one of the products that shows unreasonable price increment.
It has also taken nationwide measures on illegal traders. On Thursday April 2 the number of illegal traders penalized by the government has reached over 15,000.
Ashenafi Merid, General Manager of EBSFMIA, said bottlers are responsible to follow their agents.
“Currently bottlers have ample supply and due to that any price increment is not acceptable,” he told Capital.
Consumer Protection and Trade Competition and Ministry of Trade and Industry are expected to control retailers.
Getnet Ashenafi, legal expert at Consumer Protection and Trade Competition, appreciated the initiative of the association to protect their consumer and said that other sectors should follow the same. He stated that measures are continuing on illegal actors.
Solomon Tadele Director General of Food, Beverage and Pharmaceutical Industry Development Institute, which is under Ministry of Trade Industry, disclosed that despite public transports suspension to regions, food items continue to reach the market.
EBSFMIA has more than 120 members and most of them are water bottlers.
