1. law, govt and politics
2. legal issues
3. human rights

Vol. XIX No. 947 |1
The Reporter | Saturday | November 01, 2014
Vol. IXI No. 947 | November 01, 2014 | ADDIS ABABA, ETHIOPIA
www.thereporterethiopia.com
Price 5.00 Birr
Every last penny
By Neamin Ashenafi
A financing agreement, which will be
used for the implementation of the fourth
Productive Safety Net Program (PSNP)
in all regions of the country, was signed
between the Government of Ethiopia and
the World Bank (WB) at a ceremony held
at the Ministry of Finance and Economic
Development (MoFED) on October 3.
The agreement was inked by Sufian
Ahmed Minister of Finance and
Economic Development and Guang Zhe
Chen, World Bank Country Director
to Ethiopia, on behalf of the Ethiopian
government and the World Bank,
respectively.
According to the financing agreement
the World Bank will provide a
loan amounting to USD 600 Million
(approximately 12 billion birr) and
the main objective of the project is to
contribute for increased access to safety
nets and disaster risk management
systems, complementary of livelihoods
services and nutrition support to food
insecure households in rural Ethiopia.
Every last... page 35
Guang Zhe Chen, World Bank Country Director to Ethiopia with Sufian Ahmed, Minister of Finance and Economic Development,
after the signing ceremony
PM relieves ERA head
By Wudineh Zenebe
Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn
relieved Zaid Woldegebriel of his duties
as director general of the Ethiopian
Roads
Authority
(ERA)
effective
immediately.
A letter signed by the Prime Minister
and dated November 30, 2014 states
the dismissal is made upon request
by the Ministry of Transport (MoT)
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without disclosing the reasons. ERA is
accountable to the MoT and minister
Workineh Gebeyehu also serves as
chairman of the board of directors of
ERA.
Sources told The Reporter that
recent road projects awarded to
foreign contractors without adequate
assessment of their performance in
other road projects is the major source
of disagreement between the minister
and Zaid.
In the first quarter of the budget year
alone, ERA has awarded 9.3 billion birr
worth road projects extending a total
length of 599 km. Out of the seven road
projects awarded during the period,
five projects worth 7.2 billion birr were
awarded to foreign contractors with
Chinese companies sealing the four. One
Ethiopia releases... page 35
Zaid Woldegebriel
2| Vol. XIX No. 947
EDITORIAL
The Reporter | Saturday | November 01, 2014
Published weekly by Media &
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Tesfaye Mengesha, Yeyesuswork
Mamo,Gezaghgn Mandefro
According due attention to biosafety concerns
A bill amending some provisions of the overarching regulatory regime on biosafety in Ethiopia, the Biosafety Proclamation
No. 655/2009, was tabled to Parliament last week. Previously Ethiopia ratified the Convention on Biological Diversity through
Proclamation No. 98/1994. It also became a signatory of the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety to the Convention on Biological
Diversity on May 24, 2000 and enacted it into law in 2003 courtesy of Proclamation No. 362/2003. The country has first focused
on modified organisms and the importation of the derivatives thereof as part of its obligation under the Cartagena Protocol on
Biosafety.
The stated objective of the biosafety proclamation, which allows the importation of modified organisms for research purposes
only, is to protect human and animal health, biological diversity and in general, the environment , local communities and the
country at large by preventing or at least managing down to levels of insignificance the adverse effects of modified organisms.
The proposal submitted to amend the biosafety proclamation states that the amendment is necessitated by a determination of the
relevant stakeholders that some of its provisions render it inapplicable and thereby make it impossible to fulfill the country’s
development need. Accordingly, some of the proclamation’s restrictive provisions are expected to be relaxed.
Environmental protection professionals and activists, however, are raising the same concerns they have been expressing for
quite some time now. The thrust of their argument goes that as Ethiopia is one of the countries which has a strong biosafety
legislation, it needs to further strengthen the legal framework instead of loosening it if it’s to preserve and bequeath to coming
generations its vast biodiversity.
One of the restrictions which the draft proclamation before Parliament eases is the manner in which modified organisms are
imported into Ethiopia. According to the law in force, an application for an “advance informed agreement”, which is a written
consent granted by the Environment Protection Authority to import modified organisms, among others, must be accompanied
by a statement signed by the head of the competent national authority of the country of export to the effect that the competent
national authority takes full responsibility for
the completeness and accuracy of the information provided. The draft, however, provides that a person who applies for the
importation of a modified organism is required to submit a statement signed by the foreign exporter to the effect that the foreign
exporter takes full responsibility for the completeness and accuracy of the information provided and that the law of the exporting
country authorizes the exporter to take such responsibility.
Some environmental activists contend that it absolves the competent national authority of the country of export of the responsibility
to ensure the completeness and accuracy of the information provided by the importer and places the burden squarely on the
shoulders of the importer, thereby casting serious doubt over the integrity of importation process and making it prone to all sorts
of abuses.
Ethiopia is home to numerous varieties of organic seeds which are unique o it. The ongoing effort to allow the import of genetically
engineered seeds, albeit for research purposes only, has become a cause for concern for the actors in the field. The proponents
of genetic engineering, however, argue that Ethiopia is losing the benefits of the technology due to the ban on the importation
of modified organisms and insist that the country should take up genetic engineering in order to accelerate further its rapid
economic growth. They cite the case of Bt, the genetically produced cotton variety that is resistant to several pests, which local
scientists are lobbying to be imported so that it can be used to boost cotton production helping to alleviate the chronic shortage of
cotton faced by the country’s textile industry.
While conceding that Bt can benefit the local textile industry, environmentalists caution that much thought should be given to
the harm the cotton variety may inflict. They want to know what assurances can be given that allowing genetic engineering to be
conducted on cotton will not be expanded to other seed varieties.
Given that Ethiopia is a strong advocate of environment protection on the global stage, it is incumbent upon it to display the
utmost prudence when it comes to permitting the use of a technology which has the potential to cause irreversible damage to
the environment. Hence, it should not give in to arm-twisting by Western governments and multinational companies which
make huge profits from genetic engineering and apply the technology. It should only put it to use after an in-depth assessment
which provides for mitigation measures which address as comprehensively as possible its detrimental impact. Furthermore, any
attempt to introduce the kind of legislation that Parliament is due to debate must first be preceded by informed and extensive
discussions with all stakeholders in view of its implication for the food security of the nation.
www.thereporterethiopia.com
HEADLINES
The Reporter | Saturday | November 01, 2014
UN names Addis the third
capital for UN operations
Vol. XIX No. 947 |3
Off-grid
communities to
test solar energy
solutions via
microfinances
By Birhanu Fikade
A study made by a local microfinance
institution revealed that most rural
communities living in remote areas and
are off-grid of the national electric power
system, are disappointed in not having
at least electricity for their children at
school.
Photo By: Reporter/ Nahom Tesfaye
Teshome Yohannes, general manager
of the Buusaa Gonofaa microfinance
institution, which operates in the
Oromia Regional State, told The Reporter
that rural communities are pressed
by the lack of access to electricity.
Other sources of lighting, for instance
kerosene are costly and most of the
time unaffordable for the smallholder
farming society in the region. A liter of
kerosene costs 24 birr and such inflated
prices forces societies and institutions to
the likes of Buunsaa Gonofaa to look for
other alternatives.
From left: Tedros Adhanom, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn, Ban Ki Moom,
Secretary General of the United Nations and Carlos Lopes, Executive Secretary of the United Nations Economic
By Birhanu Fikade
Commission for Africa at the inaugural ceremony of the new UN building
Established 56 years ago, the United
Nations Economic Commission of Africa
(UNECA) was granted five million birr
from Emperor Haile Selassie I, which
then was able to host African leaders
to discuss freedom from Western
colonizers. Later on at the turn of the
week, Prime Minister Hailemariam
Desalegn was joined by UN Secretary
General Ban Ki Moon to open the 20th
new building in the compound of the
UNECA.
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Being one of the five regional
commissions that reports to the UN
economic and social council via African
ministers of economic and social
developments and planning; Both David
H. Shinn and Thomas P. Ofcansky
recorded in their book entitled Historical
Dictionary of Ethiopia that ECA was able
to host African leaders at its existing
headquarters in the capital following
the completion of its first building
called Africa Hall, decorated by the late
legendary Maître Artist Afework Tekle
whose painting entitled Africa: Past,
Present and Future on the stained glass
still glares in 150 sqm size.
During a conference dubbed “Innovation
in Clean Energy and Water Access
through
Microfinances”,
Teshome
presented a market survey with results
conducted on existing clients. According
to the results, 88 percent of the 100,000
clients are not connected to the national
grid system; which according to the
World Bank it amounts to 91 percent.
According to Teshome, the most common
source of energy for lighting for those
clients are cellular batteries, firewood
and charcoal, and of course kerosene.
Hence the study claims that 95 percent
of the clients are dissatisfied by the
existing sources of energy for household
purposes. A greater number of business
operators remain unhappy and by far,
97 percent of the clients according to
Teshome expressed the high cost of
energy.
For those reasons the microfinance
is set to provide solar energy lighting
solutions to some 500 clients for credit,
Teshome said.
Such approaches were very much
appreciated by the participants of
the conference where microfinances
elsewhere in Africa will be tasked with
filling the gap for the most marginalized
communities. Yet as microfinances
truly operate for profit, to the likes
Michael Hamp (PhD) who is the lead
technical specialist the international
fund for agricultural development
(IFAD), doubt how they really will make
money out of clean energy spectrums.
IFAD is best situated in providing funds
for microfinances in Africa. According
to Michael, for three years from 2013
to 2015, USD three billion was availed
for the industry in Africa. Out of that
amount half of the fund goes to SubSaharan Africa.
Prime Minister Hailemariam, while
inaugurating the building, reckoned
that the generous donation of Ethiopian
leaders helped to erect ECA at its best
elegance. “When ECA was established in
1958, both the continental and the global
situations were very pressing for Africa.
The people of Africa were struggling to
liberate themselves from the sharp teeth
of colonialism,” Hailemariam recalled.
In his two days official visit to the capital
Ban Ki Moon inaugurated the new
building that cost some USD ten million.
The new edifice which was built using
green building technology and is solar-
Michael argues that access to clean
water mostly fails in the political sphere
and it is duteous. “When we talk about
UN names Addis.. page 34
Off-grid communities... page 34
www.thereporterethiopia.com
4| Vol. XIX No. 947
HEADLINES
The Reporter | Saturday | November 01, 2014
Civil suit took a twist as plaintiff Ethio-Egyptian business forum
to kick off tomorrow
gets two years for hacking
Anticipates to boost trade volume to USD 1 billion
By Kaleyesus Bekele
The Ethio-Egyptian business forum
will be held from November 2-3 at the
Sheraton Addis in the presence of senior
government officials and major Egyptian
companies.
The Forum will be held on the sidelines
of the fourth session meetings of the
Ethio-Egyptian
Joint
Ministerial
Committee, headed by the ministers
of foreign affairs of the two countries
aimed at finding ways to push forward
the bilateral cooperation between the
two countries in all sectors.
Akiko Seyoum
By a Staff Reporter
A 42 million birr civil suit took an
unusual twist as plaintiff Yonas
Kassahun received a two year jail term
following a conviction on cybercrimes.
The Federal First Instance court, seventh
criminal bench, found Yonas guilty of
hacking into the personal email account
of Akiko Seyoum, a defendant in the
multi-million birr civil suit currently
pending at the Federal Supreme Court.
Yonas Kassahun
alleging that the suspect forwarded data
to his email and to third parties. The
charge alleges that Yonas tried to extort
money from Akiko in exchange for the
data. The prosecutors’ allegation was
substantiated by a written document
obtained from the Information Network
Security Agency (INSA) detailing
the date of the hacking. Yonas, in his
defence, have not denied taking the data
but argued that it was authorised by
Akiko and did so to expose a crime.
Following a complaint from Akiko,
prosecutors filed charges against Yonas
Civil suit took... page 34
A press released issue by the Egyptian
embassy in Addis Ababa stated that
major Egyptian companies, and banks
operating in the market will meet
the Ethiopian private sector. A large
Egyptian business delegation led by
Egyptian minister of Trade, Moneer
Fakhry Abdel Nour is expected to arrive
Addis Ababa today.
Ethiopian Minister of Trade, Kebede
Chane, will lead the Ethiopian business
delegation. The Ethiopian and Addis
Ababa Chambers of Commerce and
Sectoral Associations will partake at
the forum. One hundred Ethiopian and
50 Egyptian companies are expected to
attend the forum.
Ayman Essa, chairman of the EthioEgyptian Business Council said the
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www.thereporterethiopia.com
forum allows the governments of the two
countries an opportunity to identify the
real problems facing the Egyptian and
Ethiopian companies and the obstacles
facing the economic relations between
the two countries, put them on the table
to be resolved as soon as possible.
Essa stressed the importance of holding
the forum at a time when Egypt is
seeking to rework its economic and
political relations in all countries of the
world, especially the African countries.
He added that the council was keen to
achieve synchronization between the
forum and the ministerial committee
which meets after a 4 years’ stop.
Essa, expressed his hopes that the forum
would be a starting point for a solid
springboard for trade exchange between
the two countries and directing capital
in both countries for joint investments in
the fields of common interest under the
developmental and economic challenges
faced by the two countries and stressed
the importance of developing programs
for technical cooperation and financial
support in this regard.
The Ethiopian Ministry of Trade and
Investment Commission will make
presentations
on
the
investment
climate in Ethiopia and the plans and
approaches that have been adopted in the
targeted sectors including construction,
Ethio-Egyptian... page 35
HEADLINES
The Reporter | Saturday | November 01, 2014
ADPI launches study on new
Ethiopian mega airport project
Vol. XIX No. 947 |5
ICRC says
Eritrea’s refugee
crisis not a big
concern
Focuses on family
reunification
South Sudan remains
second largest
recipient of ICRC
By Henok Reta
The expansion of the passenger terminal of the Bole International Airport is expected to cost some USD 250 million
By Kaleyesus Bekele
Hired by the Ethiopian Airports
Enterprise, ADPI, a French consultancy
firm, recently commenced study on the
mega hub airport development project.
The Ethiopian Airports Enterprise
is planning to build a new mega
international airport out of the capital
Addis Ababa. Dukem, Modjo and Teji
towns are proposed for the construction
of the new international airport. A
decision has not yet been made. The
enterprise is also expanding the Addis
Ababa Bole International Airport
passenger terminal at a cost of USD 250
million.
of the mega hub.
unveil the multi-billion dollar project.
Based on the recommendation of ADPI
the Ethiopian Airports Enterprise will
select the site. After the site is selected
the detailed study will commence.
commencing
the
detailed
Before
study the enterprise, and the Ministry
of Transport will hold a launching
ceremony in which they will officially
Industry experts believe that the mega
hub project will help Ethiopia become a
regional hub. It will also accommodate
the fast growth of Ethiopian Airlines.
Ethiopian Airlines has a strong vision of
ADPI launches... page 34
The International Committee of the Red
Cross (ICRC) said that the exacerbating
refugee crisis in Eritrea is not a concern
as it currently emphasizing more on
family reunification. Peter Maurer,
president of ICRC told journalists on
Friday at the Sheraton Addis that his
organization is more engaged in the
influx of refugees from South Sudan
to Ethiopia, not from Eritrea. “We are
working with the Ethiopian Red Cross
Society on family reunification,” he said.
Despite reports that the number of
crossing to Ethiopia has
Eritreans
increased day in, day out, the ICRC has
mainly focused on the rehabilitation of
South Sudanese refugees in camps found
in the Gambella Regional State and other
sites. “The ICRC would remain focused
on strengthening efforts made by the
Ethiopian Red Cross Society (ERCS)
to speed up family reunification links
(FRL),” the president said. On the other
hand, South Sudan remains the second
largest recipient of the ICRC preceded
by Syria. According to the president,
South Sudan snatches some 150 million
Swiss francs as Syria tops the global aid
of ICRC by sharing 167 million Swiss
francs.
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Last July the enterprise hired ADPI
which is tasked to supervise the
construction of the Addis Ababa
Bole International Airport passenger
terminal and undertake a study on the
new international airport. The second
task includes conducting a study on the
site location. The consultant will also
undertake feasibility, technical, and
financial studies as well as drafts airport
master plan. The consultant is also
tasked to study the integration of the
new airport with the Addis Ababa Bole
International Airport.
While speaking about the crisis in South
Sudan, the president firmly addressed
the media that the situation in South
Sudan has worsened as the conflict
remains fresh. “We are in a position to
deal with it more than ever before,” he
says. He, however, said that a political
solution is still the ultimate solution.
“I have received a report of continuing
clash in Bentiu that could make the
humanitarian assistance extremely
difficult to go on,” he said.
The Ethiopian Airports Enterprise has
embarked on the construction of the
Addis Ababa Bole International Airport
passenger terminal expansion work.
A senior official at the enterprise told
The Reporter that ADPI deployed two
groups in Ethiopia. The first group is
supervising the Bole expansion project
while the second group is undertaking
a study on the planned international
airport.
With regards to the prisons in Ethiopia,
the president appeared to be less equivocal
citing he had a very good discussion
with President, Mulatu Teshome (PhD)
and Prime Minster Hailemariam
Desalegn on Wednesday. “We visited
the prisons and talked to the detainees
before hand over the confidential report
for improvement,” he responded. The
president concluded his media briefing
echoing the general assessment of the
operation his organization has had over
the last twelve months across the globe.
According to the president, ICRC has
visited some 750,000 prisons across the
world and had a brief conversation with
23,000 prisoners.
The official said the second group
recently commenced the study on
the site location. “Based on their
recommendation a decision will be made
on the site for the construction of the
mega hub,” the official said.
The Ethiopian Civil Aviation Authority
(ECAA) is also involved in the project.
It is the authority that approves the
site and inspects the new airport. The
Chinese government has given a green
light to confer loan for the construction
www.thereporterethiopia.com
6| Vol. XIX No. 947
In-depth
The Reporter | Saturday | November 01, 2014
s
presented to the House of Peoples’
Representatives (HPR), the
e country
was roused by the allega
ation that
some government officiials were
lobbied to make sure
e the bill
becomes a law.
By Yonas Abiye
Whenever the issue of biosafety comes to be a
subject of interest, politicians, the academia
and the public in general associate the matter
with the renowned scientist, Tewoldeberhan
Gebreegziabher (PhD), who was Director
General of Environment Authority (EPA)
until 2013.
However,
later,,
the
enactment of the law
w did not
seem to have plea
ased both
sides: the opponentts and the
proponents alike.
Even for some local environmentalists, the
introduction of the concept of biodiversity
and the country’s policy is attributed to him.
In fact, Tewoldeberhan’s influence on the
issue extends even to the globe arena.
“...that the bill he initially
proposed was eve
en more
restrictive
than
n
the
resulting
legiislation,”
leaked Cables of US E
Embassy
in
Addis
Ababa
a
said,
adding that Tewold
deberhan
previously represented African
nations during negotiattions on
the Cartagena Protocol, w
where he
opposed the use of bioengineerred crops
in developing nations.
During the 1990s, Tewoldeberhan put much
of his energy into negotiations at the various
biodiversity-related
fora,
especially
the
Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD). During
this time, he built up a strong group of well-prepared
African negotiators who began to take the lead in the
G77 and China Group.
Africa came out united, strong, and at a progressive
position such as voicing their opposition “no patents”
on living materials and the recognition of community
rights. This strengthened the G77 and China’s
negotiating positions.
Tewoldeberhan was also instrumental in securing
recommendations from the African Union (the then
Organization for African Unity) encouraging African
countries to develop and implement community rights,
assume common position on Trade-Related Aspects of
Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS), and a clear stance
against patents on life.
At the 1999 biosafety negotiations in Cartagena,
Colombia, Tewoldeberhan was the spokesperson for
the majority of the G77 countries, dubbed ‘The LikeMinded Group’. These negotiations ended in deadlock,
but reached a successful conclusion in Montreal in
January 2000. His leadership of the Like-Minded Group
in the negotiations played a key role in achieving
an outcome – against strong US and EU opposition –
that protects biosafety and biodiversity and respects
traditional and community rights in developing
countries.
Ethiopia’s environment policy is designed more of by
his ideology that he accumulated over his half-decadeold expertise that in turn elevated him to crone over
the climax of honor being the most influential scientist
across the world. During his leadership, as a Director
of Environment Protection Authority (EPA), Ethiopia
was very strict on biosafety issue. Some even say that it
is because of Tewoldeberhan that the nation managed
to stay GMO-free for long resisting western pressure.
He is best known for his strong ideology of stricter
biosafety rules while at the same time being a very strong
anti-GMO voice in the continent and beyond. That is why
many observers both at home and abroad agree that he
is the key figure behind the country’s existing
g biosafety
law
a n d
almost all
environmentrelated policies and
laws.
In fact, he was the driving force behind the Biosafety
Proclamation that was enacted in 2009 which stirred a
wider range of debates before and after. The laws and
policies in these areas have been undergoing changes
to respond to international treaties that Ethiopia has
signed and ratified.
Before the Biosafety Proclamation, Ethiopia strictly
maintained a closed-door policy when it comes to
genetically altered organisms while the advancement
of technology has been speeding up in many part of the
world including some in Africa.
Especially, the growing trend of biotechnology
emerged as a response strategy to address the chronic
food shortage accompanied by the population pressure.
However, the technology (Genetically Modified
Organisms (GMO)) has draw mixed views from its very
introduction.
GMOs are animal or plant organisms in which the
genetic material (DNA) has been altered in a way that
does not occur naturally through a process of modern
biotechnology or genetic engineering.
