Farmers Secure 40m Br from Animal Husbandry

In Mana and Sentema weredas of Jimma Zone, farmers engaged in animal husbandry recorded a profit of more than 40.5m Br, according to the Zone Information Bureau. The stated amount of money was secured by more than 32,000 farmers, said Meseret Regassa, an official of the Bureau. The farmers brought 20,000 cows and more than 17,300 goats and sheep to the market.

Farmers Collect 4.3m Br from Apiary Development

Farmers in Guraghe Zone of Southern Nations, Nationalities and Peoples Regional State have obtained 4.3m Br from sale of honey during the last budget year, the Zone's Agriculture and Rural Development Department said. The farmers had used 681 bee hives to produce the honey. The amount of honey produced in the reported period increased by 42 tns compared to that of the previous year.

Company to Distribute 2.2b Br loan

Oromia Credit and Saving Share Company will distribute 2.2 billion Br in loan to half a million people this budget year. The loan will be distributed to achieve the poverty reduction strategy of the country, said Hailu Ifa, deputy general manager of the institution. The loan will also be distributed among civil servants with a view to enabling them to construct their own residential houses. The company plans to open microfinance banks in Adama, Shashemane, Assela, Weliso and Ambo towns soon. It already opened microfinance banks in Sebeta, Burayu, Bishoftu and Nekemte towns in addition to its 194 branches in rural kebeles of the Regional State, according to Hailu. 

Ethiopian Airport Enterprise Wins Corporate Achievement Award

The Ethiopian Airport Enterprise (EAE) was awarded a corporate 'Achievement Award for Excellence in Aviation Industry' at the 15th Aviation and Allied Business Leadership Conference from August 31, 2009 to September 1, 2009. The award was in recognition of the EAE's outstanding contributions to the development of the aviation industry in Africa, according to a press release from the enterprise. The Addis Abeba Bole International Airport is the first airport in Africa to operate Bar Coded Boarding Passes (BCBP) for all international flights.

Development Activities Worth 350m Br in Bahir Dar

More than 350m Br worth development activities are taking place in Bahir Dar, said Alemayehu Sewagegn, mayor of the city. With the support of more than 200m Br from the regional government more than eight kilometres of asphalt road is being constructed and other road pavement, maintenance and cobble stone constructions are also being implemented. The development is expected to create job opportunities for more than 6,000 individuals, according to Alemayehu.

Regional State Licenses Investors with more than 228m Br Capital

In the Amhara Regional State, Semen Shoa Zone in Shoa-Robit Town investors with more than 228 million Br capital have been given licences, said Kiflu Biferu, mayor of the town. Thirty two investors took licences in the past fiscal year. More than 2oohct of land was also provided to the investors, according to the Mayor. More than 1,500 individuals have been employed while 4,000 will be employed after the completion of the initial stages of development.

EPS Set to Collect 131m Br

The Ethiopian Postal Service (EPS) said it has planned to collect 131 million Br from provisions of prompt services by customers during the current fiscal year. Speaking about the 2009-10 action plan for the organization, Gidey G. Yohannes, general manager of EPS said. His organization envisages collecting in the stated amount of income this year by improving the quality of its services to customers.

Bureau Focuses on Sanitation to Control Acute Watery Diarrhea

The Addis Abeba Health Bureau has now shifted its attention to dealing with the root cause of the acute watery diarrhea (AWD) it said. The Bureau has already started investigation on hotels and restaurants and so far visited 668 hotels and closed 32 for poor sanitation. So far 5,700 AWD cases have been reported throughout the country including 4,200 in the capital over the last two weeks. Some 27 have been reported dead throughout the country.

Sweden Continues its Humanitarian Support to Ethiopia

The Embassy of Sweden in Addis Abeba confirmed its continued humanitarian support. In July 2009, Sweden has assigned a contribution of 115 million Br in response to the 2009 Humanitarian Requirements launched by the Government of Sweden and Humanitarian Partners in January 2009. Sweden's contribution will be channelled through United Nations Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Aid (OCHA) (82.1 million Br) and through UNICEF (32.9 million Br), providing flexible funding for urgent interventions targeting humanitarian needs in health and nutrition Sweden has also contributed an additional 28.9 million Br through NGOs to support interventions in response to the 2009 humanitarian needs.