April 2017 – Ethiopian Business Review

In September 2015, Dashen Brewery and Arsenal Football Club announced a three-year partnership. The partnership focuses on supporting Dashen Brewery’s community-based initiatives. Coaches from the club regularly visit Ethiopia and provide coaching to the Brewer’s grassroots football development project.

The third round the grassroots coaching session was held from February 9 to 10, 2017, in Addis Ababa. Grassroots football projects of the Ethiopian Premier League clubs, the Ethiopian Football Federation, regional sports commissions, and private projects partook in the training. EBR adjunct staff writer Abiy Wendifraw attended the session and discussed with participants on how the training will help them to improve their coaching.

The Burden of Children’s Heart Disease in Ethiopia

Many sub-Saharan African countries have high rates of heart diseases in children and young adults, including congenital heart disease and rheumatic heart disease. This is especially true in countries where primary prevention and post treatment has often been neglected as a large scale strategy. In Ethiopia, only one NGO is working on children’s heart disease showing the massive work the country needs to accomplish in the future. However, officials argue that the government is working to improve the situation. EBR’s Surafel Dereje spoke with stakeholders to discover the extent of the problem and efforts undertaken to ease the situation.

More than Half of the Registered Investment in Ethiopia

Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) has many advantages to host countries. Especially in developing countries like Ethiopia, FDI provides scarce resources – finance, technology and management expertise.
Ethiopia has realized these decades ago and has since implemented structural reforms and trade liberalisation to attract more FDI. Accordingly, it has managed to attract a good deal of investment particularly in recent years.

Investors Shy Away T-Bills Due to Low Interest

As Ethiopia attempts to lay the foundations for economic transformation, it has embarked on highly ambitious development programmes. While heavy state-led investment has helped the economy grow at double digits for over a decade; there are costs attached to it. The huge finance needed to cover the construction of large infrastructure has created financial pressure leading to budget deficit.

The Crucial Role of Improved Seeds in Ethiopia

Quality seed is a key input for improving crop production. Improving the quality of seeds can increase the yield potential of any crop significantly and thus, is one of the most economical and efficient inputs to agricultural development. However, the seed system in Ethiopia is filled with complex organisational and operational setups that partly thwart the country’s prospect for agricultural revolution. Ethiopian seed system has been confronted with several challenges such as limited capacity of agricultural research centres and distribution channels. Failure of proper utilisation of the already available improved seeds is also a major problem. EBR’s Ashenafi Endale sat down with stakeholders to get to the bottom of the issue and understand what the government is doing to improve the lingering seed system in the country.

50 Years of Distinguished Services in Protecting Ethiopia’s Genetic Wealth

Melaku Worede, (PhD) was born in Addis Ababa in 1936. After obtaining his masters and PhD in Genetics and Breeding from the University of Nebraska in the USA, he returned home and got involved in the planning and establishment of the national Plant Genetic Resources Centre, of which he became director in 1979. He served in that capacity until his retirement in 1993.

In 1989, Melaku was bestowed the Right Livelihood Award, an international award conferred to exemplary leaders who offer practical and exemplary solutions to the urgent and pressing challenges facing the world.

After a decade of impressive economic growth, Ethiopia has been experiencing a slowdown in the past two years. The situation is evident in all sectors. However, the construction sector and international trade have suffered more visibly. The lack both of local and hard currencies exacerbated the problem.
However, according to NBE, during the first quarter of the current fiscal year, ETB23.3 billion was disbursed in fresh loans, indicating a 19.7Pct yearly growth. Out of the loans, the housing and construction sector received ETB2.8 billion, 10.2Pct of the total disbursed credit while the import and export sector was also one of the major beneficiaries of the fresh loans amounting to ETB4.4 billion, which is 18.8Pct of the total loans.
EBR’s Tamirat Astatkie talked to stakeholders, experts and consulted relevant reports and documents to compile this story.

Family-owned firms are the backbone of the world’s economies, but only a third survive to the second generation. In much of the world, family and firms are perhaps the two most important institutions, and these are often intertwined. The creation, growth and longevity of family businesses are critical to the success of the global economy. Indeed the majority of businesses in the world are family controlled – and these range from unsung, modestly-sized firms to commercial giants such as Ford, Samsung and Hyundai.

‘Jack-of-All-Trades, Master of None’

Born in 1937, Tasfaye Gessesse is one of the most important promoters of Ethiopian modern theatre and has been an actor, director and theatre administrator during his career that spanned for more than 50 years. Tasfaye, who recently celebrated his 80th birthday, also wrote and directed several plays that have a great relevance in the modern culture of Ethiopia. EBR’s Tamirat Astatkie spoke with the multi-disciplinary artist and his colleagues to learn about his contribution for the Ethiopian art.

Learning from the Best

Too Young To Die

The Burden of Children’s Heart Disease in Ethiopia

Fail to Start Operation: Why?

More than Half of the Registered Investment in Ethiopia

T-Bill Conundrum

Investors Shy Away T-Bills Due to Low Interest

Quality Seeds, Quality Yields

The Crucial Role of Improved Seeds in Ethiopia

Melaku Worede, Laureate

50 Years of Distinguished Services in Protecting Ethiopia’s Genetic Wealth

Where is the Cash? Slowdown Looms Over the Economy

Family-Owned Businesses: In Perspective and Prospective

Tesfaye Gessesse

‘Jack-of-All-Trades, Master of None’

Arki Homes Expo being held at Millennium Hall

Tulu Kapi Signs Umbrella Agreement

Local company Wins Fintech Innovation Award