Few years, ago when the Kenyan government was
considering GMO, Ethiopia and other neighboring
countries, which are places of origin for certain crops,
have expressed concerns over Kenya’s approach
towards GMO fearing that it might impact those
indigenous crops within their territories.
In 2009,
009, when
e
tthe
e Biosafety Proclamation was
www.thereporterethiopia.com
Back in 2009, the government was strongly
interested in importing transgenic Bacillus
thuringiensis (BT) cotton seeds in an effort to boost
Ethiopia’s nascent textile sector.
According to analysts, this interest was a majjor factor
in the passage of the Biosafety Proclamattion, and
predicted that given the political will to boost textile
production,
d ti
any application
li ti to
t import
i
t BT cotton
tt would
be approved.
Even after the passing of the existing biosafety law, the
issue of allowing GMO has been one of the contentious
issues in the Ethiopian legal system.
However, a newly proposed draft to amend the biosafety
law was presented before the HPR last week.
In the proposed bill a new article signaling the easing
of importation restriction of Genetically Modified
Organisms (GMO) on condition of limited preconditions
vested on the power of Ministry of Environment and
Forestry has been inserted.
In contradiction, some environmentalist have
criticized the government for making the amendment,
which is the interest of other countries, such as the
United States, China and India, who are home to the
world’s largest GMO Company, Monsanto, and the
largest producers of BT cotton.
Meanwhile, others were pushing against the
proclamation and requesting the government to ease
the restriction on the Biosafety Proclamation of 2009.
According to a Wikileaks report, the US called the
biosafety law “far-reaching and highly restrictive”, and
has clearly been influenced by government officials
opposed to biotechnology.
GMO hot ... page 36
HEADLINES
The Reporter | Saturday | November 01, 2014
NEBE discloses date of fifth
national election
Ethiopian
p
to fly
to Doha
By Kaleyesus Bekele
Ethiopian Airlines, the largest airline
in Africa, yesterday announced that
it has finalized preparations to start
three weekly flights to Doha, Qatar as of
December 2, 2014.
Ethiopian flights to Doha will bring the
total number of Ethiopian international
destinations across five continents to 84.
The city will mark the 10th Ethiopian
destination to the Middle East.
Merga Bekana (Prof.)
By Neamin Ashenafi
secretary and head of the secretariat
office.
The National Electoral Board of Ethiopia
(NEBE) has disclosed the timetable and
schedule of the upcoming fifth national
election, which will take place in May.
This was disclosed during a press
conference held at the Hilton Hotel on
Thursday October 30.
Merga told journalists that the Board
is completing almost all the necessary
preparations for the fifth national
election. All the necessary materials
that will facilitate the process such
as posters, ballots and other related
materials have been prepared and the
extent of the preparedness has reached
about 90 percent.
The timetable and the detailed schedules
of the upcoming election were disclosed
by Merga Bekana (Prof.) head of NEBE,
Addisu Gebregziabherr (PhD) Deputy
Head of the NEBE and Nega Dufessa
NEBE discloses ... page 35
Vol. XIX No. 947 |7
“With this new flight, travelers to and
from Doha will enjoy convenient and
seamless connectivity options, with
minimum layover in Addis Ababa,
thanks to Ethiopian extensive network
in Africa covering 49 destinations,”
Ethiopian said. Convenient connections
will be available to and from cities such
as Johannesburg, Nairobi, Kinshasa,
Lagos, Accra, Dakar, Dar-es-Salaam and
Entebbe.
“We are very pleased to spread our
wings to Doha, one of the most vibrant
and fastest growing economic hubs in
the Middle East. The new flights to Doha
will offer better connectivity and more
convenient mobility between the State
of Qatar and the Continent of Africa.
Tewolde Gebremariam, CEO Ethiopian
Airlines Group, said.
Qatar Airways started operating three
weekly flights between Doha and Addis
Ababa. When Qatar Airways celebrated
its first anniversary of commencing a
flight to Addis Ababa last September,
the airline said it is happy with the
Ethiopian market adding that it wants
to boost the flights frequency to twice
daily. Airline industry analyst told
The Reporter that the Ethiopian Civil
Aviation Authority will not allow Qatar
Airways to increase the thrice weekly
flights between Doha and Addis Ababa
with the view of protecting Ethiopian
Airlines.
Ethiopian, which is expanding its
international destinations rapidly, will
commence new flight to Tokyo, Narita
International Airport next month. The
airline will also start flights to Manila,
Ho Chi Minh City, Dublin, Los Angeles
and Moscow. It is also studying the
Istanbul market.
Ethiopian is a global Pan-African carrier
Ethiopian ... page 35
In-depth +
Rights abuse: systematic or incidental
Ameha Mekonnen.
By Mikias Sebsibe
Whenever allegations of human rights
abuses are raised, the government’s line
of defence, mostly, point to the laws it
enacted or adopted and the institutions
it established to guarantee the right of
individuals. Indeed, many agree that the
nation is not devoid of laws capable of
protecting and promoting human rights.
Miranda rights (the right of suspects to
remain silent and to be represented by
an attorney, among others which an
officer is required to inform during an
arrest), for instance, was incorporated
into the country’s criminal procedure
code in 1961. The right was given
constitutional guarantee two decades
ago. And yet, institutions like the police
and correctional facilities continuously
stand accused of violation of these and
other rights of suspects under their
custody.
According to a May 2012 Police Report
prepared by the Ethiopian Human Rights
Commission, in many of the police
stations across the country suspects are
not read their Miranda rights. The report
assessed 170 (15.7 percent) out of the total
1,081 police stations across the country.
And 29 percent of the police stations
assessed exercise intimidations and
other forms of human rights violations
during interrogation.
While the government insists that these
are isolated incidents created by gaps
in implementation capacity and lack
of awareness, others say the problem
may be systematic. According to
“For instance, I have never been called to
provide counsel to a client during police
interrogation. That is unimaginable,”
Ameha told The Reporter. “I have
witnessed many rights violations but
instead of upholding accountability, the
institutions will hold grudges against
you for raising the issue,” he added.
human rights experts, rights violations
are regarded as systematic when the
violations are endorsed by policy
instruments and laws or when a pattern
of rights violations can be established
and the government’s response is
insignificant given a widespread abuse.
Characterization of the abuse of rights of
suspects in police custody in Ethiopia as
systematic does not come as a surprise
for a prominent criminal lawyer like
Advertisment
Although, it does not recognize the
problem as widespread, the National
Human Rights Action Plan, launched
on October 2013, stated that arresting
officers fail to inform suspects properly
of their right to remain silent and that
any statement that they make may be
used as evidence against them in court.
Officers also fail to give prompt and
specific explanation to suspects of the
reasons for their arrest; and their right
to legal counsel.
“There might be problems here and there,
but the problems do not characterize the
entire system,” defends Yibekal Gizaw,
head of the National Human Rights
Action Plan Office. “The government
believes in respect for human rights,
and the system and structures to protect
human rights are already in place with
the commitment.”
Prolonged investigations
As witnessed and reported in high
profile cases that attracted the attention
of the public, many suspects complain
of prolonged investigations while
being kept under custody. According to
“Free grant... page 36
www.thereporterethiopia.com
Rights abuse ... page 36
8| Vol. XIX No. 947
The Reporter | Saturday | November 01, 2014
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www.thereporterethiopia.com
Vol. XIX No. 947 |9
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10| Vol. XIX No. 947
The Reporter | Saturday | November 01, 2014
COMMENTARY
T
he announcement of the curfew followed a serious
attack by Rizeigat tribesmen on a senior army
official, following their discovery of a train load of
weapons heading from Nyala in North Darfur to
Adeelah, the Ma’alya’s centre in East Darfur. The Sudanese
Armed Forces, official spokesperson, Swarmi Khlaid
Saad, denied any involvement in the incident as well as the
distribution of arms amongst the tribes.
How tribalism continues to direct
governance in Sudan
By Namaa Al-Mahdi
Tribal clashes between Ma’alya and
Rizeigat tribes broke out in early
January of this year, multiple clashes
throughout the year culminated in an
all-out war last August in the oil rich
State of East Darfur, leaving scores dead
and injured from both tribes.
Conflict between the two neighboring
tribes over rights to land, shared
resources and leadership has spanned
several decades, the last two years has
seen an upsurge in conflict between
the two tribes, which left thousands
dead and hundreds injured. The peace
agreement which was signed by tribal
chiefs and elders last September 2013
was broken, on the 14th of this month;
the government announced an open
ended state of emergency, a 7am-6pm
Curfew and a ban on carrying weapons
in and around the capital of East DarfurEd-Daein, the centre of the Rizeigat
tribe’s leadership.
The announcement of the curfew
followed a serious attack by Rizeigat
tribesmen on a senior army official,
following their discovery of a train load
of weapons heading from Nyala in North
Darfur to Adeelah, the Ma’alya’s centre
in East Darfur. The Sudanese Armed
Forces, official spokesperson, Swarmi
Khlaid Saad, denied any involvement in
the incident as well as the distribution of
arms amongst the tribes.
In January 2013, unreported[ii] conflict
between two clans of the Messiryah tribe
in Al-Fula village in South Kordofan
State left 80 dead.
“The current upsurge in intertribal
conflict is backed by the government to
distract the tribes from making claims
for their share of the oil coming out of
their lands, residents of Al- Fula say
they are desperately poor whilst their
land’s wealth is making the government
rich” says ex-Colonel Fadallah Burmah
Nasser who acted in the capacity of
the Ansar Affairs Committee mediator
between the conflict parties in Al-Fula
in South Kordofan.
The regions of the current upsurge in
tribal conflict are located within oil block
6; according to Greater Nile Petroleum
Operating Company (GNPOC) the block
produces 44,000 barrels of oil a day, and
is controlled by a consortium led by
How tribalism... page 28
VIEWPOINT
By Wolfgang Schäuble
Why taxation must go global
We are witnessing profound changes
in the way that the world economy
works. As a result of the growing pace
and intensity of globalization and
digitization, more and more economic
processes
have
an
international
dimension. As a consequence, an
increasing number of businesses are
adapting their structures to domestic
and foreign legal systems and taxation
laws.
Thanks to technical advances in the
digital economy, companies can serve
markets without having to be physically
present in them. At the same time,
sources of income have become more
mobile: There is an increasing focus on
intangible assets and mobile investment
income that can easily be “optimized”
from a tax point of view and transferred
abroad.
Tax legislation has not kept pace with
these developments. Most of the taxallocation principles that apply today
date back to a time when doing business
internationally
primarily
meant
transporting goods across a border to
a neighboring country. But rules that
were devised for this in the 1920s and
1930s are no longer suitable for today’s
international integration of economic
processes and corporate structures.
They need to be adapted to the economic
reality of digital services.
In the absence of workable rules,
states are losing revenue that they
urgently need in order to fulfill their
responsibilities. At the same time, the
issue of fair taxation is becoming more
and more pressing, because the number
of taxpayers who make an adequate
contribution to financing public goods
and services is decreasing.
The resulting tensions between national
fiscal sovereignty and the borderless
scope of today’s business activities can
be resolved only through international
dialogue and uniform global standards.
Within the European Union, permitting
groups of states to forge ahead with joint
solutions to issues that can be addressed
only multilaterally has worked well
in the past. If such measures prove
www.thereporterethiopia.com
successful, other states follow.
This approach can also serve as a
global governance model for resolving
international problems. In today’s
world, even large states cannot establish
and enforce international frameworks
on their own. Groups of countries still
can. This has been demonstrated in the
context of financial-market regulation; it
is starting to become clear with regard to
the regulatory framework for the digital
economy; and it is now being confirmed
in the area of taxation.
The Seventh Meeting of the Global
Forum on Transparency and Exchange of
Why taxation... page 28
Vol. XIX No. 947 |11
The Reporter | Saturday | November 01, 2014
Advertisment
'
(
With the support of the WTO Secretariat, the Ministry of Trade has set up a National Project Implementation Unit (NPIU) to implement the
country’s trade development agenda. The functions of the NPIU will comprise updating of the Diagnostic Trade Integration Study (DTIS),
mainstreaming trade into the GTP priorities and other national development plans, translating priorities in the Action Matrix into bankable
projects and coordinating the delivery of demand-driven trade-related capacity building and training activities to stakeholders, building
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Compile and organize baseline data based on the logical framework
indicators
Spearhead the Ministry’s effort to mainstream trade in all national
development plans
Organize awareness creation workshops on trade related issues.
Work with the Ministry on the the DTIS update process
strategies
Develop capacities in related agencies and establish inter-institutional
technical and donor coordination committees/taskforces as standing
teams
Develop a national export promotion strategy in consultation with public
and private stakeholders
Translate the prioritized actions of the updated DTIS Action Matrix into
project proposals for funding.
Build capacity and implement a monitoring and evaluation framework to
track implementation of the Action Matrix
Organize the conduct of training to build capacity of the Ministry staff and
other relevant stakeholders
Perform any other duty assigned to him by the Ministry
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QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCE
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¾ Experience in international and national trade in particular export
strategies for effective expansion of export trade at global level
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www.thereporterethiopia.com
12| Vol. XIX No. 947
The Reporter | Saturday | November 01, 2014
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www.thereporterethiopia.com
Letter to the Editor
The Reporter | Saturday | November 01, 2014
Vol. XIX No. 947 |13
This is a fight in which the
whole world has a stake
public health, the economy or within communities – is already reverberating
throughout the region and across the world.
Dear World,
In just over six months, Ebola has managed to bring my country to a standstill.
We have lost over 2,000 Liberians. Some are children struck down in the prime of
their youth. Some were fathers, mothers, brothers or best friends. Many were brave
health workers that risked their lives to save others, or simply offer victims comfort
in their final moments.
There is no coincidence Ebola has taken hold in three fragile states – Liberia,
Sierra Leone and Guinea - all battling to overcome the effects of interconnected
wars. In Liberia, our civil war ended only eleven years ago. It destroyed our public
infrastructure, crushed our economy and led to an exodus of educated professionals.
A country that had some 3,000 qualified doctors at the start of the war was dependent
by its end on barely three dozen. In the last few years, Liberia was bouncing back.
We realized there was a long way to go, but the future was looking bright.
Now Ebola threatens to erase that hard work. Our economy was set to be larger and
stronger this year, offering more jobs to Liberians and raising living standards.
Ebola is not just a health crisis – across West Africa, a generation of young people
risk being lost to an economic catastrophe as harvests are missed, markets are shut
and borders are closed.
The virus has been able to spread so rapidly because of the insufficient strength
of the emergency, medical and military services that remain under-resourced and
without the preparedness to confront such a challenge. This would have been the
case whether the confrontation was with Ebola, another infectious disease, or a
natural disaster.
The international reaction to this crisis was initially inconsistent and lacking in
clear direction or urgency. Now finally, the world has woken up. The community
of nations has realized they cannot simply pull up the drawbridge and wish this
situation away.
This fight requires a commitment from every nation that has the capacity to help –
whether that is with emergency funds, medical supplies or clinical expertise.
I have every faith in our resilience as Liberians, and our capacity as global citizens,
to face down this disease, beat it and rebuild. History has shown that when a people
are at their darkest hour, humanity has an enviable ability to act with bravery,
compassion and selflessness for the benefit of those most in need.
From governments to international organizations, financial institutions to NGOs,
politicians to ordinary people on the streets in any corner of the world, we all have a
stake in the battle against Ebola. It is the duty of all of us, as global citizens, to send
a message that we will not leave millions of West Africans to fend for themselves
against an enemy that they do not know, and against whom they have little defense.
The time for talking or theorizing is over. Only concerted action will save my
country, and our neighbors, from experiencing another national tragedy. The words
of Henrik Ibsen have never been truer: “A thousand words leave not the same deep
impression as does a single deed.”
But one thing is clear. This is a fight in which the whole world has a stake. This
disease respects no borders. The damage it is causing in West Africa, whether in
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Yours sincerely,
Ellen Johnson Sirleaf
President of Liberia
14| Vol. XIX No. 947
The Reporter | Saturday | November 01, 2014
COMMENTARY +
S
ex boycott is one of the strategies of women to force male
politicians to resolve conflicts or violence peacefully.
This temporary boycotts usually stay for a week or until
the issue is resolved. This boycott has been practiced in
Africa such as in Kenya (2009), Liberia (2003), and Togo (2012).
Women in Togo have called a week-long sex strike to back
their call for the resignation of the country’s president, Faure
Gnassingbé, whose family has been in power for more than 45
years.
Sex boycott and peace making in Africa
By Melaku Mulualem K.
This world is rich in resources and also
rich in violence and war. The wars can
be broadly divided in to two: intrastate
war and interstate war. There are
different methods in solving such wars
and conflicts. One of the non-violent
methods of solving conflicts and wars is
“sex boycott”.
In recent times, sex boycott also called
sex strike is being implemented in
different countries. In this strike, women
and girlfriends refrain from having
sex with their husband or boyfriend to
achieve certain goals.
The concept of sex boycott started in
Athens, ancient Greece’s play in 411BC.
In this play the women of Athens
refused to have sex unless their men
reach an agreement of a truce with
their rivals called Sparta and to end the
Peloponnesian War. This play, however,
did not remain as a comic performance.
Rather sex boycott continued to be one of
nonviolent methods in putting pressure
on men, who are considered as engine of
conflicts and wars.
It is clear that this world is dominated
by men. In this world, women
parliamentarians cover only 21.8
percent. Out of nearly 200 countries in
the world (January 2014 statistics) only
9 women are serving as Heads of State
and 15 women are serving as Heads of
Government. The rest is “given” to men.
This shows that men have great political
decision-making powers in the world.
These decisions can lead to war or peace.
Sex boycott is one of the strategies of
women to force male politicians to
resolve conflicts or violence peacefully.
This temporary boycotts usually stay
for a week or until the issue is resolved.
This boycott has been practiced in
Africa such as in Kenya (2009), Liberia
(2003), and Togo (2012). Women in Togo
have called a week-long sex strike to
back their call for the resignation of the
country’s president, Faure Gnassingbé,
whose family has been in power for
more than 45 years.
In recent time (October 2014) a group of
South Sudanese women peace activists
has proposed to have sex boycott
until President Salva Kirr and his
former deputy, Riek Machar resolve
the problem peacefully. Sex boycott is
not unique to Africa, rather it has also
been implemented in Japan, Colombia,
Naples (Italy) and the Philippines.
Recently, in the face of Russia’s decision
to annex Crimea, Ukrainian females
called for a sex boycott on Russians by
selling t-shirt with the slogan “Don’t
give it to a Russian.” In September
2006 dozens of wives and girlfriends of
gang members from Colombia called a
sex strike with a slogan “the strike of
crossed legs” to curb gang violence that
led to the death of 480 individuals.
In having sex boycott women would like
to attract the attention of their citizens
and the international community about
the grave issue. This boycott also called
Sex boycott... page 25
VIEWPOINT +
By Jomo Kwame Sundaram
Rethinking hunger
The world has a nutrition problem.
Though great strides have been made
toward the Millennium Development
Goal of halving the proportion of
undernourished people in developing
the
problem
remains
countries,
persistent, pervasive, and complex.
After all, the issue goes beyond merely
providing more food; effective efforts to
reduce undernourishment must ensure
that people have access to enough of the
right types of food – those that give them
the nutrients they need to live healthy,
productive lives.
Since 1945, food production has tripled,
and food availability has risen by
40 percent, on average, per person.
Over the last decade alone, vegetable
production in the Asia-Pacific region,
where more than three-quarters of the
world’s vegetables are grown, increased
by one-quarter.
physical and cognitive development, and
leave them more susceptible to illness
and premature death. Stunted growth
due to malnutrition affects one in four
children under the age of five.
But, despite these gains in expanding the
food supply, at least 805 million people
still go hungry every day, of whom some
791 million live in developing countries.
Many more go hungry seasonally or
intermittently. And more than two
billion people suffer from “hidden
hunger” – one or more micronutrient
deficiencies.
Adequate nutrition is most vital
during the first 1,000 days of life (from
conception to a child’s second birthday).
But, even after that, hunger and
undernourishment continue to diminish
children’s chances of surviving to
adulthood, much less reaching their full
potential.
Hunger and undernourishment damage
the health and productivity of adults,
undermining their ability to learn and
work. Moreover, they impede children’s
Ironically, in many parts of the world,
pervasive hunger coexists with rising
levels of obesity. More than 1.5 billion
people are overweight, with one-third
www.thereporterethiopia.com
of them considered obese. These people
are particularly vulnerable to noncommunicable diseases like heart
disease, stroke, and diabetes.
Contrary to popular belief, obesity is
often related less to an overabundance
of food than to inadequate access to
affordable, diverse, and balanced diets.
The challenge facing the international
community is thus to ensure adequate
consumption of the right kinds of food.
This means developing food systems
that are more responsive to people’s
needs, particularly those of the
socially excluded and economically
Rethinking... page 24
Vol. XIX No. 947 |15
The Reporter | Saturday | November 01, 2014
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www.thereporterethiopia.com
16| Vol. XIX No. 947
Society
The Reporter | Saturday | November 01, 2014
Commercialized healthcare
By Henok Reta
Ethiopians mourned the death of the
renowned singer, Tilahun Gessesse, six
years ago. He was considered by many
fans and colleagues a prodigy of musical
excellence throughout his outstanding
career which lasted six decades. His
diabetes and the tragic murder attempt
on him years ago had been considered
two of the probable causes for his death
while many fans strongly
believe
that the doctors are the ones to blame
because of their negligence. His wife
also publicly criticized the doctors. “He
was pleading for help when breathing
became extremely difficult for him.
They [the medical practitioners present
at the time] were not much concerned.
