After prepping for 26 days and then playing an international friendly match with Burundi, which they tied 1-1, the national team coach Abraham Mebratu pruned down his list of players to 23. Today is the second round of the group stage showdown in the 2019 African Cup.
The three foreign based players: Shimeles Bekele (Petro Jet), Oumed Oukri (Samouha), Gatoch Panom (El-Gouna) and Binyam Belay (Albanian Secenderbu Korsi) are expected in the starting lineup.
Taking in to consideration the starters in the match against Burundi, Abraham in his debut international home fixture appeared to line up a 4-4-2 formation comprised of the three internationals. Samson Assefa (Diredawa) between the woodworks, the back four were all stars from Saint George: Salhadin Bargecho and Aschalew Tamene in central defense while the full backs Henok Adugna and Abdulkerim Mohammed the right and left full backs respectively.
The formation is likely to be four midfielders and a diamond. Gatoch Panom is in the defensive midfield, Shimeles Bekele in a free role, Mulualem Mesfin and Binyam Belay in the wings.
It appears they will share the huge burden of the do or die showdown.
The most important department the strike force is to bring together Ethiopian most expensive players (Saint George) Getaneh Kebede to pair with Oumed Oukri or his team mate at Dedebit Abel Yalew.
Whatever the formation or the poor preparation Abraham needs to mount a win by all means for a home defeat to Sierra Leone could mean the last hope to Waliya’s recovery from the shocking 5-0 away defeat to group favorites Ghana.
Though second in the group table with three points Sierra Leone lacks a league soccer that hampers their quest for a place in the cup final, all the squad members are foreign based players amongst them, Amaoudu Bakayako (Coventry City), Alhadgi essay (Bristol City), Osman Kakay (QPR) to mention a few. The group leader Ghana visits Nairobi to face third in the table for goal differences Kenya.
Ethiopia in a do-or-die showdown against Sierra Leone today
Michael Girma
Name: Michael Girma
Education: 9th Grade
Company name: Gize Bar and Restaurant
Title: Owner and manager
Founded in: 2018
What it does: Prepares and sells food and beverages
HQ: Addis Ababa, behind Bole printing press
Number of employees: 17
Startup Capital: 3,000,000 birr
Current capital: Growing
Reasons for starting the business: Interest in the business
Biggest strength: Patience
Biggest perks of Ownership: Mental satisfaction
Plan: Expanding the business
Biggest challenge: Finding the right designer for the hotel
First career: Manager in a family business
Most interested in meeting: None
Most admired person: Anyone who works hard
Stress reducer: Green areas/parks
Favorite past-time: Helping the elderly and chilling with friends
Favorite book: None
Favorite destination: Durban, South Africa
Favorite automobile: Porsche
2030
In trying to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals will we see drastic changes in the way we do business, in the way we use our natural resources, in the way we share the common goods? Or will we continue to focus on economic growth and short-term profit at the expense of the environment? With the world population continuing to grow the way it does, we need to be able to feed billions and create jobs for millions. What strategies and technologies are we going to use to make sure we end poverty in a sustainable way?
Hand in hand with factors like population growth, land fragmentation, deforestation, erosion and unsustainable exploitation of natural resources, climate change causes natural disasters as we are experiencing more severe weather extremes like droughts and flooding.
Globally, as the mean temperatures are expected to rise, people will migrate to cooler areas in the future, increasing the pressure on land and its resources. Poor people will suffer more as their options to deal with the changing environment are limited. When visiting the rural areas of Ethiopia, one cannot help but notice that surrounding hills and mountains are now almost barren, where there were forests before. Forest and soil degradation can be observed everywhere, while more and more people settle on and cultivate steeper hill slopes as well as river banks. Narrowing of floodplains due to investment and settlement is partly responsible for a faster water flow resulting in so called flash floods. In other words, while there is no vegetation anymore to hold back the water upstream, rivers turn into narrow channels through which the water rages to lower levels, taking and damaging everything in its course of destruction. With the increase of extreme weather events and the mounting demographic pressure on fragile ecosystems, we are witnessing more frequent and serious floods resulting in more loss of lives, assets and livelihoods.
In fact, ecosystems, the biodiversity that comprises them and the benefits they provide to people are the fundamental units for life support on earth. They are the foundation for the natural processes of climate regulation and are a vital support for water quality, food security, and flood protection, amongst many others. Currently there are severe pressures on the health of our ecosystems. The drivers of these pressures include climate change, biodiversity loss and resource demands by people. Natural ecosystems are being converted to other uses rapidly, for example over 40% of today’s terrestrial surface is now in agriculture. At the same time climate change is posing a further substantial risk to the health of ecosystems and therefore their ability to provide ecosystem services, whilst human population growth and resource use per capita is increasing. Developing policies and economic strategies that place ecosystems and the services they provide at the center of future economic development and climate change mitigation and adaptation efforts will result in multiple positive benefits to all people globally. An ecosystems approach is an essential part of the ‘tool kit’ to tackle climate change and to progress towards long-term economic sustainability.
