As Ethiopian films fundamentally offer ‘normal’ characters with minor or no special
features on their bodies, the role of special effects and prosthetic makeup has been very minimal in Ethiopian film making. That might be about to change as a new breed of young talent is taking up special effects and prosthetic makeup. Kiya Ali explores.
Just a month after Ethiopia reported its first case of Coronavirus, schools were closed and students were told to stay at home. The intention was clear. It was implemented to protect them from the deadly virus. Unfortunately, some of the students were confronted with other major challenges at home. Some girls have been forced to get married, while a considerable numbers were raped and a lot were sexually abused. An unfortunate few also got pregnant after being raped by family members. EBR’s Kiya Ali reports.
Abraham Gezahegn is a prominent Ethiopian film maker. In addition to the immense popularity he enjoys domestically, Abraham has won various international film awards. With strong script writing and directing skills, he represents a rare quality in Ethiopia’s weak film sector. Ethiopian films have been attracting a very small amount of viewers over the past few years. Distribution, screening and copy-right related issues have also weighed down on Ethiopia’s already struggling craft. Abraham seems to have found a way around the problem by venturing outside of the country. Kiya Ali profiles the talented film maker.
Coronavirus disrupted everything. It has altered the way people work, communicate and get basic services. It has also killed businesses, leading to loss of thousands of jobs. However, not everyone lost. Some, in fact, are capitalizing on the new realities under the pandemic. Taxi hailing companies, delivery service providers, producers of sanitizers, mobile money operators and mobile retailers are among a few of the businesses that cater to the changing demands of customers. EBR’s Kiya Ali explores.
States across the world are experiencing a drastic fall in government revenue and unmatched growth of expenditure due to COVID-19. Ethiopia is no different. So far, the government has approved over ETB50 billion as a response to the COVID-19 crisis. USD1.6 billion is also required to further boost the country’s potential to overcome the crisis. Meanwhile, businesses are struggling to pay their taxes, a situation which is likely to result in a fall in government revenues from taxes. This is expected to widen the budget deficit, presenting yet another macroeconomic woe for the government that is already challenged by inflationary pressure and unemployment. EBR’s Kiya Ali explores.
Despite primarily being a health problem, COVID-19 has numerous economic, social and political attributes. The combined effect of the socio-economic problems of the pandemic, in turn, have the potential to raise some other health problems. With stay at home orders, high potential for social crisis, unemployment and perceived threat of losing loved ones during the pandemic, a suitable condition has been created for depression to rise. EBR’s Kiya Ali takes a closer look at the problem.
Community Based Health Insurance (CBHI) is still an emerging concept for the majority of Ethiopians though it has been piloted for many years. However, the scheme is benefiting 22.5 million Ethiopians who are living under extreme poverty excluded from formal insurance schemes. Even in Addis Ababa, where the scheme started two years ago, close to 200,000 people are getting financial protection against the high cost of healthcare services. EBR’s Kiya Ali explores.
In the current dynamic business environment where technology changes quickly and customer demand escalates, staff training plays a crucial role to increase productivity, improve efficiency and meet customer expectations. This is especially true for financial institutions operating in Ethiopia under dynamic and volatile business environment. To facilitate this, the National Bank of Ethiopia (NBE) in 2016 instructed banks and other financial institutions to spend two percent of their expenses, excluding capital expenditure, on human resource development. However, financial institutions failed to live up to expectations initially. In the 2017/18 fiscal year, seven banks failed to invest two percent of their expenditure that totally amounts close to ETB40 million on staff training. Through time, financial institutions began to realize the importance of training and started to give their employees frequent trainings. However, some still have doubts on the quality and efficiency of the training. EBR’s Kiya Ali reports.
In developing countries like Ethiopia, where the majority of the population is small scale farmers and pastoralists, livestock and crop insurances play a vital role in minimizing the risk of climate shock and drought. However, livestock and crop insurance remains a luxury in Ethiopia. Even though livestock and crop insurance policies were introduced in Ethiopia 20 years ago by the state owned Ethiopian Insurance Corporation, the number of beneficiaries is insignificant. Currently, there are only three insurance companies that provide livestock and crop insurance in the country. The situation is getting worse when it comes to micro insurance since it still remains in pilot testing stage dependent on aid from foreign NGOs. EBR’s Kiya Ali spoke with various stakeholders to shed light on the reasons behind.
There is a new found love for hiking in Addis Ababa. Suddenly, expats and Ethiopia’s emerging middle class have started to gather themselves in groups and hike the mountains in and around Addis Ababa. The activity has picked up pace in the past few years and companies have now jumped in to tap into this growing business. EBR’s Kiya Ali looks into the growth of the business and the challenges it is prevailing over.
