On Monday July 8 the Addis Ababa City Administration banned heavy trucks from driving through the city between 6:30 am and 8pm to speed up traffic flow. Now exporters using air cargo are saying they should be exempt.
The change has been visible as traffic jams have improved significantly during rush hour.
Tewodros Zewdie, Executive Director of the Ethiopian Horticulture Producer Exporters Association (EHPEA), said that even though the decision has made a dent in traffic snarls, other side effects were not taken into consideration. According to Tewodros, Ethiopian flowers are exported via airfreight on both passenger and cargo flights.
“The flight schedules vary and our members need to be able to transport their products any time to Bole International Airport, which is the main hub for Ethiopian cargo mainly for flowers and meat export,” the Executive Director told Capital.
But based on the new directive issued by the Addis Ababa Cabinet,trucks that transport the perishable products to the airport are forced to stop their movement and fined, according to information that Capital obtained.
“We appreciate the directive but there should be several schemes like allowing movement of perishable export products, since the flight schedule is on a different timeframe and arranged by airlines,” Tewodros said.
People in the horticulture sector complained that the current problem affects the quality of their products which might force them to discard the flowers. Tewodros acknowledge that the association does not have any quantitative evidence so far about the effect of the new rule on their business.
“So far we do not have latest analysis but definitely the current situation will affect the quality of our members’ product,” he explained.
He said that in the past couple of days he has talked about the issue with relevant government bodies like the Addis Ababa City Transport Programs Management Office, who controls the scheme. This morning I was talking with people in the government about how best to move our products,” he told Capital on Friday July 12.He mentioned that city officials told him the city cabinet may make some changes.
Kenya and Ethiopia are the top flower exporters on the African continent.
Meat exporters said that they are also being affected. Abattoirs are complaining that their products have been stranded. They claimed that the quality of the product, which is sensitive, will be affected by any interruption.
Semere Jelalu, Traffic Safety and Management Deputy Head at Addis Ababa City Transport Programs Management Office, told Capital that trucks can pay a fee to operate in the city.
In the day time to move in the city from 10 am to 4 pm trucks must pay 500 birr per day, while on peak hours in the morning and evening they have to pay 1,000 birr per day, according to Semere.
The new rules allow medium trucks like vehicles that have a capacity of 3.5 tons to move from 10 am to 4 pm freely.
“Since the beginning of the new scheme we did not stop any trucks of the stated sectors but if they did not pay and take the document that allows their movement they might be penalized by traffic police,” he said.
“The aim of the fee is to discourage them from driving during the day and rush hour and to re-arrange their schedule,” he added.
But he said that exporters are complaining about the fee.
“The directive is issued by the City Administration that is also responsible to amend the directive in favor of such sectors,” Traffic Safety and Management Deputy Head at Addis Ababa City Transport Programs Management Office explained.
Capital tried to talk with Wondemu Felate, Public Relations head at Ministry of Trade and Industry about the issue but was not successful.
City truck ban affect exports
GPS tracking a mandate for Cargo trucks
The customs commission will draft a law mandating that tracking devices be installed on cargo trucks as a measure to better monitor customs crossings and make sure the trucks are going where they say they are.
Tracking devices are pricy, the customs commission had hoped to convince companies to put the devices in voluntarily but the devices’ pricy cost made transporters reluctant.
“Transporters have shown no interest in installing the device because the cost of maintenance is too expensive” said Debele Kabeta, who leads the customs commission.
Previously a company won a 20 thousand birr bid to provide the monitoring device and 33 USD to maintain them.
Debele says this new rule will make transporters provide better logistics service.
Ethiopia wants to improve cargo standards as it lags behind neighboring Kenya, which has an average of 80,000 trucks on its Kenya-Mombasa route, whereas 13,500 travel the Ethio-Djibouti route.
These monitoring systems can provide information on fuel consumption, reduce speeding and accidents and help manage idle and maintenance time. Transporters will have to have the device installed on trucks to be allowed to work in the country.
AAU opens library donated by MIDROC
MIDROC Technology Group has transferred a new library building to Addis Ababa University dedicated for the Institute of Ethiopian Studies on July 11, 2019.
The imputes building the library came about when Prof. Andreas Eshete, who at the time was president of AAU, honored Sheik Mohammed Ali Al Amoudi with an honorary degree for his contribution to Ethiopia’s development.
CEO of MIDROC and president of Unity University Arega Yirdaw (PhD) handed over the key to the President of AAU Professor Tassew WoldeHana in the presence of dignitaries, communities of AAU and senior staff of MIDROC Technology Group.
“Sheik Mohammed believes that education is the key sector to transcend the county to development and civilization and this building is part of that strong firm,” said Arega Yirdaw.
The new building has two stories that rest on 6,240sqm. It holds a modern auditorium with 250 seats, four reading rooms an office and well-designed manuscript rooms, elevators and cooling systems.
MIDROC companies like MEPA Contracting and Management, Modern Building Industry, Wanza Furnishing Industry and Vision Aluminum participated in the library’s construction process. The library’s 116 million birr cost includes the furnishing.
The library was named after Sheik Mohammed Hussein Ali al Amoudi by the university management to recognize his contribution.
Arega, said the Sheik had demonstrated an exemplary and model contribution to the country adding that AAU is discharging its historic responsibilities to commemorate such personalities.
“The library is pertinent to understanding, Ethiopian languages, culture, history and is able to contribute to the country’s development as Ethiopia has a long history,” said Hirut W.Mariyam Minister of Higher Education and Science.
The research oriented Institute of Ethiopian Studies came into being in 1963 to discover civilization, history, culture and languages of Ethiopia and to provide documents, publications and manuscripts.
PHANTOM Returns with new device
Tecno Phantom 9 smartphone was launched on 10th of July 2019 at a ceremony held in India’s capital, New Delhi. The phone comes with a 6.40-inch touchscreen display with a resolution of 1080×2340 pixels at a pixel density of 403 pixels per inch (ppi) and an aspect ratio of 19.5:9. Tecno Phantom 9 is powered by a 2.3GHz octa-core MediaTek Helio P35 processor. It comes with 6GB of RAM.
TECNO Mobile also announced the renewal of their global multi-year partnership with Manchester City Football Club.
As part of TECNO Mobile’s ‘Expect More’ campaign, the collaboration will deliver engaging fan-led content including a football-themed photography campaign and will continue to be the presenting partner of the ‘Shot of the Game’ series which connects passionate fans with the most memorable moments on a match day.
Speaking at the celebration event, Damian Willoughby, Senior Vice President of Partnerships at City Football Group, said: “Manchester City prides itself on partnering with some of the world’s leading organisations, so we are thrilled to be announcing the renewal of our established partnership with TECNO Mobile. During the past three years, we have collaborated on a number of exciting initiatives that has engaged, connected and entertained our global fanbase.”
Stephen Ha, Vice President of TRANSSION HOLDINGS, Managing Director of TECNO Mobile and TRANSSION India, said: “The partnership with Manchester City Football Club, the Premier League champions, will help further boost our brand recognition and name. Currently Tecno has a presence in around 60 markets across the world including Ethiopia.
