Imagine as we celebrate the Adwa Victory of 1896, the 1976 Lease of Djibouti to France and Masawa lease to the Italians 1884 continues to bedevil all our international contact either in business or security relations respectively.
Can this generation, do the right thing and provide Sea Access for Ethiopia?
That is the platform for 2010 elections if the EPRDF/Medrek or the Andinet Group have some foresight!
We need to have a decent sea outlets that is win-win with all our neighbors. My suggestion is Federation of the Horn of Africa States under the new African Union Charter.
We need to encourage Pro-Ethiopia Governments in the region who Can join the Horn Federation.
Can some intelligent politician take this idea forward?
Dr B
Please read on the challenges and opportunities of the Horn some 120 Million people!
Belai Habte-Jesus, MD, MPH
Global Strategic Enterprises, Inc. 4 Peace & Prosperity
Win-win synergestic Partnership 4P&P-focusing on
5Es: Education+Energy+Ecology+Economy+Enterprises
www.Globalbelai4u.blogspot.com; Globalbelai@yahoo.com
V: 571.225.5736; C: 703.933.8737; F: 703.531.0545
Our Passion is to reach our Individual and Collective Potential
----- Forwarded Message ----
From: "shlomo@eastafricaforum.net"
To: Horn News
Sent: Wednesday, March 4, 2009 9:50:38 AM
Subject: Ethiopia and Russia to boost ties; Food supplies stuck in Djibouti; Ethiopian Air has 70-aircraft plan
APA
March 4, 2009
Ethiopia and Russia agree to boost economic, investment ties
Addis Ababa ( Ethiopia ) Ethiopia and Russia have on Tuesday signed a memorandum of understanding to boost the two countries’ economic and investment ties.
The agreement was signed during the 4th Ethio-Russian Inter-Governmental Commission on Economic, Scientific, Trade and Technical Cooperation (IGC) implementation review meeting held on Tuesday in Addis Ababa .
The meeting reviewed the implementation of the decision passed during the 3rd Inter-Governmental Commission meeting held last year in Moscow .
The Ethiopian Minister of Trade and Industry, Girma Birru and the head of the Federal Agency for Mineral Resources of the Russian Federation , Anatoly Ledovskikh signed the memorandum of understanding.
The agreement is aimed at enhancing the current poor economic and investment ties between the two countries.
Though the two countries have a decade ago diplomatic relations, their trade and investment ties are reported to be quite poor.
As part of this initiative to enhance the two countries ties on economic and development, a Russian business delegation is in Ethiopia assessing investment opportunities in the country.
The business delegation is also attending for the first time the on-going international trade fair taking place in Addis Ababa .
Minister Birru expressed gratitude for Generalized Tariff Preference (GSP) scheme being implemented by the Russian government for developing countries.
Accordingly, he said that about 75 percent of Ethiopia ’s export interest has been included in the GSP list.
__________________________________________________________________
http://www.irinnews.org/Report.aspx?ReportId=83175
IRIN
March 4, 2009
ETHIOPIA: Urgent food supplies stuck in Djibouti
ADDIS ABABA - Beneficiaries of food aid in Ethiopia could face tougher times unless supplies that are stuck in Djibouti port arrive quickly in the country, sources said.
Officials blamed congestion at Djibouti port, land-locked Ethiopia's main access to the sea, but insisted the situation was improving.
"It was a problem during October and December," Mitku Kassa, Ethiopia's Minister for Agriculture and Rural Development, said. "Through negotiation and discussions with the officials, especially Dubai Port World, which manages the port, and STDV, the port agency, the [situation] is improving."
A recent joint assessment by the Ethiopian government and its humanitarian partners found that 4.9 million people would require humanitarian assistance over the next six months. The government and donors have appealed for US$389.3 million worth of food to alleviate the situation.
"A large quantity of WFP's [UN World Food Programme] food is at the port," Paulette Jones, WFP spokeswoman in Addis Ababa, said. "These [food] commodities are needed urgently to assist beneficiaries who are still suffering from the impact of the drought, high food prices and [low] global food stocks."
Rations
According to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), January food allocations have been affected by limited resources.
Only the worst-affected areas would receive full cereal and blended food rations, based on the agreement reached by a prioritisation committee. Other beneficiaries would receive full pulse and vegetable oil rations reduced by two-thirds.
WFP said it was exploring the options of using Port Sudan and Berebera in Somaliland - which would also make it easier to deliver food to the Somali region of Ethiopia.
Meanwhile, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) has warned that livestock owned by southern pastoralist families have reduced drastically over the past two decades after animals died from diseases induced by climate change and severe drought.
