Following Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed and Jack Ma’s phone discussion and agreement to partner in the efforts against #COVID19, a teleconference was held yesterday between the Ethiopian and Chinese counterparts to align on the initiative ‘Reversing COVID-19 from Africa.’

Key issues discussed include:
(1) List & amount of items to be shipped to AA & to other African countries
(2) Shipment issues & documentation
(3) Warehouse & local transportation
(4) Handbook (to be translated to local languages as well
(5) Personnel issues
(6) Data & Information platforms

Ensuring #COVID19 preparedness in #Africa to mitigate health disasters is critical. #JackMa and I agreed this morning on ways of working together to halt the spread of #COVID19 on the continent. Great appreciation to Jack Ma for partnering with #Ethiopia to distribute 10-20k corona testing kits per country and more than 100k masks for each African country. In addition, the support package includes distribution of guideline books developed recently on how to treat patients with the virus. Material support coupled with enhanced knowledge is key to #COVID19 containment.

A discussion was held between the Office of the Prime Minister, Federal and Regional Communications Officers and the Regional Health Bureau's Communication leads on how to effectively create awareness on Covid-19. Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed urged government communicators to become soldiers who prevent transmission of the virus by providing accurate and up-to-date information to the public. Centralization of access to information, access to the latest updates from the Ministry of Health, enabling internal communication within the government structure, making effective use of the pre-existing regional government communication system that reaches the lower strata and effective utilization of existing resources are among the key issues raised. In addition to using media, government communication professionals are responsible for utilizing other contextualized alternatives to deliver relevant information to the public and prevent panic.

Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed met with the #COVID19 Ministerial Committee to assess status of preparedness tasks undertaken nationally. State Minister Dr Lia Tadesse briefed the Prime Minister and members of the cabinet on related activities since the announcement of #COVID19.

In #Ethiopia, there is no confirmed positive case thus far. Nevertheless the Ministry of Health, in collaboration with relevant institutions, have:-

• set up a 24hr emergency center to work on #COVID19 preparedness
• screening of travelers entering the country through land and air
• follow-up of suspected cases by phone
• operation of 8335 phone line for alerts of suspected cases and information
• in country testing being done since February 18 after acquiring the required testing equipment
• setup of quarantine centers
• setup of Yeka Kotebe hospital as the primary hospital to take care of suspected cases and positive confirmations with capacity to attend to 600 patients
• development of other medical institutions as backup centers
• collection of required input materials for prevention and response, like masks etc
• strengthening communication and relaying adequately and timely information to the public to raise awareness

Considering global trends, it is inevitable that cases will emerge in country and therefore the public needs to be well aware of prevention precautions and keep calm. Relatedly, members of the public are advised to:

1. Increase sanitation practices, washing hands frequently and limiting unnecessary touching
2. Increase consumption of immune system boosting nutrients; and
3. Engage in awareness raising on prevention measures and alert public health officials on suspected cases

Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed and First Lady Zinash Tayachew together with former Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn and other high level government delegates were received in a warm welcome by residents of South Omo zone at Jinka stadium.

During discussions with community members of South Omo zone, Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed announced that a research delegation led by former Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn will be undertaking a study to identify development projects aimed at transforming the lives of pastoralists in the area.

In addition to key interventions being undertaken by the government to develop infrastructure, modernize agriculture, address water and electricity provision, the discussions Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed held with community members aimed at identifying critical needs and concerns.

As part of his two-year country wide public consultations, Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed together with Minister for Peace, Muferiat Kamil were received in a warm welcome to Tercha town by Dawuro zone residents.

Elders at the Tercha stadium gathered with zonal residents, commended the Prime Minister for being the first Prime Minister to visit the people of Dawuro.

During community conversations with Dawuro residents, Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed highlighted how poverty initiates divisions and the heroism required now is the type that will come together to finish the #GERD and make #Ethiopia a source of energy for its neighbors.

Participants in the community discussion particularly appreciated Prime Minister Abiy for the milestones marked thus far. In particular, female participants marked him as a leader that has elevated and brought women to the fore.

Key issues raised include the need for water provision, increasing supply of electricity commensurate with growing cities and requests for finalizing construction works of roads started. In addition, requests were made to facilitate the registration of Dawuro heritages; to enable research and studies to be undertaken in exploring Omo valley assets and drawing investments into bamboo industry creation as job creation means.

Responding to issues raised, Prime Minister Abiy recalled the key elements of the homegrown economic reform agenda and the 10yr national plan that will be launched soon as a cohesive way forward for addressing the requests made by Dawuro residents.

A first visit to Konta Woreda, Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed expressed how abundant Konta is, bestowed with natural resources that are inspiring for diverse development projects. He indicated the need and commitments to hasten the pace of finalizing the Koysha hydroelectric project and begin generating energy, to attract investment opportunities.

Considering the great natural assets of the area, the potential to transform Konta through investments and generate sustainable wealth is highly possible.

የሎጂስቲክ ሥርዓቱ ማነቆዎችን ከነመንስኤያቸው መለየት፣ የመፍትሔ ሀሳቦችን ወደ መርሀግብር ለውጦ መተግበርና እንዲያውም ወደ አንድ የኢንደስትሪ ዘርፍ እንዲያድግ የሚያስችሉ ሥራዎች ተሠርተዋል።

የግሉ ዘርፍ አስተዋጽኦ የዳበረ እንዲሆን መንግሥት እሴትን ለመጨመር ሊያደርግ የሚያስፈልገው ድጋፍ ተለይቶ ታውቋል። ለዚህም ዓይነተኛ ማሳያ የሚሆነው በደረቅ ወደቦች ላይ እየተሠራ ያለው ሥራ ነው።

ከቴክኖሎጂ አንጻር የአንድ መስኮት አገልግሎት ሥራው ሂደትን እያቀላጠፈ ነው። የግሉ ዘርፍ እና የባለድርሻ አካላት ሚና እንዲሁም ፋይናንስ ለዘርፉ እድገት ያለው አበርክቶት ሊተኮርበት ያስፈልጋል።

