Friday, May 31, 2013

New Ethiopian party leaders have to carve their way


At the ruling party congress in Bahir Dar in March no-one questioned the succession plan devised by Meles a decade before, but differences rumble under the surface.

Any lingering fears that Ethiopia would suffer a bumpy period fol- lowing the death last August of Premier Meles Zenawi were put to rest during the ruling party congress in the Amhara Region's lakeside capital of Bahir Dar in late March.
With more than 1,000 delegates in attendance, Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn was elected chairman of the Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF).
But in an organisation known for its rigid culture of discipline and secrecy, the avalanche of criticism from the party's rank and file came as a surprise.
Inside and outside the $27m conference hall, delegates, retired EPRDF leaders and prominent businesspeople took the party hierarchy to task on a number of problems, the most serious of which, they said, was the leadership's lack of accountability.
Larger than life
Such criticism was virtually unknown during the 21-year reign of strongman Meles. Whether it is a sign of an impending political opening is, however, an entirely separate question.
The party has pasted photoshopped images of Meles on the backs of buses and taxis, while state television and radio routinely adulate the late leader, taking the cult of personality to larger-than-life proportions.
Back in Addis Ababa 10 days after the Bahir Dar meeting, the adulation was again officially endorsed by the unveiling of the Meles Zenawi Foundation.
Within the ruling party, the scramble to own Meles's legacy is being played out between senior apparatchiks and Meles's widow Azeb Mesfin.
For now, the fierce sense of fidelity to the late premier's ambitions both for the party and for Ethiopia's development path works well for the new leadership.
Prime Minister Hailemariam is now seeking to consolidate his position.
With two years to go before the next party convention and elections, Hailemariam has much to do to shrug off any suggestions that he is an outsider to the establishment, a front for a party leadership led by a Tigrayan elite that continues to dominate almost every sector of public life.
It was notable that the EPRDF implemented its succession plan to the letter.
Meles devised it a decade ago to allow civilian politicians to replace the combatants of the struggle against the Derg.
In the cabinet and the party's executive committee, only a few of the war veterans who came to power in 1991 remain.
Observers are quick to note, however, that this longer transition means that the incoming civilian political elite is faced with carving out a space for itself away from the legacy of the struggle.
For Hailemariam, the perception of his outsider status is enhanced by his ethnic and religious background.
"[Hailemariam] is not from the northern Highlands, is not an Orthodox Christian, is in fact Pentecostalist, outside the mainstream of the Ethiopian ruling elite and is indeed the first leader in Ethiopian history, modern and ancient, not to have emerged from the Highlands," says a Western observer and long-time resident of Ethiopia.
However, it seems fairly certain that Hailemariam, a former governor of the Southern Nations Nationalities and People's Region, perhaps the country's most ethnically diverse state, will be unchallenged at the EPRDF's next congress in 2015.

Source:- THE AFRICA REPORT

Black Stars leave for Ethiopian camp

Stars 1 0 Angola@2010 
Six players are expected to join the Ghana camp as the Black Stars set up camp in Ethiopia this week for next month's World Cup qualifiers against Sudan and Lesotho.

Nineteen players departed Accra, Thursday afternoon with head coach Kwesi Appiah after three days of training in the Ghanaian capital.

The French duo of Mohammed Rabiu and Jonathan Mensah, Solomon Asante, Richard Kissi-Boateng, Harrison Afful and Mubarak Wakaso will join their colleagues in Ethiopia.

The Black Stars will be based in the East African country before their departure on 5 June.

Ghana play Sudan in Khartoum on June 7 before flying out to Maseru to meet Lesotho on June 16 in the penultimate second round fixture.

The Black Stars, chasing a third consecutive appearance at the World Cup finals are just one point adrift leaders, Zambia with three matches left to play in the second round of qualifying.

Goalkeepers: Fatau Dauda (AshantiGold, Ghana), Daniel Agyei (Liberty Professionals, Ghana), Stephen Adams (Aduana Stars, Ghana)

Defenders: Harrison Afful (Esperance, Tunisia), Samuel Inkoom (Bastia, France), Kissi Boateng (TP Mazembe, DR Congo), Baba Rahman (Greuther Furth, Germany) John Boye (Rennes, France), Jonathan Mensah (Evian, France), Awal Mohammed (Maritzburg United, South Africa), Rashid Sumaila (Asante Kotoko, Ghana)

Midfielders: Rabiu Mohammed (Evian, France), Edwin Gyimah (SuperSport, South Africa) Isaac Coffie (Chievo Verona, Italy) Albert Adomah (Bristol City, England), Solomon Asante (TP Mazembe, DR Congo) Sulley Muntari (AC Milan, Italy) Mubarak Wakaso (Espanyol, Spain), Christian Atsu (Porto, Portugal) Emmanuel Agyemang Badu (Udinese, Italy), Kwadwo Asamoah (Juventus, Italy)

Strikers: Asamoah Gyan (Al Ain, UAE), Dominic Adiyiah (Arsenal Kiev, Ukraine), Richard Boakye Yiadom (Sassuolo, Italy), Mahatma Otoo (Hearts of Oak, Ghana)

How Ethiopian scientist unearthed 'world's oldest child'

It was another December afternoon back in 2000, spent like hundreds of others combing the rocky hills of the Dikika region, when Ethiopian scientist Zeray Alemseged heard one of his assistants nearby calling him.
"He said 'oh, doctor I see something there,'" recalls Alemseged, who'd been excavating the hot and dry landscape for over a year, helped only by a small inexperienced crew of locals. "And I went there and I see the cheek bone part ... sticking out of the rock. I turned it upside down and my jaw literally dropped."
Instantly, Alemseged realized this was an extraordinary discovery that could make scientific history.
"Right away I could tell this is a child of a human ancestor," says the paleoanthropologist. "You have this child in a block of sandstone, with the baby teeth still visible, very vertical forehead, small canine," he adds. "But it's so rare and so unbelievable that I just couldn't accept that was the case, that what I saw was the skeleton."

Yet Alemseged did not want to make news of his discovery public until he had a more complete picture of what he'd unearthed. So he kept it quiet as he meticulously prepared and analyzed the fossil.
"The skeleton was encaved in a block of sandstone matrix, which is very densely compact, very inured sand, so that I had to go remove the sand grain by grain," says Alemseged.
"So I took my time, and people advised me to employ technicians, and technicians can do that job, but I said 'no, it's going to take as long as it takes but I'm not going to delegate this work of the exploration of this unique child to anyone else but me.'"
Alemseged then spent years in the lab painstakingly picking away the sand grain by grain. By using a super microscope, he was able to see details in the teeth embedded in the skull that revealed to him the skeleton's age and the sex. He now knew the fossil was that of a three-year-old girl who had died 3.3 million years ago.
Finally, after more than six long years, Alemseged was ready to present to the world "Selam," the fossil known as "the world's oldest child."
"When the time came to go to the press conference," remembers Alemseged, "it was like a woman is pregnant and she is holding that baby for nine months and when the baby comes out, what happens is -- in spite of the pain, in spite of the long, tedious process of carrying the baby -- you see her smiling, you see her beautiful wonderful face trying to share the baby with her husband or the doctor.
"So I shared my baby with the audience but the different thing is that I was sharing a child that belonged not only to me but to humanity, to seven billion individuals."
 