There was no one who was able to tell us
where to go or who to talk to,” Tilahun’s
widow told the media after the death of
her beloved husband.
In fact, the media covered other
incidents that went viral amongst the
public when families uncontrollably
burst into tears as they talked about the
infuriating circumstances they faced at
hospitals. “Serious yet unprecedented
medical errors could be tolerated, but
negligence and uncaring will never
be compromised,” a man who lost his
daughter due to a medical flaw says.
In addition to the issue of negligence,
people are frequently heard complaining
about the service they are offered for the
“very expensive” fees private health
centers require them to pay. On the
other hand, others want to express their
anger regarding the commercialization
of healthcare services saying that the
establishments
are
profit-oriented
and give less attention to the health of
patients.
to pay since that is a desperate moment,”
she says.
Thirty five-year-old Zeriye Belete
stared at a 14-inch TV watching an ad
that raises public awareness on patient
exploitation in medication. It narrates
the story that exists in healthcare and
profit-making in private health service
centers. A physician finds himself
under a huge pressure of increasing the
profit of the clinic he works at and often
commits unethical conducts and puts
unnecessary costs on his patients. He
orders his patients to undergo four or
five different types of examinations that
don’t seem relevant with the history of
the disease of the patient. One day he
quarreled with a patient who refused to
undergo the prescribed examinations.
Finally, the physician felt that it was
quite immoral and unethical to do so
as the patient revealed himself as a
medical practitioner himself. “Hmm,
how capable are many of us to question
a physician about what he orders?” she
asks herself with astonishment.
Arguably, her experience could be pretty
hard evidence for many more people in
the country where medical professionals
are widely recognized as healers,
next to God, and almost no patient
can question their diagnosis. Most of
them are supposed to take the upper
hand regarding the health of people.
Ever since the private health centers
started to give services, the number
of private clinics have exponentially
increased. When walking through the
districts of Addis Ababa one would find
a considerable number of private health
centers. In a country where there is one
doctor for 37,000 patients [according
to research conducted by Merlin in
2007], the increasing number of clinics
would inevitably make many happy.
Nevertheless, the principal target of the
centers, which is profit-making, appears
to be against the universal motto of
medicine – the Hippocratic Oath.
She was going to the kitchen where
she was going to prepare dinner but
paused to recall the day she went to
a private clinic to get treatment for
facial swelling or what is sometimes
referred to as facial edema. As she found
it extremely dangerous to her life she
did not care about any of the expenses
she was asked to incur. Since it was
pre-identified as an allergy caused by
contamination following the history
she told the doctor, she had to undergo
a series of examinations. Finally, she
was relieved from her allergies with a
certain antibiotic she took for less than
a week. Now he tried to look back at the
medical fee she paid. “It was impossible
to think about the money you are about
According to researches, Ethiopia’s
public health sector is losing as many
as 26 percent of its physicians to
private healthcare centers and to other
countries. In 2010, IRIN, a service of
the UN Office for the Coordination
of Humanitarian Affairs stated that
Ethiopia is among the ten African
countries desperately seeking doctors.
Sometimes people speak out about
the truth that is hard to swallow. For
instance, Ethiopian medical doctors in
the diaspora are more than the number
of doctors in the country. In spite of all
these saddening scenarios, the country
looks like it is on the right track when
looking at the tremendous improvement
in the health sector regarding the
www.thereporterethiopia.com
significant reduction of maternal and
newborn deaths. Moreover, its health
extension program is often cited as
exemplary across the continent. With
the aforementioned success stories,
on the flip side, many of the private
hospitals and clinics tend to focus on
profit-making rather than serving the
masses.
For many, medical business is incredibly
profitable in this country despite being
capital-intensive. “Obviously, they make
good money particularly when they own
it,” a laboratory technician, who has
served in several private health centers,
says. He further explains that some of the
unethical procedures followed by some
physicians follow during diagnosis can
drain one’s pockets. His service in the
city’s well-known private health centers
over the last ten years has helped him
understand the innocence of the people
who are unable to talk to their doctors
about the kind of medication they are
going to have or the number of tests they
are about to undergo. “It’s simply the
attitude with both the educated one and
the uneducated majority,” the medical
professional, who requested anonimity,
told The Reporter. He proudly speaks
about those who precisely perform their
duty in accordance with professional
ethics. In addition to the very expensive
fees they often ask their patients, some
of the private health centers visibly lack
basic medical equipment that often lead
them to remain sub-standard. And this
is one of the major problems the sector
is facing at the moment. “There are a
considerable number of private clinics
scattered throughout the city but the
Commercialized... page 31
Vol. XIX No. 947 |17
Lifestyle
The Reporter | Saturday | November 01, 2014
Ethiopia in a blue and
white nutshell
By Yves Stranger
How is it that culture so often seems to
sit firmly in the driving seat? How else
to explain the vast disparity between the
number of accidents in Great Britain and
France for example? For France, with a
lower park of vehicles and less congested
roads has, the last time I checked, double
the amount of deaths on its roads. These
two countries have the ‘same’ roads, the
same brands of cars, and yet.
The American anthropologist Clifford
Geertz, a great proponent of the
interpretative school of anthropology, in
which cultural exchanges and signs are
seen as symbolizing deeper meanings,
wrote a celebrated essay on Deep Play:
The Balinese Cock Fight, in which he
dissected the multiple layers of meaning
inside the cock fighting ring. Who bets
against whom? Why? What is the deeper
hidden meaning of these fights for the
society at large?
It sometimes seems that driving abilities,
car crash numbers and the ‘flamboyance’
of driving styles are directly correlated
with Max Weber’s studies of the link
between Protestantism and Catholicism,
with a vast arc of decreasing driving
abilities – and weaker economies –
flowing from the northern Scandinavian,
Germanic and Anglo-Saxon sphere
(all Protestant), all to way to the more
relaxed PIGS (Portugal, Italy, Greece
and Spain) which are all Catholic of
course – and recklessly drive bright red
Ferraris all the way to oblivion.
A cliché? Perhaps. But all the same, I’d
like to take you for a little ride, a tongue
in cheek trip through modern Ethiopia.
All you need to do is board a blue minibus
and all you need to know is ? (Yet
no? Where are you going?) ! (Weradj!
d
Let me off here!) ? (Sint no? How
much is it?) and ! (Mels setegn!
My change, please!). A blue minibus is
a fixture of Addis Ababa. As Ethiopian
as injera. You can find them everywhere
– except when you desperately need one
– and nearly everybody uses them. And
like injera, minibuses often have holes
in their bodywork – and leave a tangy
taste on the tongue.
For just like injera is sometimes
explained to foreigners as ‘being our
culture’ by Ethiopians, so minibuses
encapsulate the mores and – changing
– traditions of the culture. The part
represents the whole. To board and
travel a minibus for a few minutes is to
take a crash course both in the modern
and ‘the Abyssinia of Auld Days’ mores.
And crash course is sometimes an all too
literal meaning.
But just consider for a moment your
typical minibus journey (let’s say from
Arat Kilo to Mexico):
The ability to squash up against one and
another while keeping aloof; the fact
that people sitting on the back bench
where four passengers get crammed in
against each other will invariably twist
their knees into impossible positions in
order to enable late comers to squeeze
past them to sit on the far side, by the
window – the most uncomfortable seat
in the bus. Or the fact that passengers,
especially women, will always shy away
from sitting on the side of the vehicle that
happens to be exposed to the sun at the
time – lest it damage their complexion.
The painstaking politeness invariably
showed by passengers to each other
while nearly sitting on each other’s
knee is a well known characteristic of
the Ethiopian minibus. The exquisite
attention given to pregnant women and
the elderly alike.
This ballet of high flying etiquette and
protocol is being carried out inside the
tightest shell possible and sometimes
seems to be like a symbol of the country
itself. There are the beggars who mob the
taxi’s doors of course to be considered – I
myself suspect they pay their dues in the
form of a percentage of their earnings
to the taxi drivers’ associations, but
this is just a suspicion. And where else
would you see people giving beggars a 25
cent coin – only to pause and take their
change back (in the form of one 10 cent
pieces, and one 5 cent piece)?!
Then there is the (weyala), most
often scrupulously honest , who gives
you back your cents to the cent – and
the fact that he would prefer you not call
him that, but instead a (redat) – or
assistant (2 birr 70 cents on the Arat Kilo
Mexico route – 30 cents back for your 3
birr). In the Ethiopia as minibus, never
call a spade a spade, or a a . This
is a general rule to be applied at all times
www.thereporterethiopia.com
and to be disregarded at your peril.
The person not to be called a often
gets into verbal fisticuffs with a whole
coterie of disreputable characters who
‘organize’ taxi stands. These unsavory
characters – I am not sure what the name
given to them is but I am sure that you
are most certainly not supposed to use
it! – flag down minibuses, get into fights
with the and the drivers, shut doors
in the face of passengers and use foul
language. For this hassle and causing
this trouble, they get to levy a fee whose
byzantine system not even Ethiopians
I have asked could fathom. Again, you
see here at work a general Ethiopia as
minibus principle: always involve more
people than needed in any field of work:
if you can, make it arcane, and create
added unnecessary costs.
Still, the use these disreputable
controllers, to call out destinations in
their place and channel passengers into
the right vehicles. I do not quite know if
they use them in this way because 1. they
don’t have a choice (the minibus traffic
controllers have to pretend to have a use
and thus impose on the drivers and the use of their crying services, or 2. the
actually like this as it both gives
them a break and the opportunity to
torment these hapless layabouts who are
even lower on the pecking order than
they are. And there you have another
essential element of the minibus – and the
Ethiopian – sphere: each person should
Ethiopia in... page 30
18| Vol. XIX No. 947
The Reporter | Saturday | November 01, 2014
VISA STORIES
www.thereporterethiopia.com
The small book-like document – a passport – is
considered to be something that certifies one’s
identity and nationality. This government-issued
document in today’s world shows a country’s
political and economic power. Within this realm
Africans and Asians who request visas are given
a collective identity of asylum seekers whereas
Arabs are considered as terrorists by some. On
the other hand, Americans and Europeans are
entitled to privilege of traveling almost anywhere
without any prerequisites, writes Tibebeselassie
Tigabu. SEE THE FULL STORY ON THE NEXT
PAGE
Vol. XIX No. 947 |19
The Reporter | Saturday | November 01, 2014
Many Ethiopians believe that the West
is a paradise where there is financial
security and is a place where there is
prosperity. Embassies of the US and
other European countries are seen
almost as gate ways to “paradise”. When
one goes from Shiro Meda to Sidist Kilo
there is always a crowd of people waiting
outside the embassy waiting to get in.
Around the area businesses related to
visas have also flourished. A lot of the
shops have American themes, like a
photo of President Barack Obama and an
American flag. There are always stories
heard around the American Embassy,
stories told by cabbies and the regular
passerby, stories of despair, frustration
and happiness. It is easy to know who got
what, if the person got a visa.
In one of the journeys from Shiro Meda
to Arat Kilo, an old man in his 70s who
was denied a visa twice was shaking his
head sadly. Somehow he felt he had to
share it with someone so he was talking
to the driver about how he was eager to
see his young brother who left Ethiopia
during the military rule. Forgetting the
American Embassy for a moment he
started talking about the red and white
terrors and all the bloodshed that had
left so many heartbroken.
Jumping from that discussion he started
talking about how all his children
escaped that “brutal” time and with
pride he expressed how all of them
were educated. The driver also reflected
on how money is “the solution for
everything” but how it is a struggle to
get by in today’s Ethiopia. The man was
just listening to him solemnly without
agreeing or disagreeing. He then started
talking about his disappointment by
the decision of American Embassy. He
explained that he owns a house and gets
a decent amount of money, perplexed by
the fact that his stability in life wasn’t
enough for the embassy.
Eager to see his brother who could not
come to Ethiopia for political reasons he
explained why he applied twice for a visa.
Mixed with patriotism and sadness, he
says, “we Ethiopians are a proud people.
If we work hard we can reach anywhere
and I don’t have any reason to stay in
their country.” More than that, he felt
disrespected, because he was denied a
visa without “a valid reason”.
Many
European
countries,
and
America being the favored destination
for many Ethiopians, a lot of people
apply for visas. There are stories
of fake marriages, paying for visas,
short courses, study abroad programs,
international
conferences,
family
reunions and political reasons behind
the visa applications.
Many of the European (Schengen
Visa) and American embassies prefer
Ethiopian applicants to have a lucrative
amount of money in their bank account,
have property, be married and be
educated to be considered. Even fulfilling
all that, many are denied, which puts the
whole process into question, what does
one have to do to move? According to a
Huffington Postt article entitled ‘Not all
passports are created equal’ a passport
from the United States allows its citizens
free access to 172 other countries. In this
article the first three countries which
have 173 free accesses are the United
Kingdom, Sweden and Finland. Having
an Ethiopian passport enables one to
have free access of 41 countries with
the same rank as Equatorial Guinea,
Bangladesh, Burundi and North Korea.
In the article, Eritrean passport holders
can access 36 countries. The least
free access is passport holders of Iraq
UK since the year 2000 have been less
likely to receive benefits or use social
housing than people already living in
the country. According to a study cited
by the UK-based daily, the new arrivals
have made a net contribution of 25
billion pounds to public finances which
makes the whole immigrants being a
burden argument an overstatement.
With the visa approval being tight in
many African countries, many feel it is
a restriction. In fact, for Ethiopians even
going to some of the African countries
has its own difficulties.
who can only access 31 countries and
Afghanistan 28 countries. This access
already determines how powerful one’s
passport is collectively and if one can
get a visa or not. Apart from Africans
being labeled as asylum seekers, the
countries are also divided into different
categories and stereotypes. With these
nations having free access or not is also
overshadowed by the post-9/11 incident,
which affected many Arabs. There were
also Ethiopians who claimed they were
denied because of having an Arabic
name and also being a Somali and being
associated with Al-Shabaab.
Assuming that European countries and
America are safe havens, still, many
Ethiopians try to cross the borders by
any means necessary, and sadly many
horrific stories are heard. Those who
chose the legal route apply knowing that
the criteria are hard. Still the number of
applicants is increasing. The American
Embassy in Ethiopia told The Reporter
thatt “The US embassy in Addis Ababa
adjudicated over 35,000 visas last year.”
The embassy did not disclose the number
of Ethiopians who got visas but said that
the majority of Ethiopian visa applicants
got approval.
Many Ethiopians not only complain
about the hassle of the process of
securing a visa but also express their
dissatisfaction with the mistreatment
from the many European embassies and
American Embassy.
With
that
complicated
process
Ethiopians and also the rest of African
immigrants are judged for being a
burden. Especially in some European
countries politicians lobby by saying
that immigrants are a burden.
According to a 2013 article published in
The Guardian, migrants coming to the
Some of the justifications that are
given include having a lot of Ethiopian
immigrants and a high rate of
unemployment.
With the denial of his application for
an American visa, Daniel Worku, an
author and filmmaker, felt invisible and
disregarded. Making a film about the
harsh realities of Ethiopian migrants
who live in Europe entitled “Illusion
and Reality,” he was invited to the New
York Film Festival three years ago.
He took all the necessary documents
(bank statement, names of children, and
property) but was denied a visa and he
says, “more than the denial of the visa,
they do not even consider us human
beings”
According to him, they do not even
respond about why one is not eligible,
“you are treated like dirt and this is
demeaning” Daniel says.
He is not naïve about the denial, he sees
the reason behind it how Ethiopians,
even the educated ones, do not come back
and stay there seeking asylum. Still, for
him this situation does not justify the
mistreatment. He says that this process
eliminates the individual’s character
and gives one a collective identity of an
“asylum seeker.” He does not agree with
the ‘one size fits all’ notion.
He felt unwelcomed at the embassy and
says many Ethiopians are not welcome.
That is why getting a visa is difficult
in African countries such as Tanzania,
Uganda, and South Africa.
Looking at this situation, the older
generation of Ethiopians is nostalgic
about Emperor Haile-Selassie’s time.
They always talk about how Ethiopians
got respect and also how they were not
required to have visas to go to Europe.
www.thereporterethiopia.com
Having a strong concept of “modernizing
Emperor
Haile-Selassie
Ethiopia,”
started sending a great number of
students abroad. According to Migration
Policy Organization’s online journal
Regional
article
entitled
Beyond
Circularity: The Emergence of an
Ethiopian Diaspora, which quoted the
sociologist and historian Donald Levin,
only 35 went to the West from 1876-1922
and from 1922-1935 Ethiopia sent 144 to
study abroad.
This number escalated in the years
between 1941-1974, the number reached
20,000 with an estimated population of 22
million. The biggest wave of emigration
came after 1974 and is now escalating,
with millions within the decades.
During the military rule forced by the
then political pressure, Ethiopians
crossed borders and went to neighboring
countries and continued their journey to
the West.
Contemporaries of the emperor’s time
also talk about how people pledged to
their country and returned to work for
progress. This situation changed during
the military rule and many escaped by
any means looking for survival. And
after the fall of the Derg the situation
did not change, where many continued
to cross borders. For Daniel visa denial
or approval is related to the country’s
situation. Many are fleeing and asking
for asylum so the visa process is
stricter for Ethiopians, which raises the
question, how powerful is the Ethiopian
passport?
Doing her Master’s degree in Barcelona,
Spain, was not a guarantee to go back
to Spain for Mahlet Ayele (not her real
name), an instructor at Addis Ababa
University. She has also a list of visas
from Japan, Italy and New Zealand.
She was invited to a conference (by the
American institution that stated that
they will cover all her expenses), and
she presented her bank account, proof of
owning a car and a house and her visa
was still denied.
The amusing part for her was that
the project she was doing also was
sponsored by the Spanish Embassy.
Even though there are some who are
going for professional purposes there
are also some who do not want to come
[;;;‡^
20| Vol. XIX No. 947
Interview
The Reporter | Saturday | November 01, 2014
GMO is a proven risk
Photo By: Reporter /Mesfen Solomon
Million Belay (PhD) is director of Melca-Mehiber, a local NGO engaged in the conservation of biodiversity and indigenous
knowledge in Ethiopia. On top of that, he is also one of well-known anti-GMO activists in Ethiopia. The debate on agricultural
biotechnology in many African countries oscillates between two extreme views. On the one hand, there are the die-hard proponents
of biotechnology who are impatient to have the technology adopted at all costs and present it as the magic bullet and panacea to
the multitude of problems facing African countries. On the other, anti-biotechnology groups’ major concerns is human health
and environmental degradation as reasons to stop the technology. Most of the time, the debate has international dimensions as
the proponents are quick to point to the successes of the technology in the US while opponents look to Europe for an on-the-ground
showcase. Last week, a draft amendment on the biosafety proclamation of Ethiopia was tabled before parliament. The draft seeks
to ease the importation of the GMOs and GMO products for research purposes. Yonas Abiye of The Reporter sat down with the
biodiversity activist, who in fact supports tightening the belt on importing GMOs. Excerpts:
The Reporter: What is your view on
the piece of legislation that is seeking
to amend the biosafety proclamation
passed in 2001?
Million Belay (PhD): In the first
place, Ethiopia had already enacted
the Bio-safety law that permits the
importation of GMO. The law laid
down the mechanism whereby one can
import GMO to Ethiopia. In fact, before
the endorsement of that legislation (the
existing proclamation), a lot more input
and participation had been gathered by
the relevant authorities, perhaps better
than the newly proposed amendment.
However, we had a lot of provisions
that we wanted to be included in the
existing proclamation. For example, we
we would have liked an inclusion of a
legal provision that would ensure the
right of a certain geographical areas to
be deemed GMO-free. Similarly, we had
the desire to see the nation remain on
a moratorium for quite sometime until
it builds its capacity that enables it to
better manage the technology. We even
requested further the suspension of
GMO for sometime. We had no problem
with the law. But, we believed the law
would not be an effective tool if the
nation imports GMO without acquiring
the necessary capacity to handle the
technology. Unfortunately, the law had
been passed despite all our objections.
And, today, in the presence of a serious
friction on GMOs and GMO products,
proponents of this technology are
coming again with a more organized and
systematic approach and are proposing
amendments to some of the provisions.
As to our view, the proposed amendment
would make importation a lot smoother.
So, we take it as a very worrisome
development. As part of the civil society,
we view it with a great concern for
our country’s safety, for the economy,
security, biodiversity and the wellbeing
of our fellow farmers and people.
What makes
worrisome?
you
think
it
is
First, no law or no technology can
exist in isolation. There are several
contextual situations that should be
taken into account like the international
context. From the very beginning, when
the Cartagena Protocol, which was
implemented in 160 countries around the
world, was first passed, it came with the
core assumption that the technology has
a serious flaw. So, the rationale of this
law was the need to set the controlling
mechanism for the use of this technology.
When this protocol was accepted and
signed by over 190 countries, the US
was the first to decline and accept it as
a Biosafety protocol. To to form, today,
it is the US that is pushing many African
nations to consider smoothening their
laws on biosafety. It is intensifying its
pressure to help its companies which
are amassing huge profits from this
sector. These companies seek to sell
their seeds across the world. They also
want to get more money from the royalty
fees they charge on their seeds. So, we
see the current amendment through this
context.