የኢትዮጵያ ሎጂስቲክ ስትራተጂያዊ አቀማመጥ ለምሥራቅ አፍሪካ እጅግ ጠቃሚ ቢሆንም፣ በእሴት ላይ እምብዛምም ዋጋ ባለመጨመራችን እና ሥራው ያለቀለት ምርት የምናስገባ መሆኑ አሉታዊ ጎን ነው። ከዓለም አቀፍ አካሄድ አንጻር ተለዋዋጭና አዳጊ ፍላጎት መኖሩ፣ የተወሳሰበ የንግድ ስርዓት፣ ዓለምአቀፋዊነት አመጣሽ ተጋላጭነት፣ የሎጂስቲክስ ክህሎት፣ ቴክኖሎጂ፣ ስታንዳርዳይዜሽን፣ የመሳሰሉት በዘርፉ ላይ ተጽዕኖ ያሳድራሉ። የሎጂስቲክ ዘርፍ ከፍተኛ መሻሻል እንዲታይበት ሥራዎች በአፋጣኝ ሊከናወኑ ያስፈልጋል።

በሀገር ደረጃ ሁሉንም ባለድርሻ አካላት የሚያስተሳስር የሎጂስቲክስ ስርዓት ገና አላበጀንም። የሎጂስቲክስ ምክር ቤት መቋቋም ይህንን እውን ለማድረግ ያግዛል። የሎጂስቲክስ ዘርፍን ስናስብ የጊዜና የገንዘብን ዋጋ ከግምት ውስጥ ማስገባት አለብን። ያሉት ማሻሻያዎች ጥሩ ቢሆኑም፣ ቀጣይ ርምጃዎች መፋጠን አለባቸው። የሎጂስቲክ ልማት ቁልፍ የኢኮኖሚ አንቀሳቃሽ መሆኑ ሊስተዋል ያስፈልጋል።

Following their tour of various development projects throughout the city, including the Beautifying Sheger and Entoto works, members of the taxi drivers association met with Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed for a brief discussion.

Prime Minister Abiy noted that the development works begun are a generational asset with great potential for expansion through investments. He further emphasised the critical role that transporters play in mobilising tourism and investments through their encounters with different passengers. He assured members of the association that #Ethiopia’s growth is inevitable when we overcome our own limitations to pave the path to prosperity.

Over the past one year and half, efforts to strengthen relations with key international partners have been fruitful. Following the December 2019 visit of the new EU Commission President, Dr. Ursula Von der Leyen, Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed received the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs & Security Policy and EU Commission Vice President, Mr. Josep Borrell this morning.

Prime Minister Abiy underlined that the government remains committed to forging ahead with the reforms begun almost two years ago. Recalling critical political and economic milestones achieved, he shared the work being done by the government to further enhance milestones. On regional peace and security, he reiterated that ultimate sacrifices will be paid to release peace in the region.

Mr. Borrell congratulated Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed for his Nobel Peace Prize win and expressed that the EU is the biggest ally to Ethiopia. He further affirmed continued support during the country’s democratic process and vowed to work closely together.

Addressing the gathering waiting for Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed at the Durame Stadium in Kembatta Tembaro zone, he acknowledged the people of the area for their strength, knowledge and efforts to live immersed in the spirit of #MEDEMER.

Recounting the philosophy of Kembatta Tembaro elders which emphasizes the ripple effect of individual actions, he stressed the importance of respecting the rights of others to get ones rights respected. The fate of Ethiopia rests on the collective actions of all those that make up this great nation.

“I am certain that the people of Kembatta Tembaro zone will not march to the tune of occasional noises. Our goal is prosperity, guaranteed in a journey of MEDEMER,” Prime Minister Abiy stated, reflecting on their historical foundations of hard work.

During discussions with representatives of the Kembatta Tembaro zone key issues that emerged include infrastructure, electricity and roads request; water supply and sanitation needs particularly in relation to maternal health care.

Participants of the discussion commended Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed for elevating the role of women in society by paving the path for more women in leadership.

Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed highlighted that the government has adopted the theme of “A Year of Finishing” at the beginning of the 2012 Ethiopian calendar with a commitment to addressing concerns of projects already begun. He raised the values of listening to one another and respecting the dignity of all as a critical measuring stick for development.

In response to some of the issues raised, Dr Sileshi Bekele, Minister of Water, Irrigation and Energy gave an indication of the four woredas that are undergoing electrification work soon as well as the five year national goal of full electrification. Similarly, he shared the multi-village scheme design for water works in the area plus additional water projects in the pipeline.

Habtamu Tegene, Head of the Ethiopian Roads Authority also shared the road build projects in the pipeline for which budget has been allocated by the Federal Government, indicating a commitment to undertake these projects within the budget year.

Thousands of residents of the Halaba zone gathered at the Halaba Kulito stadium to receive Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed in a warm welcome. To honor his arrival and in celebration of #MEDEMER the community presented and gifted 120 oxen and 3 camels in a parade.

Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed recalled the rich historical significance played by the Halaba people in Ethiopia’s past and called upon the zones residents to tap into this heritage in countering emerging challenges to enable Ethiopia’s prosperity.

He affirmed strengthened support of the FDRE government to the people of Alaba and encouraged them to forge ahead through hard work.

PM Abiy Ahmed held discussions with community members from the Halaba zone following the welcoming ceremony at the stadium.

Requests for asphalt roads, access to water supply, construction of hospitals and other infrastructure requests were raised during the discussions.

Members of the Ministerial delegation provided information with regards to the various efforts being undertaken to address the needs of Halaba zone.

Prime Minister Abiy acknowledged the key issues raised by participants of the discussion and encouraged them to maintain their unity and love as Ethiopia ascends to prosperity.

Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed attended the National Voluntary Service Program launch event held at the African Union Hall this morning.

In his remarks, Prime Minister Abiy shared the anchoring principle of altruism inherent in voluntary service. He called upon the youth to fully partake in the program and consider the skills they will develop as foundation skills for life.