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
  • Ethiopian Zeray Alemseged discovered the fossil known as "the world's oldest child"

  • The skeletal remains belonged to a three-year-old girl who died 3.3 million years ago

  • Alemseged, who made the discovery in Ethiopia in 2000, named the fossil Selam

  • Today Alemseged is the director of anthropology at the California Academy of Sciences

My work is beyond nations, beyond nationalities, beyond continents -- it unites everyone on the planet.
Zeray Alemseged, Ethiopian paleoanthropologist
That press conference in 2006 turned Alemseged, who was just 31 when he'd discovered Selam, into a hero in the world of science.
Over the next few years, his work took him all over the world, winning him international admiration for his achievements. Today Alemseged is the director of anthropology at the California Academy of Sciences, a multifaceted scientific institution and museum where he combines his scientific research with his passion for public education.
"When I got involved in this type of research I decided to not only read what has already been discovered but also to make my own discoveries and I can proudly say that I have achieved that with the discovery of Selam and many other fossils," he says. "Those finds are finds that change textbooks, literally, so I am happy but I'm not satisfied -- I will be satisfied only if I could instill the same type of psychology, the same type of excitement, the same type of passion to the next generations of Africans."
Alemseged, a father of two, enjoys the opportunity to share his findings with the world and possibly inspire a new generation of scientists.
In recent years, he's teamed up with other scientists from his continent to create the East African Association for Paleoanthropology, a group holding regular conferences to bring together top scientists and researchers from the region and beyond.
And while his achievements have made him a success story that young Ethiopians can aspire to, Alemseged's efforts to create a positive impact on young Africans are just a small step toward his ultimate goals.
"I think both my family and Ethiopia are proud of me, but I still think that I still have so much to offer, not just to Ethiopia, but to Africa and to humanity in general," he says.
"My work is beyond nations, beyond nationalities, beyond continents -- it unites everyone on the planet. So when I achieve that, I'm sure Ethiopia and my family are or will be proud of me and I thank them for all of the opportunities they have provided me with also."

Jama'a al-Islamiya: Diverting Blue Nile is a "declaration of war"


Jamaa al-Islamiya's mufti, Abdel Akher Hammad

Sheikh Abdel Akher Hammad, Jama'a al-Islamiya's mufti, has said that Ethiopia's decision on Tuesday to divert the Blue Nile, a main tributary to the Nile River, was "a declaration of war."
The announcement from Ethiopia, which comes amidst its plans to build a hydro-electric Millennium Dam, sparked a popular uproar in Egypt, where fears of a diminished water supply arose. But officials in the “downstream countries” of Egypt and Sudan downplayed the significance of the measure.
Speaking to Al Arabiya satellite channel late Wednesday, Hammad said that the diverting of the river represents a threat to Egypt's national security, stressing that the government should not be careless in handling the issue. He added that if war is declared on Egyptians, "we will never tolerate it and we will defend our rights with force."  He pointed out that all Egyptians should recognize the gravity of the situation.
Abdel Akher, however, said that the solution for the time being should involve diplomatic efforts. He added that the former regime is to blame for this crisis.

Pope Tawadros II: Church not asked to arbitrate in Nile crisis


Pope Tawadros II

Coptic Pope Tawadros II has said that the president’s office did not ask him to address the Ethiopian Church to resolve the Nile water crisis after Ethiopia began to divert the course of the Blue Nile on Tuesday.
 
Egypt fears this measure will reduce its water supply.
 
In a phone conversation with Anadolu News Agency, Tawadros said that he has not received a phone call from President Mohamed Morsy or any other government official regarding the issue.
 
Some in the Egyptian media have said that Morsy asked Tawadros to capitalize on the historical relations between the Egyptian and Ethiopian Churches and that he had agreed and had invited the Ethiopian Pope to an urgent visit to Egypt.
 
Meanwhile, a source from the papal headquarters said that, "The pope will not hesitate to help resolve the Nile water crisis if asked," and added that Tawadros will meet with Ethiopian Church leader Abune Mathias in Cairo on 19 July and that they may discuss the issue then.
 
In statements to Anadolu, the same source emphasized that "the Ethiopian Church has no role in the Ethiopian decision-making process; it can give advice only."
 
The Ethiopian Church has long-standing relations with the Egyptian Church, but it cannot actually intervene to stop the construction of the dam, the source added.
 
The last meeting between the former Ethiopian pope and the late Pope Shenouda III in November 2012 did not tackle the Nile Basin crisis, added the source.

Former Egyptian commander: Striking Ethiopia dam 'impossible' 

General Mohamed Ali Bilal, commander of Egyptian forces in the Gulf war

General Mohamed Ali Bilal, commander of Egyptian forces during the Gulf war, said that it is “impossible” to strike the Ethiopian Renaissance Dam because such a decision would be issuing a challenge to the entire world.
 
Bilal told al-Arabiya satellite channel on Wednesday that such an attack would bring Egypt into conflict with those countries, such as China and Israel, whose citizens are involved in the construction of the dam. Egypt is not in a position to stand up to all those countries, he added.
 
He also said that, when the US launched Desert Storm and invaded Kuwait, it did so under the auspices of the UN. Besides, he added, there seems to be international consensus that Ethiopia has the right to build the dam.
 
He emphasized that the US had planned its construction and that Israel is providing technical support. In Bilal’s view, the only way to tackle the crisis is to persuade the US to intervene on Egypt's behalf and convince the Ethiopians to mitigate the impact construction of the dam will have.
 
Major General Ahmed Abdel Halim, a security and strategic expert, said that a diplomatic solution is the best way of handling this issue, while adding that striking the dam would not bring the aspired results.
 
He also said that, as a last resort, Egypt could present its case to the International Court of Justice, the Security Council, and the International Criminal Court.

