Humera Hospital Inaugurates New Health Centre

An additional health facility constructed at Kahisay Abera Hospital in Humera Town of the Western Tigray Zone, consisting of a patients’ department and emergency, laboratory, and pharmacy rooms, at a cost of 6.7 million Br, was inaugurated on May 7, 2010. The cost of the facility’s construction was covered by a nongovernmental organisation (NGO) called I-TECH Ethiopia and the US Government, according to Gebre-Ab Barnabas (MD). The facility will enable the hospital to provide efficient service to the public, he said.

Drug Authority Launches Five-year Plan

Ethiopian Drug Administration and Control Authority officially launched its five-year National Drug Control Strategic Plan. The plan focuses on the smuggling of drugs into the country and the illegal distribution and storage of drugs by both legal and illegal drug traders. In the ceremony, Health Minister Tewodros Adhanom (MD) described the special attention given to the problem, which demonstrated the commitments of the government to protect the public from health problems related to substance abuse.

Thousands of Nets, Spray Circumvent Malaria in Harari

Over 65,000 chemically treated mosquito nets to protect residents from malaria were distributed, said the Harari Regional State Health Bureau. Chemical spray will help protect 71,000 households from malaria for the coming six months, according to Kirba Kiya, officer of the Disease Prevention Case Team of the bureau. Anti-malaria chemical spray has so far been applied to 14,241 houses in Erer Dodota, Erer Weldia, and Erer Hawato kebeles of the state to pre-empt malaria outbreaks, he said.

West Hararghe Zone to Gain 26 Health Stations

In West Hararghe Zone, Oromia Regional State, construction of 26 health stations are in progress at a cost of over 89 million Br, covered by the federal and state governments, said the Zonal Health Department. The facilities will render service to over 600,000 people once fully operational, said Emeru Gebisa, department deputy head of the bureau. The health coverage of the facilities in the area has gone up to 65pc from 40pc five years ago. Construction of 110 health posts is also underway in all weredas of the zone, as part of the implementation of a health policy of prevention, Emeru added.

Ethiopia, Turkey Trade to Expand to $500m

The trade exchange between Ethiopia and Turkey is expected to reach 500 million dollars by the end of this year from the present 300 million dollars, Mulatu Teshome (PhD), Ethiopian Ambassador to Turkey, said. The trade exchange used to be only 10 million dollars on average in 2003/04, and this figure jumped to 100 million in 2005, he said. Ethiopia exports agricultural produce including sesame and cereals to Turkey, while it imports construction materials like steel and other industrial products. There are dozens of Turkish investors who are engaged in projects in Ethiopia, according to the ambassador.

Hawassa Well Increases Water Service to 72pc

In Hawassa Town, Southern Nations Nationalities and Peoples (SNNP) Regional State, a deep sinking water well, built at a cost of 3.5 million Br to help curb the acute shortage of clean water service in the town, began providing service, announced the Water and Sewerage Service Office. The sinking of the water well was part of the ongoing safe water projects launched in the town at a cost of 16 million Br. The new potable water facility has the capability to produce over 1.03 million litres of water daily. This has increased the town’s daily safe water supply to over 9.03 million litres, boosting the water service coverage to 72pc, said Leka Yetamo, office head.

Tana Beles Plant Brings Ethiopia’s Production to Nearly 2,000MW

The Tana Beles Hydroelectric Plant opened on May 5, 2010, with the capacity to produce 460MW of hydroelectricity to overcome energy shortages and make Ethiopia one of Africa’s few power exporters. The new plant’s construction was led by Italy’s Salini Costruttori, which took five years to complete at a cost of 6.4 billion Br. The Italian Government covered 3.8 billion Br and Ethiopia covered the rest. The new dam brings the power generation capacity of Ethiopia to almost 2,000MW.

Over One Billion Dollars in Exports Show 22.5pc Increase

During the past eight months, Ethiopian exports have brought in over one billion dollars, according to the Ministry of Trade and Industry (MoTI). This income has shows a 22.5pc growth when compared to last year. Gold, oilseeds, coffee, honey, textiles, leather, and leather products contributed to the increase in export earnings, said Amakele Yimam, director of Corporate Communication for the ministry.

Embassy to Inaugurate Chancery, Residence

The Ethiopian Embassy in Khartoum, Sudan is going to inaugurate a complex built with an outlay of over 80 million Br. The Ethiopian Government decided to create an asset in Sudan by constructing a chancery and embassy residence building, according to Ali Abdo, Ethiopia's ambassador to Sudan. The complex will also undergo a facelift.