He cautioned youth to harness their energy for productive purposes and apply wisdom in their engagements, being selective in how time is spent and energy is expended, focusing solely on positive deeds.

Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed met this morning with Dutch Minister for Foreign Trade and Development Cooperation, Ms. Sigrid Kaag who came to Ethiopia to handover a ceremonial 18th century crown. The crown had been missing since 1993 and we rediscovered in Rotterdam, Netherlands in October 2019. The Netherlands government facilitated this handover with the belief that it has a duty to restitute this important artifact back to Ethiopia.

Members of the Ethiopian Reconciliation Commission established one year ago met with Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed to discuss and review progress of activities undertaken, including the development of a strategic plan; forging partnerships with various entities and groups; stakeholder consultations in different areas and taking targeted interventions following conflict in some pockets of the country.

After reviewing the key milestones presented by representatives of the commission, Prime Minister Abiy provided direction in how to further strengthen their activities by focusing on the capacity and potential of the commission to execute key activities through creating goodwill.

Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, when meeting the residents of the Silte Zone at the Werabe Stadium, said “The people of Silte are known for their strong work and dedication for development. They know that citizenship is like a river, their origin is Silte while their destination is the whole wide world. Their journey is one of Medemer. Medmer is wider than a line and therefore we chose the wider road to journey towards prosperity without tiring and slumbering. We do not slumber because we inherited a country full of debt. Talking about debt does not mean paying it. We work for a better and debt free future. We also understand that the people of Silte have questions that are not answered yet. In Medemer, we will put in our best efforts to respond to each question progressively.

It is crucial to preserve the unity and harmony of Ethiopia. Arming youngsters in the name of protecting unity and togetherness is to teach them about war. Instead, let us arm them with a pen and a pencil, a Bible and a Koran and not with weapons. We will continue our journey of Medmer by correcting and straightening those who attempt to divide us with race and religion.”

Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed responded to a series of questions raised by the inhabitants of the Silte Zone. The questions focused on infrastructure, good governance and the current national situations. Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed stated that the government will do everything in its capacity to improve the aforementioned issues and asked the communities to do their part.

It was raised that the issue of forming additional regions was addressed in the earlier discussions with community representatives from the different areas of SNNPR. It was noted that regions will not be established by the number of nation nationalities. At the same time, the people’s right to self-governance will remain respected.

Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed is currently holding consultations with Ethiopian women in UAE who ended up in shelters due to unfortunate circumstances and violence. Ethiopian women who have become successful in their lives in Middle East countries will also be sharing their experiences.

Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed continues his discussion with Ethiopian women who ended up in shelters from Jeddah, Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Beirut, Jazan, Bahrain, Riyadh and other cities.

Senior government officials facilitated the detailed discussion session. Prime Minister Abiy expressed his sadness about the situation they are in due to irregular migration and violence by employers and traffickers. He promised to find lasting solution in consultation with the governments of the Middle East countries.

Prime Minister Abiy said that a consulate will open to closely follow up the status of migrants in Bahrain and consultations will be held to enable the migrants obtain a residence permit. The government of Ethiopia will work to return the irregular migrants whose condition does not allow to get residence permit.

The participants of the discussion underlined that it is traffickers who expose migrants to harm and trouble. They added, they will be part of the solution by working with the governments of the Middle East countries in providing accurate information and evidence to expose traffickers.

Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed has reached an agreement with the governments of the UAE countries to legalize irregular migrants to obtain residence and work permits, as well as mercy to be granted to Ethiopians who have been imprisoned. The request for school construction from the Ethiopian community as well as the request of Protestant Christians to have a place of worship and prayer has also been agreed to.

In addition, today, Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed visited the Dubai Expo 2020 preparations. After looking at the preparations, he remarked "what we have seen is the evidence of what people could do in wisdom if restraints are not placed on their needs.” During the previous Expos, the entire continent of Africa was given a limited place. However, in Dubai Expo 2020, in addition to various spots being allocated, the vast amphitheater allocated for Ethiopia provides a great opportunity to introduce Ethiopian products and culture to the whole world. It has also been agreed that ten thousand young Ethiopians will take part in the constructions of the Dubai expo.

Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed met with members of the Ethiopian diaspora at Shabab Alahli stadium in the afternoon. In his remarks Prime Minister Abiy stated, “I had the opportunity to meet and discuss with the Ethiopian diaspora in U.S.A and Europe. I did the same with the Ethiopian diaspora living in South Africa a few weeks ago. I am happy beyond measures to be able to meet with Ethiopians living in the Middle East countries. All of you Ethiopians and of Ethiopian descent have come here to labour in any field possible and change your lives and that of your people.

The tribulation and pain you endured due to this is an unwritten and amazing book. The contribution you are making for your country while passing through challenges should be told in a unique manner. Your government has signed bilateral agreements with the governments of Middle East countries so that you work with dignity and labour rights. Your government understands that Ethiopia is respected when you are respected. Therefore, we will strive to do everything to protect your rights and dignity. I have sincere respect for your patience and beautiful organization to receive me in a warm welcome and express you love.”

Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed held talks with the UAE Vice President, Prime Minister and ruler of Dubai Hon. Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum. Upon receiving the Prime Minister, Sheikh Mohammed expressed his appreciation and support for Prime Minister Abiy's efforts to transform Ethiopia and his continued work to bring sustainable peace in Ethiopia as well as Africa.

The discussion focused on resolving challenges and responding to various questions raised by Ethiopians living in Dubai and throughout the Arab Emirates. Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed raised issues from his meeting yesterday with the 300 representatives and leaders of the Ethiopian community. Sheikh Mohammed promised to consult with the responsible officials regarding work permit for Ethiopians, access for land to build schools and worship institutions as well as other matters related to the Ethiopian diaspora. One of the outcomes of the meeting is granting the Ethiopian Orthodox Church a land to build a place of worship in Abudabi.

Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed arrived in Abu Dhabi for an official visit. Prime Minister Abiy and his delegates were received with a warm welcome by the Foreign Minister Diab Mohammed bin Zayed and senior leaders.

Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed received Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari in an official welcoming ceremony at the Office of the Prime Minister this morning. The two leaders held bilateral talks together with members of their delegation on various issues of common interest. President Buhari noted the progress Ethiopia has been marking over the past two years and commended Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed for the energy and speed of the reforms. Prime Minister Abiy shared with President Buhari key aspects of the reforms within the frame of exploring national potential, expediting productivity in identified potential ares and building prosperity.

The two agreed to share lessons on similar experiences in common between the two countries, including ethnic and religious diversity, federalism and the youth dividend that can be harnessed for development. Furthermore, they also agreed to cooperate closely on trade and investment potentials, tourism, energy and agriculture development as well as experience sharing on the return of stolen assets, which Nigeria has recently marked key milestones on.

Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed received The Right Honourable Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his delegation this morning. Prime Minister Trudeau shared his gratitude for the warm welcome and expressed the commitment of the Canadian government to strengthen ties with Ethiopia on many fronts. He appreciated the changes and reforms underway in Ethiopia and affirmed to standby as a friend and good partner. Prime Minister Abiy shared the multifaceted reforms underway in Ethiopia anchored in democratization as well as the vision for building holistic prosperity.

The two further explored how to work together on common interests of development, climate change trade, investments in energy, agro-processing, pharmaceuticals and regional peace and security.

አዲስ ወግ አንድ ጉዳይ የግብርናው ዘርፍ ቁልፍ የሪፎርም እርምጃዎች በሚል ርዕስ እየተካሄደ ነው። የዘርፉ ባለ ድርሻ አካላትን በማሳተፍ ለግብርናው ዘርፍ ገንቢ የሆኑ ሀሳቦችን ለማንሸራሸርና ግብአቶችን ለማግኘት የታለመ ነው።

ዶ/ር አንተነህ ግርማ ከግብርና ሚኒስቴር፣ መንግሥት የሚያካሂዳቸውን ቁልፍ የሪፎርም አቅጣጫዎች ያመላከቱ ሲሆን፣ መንግሥት የዘርፉ ባለድርሻ አካላት ሚናቸውን እንዲጫወቱ ለማስቻልና በዘርፉ ላይ የራሱን ተሳትፎ ክፍተት መሙላት ወደሚያስፈልግበት ሁኔታ ብቻ ለማድረግ እየሠራ እንደሚገኝ ተናግረዋል።

የግብርና ሚኒስቴር አማካሪ በሆኑት ወ/ሮ ላቀች ሚካኤል አመቻችነት እና በእንስሳት ሀብት ስፔሻሊስቱ ዶ/ር ወርቅነህ አያሌው፣ የግብርና ተመራማሪው ፕሮፌሰር አለማየሁ ስዩም፣ የኦሮሚያ ግብርና ሕብረት ሥራ ፌዴሬሽን ተወካይ ወ/ሮ አስከበረች በላይነህ እና በሆራይዘን ፕላንቴሽን ሥራ አስኪያጅ አቶ ጀማል አሕመድ አቅራቢነት በመካሄድ ላይ ይገኛል።

“የመሬት ይዞታ እና አጠቃቀምን ማሻሻል፣ በትንንሽ ይዞታዎች ላይ ያተኮረ ሥራን ከመከወን በረዥም ጊዜ ይዞታ ላይ ማተኮር፣ ፖሊሲዎችን ማሻሻልና አሠራሮችን ማዘመን የግብርናው ዘርፍ በእጅጉ ውጤታማ እንዲሆን ትኩረት ሊደረግባቸው ይገባል።" - ፕሮፌሰር አለማየሁ ስዩም

"አዳዲስ መዋቅሮችን ለመፍጠር ከመሞከር ይልቅ፣ የባለድርሻ አካላትን ትስስር ማሻሻል ምርታማነትን ይጨምራል። በኢንቨስትመንት ደረጃ የእንስሳት ሀብት ላይ እምብዛምም እየተሠራ ያለ መሆኑ የእንስሳት ሀብት ላኪ ለመሆን ካለን ሀገራዊ መሻት ጋር የሚጣጣም አይደለም። የግል የእንስሳት ሀብት ማልማት በቴክኖሎጂ ቢታገዝና ቢስፋፋ የሥራ ዕድልም ምርታማነትም ይስፋፋል።" - ዶ/ር ወርቅነህ አያሌው

"የአፈር ማዳበሪያ በመንግሥት ለሕብረት ሥራ ማኅበራት የሚቀርብ ሲሆን፣ ተጠቃልሎ በማኅበራቱ ቢያዝ ሥራን ያቀላጥፋል። ማኅበራቱ የራሳቸውን ማሰልጠኛ ተቋማት ለመቋቋም ቢችሉ በተሻለ የሥራ ዕድል ፈጠራ ላይ ለመሥራት ይችላሉ። የመንግሥት ለማኅበራቱ ድጋፍ በማድረግ ያስጀመራቸው ጅማሬዎች ተጠናክረው ቢቀጥሉ፣ ባንኮች ልክ እንደ ሕብረት ሥራ ባንኮች ሁሉ ያለ ብዙ መያዣና ቅድመ ሁኔታ፣ እንዲሁም የበዛ ወለድ ለአርብቶ አደሮችና አርሶ አደሮች ብድር ቢያመቻቹ፣ አዋጁን ማዕከል ያደረገና የተፋጠነ ሀገራዊ እንቅስቃሴ ቢደረግ ምርታማነት በእጅጉ ይጨምራል።" - ወ/ሮ አስከበረች በላይነህ

"በግብርናው ዘርፍ የባለ ሀብቱ ሚና ይህ ነው የማይባል ቢሆንም ሦስት መሠረታዊ ተግዳሮቶች ይገጥሟቸዋል፣ እነርሱም ተሰሚነት ማጣት፣ ግንዛቤ ያለመኖር እና አላስፈላጊ የሆነና ሥራን የሚያወሳስብ ቁጥጥር ናቸው። ግብርና ሰፊ መስኮች ስላሉት በየመስኩ ውይይቶችን አካሂዶ ማሻሻያዎችን መተግበር ለሁሉም አካላት ይጠቅማል። የሸማቹን ፍላጎት ባጣጣመ መልኩ በዕቅድ የተመረጡ ሰብሎች ላይ አተኩሮ መሥራት፣ በምርምር የታገዘ የምርት ጥራትን ማዳበርም አስፈላጊ ነው።" - አቶ ጀማል አሕመድ

Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed inaugurated the Genale Dawa III hydroelectric dam and the Welmel river irrigation development, while laying foundation stone for the Calcal dam and river irrigation development projects. Bale Robe's elders and haadha siinqees received Prime Minister Abiy with a warm welcome.