Nile diversion: Cairo and Khartoum in talks 

The Great Ethiopian Renaissance Dam design. PHOTO | FILE 
Egypt and Sudan were holding talks Thursday following a decision by Ethiopia to divert the Blue Nile as part of a giant dam project which affects the two downstream Arab states.
Sudan’s minister of Irrigation Osama Abdallah al-Hassan, arrived in Cairo for a one-day visit to the discuss the issue with authorities, Egypt’s official Mena news agency said.
And Ethiopia’s ambassador to Cairo Mohammed Idriss, held talks with senior officials at the Foreign ministry, it said.
Cairo said it was awaiting the outcome of a tripartite report by Egypt, Sudan and Ethiopia to assess the impact of the project.
Officials in Cairo have described Ethiopia’s move as technical, saying it was unlikely to affect Egypt.
Mr Essam Haddad, a senior advisor to President Mohamed Morsy, stressed that Addis Ababa’s decision “does not have a direct impact on Egypt or its Nile water”.
But Ethiopia’s move did unnerve authorities, prompting a cabinet meeting on Wednesday headed by Prime Minister Hisham Qandil.
In a statement, the government said Cairo was opposed to all projects which could affect the flow of the Nile.
It said it had planned “several scenarios” depending on the outcome of the report, without elaborating.
Extremely sensitive
The $4.2 billion Grand Renaissance Dam hydroelectric project has to divert a short section of the Blue Nile — one of two major tributaries of the Nile — to allow the main dam wall to be built.
The river is being shifted about 550 metres (yards) from its natural course, officials in Addis Ababa said earlier on Wednesday, but stressed that water levels would not be affected.
The first phase of construction is expected to be complete in three years, with a capacity of 700 megawatts.
Once complete, the dam will have a capacity of 6,000 megawatts.
In Khartoum, the Foreign ministry said Sudan would not be affected by the project, stressing in a statement that there are agreements and consultations between Sudan, Egypt and Ethiopia.
“Sudan respects the agreements to cooperate with those two countries (Egypt and Ethiopia) in matters that concern sharing the waters of the Nile and sharing mutual revenues,” the Sudanese Foreign ministry said.
Both Sudan and Egypt, arid nations that rely heavily on the Nile for water, particularly for agriculture, are extremely sensitive about projects that could alter the flow.
Egypt believes its “historic rights” to the Nile are guaranteed by two treaties from 1929 and 1959 which allow it 87 percent of the Nile’s flow and give it veto power over upstream projects.
But a new deal was signed in 2010 by other Nile Basin countries, including Ethiopia, allowing them to work on river projects without Cairo’s prior agreement.

Egyptians up in arms as Ethiopia builds giant hydro dam on Nile River; minister rules out war


Ethiopia’s construction of Africa’s largest hydroelectric dam on the world’s longest river threatens to affect flows of water to Nile-dependent, water-starved Egypt, where there is growing outrage, anger and fear.

Egypt in the past has threatened to go to war over its “historic rights” to Nile River water but diplomats from both countries this week played down the potential for conflict.
“A military solution for the Nile River crisis is ruled out,” Egypt’s irrigation and water resources minister, Mohammed Baheddin, said Thursday amid newspaper reports recalling the threats of war from Egypt’s two previous leaders, Anwar Sadat and Hosni Mubarak.
Ethiopia on Tuesday started diverting the flow of the Blue Nile for construction of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam. Eighty-five percent of Nile waters originate in Ethiopia yet the East African nation whose name has become synonymous with famine thus far utilizes very little of those waters.
Ethiopia’s decision challenges a colonial-era agreement that had given downstream Egypt and Sudan rights to the Nile water, with Egypt taking 55.5 billion cubic meters and Sudan 18.5 billion cubic meters of 84 billion cubic meters, with 10 billion lost to evaporation. That agreement, first signed in 1929, took no account of the eight other nations along the 6,700-kilometer (4,160-mile) river and its basin, which have been agitating for a decade for a more equitable accord.
And Ethiopia’s unilateral action seems to ignore the 10-nation Nile Basin Initiative to promote cooperation.
Ethiopia is leading five nations threatening to sign a new cooperation agreement without Egypt and Sudan, effectively taking control from Egypt of the Nile, which serves some 238 million people.
Mohammed Abdel-Qader, governor of Egypt’s Gharbiya province in the Nile Delta, warned the dam spells “disaster” and is a national security issue for the North African nation.
“Taking Egypt’s share of water is totally rejected ... The Nile means everything to Egypt,” said Gov. Abdel-Qader.
Baheddin said Egypt already is suffering “water poverty” with an individual’s share of 640 cubic meters well below the international average of 1,000 cubic meters.
Egypt protests that others along the Nile have alternative water sources, while the Nile is the sole water source in the mainly desert country.
Ethiopian officials say the dam is needed to provide much-needed power for development.
At a ceremony marking the diversion of the Nile, Deputy Prime Minister Demeke Mekonnin said Ethiopia could export cheap electricity from the dam to energy-short Egypt and Sudan. He insisted the dam would not affect the flow of water to Egypt.
Experts say otherwise.
Alaa el-Zawahri, a dams engineer at Cairo University and an expert on a national committee studying the ramifications of the Ethiopian dam, said Egypt stands to lose about 15 billion cubic meters of water — 27 percent of annual share — each of the five years that Ethiopia has said it will take to fill the dam. The country’s current share already is insufficient.
Egypt also would lose between 30 and 40 percent of its hydropower generation, he said.
“If I was more of an optimist, I would say it will cause significant damage (to Egypt),” he told The Associated Press. “If I was being pessimistic, it is a catastrophe.”
“Potentially catastrophic” is the opinion of Haydar Yousif Hussin, an Italian-based Sudanese hydrologist who has worked on Nile water issues for 35 years. The dam’s reservoir “will hold back nearly one and a half times the average annual flow of the Blue Nile” and “drastically affect the downstream nations’ agriculture, electricity and water supply,” he said in an article published in the South African magazine Infrastructure News.
Given the massive size of the dam, it could lose as much as 3 billion cubic meters of water to evaporation each year, Yousif added.
Mekonnin said the dam construction is at 21 percent and should be complete by 2015. Ethiopia has said the massive dam, located 60 kilometers (37 miles) from Sudan’s border, is being built with a storage capacity for 74 million cubic meters of water and generating power of 6,000 megawatts — 30 percent more than the electricity produced by Egypt’s Aswan Dam, built on the Nile in the 1960s.
But very little other information is available.
“It remains irresponsible for Ethiopia to build Africa’s biggest hydropower project, on its most contentious river, with no public access to critical information about the dam’s impacts,” Yousif wrote. He urged Ethiopian officials to “allow some light to penetrate this secretive development scheme.”
Ethiopia has timed the dam’s construction while Egypt is at its weakest. The government announced the project in March 2011, when Egypt’s government was overwhelmed by the Arab Spring revolution. The Nile diversion came the day after leaders of the two countries met in Addis Ababa, the Ethiopian capital, on the sidelines of an African Union summit, and days before Ethiopia, Egypt and Sudan were due to issue a technical report on the dam.
Information about the funding of the project is also unclear.
The World Bank and other donors have refused involvement, reportedly because of Egyptian lobbying of countries like the United States, which considers Egypt a key ally and pivotal to security in the region.
The contract for the $4.8 billion project was awarded without competitive bidding to the Italian company Salini Construttori, according to Yousif and other experts.
Ethiopia says it is funding the massive project on its own, urging citizens to buy bonds that earn 5 or 6 percent interest. Norway’s Development Today magazine quoted Kjetil Tronvoll of Oslo’s International Law and Policy Institute as saying that government employees are being pressed to donate one month’s salary to the dam and, when people protested, they were arrested.
A journalist who wrote an article criticizing the fund-raising methods, Reeyot Alemu, was arrested, tried for terrorism and sentenced to two years’ jail, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists.
The issue of the dam also highlights traditional differences between Africa’s northern Arabs and the blacks of the south.
That perception must be corrected, Egypt’s assistant for foreign affairs, Essam el-Haddad, wrote on Egypt’s foreign policy blog.
“Egypt’s rejection of the project reinforces a negative stereotype of Egypt that is spreading among the people of Africa ... that this country is the reason for the absence of development and economic progress in African countries because it has acquired, unduly, the largest share of (Nile) water for its development,” he wrote. “Egypt seeks to be a real partner in development in Africa.”
___
Faul reported from Johannesburg. Associated Press writer Maggie Michael contributed to this report from Cairo.
Copyright 2013 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Ethiopia dispels regional concerns over dam construction 