What do you question most about the
proposed amendment?
www.thereporterethiopia.com
The objectives are far more different
from the existing ones. The existing laws
state their objective to be controlling
the importation and use of GMO in
the country. In contradiction to that,
the amendment takes controlling it
as one issue but promoting modern
biotechnology in the country is the main
one. It looks to be a promotional piece of
legislation. This is in contradiction to the
spirit contained within the same law. By
any means, one legislation can never be
designed to control and promote at the
same time. As such this would amount
to altering the legislation’s internal
content. The other concern is about what
is proposed regarding ‘Contained Use’. It
is about using the GMO for research in
a confined area. I personally learnt from
friends who face a big challenge even for
teaching their students in universities
about GMOs. They say that the law (the
existing proclamation) prevents them
from demonstrative teaching due to its
strict provisions. According to existing
GMO is a... page 22
The Reporter | Saturday | November 01, 2014
Interview +
Vol. XIX No. 947 |21
GMO concerns are theoretical at best
Photo By: Reporter /Tamrat Getachew
Fantahun Mengistu (PhD) is director general of the Ethiopian Agricultural Research Institute (EARI). All in all, Fantahun
has some 25 years of experience in the agricultural research sector. He started his career at a soviet-Ethiopian research institute
called Ambo Scientific Phytopathological laboratory before it was transferred to EARI. But soon after Fantahun was also
transferred to the Amhara Regional State to work as a researcher and director of various research institutes including the
regional agricultural research institute. Finally, he was appointed to lead the EARI last year. On a back drop of his experience
in agricultural research Wudineh Zenebe of The Reporter approached Fantahun to talk about recent amendments made to the
Biosafety proclamation and the role of Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs) in agricultural research in Ethiopia. Excerpts:
The
Reporter:
The
proposed
amendments to the biosafety law
is currently being reviewed by the
House of Peoples’ Representatives
(HPR). Can you explain why this
amendment is needed?
Fantahun Mengistu (PhD): Generally
the proclamation was very stringent
in character, especially in the context
of Convention for Biological Diversity
and its supplement the Cartagena
Protocol on Biosafety. The convention,
which was singed in 1992 (Ethiopia is
also signatory), later on came to see
the danger that GMOs pose on the
biodiversity of nations. On the one hand,
biotechnology is proven to be useful in
helping economies grow while the risk
is still highly unknown. To balance
the two, a legal framework work called
the Cartagena protocol was ratified in
Montreal, Canada, in 2005. The protocol
governs how countries exchange GMOs
among one another. So taking the
protocol as a guideline countries draft
their own laws and Ethiopia as well
has its biosafety law. However, the
biosafety law ratified in 2001 was found
to be highly restrictive to do anything
with GMOs. On the one hand, the use
and importation of GMOs for research
purposes is made increasingly difficult
by this proclamation. On the other
hand, the multinational companies
which are producers and patent holders
of GMOs products are not willing to
supply the biotechnology because the
law assigns strict liabilities for such
companies in case of damages. So, the
ministry responsible for agricultural
development and that in charge of
environment have been debating on
the matter for many years. Basically,
the two come to an understanding that
if we are not to touch the environment
at all, then there will be no agricultural
activity whatsoever; rather agricultural
should proceed in such a way that it does
not harm the environment severely. So,
that was the basis for amendment.
As far as the legal liability is
concerned, the amendment did not
make any changes regarding the
penalty, so what were the points that
you were focusing when initiating
the amendment?
Generally the amendment focused on
two points. The first point was something
that was inscribed under article 8 which
says while importing a GMO product
to the country a competent/national
authority should offer guarantee even
if the product seller is a private entity.
This, mind you, is different from
what has been said on the Cartagena
protocol. But, most importantly it is
a problem because companies like
those in the biotechnology business
are highly independent. For instance,
concerning those big players like the
Monsanto, there is no way that the US
government would offer a guarantee
for them. So, these companies declined
to supply the technology to Ethiopia
due to the stringent biosafety law. The
other one is article 5 which stipulates
the requirement of an advanced
informed agreement while importing
www.thereporterethiopia.com
these products to the country. This
basically means submitting a notice of
importation of such products. Having
advanced agreement by itself is not
objectionable but it did not differentiate
between research, commercial use,
or only for the purpose of research in
the laboratory. But what we said was
if it does not involve release to the
environment for commercial use and/
or if it is only for confined use special
permits would be sufficient to regulate
the imports. Here the argument is that
as long as the use is in the environment
that is restricted there is no need to
seek advanced informed agreement to
import. So, here, there is no point in
amending the terms of the legal penalty
since we still have the responsibility to
protect the environment. Once in the
country, it should abide by the terms
set in the original proclamation. Now,
we thinks the amendment would relax
the stringent import requirements.
GMO concerns... page 23
22| Vol. XIX No. 947
The Reporter | Saturday | November 01, 2014
GMO is a...
CONT`D FROM PAGE 20
law, before using the technology, whether
in the format of Contained Use or in open
environment, companies are required
to present a guarantee document from
their own concerned authorities that
says the GMO product is safe for the
environment. But, the companies resist
to bring that letter arguing that they
have no experience of producing such
documents. They insist that they only
control it by themselves without the
help of their respective authority. The
question we are raising at this point are:
first the issue of how much facility like
laboratories we have here, the secondly
is whether we have the capacity to
control if this stuff suddenly goes out
from the ‘Contained environment’,
and the third one is the availability of
proper facilities in custom points to
inspect and store them while they are
being imported through our borders.
My additional question is if there is an
assumption that we can undertake some
research activities here to produce GMO
seeds. I wonder how they could handle it.
Simply, to produce and deliver one item
of such seed to the market requires from
USD 100,000 to 140,000. So, our research
capacity and financial strength to create
a particular species before the market
is highly questionable. Expecting the
financial requirement to be fulfilled by
the companies which are supplying the
products might be dangerous.
But the government says that it has
both the facility and the capacity
here at home?
What they are talking about is the
laboratory that is situated in Holeta
town. What about the regulatory body?
The regulatory body itself needs a
laboratory and facilities. The confusion
here is that we are talking about
promotion and safety controls. The
promoters may claim that the country
possesses the facility and the capacity to
so. That is why our major concern is on
Article 5 particularly.
It might be really a concern, but if
the authority that implements the
technology has the required facility
and capacity, do you still think the
concern will be there ?
For us, genetic engineering is a concern
unless it is proved safe by more research
bringing about consensus between
pro-and anti-GMO. Since there is no
international common agreement it
keeps being a concern for us. Since it
has the risk, we should put various
mechanisms in place to avert it.
But there has not been any
independent research or scientific
evidence that actually proved the
harming effect of GMO either. Hence,
proponents argue the concern may
well be theoretical. What do you say
to them?
There are thousands of cases and
research findings that have proven an
existence of a risk. If we see one case,
for instance, a material published on the
journal of toxicology research indicated
that in places where GMO is harvested,
it has clearly witnessed a danger.
We can mention the consequence on
mothers whose fetus is affected. It’s also
tested that it has effect on the health
system of women. A lot of evidences are
collected in Canada’s town of Quebec,
for example. So, many studies have
been undertaken. The claims of risks
being theoretical is absolutely false; I do
research as a scientist. Moreover, when
the Cartage protocol is endorsed, there
were so many scientists backing it. This
protocol would have not been endorsed
if the effect of GMO was not backed by
scientists across the world.
The argument is much circulated
on the technology itself. But, the
technology is largely owned by
Monsanto. Can we say that such an
opinion is a result of lack of trust on
Monsanto?
Mosanto is one biggest and most powerful
company in the world. It possesses the
lion’s share of the GMO seeds which it
exports throughout the world. It, in fact,
controls the market along with other
five companies. Now, the world focused
on Monsanto as the company is trying to
control the future food production of the
world. It is this company that distributes
most of the GMO seeds. Hence, most of
these seeds are patented by Monsanto.
That’s why the world is fatiguing over
this company. So, it is no wonder that the
whole world stands against Monsanto.
Of course, Monsanto also possesses its
own powerful propaganda machine.
So, is it about the company or the
technology?
It’s about the technology. But the
company is the owner of the technology.
The movement is not about framing one
company as a target.
Coming
to
local
issues,
the
government is planning to boost
cotton
production
to
support
the textile sector. So, it tends to
encourage investors to engage in the
sector and promote BT cotton. Due
to low capacity, foreigner companies
or their product might be promoted
to come here. What do you think the
effect of these companies would be?
As I said it earlier, it needs USD 100,000
to 140,000 to prepare an item of seed.
As we see it here, it seems that it is the
us government that is supporting the
Ethiopian government regarding the
technology. Most meetings, workshops
and forums are held with the support of
us agencies and institutions. Monsanto
too is an American company. At the
end of the day what would come to the
country? that is the question. They are
not philanthropists. Their objective
is about meeting the interest of their
shareholders. So it’s hard to expect them
to be responsible for others.
In third world countries, including
Ethiopia, food security is a critical
concern along with the population
pressure. There is a debate that
food securing is difficult to achieve
with the conventional farming. So
biotechnology is proposed as the
alternative. How do you balance
these two issues, the risk and the
advantage?
This is not something that you take for
comparison. Biotechnology has a wide
range, that goes as wide as brewing tella
(local beer) to tissue culture or other
sophisticated ones. There is also like
a limited mark assisted seed breeding
which is a bit different from convenience
breeding systems. So, we have such
kinds of alternatives if we are able to
use them property. We have various
biotechnologies that can be used by our
scientists. I believe that Ethiopia can
feed itself with the conventional method.
We also have agroecological systems and
others methods.
www.thereporterethiopia.com
Most of you, the civil societies,
have been doing a lot to persuade
the government and you have had
wide influence. But these days,
commentators say that you are
loosing ground. How do you assess
this?
As we can see from various sources
like the wikileaks that there is pressure
from other governments like the US, the
cables (leaked) reveals the US intention
to amend the existing law that it said
was designed by the renowned scientist
Tewold Gebreegziabher (PhD). There
is research, for example, that shows
genetically modified Banana. In the
laboratory there is a strong attempt to
feed Uganda GMO banana under the
pretext of vitamin A and other food
supplements. How did that happen? The
research reveals a fabrication, a false
story that claimed food deficiency. So,
they are making a map to identify the
relevant authority so that they could
easily convince them. They also try to
bribe scientists with various benefits
including education and access to
foreign education. In fact, I’m not saying
there is similar experience here but they
try to use the media as a propaganda tool
for targeting forums and meetings. So,
after some times the existing resistance
is getting weaker and weaker. For us,
as a civil society, we used to coordinate
various public forums, training sessions
and workshop to raise awareness.
But these days we are unable to do it
because of budgetary shortfalls. Since
these events fall under administrative
costs we cannot proceed like we used
to do before. In addition, there is also a
serious problem on this issue. I think
it is the sum of all these factors that is
making us to lose ground.
Vol. XIX No. 947 |23
The Reporter | Saturday | November 01, 2014
GMO concerns...
CONT`D FROM PAGE 21
Yes. In some sense, the all legal fine and
prison terms for damages in working
with GMOs is still not relaxed. But,
as far as research is concerned, we
were able to cut down big bureaucratic
hurdle that is the ‘advanced informed
agreement’ requirement which is really
applicable to release to the environment
for commercial use. Now we have
introduced a special permit that can be
used.
But,
one
of
issues
that
environmentalists raise is one of
capacity to practice confined space
research. And part from that, we
all know that the biotechnological
sector is heavily guarded with patent
right. So, how far do you think this is
favourable for work? Plus how safe
is this confined environment use?
What the experience of other countries
shows is that before ratifying the
biosafety law, the GMOs had already
become commercial. In that sense, we
can say that we have done well to act
before it went commercial. But as far as
we are talking about safety, the authority
that issues the permit for such confined
application of GMOs would check if the
organization is fit for the task. These are
in fact one of the requirements to obtain
the license. Having adequate facility and
professionals is the basic requirement
here. In that, sense, the EARI has
enough biotechnologists and confined
facility for such use. As to issue of
patent rights, thus far, in the short run,
we will work with those internationally
biotechnological
outputs.
accepted
But for the long haul we are preparing
to work with our own local seeds. For
now, the application is anticipated only
in the cotton sector. We have seen the
cotton seeds to be highly effective and
can maximize production. Apart from
that the amendment also introduced a
system where the applicants can appeal
to the board if it feels the decision of the
permit issuing body is not right.
When it comes to the appeal board,
some strictly oppose the involvement
of the ministry of environmental
and forestry in this board. They say
that this creates a conflict of interest
since it is one giving the permit in
the first place.
Yes. It is right. But what we are saying
is that the ministry should not be one
giving the permit for such applications
in the first place. It is just a regulatory
body with respect to the environment.
As the name itself implies biotechnology
is a biological technique to bring
about technological advancement. The
relevant body in my opinion is the
Ministry of Science and Technology. I do
not think the environment ministry has
the human resource and the knowhow
to regulate the technology itself. The
Ministry of Environment and Forestry’s
jurisdiction is to monitor application
of this technology from the perspective
of environmental impact. For instance,
you have to be a scientist to tell whether
the product is a GMO or not. On the other
hand, the board itself should be pooled
from various ministries and agencies.
Experience of the other countries
informs us that nations need national
and institutional biosafety committees.
As a country we have to develop this
capacity through time.
When it comes to cotton, we know
that GMO cotton varieties and their
effect is not restricted to textile
industry. Rather the cotton seed is
used in making edible oil and animal
feed in Ethiopia. So what is the effect
of this?
So far, there is no literature expounding
on the edible oil made out of cotton seed.
How much oil cab is extracted from it is
also not well established. So it is hard
to know the impact coming from GMO
cotton seed in terms of oil production.
But at the end of the day, if gains from
GMO cotton seed are good I guess we can
concentrate on the other seeds for edible
oil production. Although now we are
starting with cotton, it is inevitable that
we might consider some of the food crops
in the new future. Now, with exception
of Europe, 50 or 60 percent of the food
consumed is turning to GMOs. We can
see that the likes of China are using
this technology to their advantage. For
instance, in China they have done a lot
of things on Soya beans and maize. But
our immediate focus in on industrial
crops like cotton. The basic issue with
cotton is the level of the productivity
of the cotton which has to be spread
with pesticides up to nine times until
harvesting. This entails first critically
high cost production while at the time is
a big threat to the environment. All in all,
production is not on par with the level
of demand that the textile industry is
nurturing. For instance, the experience
of Sudan in this regard is quite valuable
as they were able to achieve a three-fold
of production growth.
Also regarding the effect of the
pesticide, the harvest from the breed
of cotton we are growing is not that
smaller compared with BT cotton
(GMO). Hence, some say that we
could have looked into other options
before going to BT cotton. What do
you say to that?
To begin with, there are a variety of
cotton that can withstand the African
borehole pest attacks. In case of other
crops one can come up with pest resistant
varieties/breeds without having to
resort to GMOs. But, so far, science could
not do that because the pest are very
powerful and can only be eliminated
by pesticides. Yes, the production of
the existing cotton varieties is not that
small. We have some hybrids that can
offer 24 quintals per hectare. However,
the biggest issue is pest. If the new seed
that is BT have the same productivity
levels as of the existing breeds but have
the quality of withstanding borehole
that is a big advantage. At face vale we
have to reduce massive production cost
that we are incurring because of the
pest that make all the difference. On the
other hand, if we start to use this now,
we will have the chance to introduce
other varieties as well. One is we have
a chance to bring other varies from
elsewhere in the world and introduce
them here. We also have the chance to
use our own varieties with BT’s bacteria
(responsible for withstanding the pest) to
have strong well adopted crop. Countries
like South African have done this.
One of issues with regard to GMO
politics is the conduct of the
multinational companies which are
selling the technology to developing
nations. In this regard, companies
like Monsanto are associated with
bad conduct to serve its financial
plans. What are you doing to fence of
such dangers?
In
my
opinion,
www.thereporterethiopia.com
the
multinational
companies don’t have that big deal role
in GMO dissemination. Look, what they
are responsible for is supplying the seeds
whose authenticity can be easily verified
by various toolkits in agricultural
science. Now, identifying a GMO is not
that big of a deal. We have technology
to detect it. So, after that it is all up to
us how we use the GMO product in our
environment. If we do not take good care
and of it we might end up damaging our
biodiversity while using GMOs. I think
sometimes in past, they have tried some
thing called the terminator gene which
basically is a gene that enables seedling
to grow only for one year/cycle and fail
to do so the next year. This was their
attempt to sell as much seed as possible
but the international criticism was
worst and they have stopped it. But until
we are able to build our capacity we don’t
have choice but to use these products but
with safety and caution.
Now after the law is ratified, the
next step is to go to its application.
However, do we have the capacity to
use these products with safety and
caution? What about EAR?
At the moment, we have a modern state
of the art biotechnological laboratory
in Holeta. This laboratory is well
equipped and well-staffed with 15-20
biotechnologist hired to do the work.
Apart from that we do have smaller and
supplementary laboratories in Melkasa,
Jimma and Adama. But, as far as cotton
is concerned, it might be Holeta that will
be doing the research but others research
centers which are located where cotton
can grow. The biotechnology team in
Holeta will definitely be the one leading
GMO concerns... page 31
24| Vol. XIX No. 947
The Reporter | Saturday | November 01, 2014
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“
Equally important
will be interventions
that empower local
communities to improve
their diets. This requires
comprehensive publichealth and education
campaigns, social
protection to enhance
resilience, and initiatives
to boost employment and
income generation.
Rethinking...
CONT`D FROM PAGE 14
marginalized. Mothers, young children,
the elderly, and the disabled are among
the most vulnerable to the pitfalls of
undernourishment, and should be given
special attention in efforts to end food
insecurity and undernourishment.
In order to ensure that today’s efforts
benefit future generations, strategies
to improve global food systems
environmental
must
emphasize
sustainability.
Specifically,
world
leaders must reassess prevailing foodproduction processes, which often put
considerable stress on natural resources
by exhausting freshwater supplies,
encroaching on forests, degrading soils,
depleting wild fish stocks, and reducing
biodiversity. Making matters worse,
the lack of adequate infrastructure
for storing and transporting food to
consumers contributes to massive
losses.
Of course, it is essential to strike the
right balance between producing
nutrient-dense
food
and
enough
preserving the environment. Consider
livestock production, which accounts
for many foods – including milk, eggs,
and meat – that have enriched diets
in developing countries and provide
livelihoods for millions. Unsustainable
production systems, combined with
wasteful and excessive consumption
in some regions of the world, have
had serious consequences in terms of
climate change, disease transmission,
and nutritional balance.
But, with a strong political commitment,
global food-production systems can be
transformed. An obvious step would be
to ensure that all food-related programs,
policies, and interventions account for
nutrition and sustainability. Likewise,
food-related research and development
should focus on facilitating the
production of nutrient-rich foods and
the diversification of farming systems.
Finding ways to use water, land,
fertilizer, and labor more efficiently,
and with minimal adverse impact, is
essential to ecological sustainability.
Equally important will be interventions
that empower local communities to
improve their diets. This requires
public-health
and
comprehensive
education campaigns, social protection
to enhance resilience, and initiatives
to boost employment and income
generation.
Finally, producers and distributors need
support and encouragement to transform
their existing systems. After all, a shift
toward sustainability cannot come at
the expense of farmers’ livelihoods.
Better nutrition makes economic
sense. Malnutrition in all of its forms
reduces global economic welfare by
about 5 percent annually, through
foregone output and additional costs
incurred. The economic gains of
reducing micronutrient deficiencies are
estimated to have a cost/benefit ratio of
almost 1:13.
The upcoming Second International
Conference on Nutrition in Rome
will provide a historic opportunity
to galvanize political commitment
to enhance nutrition for all through
better
policies
and
international
solidarity. Failure to make the needed
investments in food access, nutrition,
and sustainability is morally – and
economically – unjustifiable.
Ed.’s Note: Jomo Kwame Sundaram
is Assistant Director-General and
Coordinator for Economic and Social
Development at the Food and Agriculture
Organization. The article was provided
to The Reporter by Project Syndicate:
the world’s pre-eminent source of
original op-ed commentaries. Project
Syndicate provides incisive perspectives
on our changing world by those who are
shaping its politics, economics, science,
and culture. The views expressed in this
article do not necessarily reflect the views
of The Reporter.
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Vol. XIX No. 947 |25
The Reporter | Saturday | November 01, 2014
The sex boycott of Kenya has two unique issues. The first one is the joining of Ida Odinga, wife of
Kenyan Prime Minister Raila Odinga in the nationwide sex boycott. The second is the promise of the
women’s organization to pay prostitutes if they join the boycott. This promise implies that men could not
go to prostitutes until the boycott is finished.
Sex boycott...
“bed strike” can be successful or become
a failure. But there is no doubt that the
strike will attract the attention of the
world. It can contribute to peace making
in a nation.
There are many implications to sex
boycott. One of the implications is that
men are sources of conflict and violence,
so that they should also seek solution
to the problem. The other is that men
cannot stay longer without having sex
with their wife or girlfriends so that they
will be forced to work for solutions for
problems. The other implication is men
should also be concerned about grave
issue just like women.
Of course many men may respect the
boycott and try to seek solutions to the
existing problem. Other men may also
reject this issue and refuse to accept the
boycott. It is also possible to say that
there can be many women who do not
support the boycott, too. Whatever the
case may be, the issue will be a center of
discussion in the nation.
In implementing sex boycott there can be
various impacts in relationships. One of
the impacts is that there can be conflict
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CONT`D FROM PAGE 14
between husband and wife or among sex
partners. The other impact is some men
may go to prostitutes for sex. In Kenya’s
sex boycott there was a comment which
says “it will drive married men into
the arms of prostitutes”. This impact
is counterproductive because it may
contribute to the spread of HIV/AIDS
among the people.
The sex boycott of Kenya has two unique
issues. The first one is the joining of Ida
Odinga, wife of Kenyan Prime Minister
Raila Odinga in the nationwide sex
boycott. The second is the promise of the
women’s organization to pay prostitutes
if they join the boycott. This promise
implies that men could not
go to
prostitutes until the boycott is finished.