In a report prepared by Ethiopian and Dutch researchers, published on 26 February, the IFRC said average livestock numbers owned by households had declined from 10 to three oxen, 35 to seven cows, and 33 to six goats in Borena zone of Oromiya region.
"For families entirely dependent on their animals for income and as a food source, losses on this scale would be disastrous," it noted.
As animals died, people became dependent on aid while dry seasons triggered local "resource conflicts" over water and pasture, the study found. "About a quarter of all households in Borena and Guji zones suffered from cattle-raiding related to conflict in the period 2004–2008," IFRC said. ___________________________________________________________
http://www.flightglobal.com/articles/2009/02/13/322557/ethiopian-sees-300-seat-jets-in-70-aircraft-fleet-plan.html
FlightGlobal/Air Transport Intelligence
February 13, 2009
Ethiopian sees 300-seat jets in 70-aircraft fleet plan
Victoria Moores
Ethiopian Airlines is looking to take a further seven Boeing 787-8s and additionally may order up to 10 787-9s, 777-200LRs or Airbus A350 XWBs this year as it looks to grow its fleet to around 70 jets by 2023.
The Addis Ababa-based carrier's 2023 fleet vision comprises 23 Boeing 737-700 and -800s, 17 787-8s and 28 aircraft in the 300-plus seat range - a new capacity segment for Ethiopian, which currently has 23 passenger jets: 10 Boeing 767-300ERs, eight 757-200ERs and five 737-700s.
Ethiopian has 10 787s on firm order, which will replace its 10 767s, and the initial seven have already been financed with ExIm Bank guarantees. The first 787 was slated to arrive last September, but programme delays and the Boeing strike pushed it back until 2010.
Speaking to ATI in Addis Ababa, Ethiopian Airlines fleet and equipment planning manager Beza Tesfaye said: "The 787 will represent the majority of our fleet composition by the end of the next 10 years. Over the next 10-15 years we will grow our 787 fleet to 17."
Ethiopian owns three of its 767s and leases the remaining seven. Tesfaye says the leased aircraft will be phased-out by 2018. In line with Ethiopian's aim to operate a young passenger fleet, its three owned 767s will ultimately either be placed with other airlines or converted into freighters.
Tesfaye says the 787 order comprises eight 787-8s and two -9s, which are due to arrive by 2014, although she adds that all 10 may be switched to -8s. She clarifies that the 17-strong 787 target does not include the -9s: "It would be on top of that. We intend to grow our fleet. We will start with five [more 787s] and can grow to up to 20 under our initial 15-year outlook, but that could change," she says.
The 787-9 forms part of Ethiopian's 300-seat evaluation, alongside the 777-200LR and Airbus A350-900. Tesfaye says the 2023 vision sees Ethiopian operating up to 28 of the chosen type, as it studies new long-haul services to three points in Asia, one in Russia, two in Latin America and three in North America.
Ethiopian Airlines CEO Girma Wake expects to order an initial tranche 350-seat aircraft this year: "If [one manufacturer] is not ready we will go with whoever is ready. It will be a maximum of 10."
Although Ethiopian has an all-Boeing jet fleet, Wake says Airbus could still win the order: "We are ready to look at their offer. Once you reach a certain size, you can afford to put your eggs in two baskets. We buy aircraft not because they belong to so-and-so, but because it does the job we want it to."
Ethiopian is planning to keep its 757 fleet at eight aircraft. Tesfaye says: "We own three and the leased ones will be returned. For up to the next five years we will maintain [the 757s].
After that we will phase them out under the current plan."
Over the next 15 years Ethiopian is strategically looking to expand its African network with the opening 22 of new stations and Tesfaye says four destinations are already under evaluation. She adds that over the 15-year timeframe Ethiopian is planning to double its five-strong 737-700 fleet and introduce up to 13 737-800s - a new variant for the carrier.
"We are trying to lease in two 737-800s. It is likely that we will have them this year and, over the next 15 years, go up to 13," says Tesfaye.
Kuwaiti lessor Aviation Lease and Finance Company (ALAFCO) is providing the two leased aircraft and Wake says the two sides signed a memorandum of understanding for the deal last week. He adds that Ethiopian's first two 737-800s should arrive in March and June.
Ethiopian operates five Fokker 50s on its regional network, but these will be replaced by eight Bombardier Q400s which are already on order and slated for delivery over the period 2010-13. Ethiopian was also evaluating a return to ATR operations, but Tesfaye says the Q400 won out because the ATR proved less robust for operations into unpaved airports.
The African carrier's dedicated freighter fleet comprises two 757s, two 747-400Fs and a recently-acquired Boeing MD-11, with another due to arrive in August.
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