Addis Abeba Doubles its Sewage Collection

The Addis Abeba Water Sewerage Authority (AAWSA) purchased 18 new wastewater pumping vans at a cost of 25 million Br. Although 87 more vans need to be imported, the arrival of the new sewage vans will double the city's capacity to collect sewage to 750,000 cubic meters per year, up from 350,000 cubic meters, Sulieman Tayb, public relations officer for AAWSA, disclosed. According to Sulieman, the vans will be distributed among the branch offices in the city.

EEPCo to Spend 1.6b Br on New Power Grid

The Ethiopian Electric Power Corporation (EEPCo) will spend a projected 1.6 billion Br to build an electric grid to transmit 400kv of power. The project will provide a network connecting Tana Beles-Debre Markos, Debre Markos-Bahir Dar, Bahir Dar-Sululta and Sululta-Geferssa, according to Meheret Debebe, General Manager of EEPCo. The government of Ethiopia will cover some 15pc of the 1.6 billion Br cost budgeted for the project, while the remaining 85pc of this sum has been secured from China on long-term loan. On behalf of the Chinese government, the Chinese National Machinery and Equipment Import Export Corporation signed the agreement with EEPCo.

Irrigation Projects Seek to Settle Pastoral Communities

Five new irrigation projects in South Omo Zone are to be undertaken at a cost of 11.4 million Br during the current fiscal year. The projects are intended to encourage pastoralists, mobile livestock herders, in five Woredas - Hamer, Male, Salamago, Bena Tsemay and North Ari - to take up a more settled, agro-pastoralist livelihood, Bekele Chala, Omo Zone Water Resources Development department's head, told Walta Information Centre. The projects will be developed on 1,430hct of land to benefit over 6,000 households in the pastoralist community living in the five Woredas. The funds to cover the projects come from the state Water Resources Development Bureau, African Development Bank, International Fund for Agricultural Development and the Norwegian Lutheran Mission.

Norway Finances 10 Grain Storage Facilities

The Norwegian government financed 10 grain storage facilities in ten Woredas of the Southern Nations and Nationalities State at a cost of 2.3 million Br. The storage halls, built in the draught prone Woredas, were handed over on October 18, 2007 to the region's Disaster Prevention and Preparedness Department (DPPD) at Worabe town of the Silte zone. According to Save the Children Norway in Ethiopia, each of the 10 facilities has the capacity to store 350 metric tonnes of grain.

New 12m Br Hotel Opens on Langano

A new hotel built at a cost of 12 million Br overlooking the Langano Lake was inaugurated on October 14, 2007. Construction of the hotel in Langano, Negele of Arsi zone took three years. The owner, Ferrari Lugi, said he obtained the 60,000sqm of land for the hotel soon after making the request to the region's officials. Ferrari says the business will employ more than 150 people.  

Akaki Primary Schools Opens New Wing

A new four-story building constructed at a cost of 2.3 million Br by the Akaki primary school in Akaki-Kality District has been inaugurated to provide services during the current academic year. According to Desalegn Godebo, director of the school, the construction of the new four-story wing in the school compound was fully financed by the government, and the new building adds 24 more classrooms so that students from the fifth grade to eighth grade can enjoy a full day at the school.

WFP Secures 13.5m Dollars for Food Aid

The World Food Program (WFP) secured 13.5 million dollars from the European Commission to assist more than one million people in Ethiopia affected by a food shortage. The grant will pave the way for continuing assistance of this nature, said Mohammed Diab, WFP's director. According to WFP, 20,000 metric tonnes of various food commodities and 4,500 metric tonnes of cereals would be bought from local suppliers.

Germany to Bring 50 Development Experts

The German Development Service (DED) will spend 4.8 million euros (61 million Br) to bring 50 foreign development experts to Ethiopia to provide capacity building. The experts are expected to arrive in Ethiopia early next year and will participate in the Engineering Capacity Building Programme to improve the quality of the programme's vocational training as well to strengthen the abilities of private enterprises in various sectors.

Italy to Make Good on 300,000-dollar Pledge

The 300,000 dollars pledged by the government of Italy to the African Peer Review Mechanism Secretariat is due to be released through the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UNDESA), the Italian Embassy in Ethiopia confirmed. The announcement of this financial contribution was made by Prime Minister Romano Prodi's personal representative for Africa, Armando Sanguini, in the presence of Alpha Umar Konare, chairperson of the African Union. It was learnt that out of the 26 countries including Ethiopia that asked to be included in the process of the peer mechanism, five of the counties - Algeria, Ghana, Kenya, Rwanda and South Africa -  so far have completed the first phases.

Almeda Textile Plans 176m Br Expansion

Almeda Textile Factor will undertake an expansion project at a cost of 176 million Br. The investment is an effort to enhance the efficiency of production at Almeda, Getaneh Kassa, Public Relations Officer of the Almeda, told Walta Information Centre. Almeda has been producing fabrics for American and European markets, but the exports have brought in disappointing returns. Hence, the expansion will focus on improving efficiencies in these products to increase profit margin, Getaneh said.