Ethiopia and Somalia have begun technical negotiations on implementing the Ankara Declaration, with the first round of discussions taking place in Ankara, Türkiye…The negotiations follow a meeting between Ethiopia’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Gedion Timotheos, and Türkiye’s Deputy Foreign Minister, Burhanettin Duran, on 6 February 2025…The declaration outlines a four-month timeframe for technical negotiations on Ethiopia’s sea access…The agreement came after tensions escalated in early 2024 when Ethiopia signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Somaliland to lease 20 kilometers of coastline in exchange for recognizing Somaliland’s independence—an agreement Somalia called an “infringement on Somalia’s territorial sovereignty.” Following the Ankara Declaration, Somalia’s President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud traveled to Ethiopia on 11 January 2025, where he and Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed agreed to restore full diplomatic ties. (Addis Standard)

The leaders of Ethiopia’s Tigray region have called for the full implementation of the Pretoria agreement that ended the conflict between Ethiopia’s federal government and the Tigray rebels in 2022. The bloc released a report about the agreement during the African Union Summit over the weekend in Ethiopia’s capital, Addis Ababa. The two main leaders of Tigray, who also are political rivals, urged the AU to pay attention to the implementation of the agreement. The AU-brokered agreement, reached in November 2022, required the cessation of hostilities, return of internally displaced people, disarmament, expedition of humanitarian access, and restoration of services in the region. The agreement ended the two-year conflict and prompted the return of some social services…But the Tigray region’s leaders say there are outstanding issues. Some territories have not yet been returned by the federal government, and internally displaced people have not returned to disputed areas in Western Tigray. (VOA)

Following the conclusion of the Internet Society’s 2025 Internet Development Conference (apo-opa.co/3XavxCL), key stakeholders are calling for policy action to address critical challenges and opportunities for Internet development across Africa.

The conference brought together policymakers and tech leaders in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, to discuss Internet development in the Intergovernmental Authority on Development countries (Djibouti, Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, and Uganda). 250 attendees representing stakeholders across Africa heard from 50 speakers, including the Minister of Innovation and Technology for Ethiopia and the Director General of the Ethiopian Communications Authority, who shared insights on the most pressing Internet-related topics in the region, from governance and infrastructure expansion to digital literacy and policy improvement.

The Internet Development Conference 2025 reinforced the importance of regional collaboration, investment in digital infrastructure, and progressive policy changes to build a stronger, more inclusive Internet ecosystem in Africa. (Press release)

The accounting rate of return is a capital budgeting metric to calculate an investment’s profitability. Businesses use ARR to compare multiple projects to determine each endeavor’s expected rate of return or to help decide on an investment or an acquisition.

The accounting rate of return (ARR) formula divides an asset’s average revenue by the company’s initial investment to derive the ratio or return generated from the net income of the proposed capital investment.