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.
Expo 2020 Uniting the world in optimism for a better future
Hoping for dawn
After six months of talks, a national forum entitled “the country we wish to have in 2040” predicts four possible outcomes for the future Ethiopia.
“We were skeptical at first when the facilitators approached us to sit for discussion assuming that all goes as usual,” a participant said.
Fifty political party leaders, parliamentarians, scholars, women rights advocates, activists, artists, media professionals, business persons and other from around the country came up with four possible scenarios they called: Dawn, House of Competitors, Dictator, and Broken Chair. The 50 leaders voted for dawn and agreed to solve their differences through dialogue and without threatening the unity of the country.
Facilitated by the Forum of Foundation and Destiny Ethiopia Initiative, an indigenous non -profit organization, the 50 individuals composed possible consequences of each trajectory. In the one they favored, known as Dawn, strong institutions were built and problems were worked on together. Diversity was respected and a strong democracy emerged.
“We have agreed to materialize the “Dawn” scenario through handwork and we, members of the scenario, are committed to work for the realization of the agreed scenario, the resolution reads.
The other three possible outcomes were more troublesome, Divided House would be a fragmented society where each group acts in their own self-interest. Hegemony would be the return of a ‘strongman’ who leads an authoritarian, controlling society. In Broken Chair, which the team felt may be a realistic outcome the country works cautiously, within its constraints but can’t live up to its challenges.
According to the core team who came up with the initiative called a transformative scenario planning, the four scenarios are stories about what could happen in Ethiopia over the coming 20 years. Based on the current reality and the dynamics around key certainties and uncertainties, they said, these scenarios are not forecasts or predictions of what will happen. Neither are they policy recommendations of what should happen.
These four scenarios outline four possible ways Ethiopia could respond to these challenges.
Whereas the three scenarios of Divided House, Hegemony and Broken Chair are possible futures but highly undesirable, while Dawn is the most desired scenario, its realization demands reconciliation, empathy, hard work and sacrifice. Thus the team called up on every citizen to work to avert the potential occurrence of the undesired three and press hard to achieve this outcome.
Members of the forum applauded the gathering as it paves the way for further national dialogue for mutual understanding irrespective of political view.
Partnership to scale up management and leadership development
The Ethiopian Management Institute and HST Consulting PLC announced a partnership to work together and provide a unique service on management and leadership development.
Both parties signed a memorandum of understanding on December 3, 2019, hoped to support their common clients to achieve progressive efforts through enhanced capabilities from the scaled up offers. The partnership is expected to help both parties to boost up their capacity to run a joint project that their accumulative pearls of wisdom and experience from their respective areas of expertise and experiences. Allow to share expertise, tools, space and other resources that will make them more accessible, flexible and demand-driven research-based solutions.
The only governmental management service provider in the country, Ethiopian Management Institute is a public enterprise that has been operating since 1956. The institute works on enhancing the managerial capacity of the organizations in the country by rendering 
management development. Provide training consultancy services, research services, facilities at both Addis Ababa head office and at Bishoftu branch. The leadership of EMI is cognizant of the fact that for many organizations in the public sector the capacity to plan, follow and execute their strategies and policies as per their mandate is less than the desired level. Weubamlak Eshetu, Director General of the Institute said: “there is a growing need to deliver more service and picking up momentum as a pressing agenda this is why the Management of EMI decided to enter into this MoU with HST Consulting.”
HST is known as a professional service firm established in 2003 and works to solve business growth, operational issues, people, financial tax government risk learning and compliance. The company Provides multidisciplinary professionals working in strategy, human capital, corporate finance, enterprise risk, audit, technology, educational, tax and outsourcing. HST is known for investing in human capital and technology that helped to gain customized solution
to firms operational and strategy to stay relevant in the business environment by providing corporate tailored training to organizations mainly from financial services, manufacturing, distribution and retails, construction, mining. HST consulting has also been recommending the government on the implementation of privatization and the stock market. As Solomon Gizaw Managing Director of HST, the question to work together as a partnership rises from HST with the belief of creating a dynamic capability that enable them to address gaps in system and competence with a direct bearing on achieving strategy and policy goals.
Indian Embassy Celebrates new building by planting trees
At the invitation of the Ambassador of India Anurag Srivastava, on 4 December, Minister of Foreign Affairs Gedu Andargachew, State Minister of Foreign Affairs Markos Tekle and Deputy Chairperson of African Union Commission Quartey Thomas Kwesi visited the newly 
constructed premises of the Embassy of India in Addis Ababa. They planted trees in the premises as a lasting symbol of their ties with India.
The Embassy of India had earlier in June 2019 celebrated the150th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi and the World Environment Day with a similar tree plantation event. Ambassadors representing their countries and continents, representatives of international organizations, prominent Ethiopians like Haile Gebreselassie and Indian community associations had planted trees at the new Embassy as a lasting and evergreen symbol of their association with India.
The Embassy has actively participated in and has been inspired by the nationwide tree planting campaign launched by Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed in May 2019 that aims to plant 4 billion trees across the country in order to contribute to global efforts to reduce pollution, address climate change and restore natural habitats.