Sex boycott has also legal implications.
The Declaration on the Elimination of
Violence Against Women was adopted
by the United Nations General Assembly
in its resolution 48/104 of December
20, 1993. Article two of the declaration
establishes marital rape (raping wife) as
a human rights violation.
However, out of nearly 200 countries in
the world 127 countries do not explicitly
criminalize rape within marriage. Most
of the countries that did not criminalize
it are found in Africa and Asia. In many
African countries criminalizing marital
rape has remained controversial.
the women who instigated the boycott
Masuzoe had insulted women saying,
“Women are ‘not normal’ during their
periods, and are therefore unfit to
govern”.
It was unfortunate that Masuzoe was
elected with a big majority because of his
unique position on the question of using
nuclear power for energy. This shows
that not all sex boycotts are successful to
force men to do or not to do something.
In the case of Kenya and Togo the women
who called the sex strike claimed that
they were successful in forcing men to
come to terms.
Many
developed
countries
have
legislation about criminalizing the rape
of a wife. This is to mean that a wife
should be willing to have sex with her
own husband. If a husband uses force to
have sex with his wife, he will be tried
in a court of law. In developed countries
husbands also know about the rights
of their wife and sex partners and are
likely to respect them. But how many
African countries have this law? Even in
the presence of this law, how many wives
in Africa go to court if they are “raped”
by their husbands? Will the relationship
be normal after going to court? Can this
issue lead to divorce? Are governments
willing to entertain such issues?
Sex boycott is one of the nonviolent
methods of resistance in which married
women refrain from having sex with
their husband to achieve certain goal. It
has a long history, but implemented in
few countries in the world. It attracts the
attention of citizens and the international
community at large. In relative terms
African women are exercising this
nonviolent method resistance than other
continents. In most cases sex boycott
is targeted towards peace making in a
nation.
In the case of Kenya, the sex boycott
of 2009 was called by the Women’s
Association. The causes of the call may
also vary. For instance, in the case of
Japan, sex boycott was called by women
in order to influence Yoichi Masuzoe’s
gubernatorial election. According to
Ed.’s Note: Melaku Mulualem is training
department head at the Ethiopian
International Institute for Peace and
(EIIPD).
The
views
Development
expressed in this article do not necessarily
reflect the views of The Reporter. He can
be reached at [email protected].
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Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting (FGM/C) and child marriage are deeply embedded Harmful Traditional Practices (HTPs) that are widely practiced in
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women’s access to essential resources and increase their vulnerability to violence, discrimination, and exploitation.
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The purpose of the baseline survey is to assess the magnitude of the current practices and attitudes towards FGM/C and child marriage in Adaar,
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research dealing with socio cultural studies preferably on HTP. 2) 1 statisticians (BSC and above) with knowledge of statistics software for designing
the sampling frame, data entry and tabulation and 4 years of relevant experience. 3) Enumerators with 2 years of experience on data collection and
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are invited to collect the complete
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correspondences. Due to the nature of the bid, there will be no bid public opening for this offer. UNICEF reserves the right to accept or reject part or
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Deresse Damte, P.O.BOX 1169, TEL: +251-11 518 4233 / 4167, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
www.thereporterethiopia.com
26| Vol. XIX No. 947
Society +
The Reporter | Saturday | November 01, 2014
Brick by brick
Common building for a sustainable future (Part 2)
By Daniel Dormeyer
Launched in 2012 under the name of the
“Welcome to Africa” project, funded
by the BMBF (German Ministry of
Research), the academic partnership
between the Ethiopian Institute of
Architecture, Building Construction
and City Development (EiABC) and
the Bauhaus University of Weimar
(Germany)has already demonstrated
its effectiveness both in research
and implementation of sustainable
construction techniques that tangibly
improve both urban planning and design
in a challenging context of extreme
fast urbanization and sharp rise of
precarious settlements.
Cost-efficient and high-quality, simple
and architecturally demanding, basic
and long-lasting no longer look to be
contradictory when standing in front
of the first realized experimental
prototypes in scale 1:1, SECU and SICU
(see last week’s report). An ambitious
approach and remarkable achievements
that convinced the Holcim foundation to
award the two universities with Bronze
for the SICU prototype at the 2014 Holcim
Awards for Sustainable Construction.
This internationally reputed prize
rewards projects and visions providing
effective solutions to technological,
socioeconomic
and
environmental,
cultural issues affecting contemporary
building and construction.
Building upon the most valuable
resource: the people
”The success comes from trying to
act and be treated not as an architect,
but to play the role of a mediator to
share capacities of the community,”
Dirk Donath, Professor at the Bauhaus
University and head of this collaborative
academic project, said following the
Holcim award ceremony this October in
Beirut.
“What really matters is to work with
the people, to listen to them, to look at
their capacity, to get their advice, to
learn about their culture, to know how
they want to live in the future; and
then just to propose something where
we think they can do it by their own.
This means they can build their house
by their own, where they can share the
capacities of their local community,
their neighborhood and their families,”
Professor Donath added.
He strongly believes that Africa is a
future-oriented market and an influence
for the whole world. According to
Professor Donath, sustainability is not a
case of materials, ways of construction,
or processes; sustainability is a way of
thinking about the potential of the people
and their potential to do something by
their own. But he also reminded that
governmental, private, organizational
campaigns failed or are failing when
they do not look at the potential of the
people.
Professor Dirk Donath and EiABC team members during the set-up of the SICU prototype in Addis Ababa in September
International Symposium on Integrated
Infrastructure from December 15 to 17 at
the Goethe-Institute in Addis Abba.
partnership, based on the sharing of
technologies and methods leading to a
mutual enrichment.
The time has come to enter new
dimensions
of
the
academic
collaboration, and to raise the awareness
of a broader audience.
“Our strategic and practical focus
addresses integrated infrastructure.
Integration applies not only to the
different disciplines concerned by
building structure and infrastructure,
but also to the way we communicate
and how our research project works:
respectful and collaborative, mixing both
top-down and bottom-up exchanges,”
Professor Donath says.“Rules get
defined and development processes
simulated, but they go hand in hand
with both construction building and
technical infrastructure practices and
findings. All this gets filtered by a social
identification and the adapted responses
we commit to.”
The first day will aim at contextualizing
and understanding the issues and
challenges of housing and urban
planning, the two main themes of the
event, through guest speeches as well
as keynote lectures by interdisciplinary
professionals
from
practice,
administration, and research.
On the second day, on-site visits,
which willenable the participants to
experience the first “Welcome Africa”
achievements to date, will be held before
a panel discussion with experts and
policymakers rounds up the agenda.
And finally the third day will be
dedicated to interdisciplinary teamwork
in workshops focused on infrastructure
both on the urban scale and on the
housing scale. The presentation of the
results as well as conclusions for further
actions will conclude the symposium.
Inform the current generations and
inspire the future ones
Both universities expect positive results
at different levels:
Professor Donath has brought it to
the point: a sustainable future needs
to get built together, not only between
countries, but also between the involved
business areas (building structure and
infrastructure) and actors: researchers,
contractors and policymakers.
The first success will be to manage to
bring together influencers from all
relevant areas, and to inform them
about where research and techniques
stand and what has been achieved so
far: real alternatives to current planning
practices in social housing for Ethiopia
and all over Africa can be envisaged
at a broader scale, and high-quality
building can definitely match with basic
materials.
For this reason the EiABC and the
Bauhaus University of Weimar will
invite all these stakeholders to an
Through the workshops, the conception
of the symposium will also reflect the
philosophy of the international academic
When “looking at the potential of the
people”, as Professor Donath pointed
out, there is no “
“ye hager sew” (local) or
“
“ferengi
” (foreigner), just good will and
situational intelligence. Urban housing
and infrastructure is a big business, but
it is finally a people’s business, made by
the people for the people. An enhanced
networking of both areas will definitely
bring a clear added value for Addis
Ababa and its inhabitants.
“The symposium aims at bringing the
right people together, motivate them
and give them a little boost to realize
the advantages of common planning
and work, and to maintain their interest
over the long term. One discipline alone
will not cope with the challenges; you
need all to head for the same direction,”
Professor Donath added.
Building with a human face
A deeper and intensified cooperation
of architecture and infrastructure with
a high technical and social competence
will shape the real sustainable future of
the megalopolis.
By
integrating
www.thereporterethiopia.com
all
infrastructural
aspects (sanitation, waste, transport)
and participatory design methods into
the planning process of urban quarters,
and by developing flexible and adaptable
supply and model system, the EiABC and
the Bauhaus University of Weimar are
convinced to efficiently create solutions
for housing adapted to the existing
urban and social structures with respect
to future developments.
“Solutions based on innovative building
systems for affordable, material-efficient
and easily expendable construction.
Solutions that will ensure a sustainable
growth, but also support local industry
activities and potentially open new
market fields for building and supply
systems,” Professor Donath insisted.
Made possible by a holistic planning
approach, these solutions might also offer
new options to current plans tending
to favor a massive and impersonal
development of condominiums. Solving
the problem of the slums in Addis Ababa
is indisputably an absolute necessity.
But when pulling down all the small
shanties with bulldozers, turning them
into rubble and dust, the building of
such innovative customized building
systems like the ones designed by the
universities could be envisaged, instead
of erecting these massive concrete
blocks and displacing the misery in
the outskirts of the capital. So the
people could come back in their trusted
environment, live in more decent and
hygienic conditions and get encouraged
to be part of the growth. So the future
Addis Ababa will not also be limited
to standardized apartments and villas
protected by guards and surrounded by
nicely kept gardens, constantly watered
by gardeners hired for that sole purpose.
These supply and building systems also
have the potential to get implemented in
other parts of Africa and beyond, as they
are unlimited and globally applicable,
irrespective of the basic materials
available in these places (for instance
Entertainmemnt
The Reporter | Saturday | November 01, 2014
Vol. XIX No. 947 |27
Mexico to offer scholarships to
Ethiopian filmmakers
Photo By: Reporter /Tamrat Getachew
and the Ibero-American countries also
suggest there should be more cultural
engagement through music and arts. “We
hope we are bringing in Ibero-American
culture to Africa through the movies,
but we also know that Ibero-American
music is very popular and is something
that we should think of next time,”
Ambassador Grippo said. Professor Luis
Mariano Joubertt Mata, one of the longserving Ibero-American ambassadors
in Ethiopia said that the films are
meant to promote the cultures between
Africa and the Ibero-American nations.
“Since Africa is widely considered the
birthplace of humans we need to get
here with our culture to find out what
human culture looks like.” According
to the ambassadors, the films are made
from the perspective of social life such
as love, wisdom and humanity. “I feel
happy since it gives me an opportunity
to work with an Argentinian director to
produce “The Gods of Water”, “Abrahm
said.
Ibero-American Ambassadors during the press conference held inside the Argentinian Embassy
By Henok Reta
Mexico is interested in collaborating
with Ethiopian filmmakers. “We want to
grant scholarships for some Ethiopian
filmmakers and are also looking to
screen Mexican films in Ethiopia in
collaboration with Ethiopian cinema
houses,” Mexico’s deputy chief of
mission to Ethiopia, Ivan Antonio Sosa
Espinosa, said. This was stated during
the official inauguration of the 9th
Ibero-American Film Festival at the
Embassy of Argentina in Addis Ababa
on Wednesday.
According to him, the embassy is
willing to work with Matti Multiplex,
which is found inside Edna Mall. He
further explained about the popularity
of Mexican movies in Ethiopia and
the growing cinemas in Ethiopia may
become a new market for the Mexican
filmmakers along with keeping the
progress of Ethiopia’s cinema industry.
He also feels happy meeting with the
Ethiopian filmmaker Abrham Haile
Biru, director of the Nile Film Festival,
who also collaborated with Argentinian
director Pablo Cesar. The film entitled
“The God of Water” is an Argentine
movie to be featured as an opening movie
in the 9th Ibero-American Film Festival
scheduled to run from November 7 to 13
at the Italian Cultural Institute in Addis
Ababa.
The 9th Ibero-American film festival will
also feature Brazilian, Cuban, Mexican,
Venezuelan, Spanish and Portuguese
films with English subtitles. “We are
delighted to collaborate with Ethiopian
directors,” Gustavo Grippo, Argentinian
Ambassador to Ethiopia said.
Ambassadors who promise to foster the
cultural relationship between Africa
According to the schedule, the 9th IberoAmerican film festival begins with the
Argentinian film. A part of it is shot in
the Lalibela province, one of Ethiopia’s
famous tourist attractions. The film also
contains scenes in Angola. “The Clown”
of Brazilian movies will follow the next
day, to be followed by a Cuban, Spanish,
Mexican, and Portuguese movies,
respectively and the Venezuelan,
Bolivarian—a man of difficulties will be
the last movie to be shown at the annual
film festival, Ibero-American. The term
“Ibero-American” is used to express the
former colonies of Spain and Portugal in
Latin America.
Art
eucalyptus in Africa vs bamboo in Asia).
With open arms and knowledge
Another lesson learned from this
academic collaboration is that it is not
always necessary to start from scratch,
but also worth looking at what already
works and just needs a bit of fine-tuning
or readjustment. But often people simply
lack of knowledge about what has
already been developed or implemented.
Upcoming exhibitions
“Access to Internet represents a huge
improvement, but we can go a step
further. Actually lots of data exist, but
there is no integrated infrastructure for
it,” Professor Donath explains, thinking
for instance about all the books in the
university library, but which are not
accessible in digital form, or videos and
mockups of professorial lectures that
are not centralized. “We are currently
supporting the conception of an open
source platform all people in need
could have access to. You would just
need to enter the key parameters like
the climate, the materials, the usage,
the budget etc., and the matrix would
retrieve the best building options.”
ith a vibrant fine arts scene
in Addis Ababa, there
are often painting and
photography exhibitions
launched at various galleries. One
such exhibition opened at Asni Gallery
yesterday.
According to a saying, Rome was not
built in a day, but it needed a vision,
determination
and
perseverance.
Something that sounds very familiar
to the Ethiopian-German University
partners.
Ed.’s Note: The writer is on an internship
at The Reporter.
By Tibebeselassie Tigabu
W
“Women
at
Work”
by
Entitled
photographer Roxana Valero. The
depicts a documentation
exhibition
of the different aspects of women. The
show will be open to the public until
November 14th.
Furthermore, 10 artists will have
another exhibition at Netsa Art Village
from November 1-15, 2014 entitled “Free
Idea by Netsa Art.” The show has the
concept of doing art in its freest form, the
artists will not be limited with mediums
or ideas and rather experiment without
any restriction.
Around 30 pieces of artwork which
comprise of paintings, sculptures, and
installation art will be presented. Some of
the artists that are part of this exhibition
include Mulugeta Kassa, Daniel Taye,
Henock Melkamzer, Tamirat Gezahegn
and Tesfahun Kibru.
On November 5 there will be a dual
opening
entitled
art
exhibition
Future Memories by Yosef Lule and
photographer Michael Tsegaye at
Alliance Ethio-Francaise.
Michael Tsegaye has been documenting
Addis and especially the neighborhood
Senga Tera in his project called Future
Memories. He has been archiving of
what Addis was before the area was
demolished to implement the Local
Development Plan (LDP).
one of the founding members of Habesha
Art Studio and he says “ it is important
that an artist keeps his own way, style,
and grow with it.”
Another solo exhibition by Tamirat
Gezahegn will be opening on November 7
at Guramayle Art Center. This exhibition
entitled “Trails from ‘A’to…’” covers the
over 15-year works of Tamirat.
Tamirat who has been active for the
past 15 years in the Ethiopian art scene
graduated from Alle School of Fine Arts
and Design. Presenting his works in
different exhibitions, he is able to leave
his imprints among the art community
who easily recognize his works.
Michael, who has a deep passion for
photography, uses photos as a platform
for messages that he wants to pass.
With his unique insight, Tamirat
explores the fantasy, mythological
creatures and the ancient symbols and
transforms them into art using bright
colors.
Yosef Lule, who graduated from the Alle
School of Fine Arts and Design in 2001, is
This exhibition will be open to the public
until November 30.
www.thereporterethiopia.com
28| Vol. XIX No. 947
The Reporter | Saturday | November 01, 2014
political party systems or government
administration institutions.
How tribalism...
China National Petroleum Corporation
(CNPC), oil block 6 stretches across the
border between South Kordofan and
East Darfur State.
The Sudanese ruling party’s heightened
interest in South Kordofan’s and Darfur’s
recently discovered oil fields and its role
in spurring violence in the area fits an
ongoing pattern of setting neighbouring
tribes against one another to consolidate
economic control and power. A wellknown strategy of “divide and rule”
works by governmental favoritism of
the smallest tribe in any region, active
support and militarization of these tribes
to create a power imbalance in favor of
the tribes with the smallest numbers.
The pattern of results has always
been heightened antagonism between
the government backed tribes and
the traditional leadership, a position
traditionally held by the biggest tribe
in the region- inter-tribal disputes
sometimes start off between the youth
of the tribes, often leading to deadly
conflict.
Reuters, Enough! And Satellite Sentinel
Project, published reports on the
fighting between government backed
Aballa (camel herders) militia and the
Bani Hussein in North Darfur over gold
rich Jebel Amer- belonging to the Bani
Hussein, conflict led to the burning of 150
villages and displacement of over 150,000
people in the early months of 2013.
Whether the issue is the control of
resources or the suppression of rebellion
against the government, such as the use
of Rizeigat Janjweed militias from the
Mahameed clan against the Zhagwa led
rebellion in Darfur 2003 and the current
conflict in the Nuba Mountains, which
started in June 2011 with a government
backed Messiryah tribesmen’s attack on
the largely Nuba based Sudanese Peoples
Liberation Movement/ North (SPLM-N),
the government has turned tribe against
tribe in the Sudan to expand its control
and re-affirm its iron fist hold of the
country.
Tribalism is at the heart of Sudanese
culture; it informs and guides the
nation’s moral compass and set of values
and practices. One of the first pieces of
information exchanged between two
newly acquainted Sudanese revolves
around tribe. The tribal set of values
are transferred from parent to child
in the family, they are embraced and
practiced in the neighborhood, at school,
in social groups, at the work place and
in the whole community. On a grander
scale, these values constitute the mental
program of the nation.
Tribal values are an integral part of the
Sudanese people’s collective relationship
with authority, power and governance.
Tribal structures provide social,
economic and financial support to
members and a much needed safety net
for families when the State, which is
largely absent from the lives of many,
fails to do so.
In urban settings, Sudanese who
moved into multi-tribal cities such as
Khartoum and Omdurman moved as
tribal units and maintained their tribal
integrity within the city. The old part of
the city of Omdurman is stratified along
tribal or extended family lines. At the
heart of the city by the market, are the
Robatab, the Omrab (a sub-section of
the Jaliya tribe), the Ghandeer, and the
Copts. Further on towards al-Abasyia
reside the post-Mahdiya families- a
homogeneous mix of tribes of Darfur
and the Nuba Mountains, neighboring
them are the post-colonial civil servants’
families who make up Hai al- Doubat,
then the Hashmab family. Further afield
in al- Mourada are the Mahas and in
Wad Noubawi live the Danagla.
Social dominance and hierarchies in
the Sudan are thus determined by tribal
structures. Often, these hierarchies
have a distinct authoritative leadership.
The tribal hierarchical structures
coerce members of the tribe to uphold
CONT`D FROM PAGE 10
the cultural and socio-economic order,
acting like a mini-state – but whose
mechanisms only benefit a select group
connected by kinship.
At the top of the tribal hierarchical
structure, sits the chiefs- in cities the
position is taken by a family elderthey wield absolute authority over
their group. In exchange they have the
responsibility to house, feed, educate
and employ tribal members as well as
settle feuds and act as mediators during
conflict. The tribal chief’s home is often
used as a venue for tribal members’
social occasions and for hosting visitors
to the area.
Tribal chiefs and elders steer their
members’ political affiliations, choice of
religion, and even have a role in personal
choices such as who to marry and when.
The tribe acts as a collective.
After independence in 1956, graduates of
the three main secondary schools, Khor
Tagat, Wadi Sayidna and Hantoob went
on to create the bulk of a relatively modern
middle income class, semi-nuclear
families and formed the modern political
parties, the Sudanese Communist Party,
the Muslim Brotherhood and the Ba’ath
Arab Socialist Party.
But did the educated elite who created
these political parties eschew the tribalness of the society around them?
tax authorities in other countries. In the
future, virtually all of the information
connected to a bank account will be
reported to the tax authorities of the
account holder’s country, including the
account holder’s name, balance, interest
and dividend income, and capital gains.
The joint agreement was originally
an initiative by Germany, France,
Italy, the United Kingdom, and Spain.
Roughly 50 early-adopter countries and
territories decided to take part, while
other countries have indicated their
willingness to join.
Various measures are in place to ensure
that banks can identify the beneficial
owner and notify the relevant tax
authorities accordingly. The CRS thus
expands the scope of global, crossborder cooperation among national tax
authorities. In this way, we can establish
a regulatory framework for the age of
globalization.
The agreement is based on the Common
Reporting
Standard,
which
was
developed by the OECD. Under the CRS,
tax authorities receive information
from banks and other financial service
providers and automatically share it with
The automatic exchange of information
is a pragmatic and effective response to
the perceived lack of global governance
regarding international tax issues. By
At the very core of tribalism, lays a
system whereby the group relies on
the tribal leader and elder to provide
financial, social and economic support
in a similar manner that a father figure
would, in exchange for absolute loyalty
and obedience. This is how Sudan is
governed.
