Finland has taken the top spot as the happiest country in the world, according to the World Happiness Report 2018, which ranked 156 countries by their happiness levels, and 117 countries by the happiness of their immigrants. Norway and Denmark came second and third, respectively, in the report published last month whereas the most powerful country in the world, the United States, ranked 18th, dropping down four spots from last year.
Fight Against Illegal Currency Trading
Over the recent months, the government has undertaken several measures to wipe out the parallel exchange market. But none of the measures were effective in arresting the spread of black market transactions. The first step was spreading a false rumor that the government would adjust the exchange rate. In doing so, it managed to temporarily weaken the black market and narrow the gap between it, and the official exchange market to as low as five cents. This was short-lived though. Black market players, who saw that the government did not keep its word, started raising the exchange rates again. Frustrated by their actions, the government, in an unprecedented move, shut down businesses engaged in the informal exchange market. But that also didn’t work, as the gap between the parallel and official market widened by almost eight birr. EBR’s Samson Berhane investigates.
Shortcut to Industrialisation?
The recent unveiling of the industrial park in Adama was just the latest in Ethiopia’s bid to open an industrial park in every region. The plan for industrial parks has always been to attract foreign investment into the country, and thereby start Ethiopia on the road towards industrialization, and eventually to middle-income status. However, many experts warn that the problem of industrializing the country reaches further than just providing a place with reliable electricity and infrastructure. In the face of nearly overwhelming optimism about industrial parks, some still have reservations.
Currently, Ethiopia is striving to construct 30 industrial parks in the next two years, as shortcut to cope with late industrialization. However, Birhanu Gizaw (PhD), who has been an industrial engineer both in the academic and private sector for 30 years, the last 15 of which he has spent in Germany, boldly argues that Ethiopia needs to revise its industrialization policy. He argues industrialization is about a fundamental change in mentality, and manufacturing products and technology that simplify the life of each and every citizen, rural and urban alike. Currently, he is developing a technology park in collaboration with Jimma University, the first of its kind. In addition he is a lecturer at the Addis Ababa institute of Technology, and is chairperson for the Society of Electrical Engineers. He recently sat down with EBR’s Ashenafi Endale to discuss the country’s industrial efforts. The following is an excerpt:
Can Ethiopia Break Free?
With the escalation of violence resulting in the death and displacement of millions of people, the humanitarian situation in Ethiopia has deteriorated over the past six months. The number of internally displaced people in the country, which started to increase last December, reached an historic peak in April 2018. Many attribute the problem to the ethnic based politics that the country has been pursuing since 1991. Since then, politicians have especially been using ethnicity as an instrument to advance wide ranging political and economic interests. EBR’s Samson Berhane explores.
