The 2012 edition of the Economic Report on Africa (ERA) launched in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia contends that Africa has the potential to be a pole of global growth and calls for unleashing the continent's full potential to fully play that role, according to the Information and Communication Service of ECA. - “Africa needs to be prepared to reap the potential benefits of this momentum,” . Mr. Abdalla Hamdok, the Deputy Executive Secretary of the ECA said In remarks made at today’s launch he stressed, and outlined among the report’s many recommendations, the need for structural reforms, as well as infrastructure, innovation and value chains as some of the key areas that…

All eyes are on the 18th African Union (AU) Summit that is currently underway in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia until the 30th of January 2012. While the theme of the Summit is "Boosting Intra-African Trade", the election of the AU Commission Chairperson and Deputy Chairperson on 29 January will also take centre stage. - This year, one of the most anticipated moments of the Conference is the election for a term of four years of members of the AU Commission, namely, the Chairperson, Deputy Chairperson and the eight Commissioners. “In July 011, the Commission notified Member States on the vacancies of the above mentioned positions and the deadline for submissions for the candidacies …

Ethiopian Airlines strongly refutes the final investigation report released today by the Lebanese Ministry of Public Works and Transport on the accident of ET 409 / 25 January 2010. "The Airline maintained that the Lebanese Government had been speculating the cause of the accident as pilot error right from the day of the accident contrary to the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) Annex 13." EAL (Ethiopian Airlines) stated in a statement it posted in its website. - “We are not surprised that the investigation process in the last couple of years was used only to justify the speculation made publicly before the beginning of the investigation process. To this effect…

The Ethiopian government issued a strong statement warning Eritrea of severe consequences until it stops interfering in the destabilizing of Ethiopia's sovereignty and peace. The statement also express its condolence to the families of those killed in this cruel attack and promise that to do everything possible to have those taken prisoner released as soon as possible. - “The Ethiopian government's tolerance towards a regime that openly supports terrorist activity is inevitably wearing thinner by the day. The Government cannot and should not sit idly by while the regime in Asmara continues to sponsor acts of terror within Ethiopia's territory with impunity.” The E…

Five tourists have been killed and two others wounded in the northern part of Ethiopia Dankel region. The five were killed in an ambush by bandits that cross from Eritrea while they were in a visit to Erta-ale active volcano site. - According to government officials, the tourist were from different countries such as Austrian, Belgian, German, Hungarian and Italian nationals are among the foreign tourists attacked by gunmen. Mean while a bus traveling for Addis to the Northern Region killed 40 passengers and injured 6 when it plunge into 120 meter gorge and engulf by fire. According to the police in the area the bus had been carrying 46 passengers, the driver and his assistance. …

Africa has over the last 12 months experienced political upheavals of a massive nature and the action and inaction of the African Union and its various organizations has brought to question the future of this body established with most noble intentions. - “From Tunisia through to Egypt, Libya and even in Ivory Coast there are political movements of different nature that challenged the institution establishment to endanger African Unity, peace and development,” says Former Ghana President Jerry John Rawlings in a speech to the pan African Parliament that opens its sixth ordinary meeting in Addis Ababa. Rawlings further stated that, while majority of us were delighted by the wil…

More than a month after the kidnapping of three aid workers in Kenya's Dadaab refugee complex, insecurity continues to affect aid efforts. The situation is being exacerbated by heavy rains and accompanying risks of waterborne diseases. "Nearly 100 additional Kenyan police have been deployed in the camps in the last month. UNHCR is supporting them with vehicles, shelter and telecommunications equipment. - Together with our partners, we are exploring options to gradually resume full operations despite continued security incidents in and around Dadaab. In the meantime, refugees are still receiving life-saving aid, namely food, water and health care,” UNHCR press briefing disclos…

The Second African Road Safety Conference opened in Addis, with somber calls to turn Africa's road carnage statistics around through the implementation of a proposed African Action Plan for the Decade 2011-2020. The Plan will be reviewed this week by the hundreds of participants in attendance. - “Poor road networks, inadequate road signage, limited knowledge on road safety, poorly enforced legislation and the poor emergency-preparedness by medical facilities.” Mr. Abdalla Hamdok, Deputy Executive Secretary of the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) said “That road crashes are the second leading cause of death for the able body age group in African coun…

