Blog – Page 123 – Ethiopian Business Review

As Ethiopia attempts to gain middle-income status by 2025, building an efficient government structure run by accountable and efficient civil servants has become nothing short of vital. The civil service is, however, nowhere near these lofty standards. Inefficiencies of the public service cost the country hugely, resulting in the delay of mega projects that led to the dissatisfaction of the private sector and citizens. As bureaucratic hurdles are stacked denser, doing business has become more difficult. While low wages and benefits are listed as a primary obstacle to public sector efficiency, political involvement of the ruling party in the bureaucracy has had its own shares, among others. EBR’s Kiya Ali explores.

The world is once again in shock with the spread of the deadly novel coronavirus, which has killed around 3831 while infecting close to 110,625 people as of March 9, 2020. With the number astonishingly rising every day, confirmed cases of the virus have been reported in around 90 countries, despite travel bans and several other restrictions put to prevent its spread. The outbreak has also disrupted supply chains across the world. Ethiopia is not immune to the problem. Over the past two months, trading businesses are suffering from supply shortages. Construction projects have been halted due to raw material shortages. Hotels are also reporting a decline in occupancy rates as the cancellation of meetings and visits have become common. EBR’s Samson Berhane probes into the matter.

Building a strong labor force without vibrant technical and vocational education and training (TVET) is nothing but impossible. Accepting its importance for the enhancement of the economy, the government has drafted a strategy a decade ago by introducing an outcome-based TVET system, though it is largely supply driven. However, attitudinal problems have discouraged many students from joining TVETs, while graduates of which are unable to match their skills with the demands of the economy. EBR’s Kiya Ali reports.

Andualem Admassie (PhD.) is the Director General of the Higher Education Relevance and Quality Agency (HERQA). Before assuming his current position, he served as Ethio telecom’s CEO from June 2013 to July 2018.
He was also its Chief Internal Audit Officer and Chief Human Resource Officer. Andualem earned his B.Sc and MA degrees in business education and education leadership and management from Addis Ababa University . He did his PhD in Business Administration from Bulacan State University, Philippines.
Andualem has taught in several higher education institutions including at the International Leadership Institute (ILI), Ethiopian Civil Service University, Ethiopian Defense Command, and Addis Ababa University (AAU).
Andualem used to deliver consultancy and training services in collaboration with Crown Agents Advisors to the Ethiopian Revenue and Customs Authority, Ethiopian Civil Service University, and other top officials and offices.
EBR’s Kiya Ali sat down with him to learn about the current state of higher education in Ethioipa.

Jnderrepresented in Sport Media

With the massive influx of new media houses, comes the need for sports journalists. However, female members of the profession have not grown in similar fashion due to several factors. From specific issues like not being able to enter changing rooms for interviews to stereotypes that a woman’s place is not in stadiums, women are facing challenges to enter and stay in the sports journalism field. The few current actors in the field have a duty to change this, as Abiy Wendifraw explores.

The Masinqo Rockstar

Haddis Alemayehu, better known as Hadinqo, is part of an elite group of masinqo players who have become popular amongst urbanites. With his unique style, Hadinqo has pushed the frontiers of the masinqo further by fusing the traditional with modern music. Hadinqo started playing the traditional single string instrument played by a bow attached on its ends by another string when he was 17. It took him, however, more than a decade of consistent hard work to enjoy the level of recognition he has today. Nowadays, Hadinqo graces the concerts of internationally known Ethiopian musicians such as Mulatu Astatke and Teddy Afro. EBR’s Kiya Ali profiles the 29-year-old Artist.

Issues for Debate

Ethiopia now stands at a defining moment whether or not to develop the private sector economy, if at all. The institutional inefficiency of the state economy, the low productivity trap of the population economy, and a growing surplus of labor underline the need for a long-term strategy of private sector development in Ethiopia. The economy cannot operate as usual and massive strategic change is inevitable. One of the core strategies and policies of private sector development in Ethiopia is the launching of institutional reform in the area of property rights. In political economy, there is a consensus that property rights matter a lot for investment incentives, efficient resource use, and economic growth.

Although development banks have existed since the imperial era, there has not been a time where they played as significant a role as in the past fifteen years. The developmental state paradigm, which was adopted since the mid-2000s, has given renewed impetus for development banking.

The economic policy that envisages fast-track industrialization has developed successive industrial policies. Credit policy has been the lynchpin of the industrial policies. As a result, both state-owned banks, the Commercial Bank of Ethiopia (CBE) and the Development Bank of Ethiopia (DBE) have emerged as major policy instruments.

Ethiopia’s Big Worry

In Ethiopia, non-communicable diseases (NCDs) account for 46Pct of causalities. This is largely attributed to the rise in the prevalence of cardiovascular diseases—a group of disorders of the heart and blood vessels—and cancer. Although NCDs are preventable by reducing tobacco, alcohol, and unhealthy diets as well as increasing physical activity, this does not seem to be achievable anytime soon. World Health Organization (WHO) predicted Ethiopia needs to invest ETB242.2 billion over the next 15 years to prevent one million premature deaths caused by NCDs. EBR’s Ermias Mulugeta spoke with patients, government officials, and health professionals to shed light on the matter.

Ethiopia has embraced platform-based businesses very recently. Though late, many platform-based tech businesses, including taxi hailing apps, mobile money operators, and e-commerce apps, have opened over the past two years, thanks to the growth in the number of internet and smart phone users. This has connected buyers with sellers and facilitated transactions and communications amongst individuals and groups. But government’s failure to understand tech disruption is costing developers and holding the sector from growing, as EBR’s Ermias Mulugeta reports.

Newer Posts

Older Posts

Civil Service: the Sleeping Giant

What Coronavirus Mean for Ethiopia?

TVET: Out of Tune

Unearthing the Decomposing Corpse of Educational Quality

Women Journalists

Jnderrepresented in Sport Media

Haddis Alemayehu

The Masinqo Rockstar

Agricultural Land Privatization Policy

Revisiting Policy Banking in Ethiopia

Non-Communicable Diseases

Ethiopia’s Big Worry

Platform Economy Revolutionizing Business Sector