The Genale Dawa III hydroelectric dam, built on Genale river located between Guji and Bale Zones, the generation capacity of the plant is 254 megawatt. When compared with the power generating capacity of the GERD, Genale Dawa generates 1640 GWh energy per annum which is one tenth of the GERD’s capacity. In terms of mega watt, its generation capacity is one twentieth of the GERD’s generation capacity which reveals the dam to have good capacity of generating power (with plant factor of 72 %) .

The Welmel river irrigation development project has the capacity of watering 11,000 hectares of land to benefit more than 22,000 farmers. The project is currently benefiting 1,123 farmers by watering 400 hectares of land.

The Calcal dam and river irrigation development project is located in Bale zone which aims at contributing towards food security and job creation the Raayituu and Gindhiir woredas. The dam will rest on 4154.5 kms of space while covering 326 hectars of land. The project will be executed with a budget of 2.8 billion birr to benefit 8,000 semi-pastoralists and farmers.

A presentation of GERD progress was made for Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed following a visit to the site. Reflecting on the progress, Prime Minister Abiy recounted the enormity of the vision and emphasized the importance of working effectively to realize dreams.

Recalling the completion delays that had been caused due to poor management, he shared the measures taken over the past year by the Government to address the problems the GERD construction was confronted with. Prime Minister Abiy encouraged all contractors to work harmoniously in accelerating progress and marking key milestones for early power generation.

A source of pride for Ethiopians and Africans, Prime Minister Abiy expresses commitment to equitable usage of the waters without any ill intentions for downstream countries.

Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed is currently holding talks with President Isais Afwerki and President Mohammed Abdullahi on key issues related to their respective countries and developments in the Horn region.

During discussions held between the leaders of Ethiopia, Eritrea and Somalia, they reaffirmed their commitment to the Tripartite Agreement signed in September 2018. Further to reviewing implementation status of the agreements, they also adopted a plan of action for 2020 and beyond, focused on addressing common threats of terrorism, arms and human trafficking as well as drugs smuggling. The three leaders also committed to enhance joint socio-economic development, by harnessing existing human and natural resources.

Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed arrived in Asmara, Eritrea earlier this evening and was received by President Isaias Afwerki. During the stay, Prime Minister Abiy will hold trilateral talks with President Isais Afwerki and President Mohammed Abdullahi of Somalia.

Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed is currently holding a public consultation with community members from various zones in the Southern region. The public consultation is held to hear from community representatives on the needs of Southern nations and nationalities to accelerate development in the region.

The Ethiopian GERD Team provided Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed a technical briefing on the GERD filling and operation report. The briefing included key points on hydrology of the river, filling timelines, procedures for the “drought threshold” and mitigation of drought, the coordination mechanisms to manage data and information exchange.

Following the briefing, Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed gave direction and guidance on way forward.

Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed presided over the rank promotion ceremony of General Officers of the National Defense Forces earlier today.

In his remarks, Prime Minister Abiy said, "The army is our national pride known for laboring alongside all parts of communities. The reform has answered all the questions raised by the army and will continue to do so until the composition adequately represents Ethiopia's diverse nation and nationalities. Today's rank promotion intends to ensure that by also appointing a relatively larger number of women Generals, the army sides by the Constitution to serve the nation equally and professionally."

He also underlined that the newly promoted should continue to serve with excellence and persistence.

Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed and his delegation held bilateral talks with President Cyril Ramaphosa on issues of common interest. Key points raised include elevating the long standing diplomatic relations between the two countries to a strategic partnership; enabling investments in Ethiopia in sectors opening up and assessing the concerns of Ethiopians living in South Africa.

1. Visa waiver for holders of diplomatic and official passports;
2. Agreement to cooperate in the field of tourism; and
3. Agreement to cooperate in the field of health

Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed arrived in the Republic of Guinea for an official state visit. The visit will contribute to strengthening relations between the two countries.

It is to be recalled that Guinea Republic President Alpha Conde made an official state visit to Ethiopia last year. Cooperation agreements were signed in 2019 between the two countries, in the areas of education, health, financial management, agriculture and culture and tourism.

(Update: Jun 8, 202)

Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed concluded his Republic of Guinea visit earlier today where key agreements were made with President Alpha Conde to activate the partnership in the areas of agriculture, tourism, mining and energy.

During the stay in the Republic of Guinea, Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed also met with Governor El Rufai of Kaduna State, Nigeria and Nigerian business tycoon,Tony Olumelu, to discuss investment opportunities in Ethiopia in various burgeoning sectors.

Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed celebrated Ethiopian Christmas (Gena) with elders, children and persons with disability at Unity Park this morning. In his remarks Prime Minister Abiy stressed the importance of giving and sharing what one has, as material wealth by itself does not make one prosperous.

Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed held a community dialogue with Yabelo town residents in the Borena Zone of Oromia Region. In his remarks, he reminded town members to continue nurturing the values of love and peace, anchored in unity, as foundations for economic and social development.

Elders from the community reflected on the path of democratization Ethiopia has taken, citing the related religious and other freedoms that have been witnessed over the past two years. They also raised questions related to infrastructure, water and electricity requirements in the area as well as initiatives that address the needs of pastoralist communities.

