Safaricom Ethiopia is pleased to announce the expansion of its network coverage across the Somali Region, fully covering Gode, Kebridehar, Kebribeya, Degehabur, Wajale, Awbare, and towns in between. This expansion reaffirms our commitment to enhancing connectivity and digital financial services for communities across Ethiopia.

Speaking at the announcement ceremony in Gode, CEO of Safaricom Ethiopia, Wim Vanhelleputte said: “Our expanded network coverage significantly improves connectivity for communities and advances accessibility, open new opportunities for both individuals and businesses across the Somali Region. Our presence in areas like Gode shows our commitment to connect people to people, people to knowledge, and people to opportunities. With our fast 4G network now available, residents and visitors to these towns can enjoy high-speed data, bringing us closer to our vision of a connected Ethiopia.”

The Mayor of Gode Town, Abdulahi Ali Haji, praised Safaricom Ethiopia’s efforts to strengthen digital infrastructure in the region, stating: “Expansion of infrastructure, especially digital technology, is vital to the development of our community. Safaricom Ethiopia’s network expansion and support in the education sector contribute significantly to our development goals.”

Reliable data and statistics are necessary for informed decision-making if Africa is to achieve sustainable development, said Oliver Chinganya, the outgoing African Centre for Statistics Director, during his farewell remarks at the 9th Statistical Commission meeting in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

Chinganya underscored the critical role statisticians play in generating and delivering reliable data and statistics that meet present and future development needs. 

Reflecting on his tenure at the helm of the African Centre for Statistics (ACS), Chinganya said he led the Centre at a critical juncture when reliable, accurate, and timely data increased in urgency as Africa faced numerous challenges ranging from high debt levels, climate change and food security to lack of better data to inform policy decisions.

“Our role was to ensure that national statistical systems were up to the task of providing reliable data necessary for informed decision-making, both for national governments and for global reporting, such as the Sustainable Development Goals,” said Chinganya whose career has seen him serve in various capacities at the International Monetary Fund, the World Bank, and the African Development Bank before joining the ECA.

With around 20 heads of state, seven vice-presidents and four prime ministers, Africa will be strongly represented at the international climate conference COP29, according to a provisional list of African leaders scheduled to speak at the high-level segment on 12 and 13 November in Baku. According to the UN document released on 3 November African leaders will take the stage in the following order, each delivering a speech of no more than three minutes: Emmerson Mnangagwa of Zimbabwe, Mohamed Ould Ghazouani of Mauritania, Brice Clotaire Oligui Nguema of Gabon, Umaro Sissoco Embaló of Guinea-Bissau, and Félix Tshisekedi of the Democratic Republic of Congo. Next up will be Abdelmadjid Tebboune of Algeria, Faustin-Archange Touadéra of the Central African Republic, Denis Sassou Nguesso of the Republic of the Congo, William Ruto of Kenya, Faure Gnassingbé of Togo, Azali Assoumani of Comoros, and Andry Rajoelina of Madagascar. The final speakers will include Mahamat Idriss Déby Itno of Chad, Paul Kagame of Rwanda, Filipe Nyusi of Mozambique, Hakainde Hichilema of Zambia, Julius Maada Bio of Sierra Leone, Abiy Ahmed of Ethiopia, Mohamed al-Menfi of Libya, and Hassan Sheikh Mohamud of Somalia. (The Africa Report)

Somalia has announced that more than $1.1bn (£860m) of outstanding loans will be cancelled by the US, a sum representing about a quarter of the country’s remaining debt. The announcement is the latest in a series of agreements in which Somalia’s creditors have committed to forgiving its debt obligations. Most of Somalia’s debt had built up during the era of Siad Barre’s military dictatorship, which collapsed in the early 1990s and triggered a ruinous three-decade civil war…Harry Verhoeven, an expert on the political economy of the Horn of Africa, said Somalia’s debt forgiveness was “meaningful” as it “enables Somalia to more readily access public financing” from multilateral development banks. However, he said private creditors were likely to remain cautious due to lingering concerns about “financial governance and political instability”. (The Guardian)