Senior former officials of the military regime who have been sentenced to death by Ethiopian court for genocide crime against humanity have been pardoned after almost 21 years imprisonment and the public reaction is positive with some reservations. - “We all make mistakes one way or the other. They did a terrible mistakes and this is proven by the due processes of law beyond any doubt. By this I hope all of us have learnt a lesson that no body is above the law no matter how long it may take.” Abdurrahman Yassen a political scientist said. “Forgiveness is not a sign of weakness; instead it is a sign of strength and self-confidence. They the former officials by now they m…

Representatives of different political parties of DR Congo met in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, to discuss security issues relating to the upcoming national election. "Most of the opposition party candidates have expressed their concern on the security of the country after the November 28, 2011 election, while other candidates worry that the election may not take place on schedule due to delay in providing all the necessary logistics and equipments." - The meeting which is organized by the African Union and Institute for Peace and Security Studies (IPSS) of the Addis Ababa University has brought together some of the major political parties, independent presidential candidates and the nati…

Africa is trying to gear up a common position through the launching a platform for development effectiveness. "At the heart of these regional engagements is the urgent need for Africa to address the current aid architecture and its implications for Africa's development," said Ibrahim Assane Mayaki, Chief Executive Officer of the NEPAD Planning and Coordinating Agency (NEPAD Agency) at the opening of the third Africa regional meeting on development effectiveness. - “From the first and second Africa regional meetings, through the launch of the Africa Platform for Development Effectiveness and also through this third engagement, Africa has articulated its priorities result…

Enhanced health and nutrition interventions by United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) and partners have resulted in a steady improvement, reducing the crude mortality rate in Kobe camp from 4-5 deaths per 10,000 to 2.1 deaths per 10,000 daily. - “This is the result of team work at its best with UNHCR and the Government playing superb leadership role,” said Ambassador Hisham Badr of Egypt who is also the Chairman of UNHCR’s Executive Committee (ExCom). He made the statement after visiting southeast Ethiopia’s Kobe refugee camp on Sunday (September 25, 2011). Ambassador Badr’s visit comes ahead of the annual meeting of UNHCR’s Executive Comm…

A generation of children in East Africa faces a lasting legacy of extreme hardship from the drought and issues afflicting the region, child rights organization, Plan International, has warned. An estimated 10 million people need food aid across the region, many of them mothers and children and the long-term impact could affect them for years to come. - “We’ve been working with families to prepare for annual drought – but this year is different. Combinations of persistent failed rains, dwindling resources, conflict and rising food prices have created the perfect storm,” Gezahegn Kebede Regional Director of Plan International in Eastern and Southern Africa said. …

The Economic Development in Africa 2011 subtitled Fostering Development in Africa in the New Global Environment, calls for a practical, well-designed approach to industrialization that is adjusted to specific country circumstances and based on extensive discussion with and feed back from business and entrepreneurs. - The report that is released today stated “Africa is losing ground in labor-intensive manufacturing, which generally the entry-level step in industrial development.” According to the report, this crucially important in Africa, where jobs are needed in rapidly growing cities. The report further noted that, the share of labor-intensive manufacturing value added (MVA…

Experts meeting in Addis Ababa to address Public-Private Partnerships (PPP) for Africa's struggling energy sector have underscored that no other infrastructure sector inhibits GDP growth across the African continent more than power. - “On average, only 12% of households have access to electricity. Promoting investment in this sector cannot be overemphasized for without investment in this sector, we will not be able to achieve sustainable growth and development in the Continent Mr. Abdalla Hamdok, Director of the Governance and Public Administration Division at the ECA said. “To eradicate energy scarcity, the investments in energy infrastructure should be greatly increase…

Ethiopia's Prime Minister, Meles Zenawi, on Tuesday call for regime change in Eritrea and accused an opposition party, Medrek, of planning and instigating violence in Ethiopia. Zenawi has also accused Egypt of backing Eritrea's effort to destabilize in that country. - “Ethiopia would not tolerate Eritrean government’s destructive policy anymore and the country is forced to change its policy from “passive defiance” to directly help Eritrean people topple the regime,” Zenawi said while presenting an eight-month government’s performance report to parliament. According to the prime minister, Eritrean government has continued its attempt to destabi…