PNG - 22.7 kbAs nation pushes forward the construction of a controversial dam project, the Ethiopian government on Thursday affirmed that the power plant being built at the Nile River won’t affect relations with Nile basin countries particularly with Sudan and Egypt.

In a ceremony held on Tuesday, Ethiopia began diverting the flow of the Blue Nile River as part of the first phase construction work of the massive power plant project which is underway in Benshangul Gumuz region near the Sudanese border.
The launch of the dam project known as the Great Ethiopian Renaissance Dam, raised some concerns in downstream countries, particularly Egypt, fearing that it would reduce the flow of water to its territories.
Sudan, despite its solidarity with Egypt over Nile water issues, approved the project and denied statements attributed to its ambassador in Cairo.
However, Ethiopia ministry of foreign affairs spokes person, Ambassador Dina Mufti, on Thursday dispelled concerns that the project could affect Ethiopia’s all-rounded relations with Sudan and Egypt..
"Ethiopia has a clear and firm position on Nile issues. We have no intention to harm the peoples of Sudan or Egypt", Dina told Sudan Tribune.
Addis Ababa insists that the construction of the dam project won’t affect the supply of water to Egypt and Sudan instead will benefit the countries from the supply of hydroelectricity.
“Nile is not a source of confrontation” he said adding “it is a source of development and cooperation among the Nile basin countries”, Dina further stressed.
According to Engineers working at the site The Nile River was diverted by only few meters and then will continue its flow on its natural course.
EGYPT’S REACTION
Egyptian politicians seem to have divided over the Nile dam project at this step.
After Ethiopia announced that it carried out the diversion work, Egyptian opposition politicians have reportedly heighten concerns.
Opposition politicians accused President Mohammed Morsi’s government of giving little attention to the Nile waters.
The Egypt’s presidency however has preferred to wait for a report from the tripartite technical committee which is assessing the potential impacts of the dam on downstream countries.
Egypt’s Deputy Foreign Minister for African Affairs, Ali Hifni, said that diverting the course of the river was not a major concern but the overall impact of the dam it will cause up on completion.
With regard to reports by news outlets the Ethiopian senior official told Sudan Tribune that “No one should be confused or reach to conclusion from news reports released in Sudan, Egypt or elsewhere”
Dina further said the findings of the tripartite technical committee will be released on Friday.
The committee is comprised of Ethiopian, Sudanese, Egyptian as well as four prominent international experts.

Somali rules out quit notice to Kenya and Ethiopia troops 


A Kenyan Defence Forces soldier stands guard at a clinic in Kismayu, Somalia on February 26, 2013. Somalia has denied ordering the foreign troops out of the country. FILE | NATION MEDIA GROUP 
Somalia has denied ordering Kenya and Ethiopia to withdraw their troops from the country.
State minister Farah Sheikh Abdulkadir dismissed the reports that were transmitted by an independent broadcaster in Mogadishu and quoted by a number of Somali news web sites.
The report also dominated the public discussions in the capital Mogadishu on Wednesday, with many people wondering the consequences of Kenyan and Ethiopian troops leaving Somalia within 48 hours.
At a press conference at Villa Somalia, the State House in Mogadishu, Mr Abdulkadir rejected the reports as unfounded and expressed surprise.
“We received today reports falsely propagated by (a section of) the independent media, saying that Somali President (Hassan Sheikh Mohamoud) requested neighbouring countries to withdraw their forces,” stated Mr Abdulkadir.
He added: “We would like to emphasise that such information is baseless and casts doubts on the credibility of the concerned media.”
The normally reserved minister underlined that President Mohamoud maintained amicable relations with both his Kenyan counterpart Uhuru Kenyatta and Ethiopian Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn.
“Somali President met these (Ethiopian and Kenyan) leaders five times over the past six weeks,” disclosed the state minister.
“It demonstrates the depth of the relations between Somalia and its neighbours,” he added.
The minister, who did not name the culpable media groups, stated that any misinformation could destabilise Somalia and its neighbours.
Ethiopia and Kenya deployed thousands of troops that are helping the Somali government in the fight against the Al-Qaeda linked Al-Shabaab movement.

Watch: New Ethiopian Movie ‘Difret’