Now, the sustainable development goals go beyond the use of our natural resources and the environment. They are the following:
Goal 1. End poverty in all its forms everywhere Goal 2. End hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture Goal 3. Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages Goal 4. Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all Goal 5. Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls Goal 6. Ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all Goal 7. Ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all Goal 8. Promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment and decent work for all Goal 9. Build resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive and sustainable industrialization and foster innovation Goal 10. Reduce inequality within and among countries Goal 11. Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable Goal 12. Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns Goal 13. Take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts* Goal 14. Conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development Goal 15. Protect, restore and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably manage forests, combat desertification, and halt and reverse land degradation and halt biodiversity loss Goal 16. Promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, provide access to justice for all and build effective, accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels Goal 17. Strengthen the means of implementation and revitalize the Global Partnership for Sustainable Development.
These are ambitious goals to achieve by 2030, only 12 years from now. Whether we will be on the right track to achieve them will all depend on the way we go about development and whether or not we indeed embrace sustainability as an outcome and a practice. If not, we will go about our business as usual and fail miserably.
Happy Ethiopian New Year!
Ton Haverkort
References:
NEP Policy brief : “The role of Ecosystems in Developing a Sustainable Green Economy”
Thomas L. Friedman: “Hot, Flat and Crowded”
UN Sustainable Development Goals
Kofi Annan’s unfinished Green Revolution
Few issues were as important to the late UN secretary-general as ending hunger and spurring economic growth in Africa by empowering the continent’s farmers. Despite progress, his goal of lifting millions of Africans out of poverty by improving agricultural output will remain as relevant as ever in the coming years.
Kofi Annan championed many global causes during his distinguished life and career, but as a native of Ghana, he always felt a special responsibility to Africa. And there, no issue was more important to him than tackling hunger and spurring growth through agriculture.
During his tenure as Secretary-General of the United Nations, Annan, who died last month, often wondered why so much of Africa – with its abundance of fertile land and freshwater – had failed to turn farming into an asset. He even commissioned a study for the UN to analyze why “green revolutions” – agricultural reforms in Asia and Latin America that lifted millions out of poverty and accelerated economic transformations – had bypassed Africa.
That study reached a straightforward conclusion: while Africa’s farmers have the potential to meet the continent’s nutritional needs, they cannot do it alone. The study’s findings led Annan to advocate for a “uniquely African green revolution” to increase farm productivity, and his plea later became the basis for the African Green Revolution Forum. This week, the AGRF – one of the world’s most important platforms for African agriculture – will gather for its annual meeting to discuss ways to help the continent feed itself.
Africa’s agricultural sector has come a long way since 2010, when Annan chaired the first AGRF meeting, in Accra. Today, governments across the continent, including in Rwanda, this year’s host country, have placed agriculture at the center of their socioeconomic policies. This focus is creating jobs and improving food security and nutrition, while innovative partnerships are helping to build more viable, inclusive agribusinesses.
And yet, despite progress, millions of Africans continue to suffer from hunger and extreme poverty. As leaders prepare for another round of AGRF discussions, Annan’s vision of a food-secure and prosperous Africa is more relevant than ever.
Today, five key challenges are impeding Africa’s agricultural progress; each needs urgent attention. First, Africa’s governments must make good on pledgesto allocate at least 10% of public spending to agriculture. At the moment, only 13 countries are hitting this mark. Simply put, Africa will continue to fall short of its economic potential if public and private investment in agriculture is not increased.
Second, Africa needs an accountability system to measure policies and progress against key performance indicators. To that end, the African Union should endorse a new African Leaders for Nutrition initiative that is developing scorecards for agriculture and nutrition programs.
Third, regional and international donors must direct more aid to the millions of smallholder farmers who rely on agriculture to make ends meet. Africa’s small farmers can be integrated into agricultural value chains, but not without first increasing farm productivity. To improve yields, smallholder farmers need access to high-quality seeds and fertilizers, innovative financing, and modern technology. Most important, support must be directed to the future of African agriculture – young people and women.
Fourth, the volume of agricultural trade between countries must be increased, which can be accomplished by harmonizing trade regulations, lowering transportation costs, reducing tariffs, and improving warehouse and cold-storage facilities. A more robust intra-African food trade would promote economic growth, attract new investors, create jobs, and help prevent food insecurity.
Finally, everyone involved in strengthening Africa’s agricultural sector – from donors to farmers – must never forget the transformative power of partnerships. Rather than working at odds, Africa’s governments, businesses, financial institutions, NGOs, and farmers’ organizations should pool their resources and expertise whenever possible.
In 2006, when Annan stepped down as UN Secretary-General, he commented that in his next job, people might call him “Farmer Kofi.” Many of his colleagues assumed he was joking; he wasn’t. While his post-UN portfolio ranged from peacebuilding in Syria to political dialogue in Kenya, he never stopped advocating for Africa’s smallholder farmers.
For Annan, the eradication of hunger was not an end but rather a means to creating a more just and peaceful world. As he put it in an interview in 2013, “a hungry man is not a free man,” because he can focus only on his next meal. Now that Annan is gone, it is up to the rest of us to ensure that his vision of freedom for Africa is realized.
Alan Doss is President of the Kofi Annan Foundation and a former under-secretary-general at the United Nations.
