Efforts to Increase Foreign Trade are Underway

Ethiopia has secured 72 million dollars from the manufacturing industry sector during the first quarter of this fiscal year, exceeding by 104.4pc that of the same period in the previous year, according to the Ministry of Industry (MoI). Strengthened activities, supplying of inputs and application of transparent and modern system and capacity building programs are being carried out to increase the revenues from foreign trade, according to Melaku Taye, corporate communication director of MoI. There is a plan to obtain 471.2 million dollars in revenue from textile, leather, agro-processing, chemical and pharmaceutical sub sectors at the end of this year.

Tourism Generates Revenues of Over 93m Br

Over 93 million Br of income was collected from 16,000 foreign and domestic tourists who visited attraction sites of Dire Dawa Town, exceeding that of the same period by two fold in the first quarter of this fiscal year, according to the Town Administration Trade, Industry and Tourism Bureau. The foreign tourists were from North and South America, Europe, Asia, Australia and Djibouti, visiting the railway, ancient pictures drawn on the walls of caves, market places known as ‘Qefira’, ancient mosques and churches, according to Roble Ali, bureau tourism development and tourist process owner. 

Plans to Secure Over $511m in Tourism Revenues

Ethiopia has plans to secure over 511 million dollars in revenue from tourism in this fiscal year. This amount will be greater than that of last year’s by over 194 million dollars. The country has obtained over 300 million dollars in revenue from tourism in the previous fiscal year, according to Tesfaye Getahun, development and marketing coordinator of the Ministry of Tourism (MoT).  

EEPCo Plans to Provide Electricity to 75pc of Population

ABB, a leading power and automation technology group based in the UK has won orders from Ethiopian Electric Power Corporation (EEPCO) worth 26 million dollars to extend and upgrade four existing transmission substations in the central region of the country, according to the report. The project, financed by the African Development Bank (AfDB) is EEPCO’s initiative as part of the five year plan to increase the power generation program from approximately 2,000Mw to 8,000Mw and provide 75pc of the population with electricity, according to the report. 
 

41m Br Research Center Under Construction

The Oromia State Agricultural Research Institute is constructing a research center at a cost of 41 million Br.  The center will have a library, electronics, and internet quarter, according to Wondoson Bikila, institute communication partnership process manager. The construction of the building was launched three years ago.

Some 171,000tn of Coffee to be Supplied to the Central Market

Some 171,000tn of coffee will be supplied to the central market from Southern Nations, Nationalities and Peoples State (SNNP) in this budget year, doubling that of the same period in the previous year, according to the State Marketing and Cooperative Bureau. A total of 290,000tn of coffee is expected to be harvested, according to Abraham Demissie, deputy bureau head.  

Over 600 million Br in revenue was collected from 6000tn of coffee produced in 14 Woredas of the Arsi zone from the activities carried out in the previous Ethiopian budget year, according to the Arsi Zone Agriculture and Rural Development Department in Oromia State. The volume of coffee produced exceeded that of the previous year by 20pc, according to the Zonal office.

The Bench Maji Zone cooperative Department has collected over 190 million Br of revenue from the supply of 2,486tn of coffee to the central market in the past three months, exceeding that of the same period last year by 122.5 million Br, according to the Zone Cooperative Department.   

East Gojjam Zone Collects over 40m Br of Income in Three Months

The East Gojjam Zone in the Amhara State Revenue Branch Office has collected over 40 million Br of income during the first three months of this fiscal year, surpassing by over 90pc that of same period last year, according to the office.  The revenue was collected from regular and non-regular income titles.