'Difret' is written and directed by Zeresenay Berhane Mehari, pictured above with the lead actress Tizita Hagere, center right, and her friends. (Photo courtesy Haile Addis Pictures) Tadias Magazine
By Tadias Staff
Published: Thursday, May 30th, 2013
New York (TADIAS) – You may remember our highlight last year of a group of independent Ethiopian producers and filmmakers in the U.S. who conducted a successful fundraising for seed money via the online platform Kickstarter to finance the production of a feature length movie called Difret. Originally titled Oblivion, the film chronicles the true story of a teenager from a small, rural village in the Arsi region whose widely publicized arrest for murder in the late 1990s unleashed a historic court battle that resulted in the girl’s acquittal on the grounds of self-defense, legally ending then permissible practice of child marriage by abduction in Ethiopia.
This week the producers released a short clip of their nearly complete project, revealing for the first time that the main character, 14-year-old Aberash Bekele, is powerfully portrayed by a new teen actress named Tizita Hagere, while Aberash’s feisty lawyer Meaza Ashenafi is played by one of Ethiopia’s leading actresses, Meron Getinet.
“We did two rounds of casting and looked at many professionals and youngsters from various local schools,” Leelai Demoz, one of the co-producers, told Tadias. Regarding the audition process, Leelai said, they screened over 400 people who tried out for the film’s various roles. As to the newcomer Tizita, she was spotted by the director Zeresenay Berhane Mehari. “It was one of those moments where as soon as he saw her performance at one of the auditions he noticed that she embodied the character he had envisioned,” he said.
The epic story opens with Aberash’s ordeal one fateful afternoon in 1997 when she was abducted while walking home from school. She was singled out from her friends by a group of horsemen, led by a 29-year-old farmer, who had planned to kidnap and marry her. That was the person she was accused of killing. “He hit me about the face,” Aberash told the authorities at the time. “I nearly lost consciousness. He was such a huge man, I couldn’t push him away. Then he forced my legs apart. He beat me senseless and took my virginity.” Aberash eventually fatally shot the man. She said that she discovered the gun in a room where she was being held, picked it up, and ran away. Following a chase she turned the weapon on her attacker; She was arrested and charged with murder.
“Making this film has really been a humbling experience because of the support of the community,” Leelai noted: “So many people have come through in so many ways and risen to the challenge.”
“Difret was the Amharic title and as we thought about it, it felt right to keep it for the English version as well,” Leelai said mentioning the recent change of the film’s English heading.
The video was released on kickstarter.com, where the team has launched a second round of campaign for funds to help them finish the final stages of editing work in preparation for the film’s submission to international competitions later this year.
“In the next two months, we have to start the post production sound mix,” Leelai emphasized. “This process is where every track of audio is mixed and perfected.” He added: “It is a labor-intensive and expensive process. In some cases, we have to re-record some audio. We also need to do color correction. This last process is what gives the film a uniform look. Any differences in exposure or color temperature are fixed. At the end, we will have a film that looks and sounds amazing. This process is where you don’t want to cut corners.”
Below is the two-minute video with an introduction from the director Zeresenay Berhane Mehari.

Sudan, Egypt may call on Arab League over Nile dam

Egyptian ambassador argues diversion of Blue Nile for Ethiopian dam is 'not a recent decision' but anonymous foreign ministry source describes 'shock and surprise'

 Kamal Hassan
Sudan's ambassador to Egypt, Kamal Hassan, stated on Tuesday that Egypt and Sudan may call for intervention by the Arab League in response to the diversion of the Blue Nile on Tuesday at the construction site of a new Ethiopian dam project.
"There are continuous calls between the Egyptian and the Sudanese authorities to look into Ethiopia's sudden and shocking decision," Hassan told Turkish news agency Anadolu.
He added that the tripartite committee looking into the dam project, which includes members from Egypt, Sudan and Ethiopia, is still in place and negotiations will remain ongoing. A report is expected from the committee in the next few days.
An anonymous source within Egypt's foreign ministry told Al-Ahram’s Arabic news website on Tuesday that Egypt is “shocked and surprised” by the step taken by Ethiopia.
The source further stressed that Egypt's irrigation minister would need to account for the details of recent negotiations on the issue, especially as the incident has taken place only a day after President Mohamed Morsi's visit to Ethiopia for an African Union summit.
However, Egypt's ambassador to Ethiopia, Mohamed Idris, stated that the decision to divert the Blue Nile was neither a recent decision nor a surprise. He further clarified that Egypt would continue to receive its full quota of 55 billion cubic metres of Nile water regardless of the work on the dam.
Ethiopia on announced on Monday it would begin on Tuesday to divert the course of the Blue Nile, one of the Nile River’s two major tributaries, as part of its project to build a new dam.

The majority of the Nile water that reaches Egypt and Sudan orginates in the Blue Nile.
The Renaissance Dam has been a source of concern for the Egyptian government, amid sensitivities about any effect on the volume of water that will reach Egypt if the project is completed.
The dam is one of four hydro-electric power projects planned to be constructed in Ethiopia.

Egypt will need an additional 21 billion cubic metres of water per year by 2050, on top of its current quota of 55 billion metres, to meet the water needs of a projected population of 150 million people, according to Egypt's National Planning Institute.

Cairo knew of planned Blue Nile diversion in advance: Govt source

Egyptian government source says Cairo was notified beforehand about Ethiopian plan to redirect course of Blue Nile, referring to unsuccessful attempts to convince Ethiopian side to delay the move

Morsi
Egypt's President Mohamed Mursi (C) arrives at Bole International airport for the 21st Ordinary Session of the African Union (AU) in Addis Ababa May 24, 2013
Cairo was notified in advance about the diversion of the Blue Nile before the move was officially announced by Ethiopia late Monday evening, an informed government official told Ahram Online.
"We had already known this; we were notified and the president knew," he said.
Ethiopia on Tuesday began diverting the course of the Blue Nile, one of the Nile River’s two major tributaries, as part of a project to build a new dam.
The move, called "historic" by Ethiopian government spokesman Bereket Simon, is likely to anger downstream Egypt and Sudan, both of which fear the move will negatively affect their annual quotas on Nile water.
Ethiopia's 'Renaissance Dam' is one of four dams planned for construction along the Blue Nile, which provides Egypt with the lion's share of its annual 55 billion cubic metres of Nile water.
On Monday, Ethiopian Foreign Minister Gebre-Christos said the dam, which is currently under construction and will be able to store some 84 million cubic metres of Nile water, would be used exclusively for power generation and would not reduce Egypt's share of Nile water.
The Egyptian government source said that, during President Mohamed Morsi's visit to Addis Ababa – which ended Monday evening only hours before the announcement – there had been unsuccessful attempts to convince the Ethiopian side to delay the move.
"There were attempts [to persuade Ethiopia to postpone the move] through several diplomatic channels, both direct and indirect, and during the president's talks with senior Ethiopian officials," the source said.
"President Morsi raised the matter, but it was clear Ethiopia is determined to go ahead."
The source added that Addis Ababa was offering "reassurances" that it would be "sensitive" to Egyptian concerns and would "try to accommodate" Cairo's demand that it fill the planned dam's reservoir only gradually, so as to ensure that the effect on Egypt's annual share of Nile water would not be too abrupt.
The Ethiopian move to redirect the course of the Blue Nile is perceived by Cairo as an indication of Addis Ababa's determination to follow through with its plans, despite Egypt’s objections that such plans violate international agreements that put Egypt’s annual share of Nile water at 55 billion cubic metres.
Addis Ababa has repeatedly shrugged off these agreements, asserting that they deny all Nile Basin states – apart from Egypt and Sudan – any serious share of river water.
Since 1902, there have been over ten agreements regulating the distribution of Nile water, including a 1959 agreement that specified Egypt's exact share.
Most of these agreements stipulate that no dams or other irrigation projects should be built on the Nile without the prior notification of all Nile Basin states.
It is a precondition consistent with international law and with regulations adopted by the basin states of other rivers.
In 1999, Egypt agreed to join the other Nile Basin countries in a negotiation process specifically aimed at addressing the demands of the upstream countries.
During the process, Egypt issued two recommendations: firstly, to reduce water wastage, currently estimated at millions of cubic metres (some studies indicate that total wastage is more than Egypt's entire annual share); and, secondly, to streamline usage of upstream water resources, including rainwater.
In 2010, both Egypt and Sudan (before the latter was split in two) suspended their participation in the talks due to a failure to define the terms of an agreement governing the construction of irrigation projects on the Nile.
The fate of this process remains in limbo, however, with both Cairo and Khartoum insisting on the full consensus of all basin countries before any dams can be built on the river.
The dispute over Nile water began in 2009 with demands made by upstream states, including Ethiopia, to reduce Egypt's share in line with a new water-sharing treaty already signed by most upstream states.
Egypt is already suffering a water shortage and there are genuine concerns that Ethiopia's planned Renaissance Dam would aggravate an existing problem that has until now been poorly attended to.
According to Egypt's National Planning Institute, the country will likely need an additional 21 billion cubic metres of water per year by 2050 – on top of its current 55-billion-metre quota – to meet the water needs of a projected population of 150 million.
A source from the UN Development Programme suggested that Egypt's annual loss of water – due to outdated irrigation systems and poor sewage maintenance – currently stood at some 10 percent of its official annual share.
"The fact that Egyptian authorities have turned a blind eye to the loss of fertile land is an added problem, as this means that Egypt would need much more water to help with desert land reclamation," the source said.
Egypt's concerns go beyond its share of Nile water.
A source close to the three-way consultation mechanism bringing together Egypt, Sudan and Ethiopia to discuss "technical aspects and influences" of Ethiopia's planned Renaissance Dam speaks of "safety concerns" as well.
"I'm not saying the Renaissance Dam will collapse shortly after its construction, but I'm saying there are concerns that – in a few years – it could develop cracks," he said.
The three-way consultation, which has been ongoing for over a year, began its sixth session in Addis Ababa two days ago.
It should issue a comprehensive report on the issue by the end of this month or early next month.