(Update: Jan 6, 2020)

Bule Hora Town residents in the West Guji Zone of the Oromia Region received Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed in a warm welcome this afternoon. He will be talking to members of the community on various issues.

Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed has officially launched the Ethiopia Electronic Single Window Project. The Project connects 16 regulatory agencies and enables traders to process all documentation relating to import and export through a single electronic submission. By creating a paperless environment, eliminating uncoordinated, multiple physical inspections, and repetitive document submissions, it will reduce clearance time from 44 days to 13 days and eventually to 3 days. The eSW will also improve transparency, reduce corruption by minimising the opportunities for physical interaction.

Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed who attended the opening ceremony of the second National Construction Sector Movement at UNECA stated that the government understands the challenges faced in the sector which could be resolved through the collaboration of the government and sectoral actors. Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed further stated that the construction sector should be void of corruption to deliver projects that are up to international standard and stand the test of time. As the sector plays a key role in both agriculture and industry, it should not tolerate any form of misconduct and corruption, he added.

The government intends to enable the construction sector to become competitive and play appropriate role in Ethiopia in the coming decade and therefore will extend the necessary support. The conference which aims at finding durable solutions for the challenges in the sector took place under the motto “Construction for Ethiopia’s prosperity.”

Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed visited the construction site of the central part of the ‘Beautifying Sheger’ project this morning to review its progress since the groundbreaking ceremony on October 1, 2019 for the China supported component of the project. This includes the construction of a Central Square (about 48 hectares) and 12-km river treatment (Entoto Mountain to Peacock reach).

The ‘Beautifying Sheger’ project which aims to develop Addis Ababa’s river systems and surrounding areas along the 56km stretch from Entoto to Akaki is part of the Prime Minister’s integrated and holistic initiative to clean up the city, generate jobs, and build service and green economies.

The first stage of the project is expected to be completed in May 2020, with various key construction milestones to be achieved as of March 2020.

The laying of the corner stone for the 4 Billion Birr modern edible oil factory in Addis Ababa is a direct response to some of the key challenges that the Home Grown Economic Reform Agenda aims to address. With Ethiopia’s great potential to produce cooking oil, dependence on subsidised imports has consumed around 25% of foreign currency expenditure. The edible oil factory with processing capacity of 500 MT of oilseeds is expected to not only save foreign currency expenditure, but also fulfil the unmet demand for edible oil of residents of Addis Ababa and surrounding cities of the Oromia region.

Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed presided over the ground breaking ceremony for the Merewa-Somodo-Seka and Somodo-Limu Junction spur design and built road project this morning. Originally built 45 years ago, the road has since then deteriorated making it difficult to utilize and taking up to five hours to travel the 94km road. The road which is expected to be completed within the next fours years at a cost of Birr 2.2 billion will cut through Jimma zone and three woredas: mana; limmu kosa and limmu seqa.

Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed welcomed this morning President Isaias Afeworki and his delegation for a short working visit.The two parties will hold discussions on enhancing the bilateral relations between Ethiopia and Eritrea.

Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed joined taxi owners, attendants and drivers clean the Kasanchis taxi depot which is the starting point for eight city transport lines. Prime Minister Abiy shares that he undertook this cleaning activity in the morning to express his respect and gratitude to our cities transporters.

Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed attended a Peace Conference held at the Millennium Hall this afternoon under the theme “Let’s Build an Ethiopia conducive for all.” The conference is a scale up of dialogue that has been undertaken over the past several weeks. These dialogue sessions were held among business communities, online activists, youth, elders and religious leaders from the Amhara and Oromia regional states, in efforts to reconcile differences and build on efforts to bring both communities together.

Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed met with Dr. Khalid S. Alkhudairy of the Saudi Fund for Development and his delegation in a discussion on investments and development support for various endeavours underway. Prime Minister Abiy also presided over the signing of two concessional loan agreements with Saudi Fund for Development amounting to 140 million USD to support road, water supply and sanitation development signed by Ahmed Shide, FDRE Minister of Finance and Dr. Khalid S. Alkhudairy.

In addition, Paddy Padmanathan, President/CEO of Acwa Power International and Dr. Abraham Belay, CEO of Ethiopian Electric Power Company, signed the Gad and Dicheto solar energy projects Implementation Agreement (IA) and Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) for the generation of solar power in Afar and Somali regions.

Under the custodianship of the Minister for Peace, H.E. Muferiat Kamil, the three replicas of the diploma and medal received by Nobel Peace Laureate Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed have been placed for public viewing at three locations in Addis Ababa. These include the Ministry for Peace (to be moved to the Peace center upon completion), at the Addis Ababa University Institute of Ethiopian Studies and at the National Museum. The placement of the Nobel Prize replicas for public viewing is aimed at encouraging the next generation of peace makers and the general public to work towards maintaining and elevating Ethiopia to greater heights.

Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed met his Norwegian counterpart Prime Minister Erna Solberg in a bilateral meeting this morning. The two discussed various issues including Ethiopia’s efforts in building a democracy and strengthening the momentum began.

They agreed to collaborate on rebuilding the Ethiopian Navy through the provision of capacity building support; exchanges and learning for Ethiopian women leaders on political leadership and on Ethiopia’s aspiration of a green legacy. In addition the two also deliberated upon regional peace and stability.

As part of the Nobel tradition, Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed also held meetings with the President of the Norwegian Parliament, Ms Tone Trøen and the Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs and Defence, led by Ms Anniken Huitfeldt. The discussions focused on political, economic and social developments in Ethiopia.

Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed met with his Swedish counterpart Prime Minister Stefan Lofven in an Official State visit today. The two discussed key issues related to political and economic reforms; the role dialogue plays in bridging divides; regional stability and enhancing women’s political leadership.

Prime Minister Lofven congratulated Prime Minister Abiy for his Nobel win and expressed his Government’s appreciation of various measures and initiatives taken by Prime Minister Abiy.

