The House of People’s representatives (HPR) is expected to endorse the nomination of four members of electoral board in accordance with the new electoral law in the coming weeks.
Ethiopia is preparing for the upcoming national election, electoral proclamations and laws are being revised as part of an effort to conduct a free and fair election.
The House of People’s Representative approved the appointment of Birtukan Mideksa as National Election Board Chairperson last November replacing Samia Zakaria.
The parliament is also expected to endorse the nomination of four members of the electoral board.
The recently ratified proclamation, of the National Electoral Board Ethiopia (NEBE) and a new nomination procedure for selecting potential board members, will be undertaken by a special committee under the Prime Minister made up of prominent personalities, academicians, religious leaders as well as civil society organizations.
The Prime Minister has the power to make the nomination and/or to remove any board member upon the endorsement of the House.
The board members shall be appointed by the HPR in accordance with article 102 of the Constitution, upon nomination by the Prime Minister advised by the Committee.
“The Prime Minister established an independent committee that will engage in the recruitment of nominees to membership of the Board,” Soliyana Shemelis communication advisor of the board confirmed.
“Their very first task would be issuing a license for the awaited political parties who finalized collecting signatories to have legal status.” She adds that according to the proclamation, the term of office of management board members will be two electoral terms.
The salary and benefits of the chairman of the management board shall be the same as that of federal government minister and the rest of the management board members shall be the same as that of federal government state minister.
Prime minister Abiy Ahmed has promised that the 2020 election will be free and fair, and that will be thoroughly tested in what promises to be the country’s first real competitive election ever.
Currently there are over 100 registered political parties in the country.
New Electoral Board members to be endorsed
International trade show, agrofood, plastprintpack
The 3rd agrofood and plastprintpack Ethiopia exhibition featuring 152 global technology leaders from 18 countries was concluded yesterday Saturday May 11.
The exhibition was complemented by conferences on reducing food losses and waste, increase of agricultural productivity through innovation, financing for SMEs, post-harvest losses – focus on food safety, recycling, during the three day event at the Millenium hall.
The 2019 event is more than twice as big as last year, according to the organisers.
Organised by the German trade show specialists fairtrade in cooperation with their Ethiopian partners Prana Events the event runs from 9 to 11 May 2019 at the Millennium Hall in Addis Ababa.
Ethiopia’s mining revenue falls sharply
Although, Ethiopia considers mining to be one of its main foreign currency earnings, the revenue from mineral exports drastically fell for the last nine months of this fiscal year, reports the third mining council after a meeting held in Addis Ababa last Tuesday.
According to Samuel Urquato, Minister of Mines and Petroleum, the country earned only 39.6 million USD against the projected 766.9 million USD in the stated period.
Only 8.85 percent of the target was attained by the ministry, according to Kiros Alemayehu communication officer at the ministry.
The revenue declined by 78.5 million USD compared to the same period last fiscal year.
According to the ministry, various reforms are under taken to fix the huge mismatch and maximize the revenue from the sector and pointed out that Ethiopia is in the final stages of reforming the mining sector to shore up its potentials.
Mines and Petroleum Minister Samuel Urkato pointed out that the major factors that contributed to the low performance were peace and security, illegal mining, corruption, and rent-seeking, contraband trade of minerals and shortage of foreign currency for importing inputs have contributed to the income decline from the sector.
About 160 companies are engaged in the sector and the ministry hopes to attract more foreign investors.
Other than gold, which is the county’s major export mineral, Ethiopia exports: sapphire, opal, tantalum, emerald, gemstones, marble, and other metallic and non-metallic minerals. The country is also endowed with huge deposits of phosphate and potash minerals.
Presently, mining contributes only 1 percent of Ethiopia’s GDP. Gold, industrial minerals and gemstones make the bulk of the mining commodities the country exports. Tantalum is also proving to be profitable.
Although Ministry of Mines and petroleum announced that the mining sector in Ethiopia is expected to contribute to the transformation of the country from an agriculture led economy to industry, the mineral export earnings, have been declining in the past consecutive years, the sector registered low revenue of 130 million USD in the 2017-2018 fiscal year that ended last June.
The country used to earn more than 600 million USD from the mining sector.in 2011-2012, the nation earned 618 million dollars from mineral exports
In 2014 the country earned about 541 million USD from mining exports. This largely declined because gold production was inefficient. Ezana gold mine failed because hard currency was scarce and MIDROC also had difficulties with complaints from the local community accusing the company of polluting the environment.
MIDROC Gold previously exported four tons of gold per annum from its Lega Dembi gold mine in Oromia Regional State.
Grand dinner for Addis to be held on May 19
Sheger Grand Dinner, which will gather do-gooders willing to fork five million birr for a plate to help rehabilitate rivers in the city, will be hosted on May 19 at the Hall of Atse Menelik II Palace.
The river side grand project is covering a distance of 56 kilometers from Entoto to Akaki and will be finished within three years for an estimated cost of 29 billion birr.
So far several countries and international organizations have promised to back the project by providing finance, while local and international companies are already buying the five million birr plate to be part of the historical contribution for the beautification of the capital city, Billene Seyoum, Press Secretariat of Office of the Prime Minister, told Capital.
“We expecting more in the coming few days but currently 200 plus have already registered,” she said.
The program will start at 3 pm by visiting the historical compound that was closed to the public since its establishment but when PM Abiy Ahmed came to power, he stated that, after renovation, he would open the historical Atse Menelik II Palace, which is on the same compound of the PM office and residence, to the general public and tourists.
Currently, the renovation work is ongoing and should be open to visitors around the beginning of the next Ethiopian New Year in September, 2019.
The Press Secretariat stated that exclusive tour would be facilitated for the guests at part of the 40 hectare Menelik Palace compound, which is considered as the starting point of renovation and beautification of Addis Ababa that will extend to all over the country.
“The tour would give a chance what is undertaking there and show the guests where their positional fund is going and how is valuable and historical,” she explained. According to the PM office statement the contributors name would be tagged at the river side project and their pictures will be placed on the public library that will be erected under the same project. “They (guests) are also ambassadors of the launching project,” Billene added.
According to Billene, there are two schemes for raising the funds. “The one is the upcoming grand dinner, while it is also open for those who are interested in providing their support directly for the project,” she said.
For instance, the Commercial Bank of Ethiopia (CBE) announced that it has allocated half a billion birr for the project. “CBE has put its funds in two ways. It bought ten plates on the dinner and the balance 450 million birr in direct support for the project,” she explained.
Currently individuals, financial institutions, companies (local and FDI), and other interested bodies have already paid their five or more million birr to be part of the event.
Nigusu Tilahun, Press Secretariat at the PM Office, told journalists on Thursday May 9 that the goal of the project is for this and other Ethiopian cities to be clean and suitable for citizens and visitors.
“Several local and international communities appreciate the project and are providing their support. So far from abroad UNDP/UNIDO, African Development Bank, and the Italian government provide USD 1 million, USD 600,000 and five million euro respectively,” he added.
He said that the government of China has agreed to undertake the design and contribute a quarter of the project.
Currently, renovation work at the old Menelik Palace and establishing recreation parks, a zoo, a kids’ play ground area and other facilities is in progress. The coming World Economic Forum on Africa 2020 is also expected to be held in the over a century old Menelik Palace Hall.