 Egypt could use Suez Canal to retaliate against Ethiopia dam move: Sabbahi

Opposition figure Hamdeen Sabbahi says Egypt could block Suez Canal to ships from countries that help Ethiopia build controversial dam on Blue Nile

Sabbahi
Egypt could close the Suez Canal to ships from countries that help Ethiopia build a controversial dam on the Blue Nile in the event that the dam threatens Egypt's supply of Nile water, Egyptian Popular Current leader Hamdeen Sabbahi said Wednesday.
"The state is capable of holding talks with the countries financing Ethiopia's Renaissance Dam project, especially China and Italy," Sabbahi said.
He went on to assert that Egypt was capable of prohibiting ships from those countries from transiting the Suez Canal "until they stop harming Egypt's interests."
He also said that Ethiopia's decision to go ahead with the project – only days after President Mohamed Morsi's state visit to the country – was "extremely humiliating to Egyptians."
In comments reported by Al-Ahram Arabic news website, Sabbahi also called on Egyptians to support the government in its dispute with Ethiopia over the dam.
On Tuesday, Ethiopia began diverting the course of the Blue Nile, one of the Nile River’s two major tributaries, as part of its 'Renaissance Dam' project for electricity production, a move that raised concerns in Egypt and Sudan that the flow of water could be disrupted.
A final report on the impact of the planned dam by a joint committee of Egyptian, Sudanese and Ethiopian representatives is expected within days.
"We will not accept any pressure when it comes to our water supply," Sabbahi said. "Solutions must be presented to avoid conflict."
If Ethiopia continues with projects that harm Egypt, the nation will unite to deter an attack on its interests, he added.
Sabbahi said that while he fully supports Ethiopia's right to increase its energy production, Egypt would not accept any reductions in its annual water supply.
If matters escalate, he said, a drop of water would exceed a drop of blood in value. The best way to avoid conflict is to open new initiatives for strategic cooperation in the Nile Basin, he added.
During the 21st African Union summit, President Morsi said Ethiopia's Prime Minister Hailemariam had vowed to consider Egypt's interests regarding the dam.
Egypt's ambassador in Addis Ababa, Mohamed Idris, said Ethiopia's intention to divert the Blue Nile had been known since November 2012.
According to the state-run National Planning Institute, Egypt will require an additional 21 billion cubic metres of water per year by 2050 – on top of its current annual quota of 55 billion metres – to meet the needs of a projected population of some 150 million.
Correction: Ahram Online had earlier quoted Sabbahi as saying that Egypt was capable of barring Ethiopian ships from crossing the Suez Canal. This is incorrect. Rather, he said that ships from those countries that financed the dam project could be prohibited from transiting the canal.

Govt accountable for Ethiopian dam 'failure': Egyptian analyst

Nile Basin expert argues that the government has played down the negative effects that Ethiopian dam project will have on Egypt

Hisham Qandil
Egypt's Prime minister, Hisham Qandil

 

Ethiopia’s Renaissance Dam Project, which began diverting water from the Blue Nile on Tuesday, will have a hugely negative impact on Egypt, stated an Egyptian expert.


Hani Raslan, head of the Sudan and Nile Water Basin department at Egypt's Al-Ahram Centrefor Political and Strategic Studies, stated on private Egyptian television channel Dream that the situation reflects an attempt by the government, and primarily Egypt's irrigation minister, Mohamed Bahaa El-Din, to disseminate inaccurate information about the negative impact the building of the dam would have.

“They have hypnotised Egyptian society, making the issue seem much smaller than its repercussions will be."    

Raslan called on Prime Minister Hisham Qandil to take urgent measures to contain the crisis, which he argued necessitates a trial to hold those accountable for the negligence in Egypt's national security.

Ethiopia said on Monday stated it will begin on Tuesday diverting the course of the Blue Nile, one of the Nile River’s two major tributaries, as part of its project to build a new dam.

The under-construction Renaissance Dam has been a source of concern for the Egyptian government, amid sensitivities about any effect on the volume of water that will reach Egypt if the project is completed.

Egypt will need an additional 21 billion cubic metres of water per year by 2050, on top of its current quota of 55 billion metres, to meet the water needs of a projected population of 150 million people, according to Egypt's National Planning Institute.

Egypt's irrigation ministry announced on Tuesday afternoon it is set to release a statement on the matter.

Egypt fears grow as Ethiopia builds giant Nile dam

Diversion of water of the Nile River began earlier this week

Ethiopia started to divert the flow of the Blue Nile river to construct a giant dam on Tuesday, according to its state media, in a move that could impact the Nile-dependent Egypt.  Ethiopia started to divert the flow of the Blue Nile river to construct a giant dam on Tuesday, according to its state media, in a move that could impact the Nile-dependent Egypt.