Many in Sudan see their political party
leader as their tribal sheikh or father
figure. Many political party members
are as loyal to their leaders as they
would be to their own parents. Therefore
criticism is usually personal based on
their failed duty as parents/guardians
and not based on their actual “jobdescription” as political party leaders.
Most of the current political parties do
not have coherent constitutions and or
a set of policies aligned to their identity.
Political membership is purely based on
the relationship with the party leader
and in response to his/her charisma.
As a result, party members have various
assumptions about the expected role of a
party leader. The assumption is mainly
based on the role of a tribal leader rather
than a political party leader who is
proposing a manifesto to run a modern
State.
Instead of working on building a nationstate that strives for equality in the
distribution of wealth and opportunities
through a social welfare system paid
for by taxation, political parties have
adopted the tribal system of leadership
within their party structures.
In this tribalized scenario, party leaders
who fall short of the authoritative/
care provision tribal leadership role,
are branded as failed politicians. In
contrast, party leaders who use their
influence to broker business deals for
party members and to facilitate access
to higher education and jobs as well as
broker marriage deals are considered
successful politicians.
Political activities function around
the provision of tribal style support
to members and a great deal of time
and effort is invested in tribal support
systems such as the strengthening interpersonal and family based relationships
rather than focusing on building effective
Ed.’s Note: Namaa Al-Mahdi is a human
rights campaigner and political activist.
The article first appeared on Africa
Arguments. The Views expressed in this
article do not necessarily reflect the views
of The Reporter. She can be reached at
[email protected] or @namaa0009.
The evidence suggests otherwise.
reduce prosperity around the world.
Why taxation
Information for Tax Purposes took place
in Berlin this week, bringing together
representatives from 122 countries and
jurisdictions, as well as the EU. A joint
agreement on the automatic exchange of
information on financial accounts was
signed on Wednesday.
The tribal function of social support
and protection to a select group was
transferred from tribe to political party
and consequently to the State when
these political parties take power.
CONT`D FROM PAGE 10
making taxation fairer, governments
will have a positive impact on people’s
acceptance of their tax regimes.
This great success in the fight against
international tax evasion would have
been unthinkable only a few years ago.
Now it is important to continue the
efforts of the OECD and the G-20 in the
area of corporate taxation. We need to
make sure that creative tax planning in
the form of profit-shifting and artificial
profit reduction is no longer a lucrative
business model.
A
“beggar-thy-neighbor”
taxation
policy, by which one country pursues tax
policies at the expense of others, is just
as dangerous as beggar-thy-neighbor
monetary policies based on competitive
currency devaluation. It leads to
misallocations – and will ultimately
www.thereporterethiopia.com
That is why we need to agree on
uniform international standards in
order to achieve fair international tax
competition. The progress achieved in
Berlin on the automatic exchange of
tax information shows that, by working
together, we can realize this goal.
Ed.’s Note: Wolfgang Schäuble has
been Germany’s Federal Minister of
Finance since 2009, helping to engineer
the country’s remarkable post-crisis
growth. He previously served as Minister
of the Interior during the governments
of Angela Merkel (2005-09) and Helmut
Kohl (1989-91), and has been Chairman of
Germany’s ruling Christian Democratic
Union. The article was provided to The
Reporter by Project Syndicate: the world’s
pre-eminent source of original op-ed
commentaries. Project Syndicate provides
incisive perspectives on our changing
world by those who are shaping its
politics, economics, science, and culture.
The views expressed in this article do
not necessarily reflect the views of The
Reporter.
Vol. XIX No. 947 |29
The Reporter | Saturday | November 01, 2014
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www.thereporterethiopia.com
30| Vol. XIX No. 947
The Reporter | Saturday | November 01, 2014
Ethiopia in...
have one competence which is defined
as sharply as possible and from which s/
he will not stray and of which s/he will
suffer no invasion. Could one person in
fact multi-task and have several skills?
God forbid that the question be asked.
The passengers of the minibus are a
motley crew, but they are good fellow
passengers and do not complain. In
the front seat sit two prim young Bole
Belles. They chatter together, between
two phone calls on their iphones, in a
créole of Amharic and globish. They ride
high, on high expectations and perhaps
a little caffeine from Kaldi’s, and so do
their miniskirts. In the back seats, an
Orthodox priest (just back from a visit to
the Abun in Arat Kilo), sits contentedly
next to a Muslim merchant en route to
his shop in Senga Terra. Their thighs
touch and they are relaxed, on their
common voyage. Behind them, perched
nervously on his seat, a young man
in a shiny costume and thin tie talks
energetically into his phone, making
sure everybody knows his status and
power to give orders. An old lady in
elaborate white robes sits next to him,
and is too polite to say but nevertheless
manages to make clear what she things
of this young whipper snapper and his
phone manners with an ever so slight
moue on her composed face. A farmer
in the capital to welcome his successful
brother back from America wears a felt
hat, heavy blue cloth trousers, a jacket
of the same material and heavy lines
on his hands and face too. His wife has
bright red spots on her cheeks where
the high altitude sun has burnt her
working in the fields and she has spicy
butter in her hair. Out of 12 seats, 8 are
filled with youngsters, eager and bright
eyed. A mobile phone, nice clothes and
a job is what they’re after – they still
cross themselves passing a church, but
quickly revert to fingering their device.
The fully covered amiably talk with their
scantily dressed friend. The traditional
tattoes sit – for ever, but with a light
touch, on faces turned toward tomorrow.
The priest brushes a crumb off his
robes the Muslim merchant next to him
robes,
rearranges himself to give the priest
more space; the Bole Belles continue to
chat on their phones, and the farmer’s
wife to embalm the air with her fragrant
butter. In the minibus, modernity and ‘2
000 years of history’ rub shoulders, and
maybe elbow each other a little too. On
the back seat – where four people are
leveraged in – the young boys eye the
girls, the girls do the same – but without
ever letting on – and minibus Ethiopia
rolls on.
But what of the driver himself? The
driver these days wears a seat belt, as a
sop to security. But wait! Look closely at
it and you quickly discover that half of
them wear ‘fake’ belts that they drape
across their chests like an idle medal to
their driving skills – they don’t actually
fasten them. And if the drivers are now
required to wear a belt, the same is not
true of the two hapless passengers riding
shotgun with him. Why not? It is not
known why not, and if you ask the driver
the question, he will wearily hang his
head and answer that it is so, has always
been so, and… but you get the idea – I
slyly suggested to a couple of drivers
this was a law enacted long ago, at the
height of the Axum empire, but honesty
obliges me to say they shied away from
this extravagance, adding that it was
perhaps ‘only since Emperor Menelik’s
times.’
This – brand new – law, requiring all
drivers to wear a seatbelt, but not their
shotgun passengers, for reasons that are
unfathomable, and the fact that half (or
more) of drivers are playing at using
a belt (a fact which of course all traffic
policemen know, although they will
only stop the drivers for non compliance
if they stop playing at using a belt,
eschewing it completely) is another
characteristic trait of the Ethiopian
minibus: always respect laws and
conventions outwardly. The form, not
the essence, is essential.
The driver, if he uses his belt as a sash of
honor, does pay a lot more attention to
another matter of utmost interest. I am
talking of the necessary disabling of the
front seat window’s handle. God forbid
that it be opened! ‘The draft will kill
me!’ explodes the driver irrationally,
when you ask him to open it (taking
his eyes off the road for a full twenty
seconds to tell you this, he even forgets,
in his righteous fury, the bottle of coke
he cradles between his knees and the
mobile phone he has hidden in his left
hand and was shouting into and the chat
he was fingering in his trouser pocket –
all at the same time). In fact, if you want
a safe ride, there is a very simple rule
to apply:
pp y choose an old man. They
y are
closer to death and thus value their lives
– and those of their passengers – much
more. The 18 year olds invariably cut
other vehicles off, otherwise bully their
way through traffic – then get into fights
when the same is done to them.
In fact, the profession should only be
open to women and old men. This simple
measure would bring down the accident
ratio by 80 percent. In this opposition,
between exquisite politeness on the
inside and ruthless aggression, or at
least disregard on the outside – to other
drivers, to pedestrians – there is much to
CONT`D FROM PAGE 17
be seen, as this sort of ruthless selfishness
to others was a trait that Donald Levine,
in his famed Wax and Gold, thought he
had picked up in Ethiopia, and analyzed
at great length in Menz.
But, ah, the accidents. Let’s leave aside
here the horrendous crashes that are a
daily occurrence on Ethiopia’s beautiful
new highways, to concentrate on the
generally more benign mishaps that
occur on the traffic circles and freeways
of the budding metropolis. Why, oh, why,
oh, why do drivers stop their cars and
minibuses in the middle of oncoming
traffic? In the middle of a traffic circle!?
This of course not only brings the
whole flow to a grinding slow pace, but
also tends to create more accidents, as
oncoming speeding cars come and rear
end stopped vehicles. The reason? You
have to wait for a traffic policeman to
come and chalk down on the road the
exact place of the vehicles, less the
parties later lie about what happened.
This fear of litigation, this mistrust, and
the hiccups and loss of time and money
this causes to the Ethiopian minibus are
forever a spanner thrown in the works,
both a waste of time and resources.
Then there is the sight that I find most
endearing: that of someone making the
sign of the cross from their cramped
minibus seat. If the minibus is speeding
past the church like a bat out of hell, they
have to hurry their sign and their bowed
head while trying to avoid elbowing
their neighbor at the same time. Which
is of course what modernity is all about
– I myself, prefer to cross myself before
boarding the vehicle. I can do this at
leisure as there is a little more room, and
it gives me a sensation of peace for the
duration of the voyage. The ostentatious
religiosity and the belief that belief
will solve all – and avoid us accidents
– is another feature of the minibus and
there is not one not to be found adorned
with Orthodox icons, sourats from the
Holy Quran or bathed in the Yamaha
keyboard sounds of Pentecostal gospel.
The voyage itself: thrills and fears at the
moment to take off
On the Arat Kilo Mexico route, you
are more or less safe once you reach
the Church of Estaphanos – the most
dangerous part being the long steep
slope past the Foreign Ministry ending –
not literally I always hope – in the busy
intersection in front of the Ministry of
Trade. While sitting in front, I sometimes
lean over and whisper to the driver
‘trying that take off, again, eh?’ but only
in my imagination as God forbid who
knows what would happen if he would
lose his concentration for a second. Past
the intersection, there is then a very nice
www.the
www.
www
ther
the
herepo
por
orrter
te
tere
erethio
thio
hio
io
opia.com
m
bump right in front of the Jubilee Palace
where, if the driver speeds enough, you
can indeed think you are going to meet
the Dreamliner taking off from the big
billboard on Meskal Square. Wheeeeee!
Once on Meskal Square itself – after a
flurry of chest crossings for Estaphanos
– and in the many occurrences when the
lights are not working, the driver plays
chicken with other drivers who are also
18 years old and also playing chicken – in
dead earnest. I would hate to be a dead
chicken on Meskal Square. But already,
this is just a bad memory – all the way
up to Stadium, and then on to Mexico, all
you risk is a bent fender, some shattered
glass… But pedestrians, beware!
[But as an aside, I would add that
pedestrians, if they are often the victim
of drivers - a zebra crossing mostly
serves drivers as a cross hairs device
to better try to run them down, that
pedestrians will often cross the road
at a 45 degree angle right in front of
incoming traffic. There are two types of
these pedestrians - both male. The first
is known as the ‘Minibus Torero.’ This
pedestrian throws a direct look at the
driver, then, turning away, boldly walks
across the road, daring the driver to do
anything about it. The second walks
out without so much a glance at the
oncoming traffic - that he well knows
to be there. We call this one a ‘Minibus
Kamikaze. ‘ Is it sometimes difficult
to ascertain in the Ethiopian Minibus,
where the line separating hubris and
arrogance from healthy pride lies. What
can I say? Although pedestrians are
the daily victims of the minibuses, it is
difficult to muster a lot of sympathy for
their idiosyncratic road crossings]
Am I really suggesting that Ethiopia
can be summed up in a blue minibus
ride? When Ethiopians say ‘This is our
culture’ looking down on a circular
alveolated sourdough bread, they of
course mean much less – and much
more. And likewise, even if I’m saying
it half in jest, I do insist: if you want to
understand the innermost workings of
Ethiopian society, then go spend a few
birr on a taxi ride. There, in the cramped
laboratory like space of a minibus, you
will see all of the intricacies of society
laid out, in deep play.–
I do of course mean much less than this
– and much more. Ethiopia in a blue
nutshell:
t h ll this
thi is
i our culture!
lt
! !!
Ed.’s Note: Yves Stranger is an Interpreter,
Translator, Writer/French, English, Spanish,
Amharic. He regularly writes for CNN Traveler,
What’s Out! Addis, Africa Geographic and on
Uthiopia.com, a blog about Ethiopian cultures,
languages and Abyssinian ponies. He is a
keen horse man and is the author of Ces Pas
qui Trop Vite s’Effacent, a short travel book
about following in the footsteps of Robert Louis
Stevenson on horseback in the Cévennes of the
on Uthiopia.com. He can be reached at
[email protected].
Vol. XIX No. 947 |31
The Reporter | Saturday | November 01, 2014
Commercialized...
facilities and the service provision is not
up to standard since there is no regular
follow-up from the regulatory body,”
Mulugeta Hailemariam (MD), president
of the Medical Association of Physicians
in Private Practice-Ethiopia (MAPPPE),
told The Reporter.
Apparently, the aim of private
healthcare centers is making money but
it should not be the only goal; serving the
public should be an integral part of their
practice, many argue. More importantly,
the health care business should not
be seen as a commodity enterprise or
any other thing. Mesfin Habtom (MD)
opened his dental clinic in the capital a
few years ago. He thoroughly sticks to
the way medical doctors are required
to serve while talking about the issue.
“We have to know our purpose,” he tries
to look back at his medical schooling in
Cuba a few decades ago. “They taught
us humanity comes before medicine,”
he proudly presents his gratitude to
his mentors in Cuba. His quite modest
criticism towards some unethical
medical practitioners in the country
is thrown to the medical schools,
which he believes lack some of the
basic procedures in shaping attitudes.
“Sometimes it can be just a word or a
hug that is needed to heal your patient
since one major part of medication is
psychology,” he says.
Indeed, the way the physicians are
trained matters as many of these
Western-educated physicians praise
the training they received overseas. “It
impacts your attitude and the practice
as well,” Meselu Mengistu, a radiologist,
who completed her education in
Germany, says. By any standard,
Western education can be considered
exceptional but the principle and code
of ethics is the same across the world,
experts argue. “I can’t deny it at all. I
hear some of the grievances of the people.
It should not be something unbearable
or unethical,” she answers, while
compromising some of the prices tagged
at the private health centers mentioning
rent fees and other factors that are
fueling the situation. The Food Medicine
and Health Care Administration and
Control Authority (FMHACA) was
established by proclamation to ensure
the safety and quality of products and
health services in the country. Although
standards and amended controlling
mechanisms are hardly seen performed
by the authorities, it has undertaken
a series of activities to come up with
a certain regulation and mandate to
improve the situation engaging itself
with the occupational associations,
according to officials.
The Medical Association of Physicians
in Private Practice-Ethiopia (MAPPPE)
has been struggling to set up a certain
standard on which private healthcare
VISA...
CONT`D FROM PAGE 19
back and one person is Aster Getnet
who was denied the American visa. She
is one of the many who wants to live in
America or Europe. Finding a legitimate
reason, her nephew’s graduation from
high school was a better reason.
The owner of the company where she
works wrote a letter to the embassy. She
finished the preparations by going to the
Bank of Abyssinia, deposited the needed
money and fixed the appointment with
the embassy.
Since she did not have enough money
she borrowed some from her family
and put 300,000 birr in her account.
Her worries started in the taxi and
worsened when she approached the
consular, her heart was racing. She
GMO concerns...
the process, however. In preparation,
we have established relationships with
African and global biotechnological
institutes to develop our capacity. As a
nation, there is general biotechnological
road map which is being concocted at
present. From the side of the agriculture,
we are the ones leading it, but there
is one from the perspective of health,
industry and education.
Coming back to contained use issue,
I want to know what would be the
response if GMO happens to break
out to neighboring farms and goes
out of control?
One think we have to keep in mind is
the fact that we are going to work with
cotton now. Damages are not that great.
But, if we are talking in terms of some
of our endemic crops like teff, coffee etc,
we are looking at some serious damages
in the event that it breaks out. So the
whole point is not the crop crossing
to another farm or land or … but it is
about potential damages that can be
inflicted by the GMO crop on the other
CONT`D FROM PAGE 23
indigenous crops. As far as evidence is
concerned, there is no data supporting
such happenings. Once it happened in
Canada but to insignificance effect. The
whole concern with GMO crop damaging
other varieties is a theoretical concern
at best. Here, mind you, BT cotton is not
an indigenous breed.
What is next from BT cotton? What is
your outlook regarding GMO’s next
stop in Ethiopia?
Well this depends on the decision of the
government according to concerns for
biosafety. But, other nations’ trends
suggest Soya beans and maize. These
are crops which were widely successful.
But, now we are talking about food crops
and government should establish that
this is safe to go into. In the meantime, I
think we have the chance to accumulate
experience from BT and build our
capacity.
can play a crucial role,” Meselu told The
Reporter.
CONT`D FROM PAGE 16
centers have efficiently been operating
for the past ten years. So far, the
association has registered some 400
private medical personnel and held
seven annual conferences that dealt with
issues frequently raised by the people.
“We are still working hard to emerge as
a strong association that can impact the
private health sector in the country,”
Mulugeta Hailemariam (MD), president,
told The Reporter. According to him, the
public grievance is partially accepted by
the association so that the association
would find solutions after meeting with
the members. However, the reliable
solution will only result in a cooperative
engagement with the government and
other occupational associations to
realize a modern and organized private
healthcare project.
Although he puts his optimism for the
betterment of the service of the private
clinics in the near future, he hardly
believes in the impact of the association
and the small number of members, and
almost all are found to be in the capital
city. “We need to increase the number
at least by 50 percent quickly and should
reach out to those in other towns to
improve the 90 percent accumulation
in Addis Ababa,” he says. Indeed, the
members hope that the strength of the
association will avoid irregularities
with private healthcare. “We need to
do more to make it stronger so that we
assumed they would see how she was
uncomfortable. The consul office
denied her a visa instantly. According
to her, the approval and denial of visas
is determined by the goodwill of the
consular office. Her rich aunt, who is in
her 60s with a document of a property
was denied. She has a sister in America
and also relatives and wants to reunite
with them. Her sister who does not
approve of fake marriages to get papers
believes it might complicate things. The
easy way out for her was a DV lottery
but as she says even though she tried
multiple times, luck was not with her.
Before all this, three years ago, one of her
sisters, who currently lives in Australia,
tried to take her to Australia but that
also failed. She also stayed in Nairobi for
a month to process her visa application
to Australia. Her sister claimed Aster
will be her nanny for her three children.
Unfortunately after paying 400,000 birr,
her attempt was futile.
It is a country where grievances of visa
frustrations are heard and opinions
are written in different media openly
questioning the visa process of the
American embassy, the European
embassies, and the South African
Embassy. One is Tesfaye Eshetu Habtu,
who is an instructor at the school of
Theatre Arts, Addis Ababa University,
and also a director of the school. Invited
by Sundance Institute, New York, for a
theater directing workshop among eight
East African directors he was denied
a visa-again appealed and was again
denied. It is not only him but also the
Sundance Institute that appealed on
behalf of Tesfaye, all in vain.
The reason for him as he stated was
unconvincing, “you are young, you are
single, you don’t have sufficient money
in your bank account and you haven’t
traveled to any country”. With this
reasoning he questions the whole process.
How can one get decent money when the
www.thereporterethiopia.com
In fact, opposing the commercialization
of healthcare is an argument raised
by many. They argue that a society as
wealthy as ours has the moral obligation
to meet the basic needs of all its
members. Every Ethiopian, rich or poor,
should have access to the healthcare he
or she needs, they argue. “The escalating
costs of healthcare and the the fact that
doctors are giving priority for fees
should be avoided,” a 57-year-old diabetic
patient told The Reporterr at a private
clinic. When the Ethiopian heathcare
insurance system was introduced a year
ago, the officials were asked about the
experience of other countries which
overcharge paying patients to subsidize
the service for the poor. “We would see
it as a workable scenario,” they replied.
Opponents of commercialized healthcare
also argue that for-profit health care
institutions do not contribute their
“fair-share” to society. For instance,
forcing pregnant women to undergo
C-sections should not be a means of
getting more money as a number of
private hospitals seem quite comfortable
with giving C-sections. All in all, critics
and experts agree with the universal
human right consensus of all persons
having a right to live their life with
dignity. Stressing mixing business with
medicine will inevitably lead to abuse
that violates patient dignity. “A patient
is in a vulnerable position, necessarily
trusting the doctor’s decision about his
or her medical care will be guided solely
by the patient’s best interest,” they
conclude.
salary of a professor is so little and also
puts the question of choice or freedom
and calls it imposition, especially when
it comes to a country which champions
the idea of free choice. Regarding these
complaints, the American Embassy say
they facilitate for legitimate travelers
and have a screening process following
the criteria they set according to the
visas they request.
“The visa application process is clearly
explained, step by step, in both English
and Amharic on the US Embassy
website. Applicants can also email us
through our website if they cannot find
the information they need there,” the
American Embassy told The Reporter.
“The US government works to ensure
that the visa process is as open and
transparent as possible. Some who claim
to be “visa facilitators” profit by making
the process appear more complicated
than it really is,” the American Embassy
says.
While Ethiopians suffer to get visas and
to travel to different countries, according
to Wikipedia, Ethiopians have visa-free
or visa on arrival access to 39 countries,
which puts the Ethiopian passport in the
88th rank.