The African Youth Forum, which is a pre-summit event of the June-July AU Summit, opened last Friday at the African Union headquarters. The forum, which is holding under the theme:" Accelerating Youth Empowerment for Sustainable Development" has attracted about 300 youth representatives from all over Africa and the Diaspora. - It is organized by the Department of Human Resources Science and Technology (HRST) of the African Union Commission (AUC). “The youth should have the will and faith to use their potential capabilities for the development of Africa. Efficiency and the development of Africa depends on youth empowerment, and the youth need education in various ways and f…

Ethiopia has decided to exploit its abundant resources to generate electricity from renewable sources not only to solve the electricity currently facing the country but also to export power, says Ethiopia's Prime Minster Meles Zenawi, while opening a conference of Hydropower for Sustainable Development 2011 in Addis Ababa. - The hydroelectric Dam on Nile when completed will generate 5,250 KW of power and is expected to cost about 4.8 billion Euros. Zenawi pointed out,” the topography of our country is such that our hydropower dams are to be built across deep gorges, as a result their adverse impact on the flora and fauna of the vicinity is very limited.” Speaking about…

Africa is preparing to tackle development head-on and take ownership of its development agenda with the launch of the Africa Platform for Development Effectiveness (APDEv) in Addis Ababa. The UN under Secretary-General and Executive Secretary of ECA, Abdoulie Janneh, called the platform "a very bold initiative." He said: "If Africa is to be globally competitive, greater investment in knowledge and learning would be required." - Thus, further pointed out, the Platform needs to support current efforts aimed at the promotion of evidence-based policy design and decision-making. Janneh emphasized, knowledge- and experience-sharing are already taking place on different scale…

The African Union calls for renewed effort to resolve the Abeye issue in the Sudan. The AU in a statement said "Chairperson of the Commission has learnt with great concern the news on the deadly clashes that have been taking place in the Abyei region of Sudan. He condemns this renewed violence, which undermines the successful implementation of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA), especially the ongoing search for a solution to the Abyei issue." - The statement further noted,” The Chairperson wishes to emphasize the need to deploy every effort to put an end to Insecurity in the Abyei region and create a peaceful and secure environment for the people of That part of Sudan.&…

The Chairperson of the African Union Commission, Jean Ping, Congratulates the people of Sudan and their leaders on the occasion of the official announcement by the South Sudan Referendum Commission, in a statement the Africa Union commission released. - The Chairperson, recalling the solemn declaration on the Sudan adopted by the AU Summit of January 2011, expresses his conviction that with the completion of this referendum, Sudan has decisively overcome its tragic history of division and its exceptional legacy inherited from its past, the AU statement added. “In recognition of the Sudan’s unique political circumstances, Africa recognized the right of self‐determination …

African agriculture is to contribute to the achievement of the MDGs through broad-based growth, food security, employment and poverty reduction. "It would need to transform from the current subsistence system to market oriented ones," the Director of Food Security and Sustainable Development (FSSD) of Economic Commission for Africa, Josue Dione, said in Addis Ababa. - Welcoming about 30 experts who began a three-day meeting on the “Development and Promotion of Regional Strategic Food and Agricultural Commodities Value Chains in Africa” “An effective transformation of agriculture in Africa must first bridge the poor linkages of farmers to input markets and to pr…

GAIN - the Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition and the New Partnership for Africa's Development (NEPAD) signed a Memorandum of Understanding which will significantly contribute to reduce malnutrition in Africa. - “Malnutrition is costing millions of lives, in particular women and children. It also prevents millions of people from contributing to the Continent’s growth and development” said Jay Naidoo, chair of GAIN Board. The agreement was co-signed in Addis Ababa during NEPAD’s steering committee between Jay Naidoo, chair of GAIN Board and Ibrahim Mayaki, CEO of NEPAD Planning and Coordinating Agency. In Africa, one in four people suffer from malnutriti…

A study by the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA) has concluded that Africa's rapid growth in industrial technological acquisition gives rise to the hope that the continent may be joining other developing regions in building a sound industrial base. - “The findings reveal an impressive turnaround from the slow growth in Africa’s share of the number of patents, peer-reviewed scientific publications and, technology exports and imports which grew very slowly in the 1980s to 1990s, Abdoulie Janneh under Secretary-General and ECA’s Executive Secretary said. Janneh added, “the trends associated with technology transfer as assessed in the study pro…