Ethiopia's construction of Africa's largest hydroelectric dam on the world's longest river threatens to affect flows of water to Nile-dependent, water-starved Egypt, where there is growing outrage, anger and fear.
Egypt in the past has threatened to go to war over its "historic rights" to Nile River water but diplomats from both countries this week played down the potential for conflict.
"A military solution for the Nile River crisis is ruled out," Egypt's irrigation and water resources minister, Mohammed Baheddin, said Thursday amid newspaper reports recalling the threats of war from Egypt's two previous leaders, Anwar Sadat and Hosni Mubarak.
Ethiopia on Tuesday started diverting the flow of the Blue Nile for construction of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam. Eighty-five percent of Nile waters originate in Ethiopia yet the East African nation whose name has become synonymous with famine thus far utilizes very little of those waters.

Colonial-era agreements

Ethiopia's decision challenges a colonial-era agreement that had given downstream Egypt and Sudan rights to the Nile water, with Egypt taking 55.5 billion cubic metres and Sudan 18.5 billion cubic metre of 84 billion cubic metres, with 10 billion lost to evaporation. That agreement, first signed in 1929, took no account of the eight other nations along the 6,700-kilometre river and its basin, which have been agitating for a decade for a more equitable accord.
Map of the Nile Rive locating the Grand Renaissance Dam in Ethiopia. A section of the river has been diverted to complete construction of the huge dam which is worrying downstream countries dependant on the river for water. Map of the Nile Rive locating the Grand Renaissance Dam in Ethiopia. A section of the river has been diverted to complete construction of the huge dam which is worrying downstream countries dependant on the river for water. (Reuters)And Ethiopia's unilateral action seems to ignore the 10-nation Nile Basin Initiative to promote co-operation.
Ethiopia is leading five nations threatening to sign a new cooperation agreement without Egypt and Sudan, effectively taking control from Egypt of the Nile, which serves some 238 million people.
Mohammed Abdel-Qader, governor of Egypt's Gharbiya province in the Nile Delta, warned the dam spells "disaster" and is a national security issue for the North African nation.

Dam spells "disaster"

"Taking Egypt's share of water is totally rejected ... The Nile means everything to Egypt," said Gov. Abdel-Qader.
Baheddin said Egypt already is suffering "water poverty" with an individual's share of 640 cubic metres well below the international average of 1,000 cubic metres.
Egypt protests that others along the Nile have alternative water sources, while the Nile is the sole water source in the mainly desert country.
Ethiopian officials say the dam is needed to provide much-needed power for development.
At a ceremony marking the diversion of the Nile, Deputy Prime Minister Demeke Mekonnin said Ethiopia could export cheap electricity from the dam to energy-short Egypt and Sudan. He insisted the dam would not affect the flow of water to Egypt.
Experts say otherwise.
Alaa el-Zawahri, a dams engineer at Cairo University and an expert on a national committee studying the ramifications of the Ethiopian dam, said Egypt stands to lose about 15 billion cubic metres of water — 27 per cent of annual share — each of the five years that Ethiopia has said it will take to fill the dam. The country's current share already is insufficient.
Egypt also would lose between 30 and 40 per cent of its hydropower generation, he said.
"If I was more of an optimist, I would say it will cause significant damage (to Egypt)," he told The Associated Press. "If I was being pessimistic, it is a catastrophe."
A traditional felucca sailing boat carries a cargo of hay as it transits the Nile River passing the Pyramids of Giza in Cairo, Egypt on January 22. Amr Nabil/Associated PressA traditional felucca sailing boat carries a cargo of hay as it transits the Nile River passing the Pyramids of Giza in Cairo, Egypt on January 22. Amr Nabil/Associated Press"Potentially catastrophic" is the opinion of Haydar Yousif Hussin, an Italian-based Sudanese hydrologist who has worked on Nile water issues for 35 years. The dam's reservoir "will hold back nearly one and a half times the average annual flow of the Blue Nile" and "drastically affect the downstream nations' agriculture, electricity and water supply," he said in an article published in the South African magazine Infrastructure News.
Given the massive size of the dam, it could lose as much as 3 billion cubic metres of water to evaporation each year, Yousif added.
Mekonnin said the dam construction is at 21 per cent and should be complete by 2015. Ethiopia has said the massive dam, located 60 kilometres from Sudan's border, is being built with a storage capacity for 74 million cubic metres of water and generating power of 6,000 megawatts — 30 per cent more than the electricity produced by Egypt's Aswan Dam, built on the Nile in the 1960s.
But very little other information is available.
"It remains irresponsible for Ethiopia to build Africa's biggest hydropower project, on its most contentious river, with no public access to critical information about the dam's impacts," Yousif wrote. He urged Ethiopian officials to "allow some light to penetrate this secretive development scheme."

Funding unclear

Ethiopia has timed the dam's construction while Egypt is at its weakest. The government announced the project in March 2011, when Egypt's government was overwhelmed by the Arab Spring revolution. The Nile diversion came the day after leaders of the two countries met in Addis Ababa, the Ethiopian capital, on the sidelines of an African Union summit, and days before Ethiopia, Egypt and Sudan were due to issue a technical report on the dam.
Information about the funding of the project is also unclear.
The World Bank and other donors have refused involvement, reportedly because of Egyptian lobbying of countries like the United States, which considers Egypt a key ally and pivotal to security in the region.
The contract for the $4.8 billion project was awarded without competitive bidding to the Italian company Salini Construttori, according to Yousif and other experts.
Ethiopia says it is funding the massive project on its own, urging citizens to buy bonds that earn 5 or 6 per cent interest. Norway's Development Today magazine quoted Kjetil Tronvoll of Oslo's International Law and Policy Institute as saying that government employees are being pressed to donate one month's salary to the dam and, when people protested, they were arrested.
A journalist who wrote an article criticizing the fund-raising methods, Reeyot Alemu, was arrested, tried for terrorism and sentenced to two years' jail, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists.
The issue of the dam also highlights traditional differences between Africa's northern Arabs and the blacks of the south.
That perception must be corrected, Egypt's assistant for foreign affairs, Essam el-Haddad, wrote on Egypt's foreign policy blog.
"Egypt's rejection of the project reinforces a negative stereotype of Egypt that is spreading among the people of Africa ... that this country is the reason for the absence of development and economic progress in African countries because it has acquired, unduly, the largest share of (Nile) water for its development," he wrote. "Egypt seeks to be a real partner in development in Africa."