Some of the countries include Bolivia,
Burundi, Cambodia, Cape Verde,
Guinea
Comoros, Djibouti, Laos
Bissau (visa on arrival), Cuba (tourist
card acquired), Dominican Republic,
Ecuador, Haiti, Kenya and Singapore
(visa not required) . Even though these
countries are open there is always
the need of a transit visa. Still many
Ethiopians prefer to pay embassy
fees for America and Europe and be
denied, interrogated with inappropriate
questions such as “your children do not
look like you?” while many Americans
and Europeans enjoy their privilege
without their salary being checked and
without interrogations.
32| Vol. XIX No. 947
The Reporter | Saturday | November 01, 2014
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www.thereporterethiopia.com
Vol. XIX No. 947 |33
The Reporter | Saturday | November 01, 2014
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www.thereporterethiopia.com
34| Vol. XIX No. 947
The Reporter | Saturday | November 01, 2014
By Leyou Tameru
@anchihoye
Bits
&
UN names Addis...
Pieces
What international
news are you watching?
It is interesting how different countries cover international
news, i.e. the selection, the narrative and the order in which
it’s covered. I find it to be representative of the current
situation in which the country finds itself. Let me explain
this further by first taking the example of Ethiopia. The
general standard of how televised news is organized is that
first national news is discussed followed by international
news. Around the time of the Ethio-Eritrean war, meaning
before, during and the years following the war, every
international news segment of the Ethiopian Television
news started with Eritrea. Fast forward to today, seldom
would news about Eritrea make it on the Ethiopian
Television news hour.
I was reminded of all this when I was browsing through
news channels in the US this past week. To begin with, the
US is a pretty big country so I can imagine that there are
a lot of local news that locals would want to hear about.
However, when it comes to international news coverage,
it seems to not extend beyond the following topics: Iraq/
Syria, Mexico drug cartel and Ebola. For the first two
topics, I can understand the importance especially because
of the involvement of the US. However, when it comes to
the Ebola coverage, the coverage is more like local news
than international. I was expecting to hear updates about
the number of people affected in the countries that have
the highest rate of infection, progress on containment in
neighboring countries and so on. But this couldn’t have
been farther from the truth, the Ebola coverage is about
the 4 Ebola patients that are being treated in the US, Ebola
fear among US residents, awareness creation about how the
disease spreads and so on. There were also a few interesting
stories about young African children who were being
bullied in school and being called “Ebola” because they
are originally from the African continent. Another school
asked it’s African students who had spent their summer in
Rwanda, a country that has reported zero cases of the virus,
to stay at home for 21 prior to coming back to school. The
purpose of this is make sure that these students really don’t
have Ebola. There was also a story about a nurse suing the
state of New Jersey because she was being quarantined
despite the fact that the test results showed that she was not
infected by the Ebola virus.
Honestly, what a way to give a completely undue local
relevance to an international disaster! The survival rate
from the Ebola virus in the US is pretty great, considering
that only one person has died out of a total of 4 infections
in a country that has over 316 million inhabitants spread
in a 9 million square kilometer space. Unfortunately, the
same cannot be said about Liberia where the virus has a
70 percent mortality rate and has reported over 6000 cases
with a population of 4 million inhabitants living in a 100
thousand square meter space. I believe that the sense of
urgency is misplaced.
In addition, there was absolutely no coverage of the events
that happened in Burkina Faso, including uprising, burning
of the parliament, and so on. There was also the death of the
Zambian president. Of course, I would be naïve to expect
that news agencies would cover news that their viewers
wouldn’t be interested in. These channels have ratings,
advertisements and other financial interests to keep an
eye on. But the overall impact of this is that the chances
of the public becoming aware of happenings in the world
without it having to necessarily be something that affects
them directly will perpetually be kept as low as possible.
As opposed to creating curiosity about the rest of the world,
these news channels are looking to create consistency of and
dependency on the news. It’s probably great for business.
All in all, it’s great to know that the international news
the country you live is covering says a lot about what the
people who live there want to hear. So what international
news coverage are you getting?
Ed.’s Note: Leyou Tameru is a graduate of Georgetown and Addis
Ababa University Law schools, specializing in International Legal
Studies. Born and raised in Addis Ababa, she seeks to understand
the impact of economic, political and social issues on everyday
lives. She can be reached at [email protected]
powered is said to host UN agencies, offices, funds
and the likes which are operating on the ground.
Carlos Lopez, executive secretary general of the
UNECA, said during the event that the growing
number of staff and rental expenses forced the
organization to look for alternatives. Hence, the late
Prime Minister Meles Zenawi laid the cornerstone
in 2010 for the new building, which was expected to
be completed in 2012. However, it was delayed for a
year for some reasons said Ferew Tedla, managing
director of RAMA Construction Private Limited
Company, which undertook the construction of
the seven-storey building. According to Ferew, the
delay was allied to handover procedures, customs
clearances and hard currency accessing challenges.
The secretary general in his remark said that Addis
have become the third city next to New York and
Geneva where the UN operates the most. The new
office building according to Lopez will home UNICEF,
WHO, UNHCR and the likes which represent the UN
to the African Union Commission and the ECA. The
building is said to consolidate common services,
economies of scale and harmonized operations of the
UN. He cheered up the gathering by reiterating that
Addis stands at the top of all the cities the secretary
general so far visited.
CONT`D FROM PAGE 3
In a related news, Ban Ki Moon was joined by Jim
Young Kim, president of the World Bank Group and
officials from the European Union (EU), the Islamic
Development Bank, and the African Development
Bank to initiate a new partnership that will grant
USD eight billion to eight nations including
Ethiopia in the Horn of Africa. The new initiative
that availed the fund will seek to heighten the peace
and development activities at the borders. The WB
alone pledged to provide USD 1.8 billion, which will
be committed in two years’ time. The EU on its part
pledged USD 3.7 billion to be disbursed within six
years.
The secretary general and the president discussed
efforts to curb the devastating outcomes of Ebola
on the continent. Ban Ki Moon criticized the recent
statements of countries such as the US, which
announced to quarantine volunteer health workers
deployed in the affected nations when they return
home. He went on denouncing the stigmatization
and discrimination against the Ebola hit states.
WB announced additional funding during the visits
of the Horn which includes Ethiopia, Djibouti and
Kenya. Previously both leaders visited the Sahel
region and the Great Lakes.
Off-grid communities...
CONT`D FROM PAGE 3
water, I have some concerns. It’s a politically sensitive issue. Access to clean water is a human right. I
think this cannot be addressed truly by commercial means.” If it’s for productive purposes, Michael said
that’s a different story. The agricultural producer or agro-process must make an investment like any other
product. And microfinances can access the viability of the investment. That way water can be commercially
transacted, Michael noted.
Despite making it easier for vulnerable communities’ to access microfinances for credit, Michael is of
those individuals against institutions that require higher interest rates -sometimes as high as the rates of
commercial banks- to cover operational costs. Many local microfinances are well known for such practices.
“Interest rates should not be there to cover the insufficiencies of finance institutions. We as development
agencies working with microfinances on the supply side, have to work on the operational self-sufficiency
to bring down the price for clients.” He stressed that clients should pay by no means the price for the
insufficiencies of microfinances.
The two day conference was organized by the African based Pamiga (Participatory Microfinance Group
in Africa), which brought up participants from various African states where microfinances operate.
Microfinances in countries like Cameroon and Burkina Faso presented the alternative approaches they
provide for clients and communities.
Civil suit took...
The court, however, found that the defendant was
not authorised and hacked into the personal email
account of the complainant after a quarrel between
the two.
The criminal code, under article 707 (2) – the offence
Yonas is charged with – prescribes a punishment of
five years and fine of up to 20,000 birr. The provision
makes it a crime to have unauthorised access to a
computer, computer system or computer network
and intentionally causes damage by adding, altering,
deleting or destroying data, with the intention to
extort money.
Yonas and Akiko, who had a romantic past, are also
entangled in a 42 million birr civil suit. The suit
CONT`D FROM PAGE 4
is a result of a dispute between Yonas and Orchid
Business Group, owned by Akiko, in connection
with the first year anniversary of South Sudan
independence. Yonas filed the suit at the Federal
High Court claiming that Orchid owes him 42
million birr as co-organizer of the South Sudanese
anniversary commemoration. The case is currently
pending at the Federal Supreme Court, following an
appeal lodged by Akiko who felt aggrieved by the
decision of the Federal High Court.
The lower court, on 9 June 2014, ordered Orchid
Business Group to pay the plaintiff, who is now
serving the two year sentence, 42 million birr plus
interest.
ADPI launches...
making Addis Ababa a major hub in Africa. Addis
Ababa is already a major hub in East Africa. Its
arch rival, Nairobi, is expanding the Jomo Kenyatta
International airport at a cost of 650 million dollars.
Modjo is preferred for low altitude which will
enhance the pay load of aircraft by improving
fuel efficiency. The recently opened Addis-Adama
Expressway is a plus for Modjo. But still the
distance and the integration is one area of focus the
consultant will work on.
Teji and Dukem are the other prospective areas
for the new airport construction because of their
proximity to Addis Ababa but their altitude is
almost the same as Addis Ababa, which will not
make aircraft fuel efficient during take offs.
www.thereporterethiopia.com
CONT`D FROM PAGE 5
Dukem is located 37 km east of Addis Ababa while
Modjo is 66 km south east of Addis Ababa. Teji is
a small town located 43 west of the capital. Addis
Ababa’s elevation is 2300 m above sea level and
aircraft take a lot of fuel to take off Bole International
Airport due to the high elevation. This entails a
reduction on the amount of load an aircraft can
lift. The high altitude also stresses aircraft engines.
According to aviation experts, going down to Modjo
in the rift valley will enable airlines especially
Ethiopian Airlines to reduce fuel cost. Yet there are
others factors to be considered to select the site.
The Ethiopian Airports Enterprise has asked the
International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO)
for technical assistance on the site selection process
and the later expressed its willingness to help.
Vol. XIX No. 947 |35
The Reporter | Saturday | November 01, 2014
Ethio-Egyptian...
engineering,
manufacturing
food
industries, and leather industries.
According to Essa, a study conducted
by the council on the Ethiopian market
will presented during the forum. This
will be followed by the identification
and selection of the Egyptian companies
representing targeted sectors and
providing necessary support, assistance
and expertise to enter the Ethiopian
market and good coordination with the
Ethiopian counterparts.
The selection criteria will be based
on
the
companies’
export
and
import capabilities, former business
The Board also revealed a
detailed timetable which
includes some 30 major
events
NEBE
discloses...
CONT`D FROM PAGE 7
Accordingly, the head of the Board
said the election campaign would kickoff on February 14, 2015, and will end
on May 21, 2015. The national election
will take place on May 24 and the final
results of the election will be announced
nationally on June 22, 2015.
The Board also revealed a detailed
timetable which includes some 30 major
events that will take place in the time
frame until the final announcement
day, and the head of the Board said that
parties that will participate in the coming
election will choose their election logo as
of November 24 all through December 9.
CONT`D FROM PAGE 4
experience, markets in which it entered
before, products specifications produced
by each company, targeted customers
of Egyptian companies in Ethiopia
and investment plans for Egyptian
companies in the Ethiopian market
especially in labor intensive export
industries.
There are Egyptian products that
have a substantial market share in the
Ethiopian market. Egyptian medicines,
paper products, plastics, and food
items are available in the Ethiopian
market. Egypt is the fourth largest
exporter of drugs to Ethiopia after
China, Germany, and India. There are
products manufactured in Ethiopia with
Egyptian investments such as cables,
smart electricity meters, polypropylene
irrigation and sewerage pipes.
Essa explained that the study prepared
by the Council would be the nucleus of
economic information center between
the two countries to serve different
sectors by providing updated and
accurate information and data required
for both Egyptian and Ethiopian
companies.
The trade volume between the two
countries amounted to USD 215 million
dollars in 2013. According to the
Every last...
During the signing ceremony Sufian
said,“Currently there are more than six
million beneficiaries from the project
across the country and apart from
providing food for the people who are in
need and are not able to feed themselves
the project also aims at making people
acquire wealth through the process.”
CONT`D FROM PAGE 1
the Productive Safety Net Program has
played key role in mitigating the risk
of the economic and climate related
shocks, by introducing soil and water
conversation activities, small scale
irrigation and integrated watershed
management.
He further stated that the project is one
of the major projects in Africa and is
among the few in the world which covers
social and developmental security and
will stay for the coming three to four
years and will continue based on the
performance.
“While the program will continue to
provide a predictable safety net for
Ethiopia’s food insecure population, it
will for the first time aim to improve
nutritional outcomes in the country.
The program will also support renewed
efforts to address long-term livelihood
challenges.”
The country director of World Bank
Guang Zhe Chen, on his part said that
The Government of Ethiopia launched
the Productive Safety Net Program
Advertisment
council, Ethiopia has a high competitive
advantage in a number of products
which can be exported to Egypt, which
are live cattle, meat, coffee, cereal plant,
oilseeds especially sesame, legumes and
roses. The council aims to reach a trade
volume of one billion dollars annually
during the next phase.
The trade volume reached USD 89
million during the first half of 2014,
of which USD 68 million of Egyptian
exports, and about USD 21 million of
Ethiopian exports to Egypt.
exports
witnessed
an
Egyptian
increased from USD 58 million to USD
68 million exports with an increase of
approximately 17 during the first half of
this year compared to the same period of
2013.
(PSNP) in 2005 in response to the
shortcomings
in
the
emergency
appeals system in place before that
for decades. The project is one of the
flagship programs of the Government
of Ethiopia and represents a significant
transformation of the government’s
strategy for meeting the development
strategies. It has helped to move away
from responding to chronic hunger
through emergency appeals to a more
predictable response with predictable
resource to better respond to the needs
of food insecure households. It has also
helped in creating productive investment
to underpin rural economic growth and
environmental rehabilitation.
In this regard, the World Bank and
other development partners such
as the Department for International
Development (DFID) of the UK, the
European Union (EU) and the United
States government have contributed
a substantial amount of resources to
support the program.
Since the inception of the program in
2005 the World Bank has provided the
support of USD 1.12 billion in terms of
credit and grant.
The date of the political party
candidates’ registration will take
place from December 25, 2014 through
February 4, 2015. Election stations will
be opened as of February 7, 2015 and
voter’s registration will take place from
January 9, 2015 to February 19, 2015.
Zaid, a transport
economist by
training, served the
authority as director
general since 2004.
Though these are the major events that
were disclosed by the head of the Board
during the press conference, many other
issues were also raised and included in
the timetable and the schedule of the
Board.
It was reported that political parties that
participated in the consultative meeting
held at the Ghion Hotel a couple of
weeks ago submitted their suggestions
regarding the upcoming election.
PM
relieves...
“Considering the suggestions that were
forwarded from the parties, the board
rearranged the date of the registration of
the candidates and voters,” Merga told
The Reporter.
CONT`D FROM PAGE 1
was awarded to a Spanish contractor.
local
contractors,
Sunshine
Two
Construction Company and Macro
General Contractor Trading PLC, were
awarded a total length of 160 km road
project worth 2.1 billion birr. A total of
30 billion birr is allocated for ERA for
the budget year.
Ethiopian...
CONT`D FROM PAGE 7
currently serving 84 international
destinations across 5 continents with
over 200 daily flights using the latest
technology aircraft such as the B777s
and B787s. In line with Vision 2025, the
carrier plans to double its fleet to 112
planes and carry 18 million passengers
over 92 routes by 2025.
Zaid, a transport economist by training,
served the authority as director general
since 2004. Until our press time on
Friday evening, no replacement was
appointed. Attempts to reach Zaid were
unsuccessful.
www.thereporterethiopia.com
36| Vol. XIX No. 947
The Reporter | Saturday | November 01, 2014
GMO hot ...
“Although
EPA’s
leadership
is
ideologically opposed to the use of
bioengineered crops, the EPA will likely
be pressured to approve trials of such
crops where they could promote growth
in key export sectors, namely cotton”
Wikileaks reported citing the leaked
cable.
But local civil society organizations
blasted the newly amended draft bill
for allowing the importation of the
biotechnology.
“The objectives of the new bill is much
different from the existing one. The
existing one’s objective is to control GMO
importation. In contradiction, the new
one takes controlling [GMO importation]
as one issue and promotes modern
biotechnology in to our biodiversity. It
has already put the technology in place
as a promotional legislative,” Million
Belay, Director of Melca-Mahber and an
environmental activist, says.
“This is contradictory within the same
law. By any means a law should not be
designed for controlling and promoting
at the same time. That should totally
be omitted. Otherwise it alters the
legislations internal content,” he added.
Gebremedhin Bireda, former Director
of the Eco-consumer Association,
voiced similar concerns over the newly
proposed bill.
He submitted a letter to the Office of the
Prime Minister, the Speaker of House
and the Office of the President appealing
the amendment of the proclamation. He
further requested a chance to explain
to lawmakers and other concerned
government bodies regarding his
objection to amendment. “The process
should be more open to concerned
stakeholders before the amendment is
CONT`D FROM PAGE 6
approved,” he argues.
The Biosafety Proclamation, which was
ratified in 2009, has strict provisions
on importing GMOs. It requires an
applicant to obtain an Advance Informed
Agreement, a written consent granted
by the Ministry of Environment and
Forestry, or a special permit to import
GMOs. The existing law also requires
the competent national authority
of the country of export to take full
responsibility for any adverse effect
that might come about from the use of
imported GMOs.
With regards to the last one, that is
seeking the guarantee of competent
authorities, the amendment eased it by
making the guarantee of the company
supplying the GMO to be enough to
import it to the country. According to
researchers in the field, the previous
requirement was problematic as none of
the major companies were willing and
able to produce a guarantee from the
authority in their respective countries.
Hence, for the researchers, this would
effectively mean that they will not being
able to find suppliers to import GMOs
even for research purposes. They argue
that Western multinationals do not
exist in a system where the authorities
are closely regulating and guaranteeing
their every product. So, it is
instrumental to shift the requirement to
the companies themselves, researchers
told The Reporter.
On the other hand, amendment also
got raid of the lengthy bureaucratic
process of obtaining ‘advanced informed
according
to
agreement’
which,
researchers, is not convenient to carry
out a mere scientific research. Fantahun
Mengistu, director of the Ethiopia
Agricultural Research Institutes (EARI),
says that article 5 of the old proclamation
is also another area that have been
deterrent to research on biotechnological
products. He specifically points out
that the requirement of the original
biosafety legislation, which imposes the
condition that each and every import
of GMO whether for confined use or
release to the environment, needs to get
an advance informed agreement. He says
the law should have made exceptions for
a contained use in closed environment
of a laboratory. He explains that
usually advance informed agreement is
applicable to more of transactions that
is destined to the environment. While
it needs special permit for contained
use. Now, the amendment seeks to
rectify this. Which in turn would relax
the procedure for scientific research.
However, the legal fine and penalty
for damages on the environment by
applying GMO was not amended at all.
Apart from the two, the new amendment
also incorporates a formal arbitration
body to mediate between the permitting,
importing and regulating bodies. This
was never part of the exixting Biosefety
Proclamation, which according to
Fantahun was a big gap that remained
to be filled by the approval of the
amendment. However, researchers also
object to the fact that the mandate to issue
permit and regulate the biotechnological
sector in Ethiopia has been given to the
EPA. Fantahun as well says that the
sector, essentially being a scientific
activity, should have been under the
watch full eyes of the Ministry of
Science and Technology. “Environment
ministry does not even have the
capacity and the human resources to
monitor biotechnological work,” he
argues, adding that “Biotechnology
is a technological advancement is
Rights abuse...
criminal lawyer Ameha, the problem is
due to the practice of arrests of suspects
without the police having prima
facie (at first examination) evidence
to warrant the arrest. He says such a
problem is prevalent in “cases which are
politically sensitive or offences that the
government has special interest on, one
way or the other.”
“To mention the case of Zone 9, whom I
representing, no charges were filed for
83 days with investigators requesting
for remand for further investigation,”
Ameha told The Reporter. “I was not
even allowed to visit my clients for 20
days during their detention, let alone
assist them during the investigation.”
The “Zone 9” case that involves nine
bloggers and a journalist facing terror
charges is currently pending.
In order to address the problem and
ensure the protection and respect of
human rights of persons arrested, held
in custody and convicted prisoners,
the government believes that creating
awareness is of a paramount importance.
“Human rights should be developed as
a culture. That is why we believe that
raising awareness is very important,”
Yibekal told The Reporter. He said
since the launch of the action plan
massive capacity building programs
are being provided to persons drawn
CONT`D FROM PAGE 7
from Police, Prison Administrations,
Courts of Law, Ministry and Bureaus of
Justice at the Federal, Regional and City
Administration levels.
“This is not just a training. We tell them
that this is an assignment for them to go
back and implement,” Yibekal said.
However, Ameha argues that the
problem does not stem from lack of
awareness on the part of the police
regarding the rights of suspects.
“I do not believe there is an investigator
who does not have knowledge of the
rights of suspects,” Ameha maintains.
“From my observations, investigations
are heavily dependent on confessions
and testimonies of witnesses. These not
only prolong investigations but also lead
to violation of rights of suspects”.
charges against a police officer. He
cites challenges of getting evidence to
prove the allegations and lack of trust
in the system as deterrent factors.
However, he admits that attorneys also
have a part to play in protecting human
rights and ensure accountability. But
he also blames police and correctional
institutions.
“Their tendency is protecting the
reputation
of
their
institutions
rather than further investigating the
allegations,” Ameha told The Reporter.