 


Wednesday, May 29, 2013

Egypt summons Ethiopian ambassador over Blue Nile move

Foreign ministry summons Ethiopian ambassador to express Egypt's displeasure with Addis Ababa's recent move to divert course of Blue Nile within context of dam construction project

Foreign
Egyptian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mohamed Kamel Amr
Egypt's foreign ministry on Wednesday summoned Ethiopian Ambassador Mahmoud Dardir to express its displeasure with Ethiopia's construction of a major dam on the Blue Nile.Head of the ministry's African affairs committee, Ambassador Ali Hefny, along with other diplomats, met with Dardir Wednesday to convey Egypt's unhappiness with the move.
Egyptian diplomats further criticised Ethiopia for going ahead with the project without taking into account the recommendations of a technical committee – tasked with studying the issue – consisting of ten specialists, including representatives of Egypt, Sudan and Ethiopia.
In a Tuesday interview with Ahram Online, Egyptian ambassador to Ethiopia Mohamed Idris stated that Egypt was pursuing a "win-win scenario in which the interests of both sides can be served and accommodated."
Idris added: "We're expecting Ethiopian officials to make good on their earlier promise to act in a way that would not harm Egyptian interests."
A report on the possible impact of Ethiopia's 'Renaissance Dam' is expected to be issued later this week by the committee of specialists.
Sources close to the committee say the report will include concerns over the potential impact of the dam on Egypt and Sudan.
It is also expected to refer to worries that cracks could develop in the dam within a few years, eventually leading to serious flooding.
Ethiopia on Tuesday began diverting the course of the Blue Nile, one of the Nile River’s two major tributaries, as part of its project to build a series of new dams for electricity production.
The move, called "historic" by Ethiopian government spokesperson Bereket Simon, has prompted criticism from downstream Egypt and Sudan, since the step could negatively affect both countries' water quotas.
The Blue Nile provides Egypt with the lion's share of its annual 55 billion cubic metres of river water.
According to the state-run National Planning Institute, Egypt will need an additional 21 billion cubic metres of water per year by 2050 – on top of its current quota of 55 billion metres – to meet the needs of a projected population of 150 million.

Ethiopian dam won't affect Nile water share: Egypt presidency

Egyptian presidency says Ethiopia's announcement to divert the passage of the Blue Nile for its dam project will not affect Egypt's share of Nile water negatively
Ahram Online, Tuesday 28 May 2013

Omar Amer
Egypt presidency spokesman Omar Amer
The Egyptian president’s office announced Tuesday that the ongoing construction work by the Ethiopian government to divert the course of the Blue Nile, one of the Nile River’s two major tributaries, as part of its project to build a new dam, will not affect Egypt's share of the Nile water negatively.
"Any architectural project on the Nile River requires diverting the course of the water passageways before starting construction. It will not affect Egypt's share of the Nile water," said presidential spokesman Omar Amer in a news conference Tuesday.
Ethiopia said on Monday it will begin on Tuesday diverting the course of the Blue Nile, as part of its project to build a new dam.
The Renaissance Dam, which is currently under construction, has been a source of concern for the Egyptian government. A report by a tripartite technical committee, which includes members from Ethiopia, Sudan and Egypt, on the effects of the dam is expected in the next few days.
Egypt will need an additional 21 billion cubic metres of water per year by 2050, on top of its current quota of 55 billion metres, to meet the water needs of a projected population of 150 million people, according to Egypt's National Planning Institute.

Ethiopian Ambassador commends Ghana for democratic maturity

Mrs Gifti Abasiya Ababulgu, Ambassador of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, has commended Ghana for its democratic dispensation and economic developments.
“The people and government of Ethiopia would continue to derive considerable inspirations, from Ghana’s democratic achievement,” Mrs Ababulgu said in Accra on the occasion of the 22nd Anniversary of the overthrow of the Dergue Military Regime and the establishment of Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia.
Mrs Ababulgu expressed Ethiopia’s desire to work and learn from Ghana, adding: “The mutual understanding at the highest level of leadership should be translated into concrete cooperation among the business peoples.”
She said through the establishment of the new political order, Ethiopia has devoted its focus for peace.
Mrs Ababulgu said the recent peaceful transition of leadership following the passing away of the Prime Minister Meles, proved the maturity of the government.
She said the civility which the people demonstrated during the funeral and consequent events has clearly demonstrated that Ethiopians have come too far in upholding the democratic dispensation.
Mrs Ababulgu said the policies and strategies set by its visionary leader, the late Prime Minister Meles has helped stabilise the country and placed it on the economic growth path and he would be remembered for his exceptional leadership.
She said under the leadership of Meles, Ethiopia has registered a double digit economic growth for the last 10 years.
The economy is now one of the top 10 fastest growing economies in the world, she said.
Mrs Ababulgu said Ethiopia has contributed in ensuring peace and security in the region.
The country has worked tirelessly for peace in Somalia, Sudan, Rwanda, Burundi and Liberia through the deployment of Ethiopian peacekeepers to these nations.
As the African Union celebrates its Golden Jubilee, she urged the leaders to be united and committed to the ideals of the Union for peaceful existence.
Ms Sherry Ayittey, Minister of Health congratulated Ethiopian for its anniversary and expressed government desire to work assiduously to advance the economic growth of the country.
She said both countries have good relations and have played a significant role in the course of African unity since its establishment in 1963.
Ethiopian officials dispel fears over dam's impact

Officials in Ethiopia seeks to allay Egyptian concerns over construction of $4.7 bn hydroelectric dam on Blue Nile


Nile
File photo: The sun sets over the river Nile in Cairo (Photo: Reuters)
Ethiopia began diverting a stretch of the Nile on Tuesday to make way for a $4.7 billion hydroelectric dam that is worrying downstream countries dependent on the world's longest river for water.
The Horn of Africa country has laid out plans to invest more than $12 billion in harnessing the rivers that run through its rugged highlands, to become Africa's leading power exporter.
Centrepiece to the plan is the Grand Renaissance Dam being built in the Benishangul-Gumuz region bordering Sudan. Now 21 percent complete, it will eventually have a 6,000 megawatt capacity, the government says, equivalent to six nuclear power plants.
"The dam is being built in the middle of the river so you can't carry out construction work while the river flowed," said Mihret Debebe, chief executive officer of the state-run Ethiopian Electric Power Corporation, at a ceremony at the site.
"This now enables us to carry out civil engineering work without difficulties. The aim is to divert the river by a few metres and then allow it to flow on its natural course."
Ethiopia's ambitions have heightened concerns in Egypt over fears the projects may reduce the river's flow. Addis Ababa has long complained that Cairo was pressuring donor countries and international lenders to withhold funding.
Ethiopia's energy minister moved to dispel fears over the dam's impact.
"The dam's construction benefits riparian countries, showcases fair and equitable use of the river's flow and does not cause any harm on any country," Alemayehu Tegenu said in a speech.
Mohamed Bahaa El-Din, Egypt's Minister of Water Resources and Irrigation, said Cairo was not opposed to Ethiopia's development projects as long as they did not harm downstream countries.
"Crises in the distribution and management of water faced in Egypt these days and the complaints of farmers from a lack of water confirms that we cannot let go of a single drop of water from the quantity that comes to us from the Upper Nile," he said.
A panel of experts from Ethiopia, Egypt and Sudan is set to announce its findings on the impact of the Ethiopian dam on the Nile's flow in the next two weeks.
Sudanese Minister of Water Resources Osama Abdullah arrived in Cairo on Wednesday for a one-day visit to discuss the dam's impact with Egyptian officials, state news agency MENA said.