“Repeated allegations are raised in
courts and are being reported in the
media. But we see no measures being
taken.”
There is a system of accountability
– both administrative and legal - to
redress human rights violations of
suspects in custody. Hence, many agree
that the problem is not the absence of
laws or institutions to protect the rights
of suspects.
Those who have tested the system of
accountability have a different take.
Following verbal disagreements with
a traffic police, Yeshiwas Fentahun,
an Addis Ababa resident, said he was
slapped and stamped by the traffic officer.
Angered by the incident, Yeshiwas
decided to file charges. However, he was
surprised by the “relentless efforts” by
police officers, prosecutor and others to
convince him to drop the charges.
However, not many people go the extra
mile to test the system of accountability.
Despite the number of human rights
violations his clients have alleged,
Ameha said that he has never filed
“I was seeking for justice but because
the accused is one of theirs, they all tried
very hard to convince me to just forgive
and forget it,” he said. After several
weeks of visits to one of the police
System of accountability
www.thereporterethiopia.com
every sense off th
the tterm so it should
h ld b
be
regulated by the Ministry of Science and
Technology.”
Furthermore, the inclusion of the MoEF
in the grievance handling committee
is also pointed out to have a conflict of
interest since it is the regulatory body at
the moment.
However, the amendment is speculated
to be serving an immediate purpose of
introducing BT cotton, a GMO variety
of cotton seed that is resistant to pest.
The Ethiopian government, in a bid to
boost its textile and garment sectors,
has opted to introduce BT and improve
cotton production. Since, cotton is
not an essential food material the
process of adopting a biotechnological
solution to Ethiopian agriculture looks
to be starting there. In fact, although
cotton is not a food item, there are
environmentalists who argue that it
still could have a profound effect on the
human and animal life. They further
point that in Ethiopia cotton seeds are
used to make edible oil and as animal
feed. And this, they say is a problem.
Meanwhile,
Fantahun
disagrees
the effect of BT cotton claimed by
environmentalists and activists. “So
far there is no literature expounding on
the edible oil output of cotton seeds,” he
says.
“It is hard to know the impact coming
from GMO cotton seed in terms of oil
production. But at the end of the day if
the gains from GMO cotton seed is good
and I guess that we can concentrate on
other seeds for edible oil production,”
he concluded. In a broader sense, he
looks to have chosen the pragmatic
approach when it comes to GMOs and
biotechnology in general. “If we were
not to affect the environment at all,
there could have been no agricultural
production,” he argues, but says that the
extent of the damage is what everyone
should be concerned about.
stations in Addis Ababa, he decided to
not file charges.
“What is the point?” Yeshiwas asks. “My
initial intention was to give the officer a
lesson that he cannot get away with such
acts. But my pursuit of justice was being
interpreted as an act of vengeance.”
Yibekal of the National Human Rights
Action Plan insists that a system of
accountability alone will not address the
problem of human rights violations.
“Changing attitudes is key. That is
why we attach great importance to
awareness creation efforts among the
law enforcement,” Yibeka told The
Reporter.
The Police Report prepared by the
Ethiopian Human Rights Commission
(EHRC) identifies violations such as
arrests without doing enough prior
investigations, presumption of guilt, not
reading Miranda rights, denial of bail
rights and other human right violations
in “some” police stations.
“These are areas where we expect and
communicate to police stations to do
better,” Mitiku Mekonnen, Director
of Human Rights Protection and
Supervision Directorate at the Ethiopian
Human Rights Commission, told The
Reporter. But he insists these problems
are not enough to label the human right
violation of suspects under custody as
systematic.
“Every time we file complaints of human
rights violations, we see measures
administrative as well as legal measures
being taken,” Mitiku maintains.
LEISURE
The Reporter | Saturday | November 01, 2014
Vol. XIX No. 947 |37
Crossword
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1
Ouija
2
John Wick
3
Fury
4
Gone Girl
5
The Book of Life
6
St. Vincent
7
Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible,
No Good, Very Bad Day
8
The Best of Me
9
Dracula Untold
10
The Judge
(astrology-online.com)
ARIES (Mar. 21- April 20)
CANCER (June 22-July 22)
LIBRA (Sept. 24 -Oct. 23)
+;<+/;H=W>>@X
>ZP
This week’s events will become a starting point for
personal & professional successes. It may cause your
to re-think your long term plans a little. Don’t panic. Your
determination to succeed may become your greatest
asset. Enjoy quiet time to re-fresh your energy & get back
to the little joys of life that make you happy. It’s a good time
lucky numbers are: 63, 52, 98, 27, 46
The week for you to recollect and sort out all your immotions.
You can’t continue to wear your emotions on your sleeve.
Recent chain of events needs to be treated honestly. You’ll
feel pulled in many different directions. Express your
feelings, let the handcuffs fall. Allow other people to see
your sensitive side. If you continue going to the gim and keep
!
!"
This week lucky numbers are: 2, 75, 28, 74, 37
$ % '
partners or colleagues will help you to get more organized.
You will probably feel like you’d like to change furniture or
change the color of the walls.It can bring a new wave in
your life. They may tend to think that you’re all talk and no
action. Sparcle with the intellect and enjoy the limelight.
This week lucky numbers are: 60, 50, 15, 17, 71
There’s certainly more in your pockets than you ever expected. It
is time for you to build further plans.Some problems with the dear
people are possible, but don’t panic! Everyone will calm down
!
$
!
All you have to do is to concentrate on your business , clear your
calendar early in the week, drop a few projects and then go out
and play. This week lucky numbers are: 62, 5, 7, 21, 63
LEO (July 23-Aug 22)
TAURUS (Apr. 21- may 21)
Don’t let circumstances take control under your actions.
Avoid unreasoned decisions. Once you’ve thought it out, start
to act. Show your leadership but avoid overly aggressive
behavior. You’ll make great strides in achieving personal
success, this week. You may need to re-evaluate your
priorities. Keep in mind that you need to move up personal
goals where they belong in the scale of things. This week
lucky numbers are: 24, 11, 40, 75, 18
It’s your merit -all this accounts and cash money and you do
need to have some fun from time to time. You can spend for the
fun of it, as long as you remain truthful to yourself. You need
to be motivated by your own passion not by someone else’s
desires for you. You must be in charge of your own feelings.
An older family member may ask for some help.You should
better agree otherwise everyone will be angry with you. Listen
to others, but don’t get in the middle of a domestic situation,
that is none of your business. Once you come to a decision of
all your ineer doubts , your goals will clearly come into focus.
This week lucky numbers are: 98, 66, 40, 5, 43
A slowing of pace of life will help you to relax spending
time with family & friends. Shell you slow down and
relationships will start to take a positive turn. Focus your
energy on helping others and you will clearly realize the
importance of possessing friends, family. By week’s end
numbers are: 81, 19, 96, 60, 94
GEMINI (May 22-June 21)
most important people in your life. Share yourself with
others to help you achieve success in new areas of life.
Favorable week for travel, romantic or attending formal
functions. Try to express your sympathy & understanding
to others and you’ll gain their trust more easily. This week
lucky numbers are: 67, 57, 92, 12, 55
*+/;</=/>?@H>>P
VIRGO (Aug. 23 -Sept. 23)
You may wish to grow in your learning and experience but
!
Exercise patience and you’ll build the base for your future
#
that excites you. In order to be effective and successful, you
must focus on the big picture as well as on the small details.
Only once you have treat yourself secure , you will be able
to help anyone else. This week lucky numbers are: 14, 44, 34,
68, 92
AQUARIUS (Jan. 21 -Feb. 19)
It’s not your style to ask for permission but you may need the support
of higher-ups to get to where you want to be. Show your leadership
but avoid overly aggressive behavior. The world is not all black or
white. There are innumerable shades of gray in between. You’re
ready to either conquer the world or rip somebody’s head off,
perhaps both. Find a good way to utilize the passion you feel. This
week lucky numbers are: 82, 35, 95, 56, 19
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 23 -Dec. 21)
<*+]*=^!>Z@%>ZP
Busiess partners may tend to depend on you too much. Be more
Q'!;
boring for you. It’s a good week to back off from the old routine
and pay more attention to your personal life . There is a problem
with a close relationship appears on horizon . Keep your line of
communication positive & upbeat. You may need to re-evaluate
your mutual priorities in order to resolve your differences. This
week lucky numbers are: 17, 40, 84, 33, 27
It won’t matter that you have the right answer if you express it in the
W
$
get you the recognition that you’ve worked hard to earn. You need to
be carried about or you need someone to carry about. Don’t be afraid
to take the steps necessary to feel happier with your life.Family life
can also be really exciting. This week lucky numbers are: 6, 10, 53,
15, 44
SPOT THE DIFFERENCES
Can you spot the 12 differences between the two pictures?
www.thereporterethiopia.com
Solution
Solution
38| Vol. XIX No. 947
Sport
The Reporter | Saturday | November 01, 2014
Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee
Four months later and Roxanne is still
training hard. “I’d never boxed before,”
she said. “It’s a good work-out. It’s a good
stress reliever.”
By Mark Jenkin
During two decades living in Italy, Aldo
Noce gained an education in the benefits
of boxing. As a young man, he was
immersed in a sporting culture which
revered such great Italian-American
pugilists as Rocky Marciano, Jake
LaMotta and Rocky Graziano.
First and foremost, boxing teaches the
art of self defense - something Roxanne
was particularly keen to learn.
“Being a woman, walking the streets
might not be the best thing,” she said.”
In case I need it, I want to be able to know
how to throw a punch.”
In Ethiopia, the sport of boxing does
not hold the same prestige but Aldo is
determined to pass on his knowledge to
the people of his home country. At the
Juventus Sports Club in Addis Ababa,
hidden away in the suburbs above
Meskel Square, the coach regularly
gives newcomers a chance to learn the
“noble art”.
Currently, only a small number of
Ethiopians train at the gym and it is
Aldo’s ambition to see that change. The
nation has had some success at world
level in the past with a handful of boxers
qualifying for the Olympic Games,
although much still needs to be done to
raise the profile of the sport.
Boxing has long been heralded for
teaching its participants to be physically
and
mentally
strong.
Discipline
and respect between opponents are
important skills to learn, not just in a
sporting context but in all areas of life.
“Boxing is not only to fight; to receive
or give a punch,” Aldo says.” It’s a noble
art. It’s an education; how to defend
yourself; to develop your body and your
soul too.
“The first thing my trainer taught me,
was to box in the gym and not outside. I
don’t agree with fighting on the streets.
“When I was in Italy and I finished
a boxing match, I would talk to my
opponent. You are like enemies in the
ring - the sport is like that - but once
you’re out of the ring, he’s your friend.”
Now 38, Aldo was still a teenager when
he left Addis for Italy in 1991 while the
previous government was still in power.
As a youngster finding his way in a
foreign country, boxing was a valuable
way of fitting in.
Aldo Noce
France, Spain, Italy, Belgium and
the United States. The gym has a real
international feel.
Roxanne O’Connell, is from Philadelphia
in America and is half Ethiopian. She
works at Addis Ababa University and
was looking for a sport to boost her
health and fitness in the evenings.
“A friend of mine told me about it,” she
said. “We both tried it out once and he
never came back.”
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Molla Getechew, the only Ethiopian to
qualify for Beijing 2008, was disqualified
before his first bout after failing to make
the weight. Perhaps the best known
success story in Ethiopian boxing was
Seifu Mekonnen, from Showa, who was
twice chosen to box for his country at the
1972 and 1976 Olympics. After finishing
joint ninth in 1972 in Munich, he did
not get to compete in Montreal in 1976
because the Games were boycotted by
African nations.
Seifu, a light heavyweight, boxed
exhibition bouts in Germany and fought
in Russia and across Africa. To bring
similar progress today, Aldo would like
to see more qualified coaches and more
organized boxing shows.
Only a small number of shows take place
in the city every year, meaning boxers
do not have the chance to take their
skills from the gym to the ring.
“The sport has not really developed
here,” Aldo says. “There are few
qualified coaches here in Ethiopia.
Inspired by the achievements of
legendary middleweight Marvelous
Marvin Hagler and Italian bantamweight
Olympic champion Maurizio Stecca, he
was motivated to give his all every time
he laced up the gloves.
“Twenty years ago, they had good boxers,
good clubs. Now they have few clubs.
There are four or five private boxing
clubs and three or four government
clubs. It is not easy to find a boxing gym
here in Addis.”
For 10 years, Aldo competed as a
lightweight at amateur level, proudly
representing Boxing Club Vercelli in
the country’s northern region. Aldo still
recalls with great affection the effort,
energy and emotion that went into his
first bout.
With its 5-side football pitches, tennis
court and an indoor basketball court,
Juventus is well known for providing
sporting opportunities in Meskel,
however, the small gym set aside for
boxing, does not have space for a ring.
Two of Aldo’s pupils are ready to make
the step from training to competition
but will not have the opportunity until
they have a ring in which to practice
sparring.
“I can’t describe it,” he said. “My coach
prepared me for six months before I had
a match. I thought I was ready after two
months.
“I was so afraid but once you’re in the
ring and you hear the bell, you have to
fight and give your best.”
With support from the Ethiopian Boxing
Federation, Aldo will seek extra funding
so that his club can continue to develop.
Helping young people gain fitness and
stay away from trouble on the streets is
the main goal.
Having returned to Ethiopia two years
ago, he is now giving his best to help
others. An international coaching
qualification authorized by the Italian
Boxing Federation, is being put to good
use. Since February, the Noce Boxing
Club, where Aldo’s cousin Alex Casalino
also helps out, has been providing lessons
at Juventus. In a small hall at the back of
the complex, training takes place three
times a week. Up to 20 boxers, men and
women aged between 20 and 40, can be
found completing circuit drills, working
the punch bag and pushing themselves
to exhaustion with the skipping rope.
“Boxing is not a popular sport here in
Ethiopia but I’ll try my best to contribute
to it being one of the most popular
sports,” Aldo says.
“It is my personal target to train boxers,
to take kids from the roads, poor people,
and teach them to box.”
From Addis to Vercelli and back again,
he has already shown what can be
achieved with discipline and dedication.
As well as Ethiopia, they come from
all over the world, including Germany,
Ed.’s Note: The writer is on an internship
at The Reporter.
www.thereporterethiopia.com
Sport
The Reporter | Saturday | November 01, 2014
Vol. XIX No. 947 |39
The champions of tomorrow
By Mark Jenkin
For any long-distance runner, a race can
only begin with the first step.
Before an athlete can achieve the glory
of a gold medal at the Olympic Games,
there is years of groundwork to be done
at junior level.
And it is not just runners who hold
ambitions of representing their country
when they are signed up by the Ethiopian
Youth Sports Academy in Asella.
The Tirunesh Dibaba Sport Training
Center is also home to hurdlers,
sprinters, throwers, jumpers and soccer
players.
Training for six days a week and living
together in dormitories on campus, are
more than 200 teenagers from all nine
regions of the country, each with dreams
to reach the pinnacle of their sport.
At 6am every morning and again at
5pm in the afternoon, following rest and
school work, they can be found pushing
themselves to the limit to reach that goal.
Since the government-funded camp was
established five years ago, 160 athletes
have been selected for Ethiopia at junior
level and this year alone, 24 have worn
the green, yellow and red of the national
team.
Under the guidance of 16 qualified
coaches, 14 for athletics and two for
soccer, they are expected to dedicate
their lives to the pursuit of excellence.
It is the responsibility of Teshome
Kebede, the technical director, to ensure
the camp runs smoothly. It is a role that
requires significant planning - from
budgeting an individual’s daily calorie
intake to the constant problem of finding
new shoes when runners find their old
ones have worn through to the socks.
As well as the daily worries of
transporting students and planning
training, Teshome must oversee the
building of a brand new campus down
the road. Later this year, a second site,
built with a budget of 226 million birr, is
due to open in the heart of the Arsi Zone.
With a masters degree in athletics
coaching, Teshome, is a former
university 200m runner and is well
grounded in the nation’s sporting
culture.
“In Ethiopia, especially in this area,
everybody respects an athlete,” he
said. “Everybody knows the benefits of
athletics.
“We are providing young, elite athletes
and because of that I’m very proud.
If we provide them structured and
well-planned training we see lots of
improvement in their performance and
because of that, everybody enjoys it.
“Coaching junior athletes makes me
happy. When we are dealing with
youngsters, we can help them. We give
them the chance of helping themselves,
as well as the country.”
After being selected for the academy
based on their performances in regional
competitions, athletes, usually aged 16
or 17, sign a four-year contract.
When that time is completed they are
expected to have improved sufficiently
to join high-performance clubs where
they can push for a place in the national
Athletes training at Ethiopian Youth Sports Academy in Asella
senior squad.
It is the aim of the center to provide its
members with healthcare, education
and meals. A budget of 68 birr per day is
set aside for each person’s food.
“I think that’s good according to the
standard of our country,” Teshome
said. “We try to consider the calorie
expenditure of the athletes and provide
them with food three times as day.”
Pocket money is also supplied, with
boys receiving an allowance of 300 birr
and girls 350 birr per month. Along with
the vast potential, there are problems.
Teshome admits financial constraints
limit the support which can be provided.
“Sport is expensive,” he said. “It can
depend on the economy of your country.
we are recruiting athletes we always ask
them to bring their education and birth
certificates from the place they come
from. Once they provide the documents
we have to believe them.”
Standards at the camp are high too, with
performances constantly monitored.
Even if new recruits are injured, they
are given two years to prove themselves
but after that, if targets are not met, they
will be released to make room for others.
Despite role models such as Tirunesh
and Genzebe Dibaba, the center
recognizes not enough female athletes
are emerging through the system. It is
trying to encourage more girls to take
part, as well as giving young people
an opportunity in a broader range of
disciplines.
“Most of the training places are out of
the city so they need transportation.
We have only one old vehicle. That is
one of our basic problems. And we have
a scarcity of sports wear. We provide
at least one kit and in our country it is
difficult to get these. We provide them
only with a pair of running shoes for
the whole year - they are training on
grasslands and roads - and that is not
good enough.”
“We know that we are good at long
distances,” Teshome said. “The problem
of the country is sprints, middle distance,
throws and jumps.”
Sponsorship from major sports brands
would solve the problem but so far none
has been forthcoming. Teshome would
like to see Ethiopia’s most successful
athletes invest more back into grassroots
sport.
Ebese Kebede Hondesse, 17, is an
emerging sprinter who won silver in a
national competition in Addis Ababa
two years ago.
“Athletes in our country are not paying
taxes,” he said. “They are not expected
to pay taxes on what they earn outside.
We need to have a discussion with
our professional athletes. We need to
convince them they have to help their
country by paying taxes.”
As one of the world’s most prominent
athletics nations, it is not surprising the
selection process for the Asella camp
and its sister site in Addis Ababa, are
fiercely competitive.
“There are different athletes in different
corners of the country with talent,”
Teshome said. “There are so many
talented athletes, to provide them (all)
with a chance is difficult.”
Results in recent African Junior
Championships suggest progress is
being made as Asella members achieved
gold at javelin, silver in high jump and
bronze medals at the 100m and 400m
hurdles.
Originally from East Wollega in the
Oromia Region, she is in her third year
at the Academy. Ebese says her ambition
is “to be a winner, to be a champion” and
match her heroes Tirunesh Dibaba and
Usain Bolt. With personal bests of 25
seconds for 200m and 12.30 for 100m, she
is already one of the best for her age in
the country.
“It is good here,” she said. “I am happy
to be here.”
That is not a sentiment echoed by all
of the young people in Asella, however.
Some say their monthly allowance is not
enough to live on, they do not receive
enough food and facilities are not good
enough.
Such is the demand for places that
athletes’ ages must be scrutinized to
ensure they are not older than claimed.
Mujahid Mohammed, from Asosa, is
one of 42 soccer players at the campus.
Three years ago, he was selected along
with three other players from the town
of Benishangul.
“Age is a problem,” he said. “Age and
performance always go together. When
As a tall and powerful midfield player,
he would like to emulate Yaya Toure,
www.thereporterethiopia.com
the Ivory Coast international and
English Premier League champion with
Manchester City.
But Mujahid, who is about to turn 18,
is unhappy with the way the coaches
organize training.
“I want to be a professional football
player and help my family and my
parents,” he said.
“Everything is not comfortable here.
There is a lot of things we want. We
desperately need shoes. We don’t even
have a football field. We don’t have games,
or competitions. We are still asking for
them to prepare us a competition. If you
don’t have experience, you are nothing.
“We came here to be professional
players. We are trying our best and they
have to try their best too. They are the
ones who brought us here.
“We don’t get a chance to go to another
club. We are still trying. We don’t want
to give up.”
Overcoming such challenges can
only make a young person stronger.
Discipline is a vital ingredient for any
successful athlete. And at Asella, the
standard of a student’s behaviour is
expected to match their athletic ability.
“It is full of rules they have to respect,”
said Teshome. “The secret of success in
athletics is not only training.
“If an athlete is seen somewhere outside
the campus at an inappropriate time,
he will be fired. There is a time they are
expected to sleep ad get rest.
“Athletes are like soldiers. The
government is investing in them and we
need to see results.”
Every year, millions of young Ethiopians
dream of winning gold at the Olympics.
Here at Asella, they take the first steps,
striving passionately in the hope of
making that dream come true.
“You need time,” said Teshome. “You
need proper facilities and you need
proper athletes with good role models.
“If we invest, we can do it. We are just
here to help.
Our profit is our athletes - when they
perform well. After they have finished
their training here, they will serve their
country very proudly.”
Ed.’s Note: The writer is on an internship
at The Reporter.
40| Vol. XIX No. 947
The Reporter | Saturday | November 01, 2014
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