Prime Minister Abiy on his part shared his gratitude to the Swedish Government for the continued support provided for education, health, water supply, rural roads and integrated rural development. Explaining the ongoing reforms his administration is committed to, he highlighted the challenges of ungovernable emotions in a transition period and reiterated the importance of believing in the potential of tomorrow and working hard towards it.

In his address at a symposium organized to mark the celebration of Nations and Nationalities day, Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed shared that the struggles of Ethiopia’s nations and nationalities has been to create an Ethiopia that is equal for all. Democracy is not an easy task. No matter how difficult the task at the beginning, it is nevertheless a worthwhile journey. Respect, tolerance and patience are what will be worth our while if we anchor ourselves in these values as we journey on to prosperity.

Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed visited today a new residential project in Addis Ababa – currently under construction for housing 3500 street children. The facility is just one component of a larger national scheme initiated by the Prime Minister in August 2019 to tackle multifaceted predicaments of street children.

The initiative hopes to create a happy and lasting change in their lives. It is inspired by Medemer’s underlying motto that no one shall be left behind. The facility will provide street children a whole set of amenities – including accommodation, clothing, daily subsistence and rehabilitation services.

Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed welcomed this morning Dr. Gerd Müller, German Federal Minister for Economic Cooperation and Mr. Hubertus Heil, German Federal Minister of Labor and Social Affairs. The high-level visit follows the G20 Compact with Africa (CWA) conference held in Berlin a few weeks ago, during which Germany and Ethiopia concluded a Declaration of Intent on the Design of a Reform Partnership to Promote Private Investment and Sustainable Economic Development.

Towards this, following the bilateral discussions, Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed presided over the signing of the declaration through which Germany has committed 352.5 million Euros to Ethiopia for the realization of the reform partnership and the continuation of the existing cooperation portfolio. Prime Minister Abiy also presided over a handover ceremony in which the keys for up to 144 agriculture equipment, including spare parts, have been provided by the German Government on the request of Prime Minister Abiy and in support agriculture mechanisation in Ethiopia.

Moments from the signing occasion marking the unification of EPRDF into Prosperity Party in the presence of Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed Ali.

More: https://bit.ly/2Y3eZNc

During the opening of the 13th Ordinary Session of the IGAD Assembly of Heads of State and Government, Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed recounted the progress IGAD member states have been making recently towards transforming crisis and ceasing hostilities. He noted the encouraging efforts being made by IGAD countries towards peace and development in the region. He also expressed gratitude to member states that trusted Ethiopia with the leadership of the organisation for several years.

Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed presided over the signing of MOU’s between the Federal Ministry of Innovation and Technology and the e-Commerce giant Alibaba Group, establishing an eWTP Hub in Ethiopia (eWTP).

With the rapid development of digital technology in diverse fields globally, the launch of Electronic World Trade Platform - Ethiopia will support the development of the digital economy in Ethiopia and making it easier for Ethiopian and other African merchants to participate in global trade. eWTP Ethiopia will have advanced technology, infrastructure and services, as well as a customized regulatory framework intended to promote innovation in trade and the digital economy.

In his remarks during the launch of Electronic World Trade Platform, Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed stated, "Electronic trade platform is part of Ethiopia's technological development. Technology affects lifestyles by assisting the shift from old to new. The world is in a fast paced change due to the fourth industrial revolution. Electronic trade platform is a step forward to making Ethiopia among the five economic giants of Africa within the coming decade. It also expands the horizon for small and medium enterprises.

An extension of the Unity Park and Sheger river projects, I am quite pleased to share that the Entoto project is in good progress after reviewing this morning and will be open to the public soon. Beyond transforming the look of the city, these kind of projects bring jobs, increase tourism and show our capacity to deliver in short time frames.

Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed received Mr. Simeon Oyono Esono Angue, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Cooperation of the Republic of Equatorial Guinea who delivered a personal message from President Obiang Nguema Mbasogo. On behalf of the President of Equatorial Guinea, Mr. Oyono Esono Angue congratulated Prime Minister Abiy on his Nobel Peace Prize win and appreciated him for the role he plays in promoting peace on the continent. Inviting Prime Minister Abiy to make an official State visit to Equatorial Guinea, he also shared the message of gratitude for Ethiopia’s support of Equatorial Guinea’s nomination to the UNESCO Executive Council.

Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed met with Melinda Gates, co-Chair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF) earlier today. BMGF have been supporting #Ethiopia improve agricultural productivity and increased coverage of health interventions for several years.

The two discussed furthering enhancing BMGF’s support in the Government’s key priority areas.

Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed met this afternoon with the outgoing Executive Secretary of the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), Amb. (Eng) Mahboub Maalim, as well as the incoming Executive Secretary Dr. Workineh Gebeyu. Prime Minister Abiy appreciated Ambassador Maalim’s dedication and contribution to the regional organization and the efforts made through IGAD to stabilize the region.

Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed met with General Stephen Townsend, the Commander of the United States Africa Command. General Townsend congratulated the Prime Minister for his recent Nobel Peace Prize Award, noting the award as remarkable for Ethiopia and the region. Recognizing the longstanding relationship between Ethiopia and the United States, particularly in the areas of military cooperation, the two discussed on strengthened short term and long term capacity building support for the national army. Building on the reforms work within the National Defence Forces, Prime Minister Abiy reiterated the Government’s commitment to professionalizing the national army and ensuring it is a non-partisan and non-political entity in support of democracy.

The Office of the Prime Minister in collaboration with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs briefed members of the diplomatic community and international organizations in Ethiopia on the #MEDEMER concept this afternoon.

Creating access to dignified and fulfilling job opportunities is a critical focus area for the Government. The priority areas of tourism, mining, agriculture and ICT offer great potential to spur economic growth. Jobs Creation Commission, (the institution created to spearhead the jobs agenda under the Office of the Prime Minister) in collaboration with the MasterCard Foundation expects to provide over 10million young people access to jobs in Ethiopia by 2030. MasterCard Foundation has committed an initial USD 300 million to this initiative. The initiative aims to particularly support entrepreneurs and small and medium-sized business innovate and achieve greater productivity. MasterCard Foundation has prioritized Ethiopia for this initiative considering the current efforts in reforming the policy and regulatory environment to nurture the private sector.

Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed and his delegation have concluded the engagement in the first Russia-Africa Summit held in Sochi. A bilateral meeting held on the margins of the Summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin has enabled a common understanding on areas of economic and military cooperation.

Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed also held a meeting with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi on the margins of the Summit, in which both leaders aligned on key issues related to the construction of the Grand Renaissance Dam. Prime Minister Abiy reiterated Ethiopia’s equitable use and no harm principle.

In his remarks during the ‘Russia-Africa: fulfilling the cooperation potential’ plenary session, Prime Minister Abiy highlighted the importance of collective commitments to developing and sustaining cooperative relations in highly complex world. Citing abundant human and natural resources on the continent, he emphasized the potential for Africa and Russia to enhance trade and economic cooperation.

Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed has returned to Ethiopia following the conclusion of the Summit.

Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed met with President Vladimir Putin in a bilateral meeting on the margins of the Russia-Africa Summit. The two parties discussed on areas of cooperation between Russia and Ethiopia, particularly in the areas of defense, education, nuclear technology for peaceful purposes and increased trade relations.

Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed met with members of the United Nations Security Council at the Office of the Prime Minister, to discuss regional peace and security issues. The members of the Security Council congratulated Prime Minister Abiy for his Nobel Peace Prize award and requested his inputs on regional peace. Prime Minister Abiy highlighted attitudinal change, understanding the value of peace and leadership without ego as key to unlock and sustain regional peace.

መደመር ለኢትዮጵያ የሚያልመው ፖለቲካዊ እና ኢኮኖሚያዊ ዕድሎችን ማመቻቸትና አስጠብቆ ማቆየት፣ ያለፉ ስህተቶችን ማረም እና የመጪውን ትውልድ ፍላጎት ማሟላት ነው። መደመር ከሰብዓዊነት ተፈጥሮ ይነሳል።

በመደመር ውስጥ መሰብሰብ፣ ማከማቸት እና ማካበት አሉ። የቀደሙ ማህበራዊ እሴቶቻችንን መርምሮ ማወቅ፣ ማዳበር ወደ ሁለንተናዊ ብልጽግና ወይም የካበተ የአኗኗር ስልት ያደርሳል።

የምንመራበት ርዕዮተ ዓለም ከእኛው ዐውድ ወጥቶ ኢትዮጵያን በምልዐት ለመጥቀም የሚችል ሊሆን ያስፈልጋል። ከቀደሙ ስርዓተ መንግሥቶቻችን አልፈን አብዮታዊ ዴሞክራሲ ላይ ደርሰናል። ከዐበይት ትኩረቶቹ መካከል የመደብ ቅራኔ ትንታኔ፣ ኢኮኖሚያዊ ቅቡልነት እና አርሶ አደሩን ብቻ መሠረት ማድረግ ይጠቀሳሉ።

መደመር ይህንን አካሄድ ለመተካት ግለሰባዊም ሆነ ተቋማዊ ጭቆናን ማስቀረትን፣ ጤናማ ዴሞክራሲያዊ ባህልን በእርቀ ሰላምና ብሕራዊ መግባባት ተሻግሮ መገንባትን አማራጭነት ያቀርባል።

የመደመር ኢኮኖሚያዊ ግብ ብልጽግናን ማረጋገጥ ነው። ይህም በውድድር ላይ የተመሠረተ ነፃ የገበያ ስርዓት በማስፈን እና በቂና አስተማማኝ የሥራ ዕድል በመፍጠር የሚገኝ ነው። መደመር ነባራዊው የኢኮኖሚ ሥርዓት ያስገኛቸውን ዕድሎች አስጠብቆ እንደ የእድገት ጥራት እና የማክሮ ኢኮኖሚ መዛባት የመሳሰሉ ህጸጾቹን ለማስወገድ ይሠራል።

የብዝሀ ኢኮኖሚ ዘርፎችን ማበራከት፣ የቴክኖሎጂ አቅም በታከለበት ሁኔታ ዕውቀት መር የሆነ ኢኮኖሚን መከተል፣ የንብረት ባለቤትነት መብት እና አስተዳደር የመሳሰሉ የሕግ ማዕቀፎችን ማሻሻል የመጪውን ትውልድ ፍላጎት ለማሟላት መደመር ያስቀመጣቸው አቅጣጫዎች ናቸው።

የውጪ ግንኙነት መሠረቱ የሀገር የሕልውና ጥያቄ ነው። ይህንን አግባብ ባለው መልኩ ማስተናገድ ካልተቻለ አሉታዊ ውጤቶችን ሊያስከትል ይችላል። ኢትዮጵያ በታሪኳ በቀጣና፣ በአህጉርም ሆነ በዓለም አቀፍ ደረጃ ዐበይት ሚናን ስትጫወት ኖራለች።

መደመር ከውጪ ግንኙነት አንጻር ጎረቤት ሀገራትን ያስቀድማል። ቀጣና ሰላም ሳይሆን ሀገር ሰላም አትሆንም። መደመር ታሪካዊ እሴቶቻችንን አስቀጥሎ መግባባት እና ትብብር ላይ ትኩረት በማድረግ ብሔራዊ ክብርን ለማስጠበቅ ያልማል።

The F.D.R.E's Ministry of Peace is celebrating Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed's Nobel Peace Prize award under the theme "Peace Rewards Hundred Percent" as Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed is the 100th leader to receive the Nobel Peace Prize.

The long awaited book by Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, ‘Medemer’, will be launched today, Saturday October 19, 2019 at the Millennium Hall with over 8000 Ethiopians from all parts of the country in attendance. Moreover, the book will also launch in over 30 other cities nationwide. Medemer examines and outlines the Medemer thinking, economic, political and foreign policy directions of Ethiopia.

Following his promise to donate the Hessian Peace Prize award of Euro 25,000 to the Melkam Wetat initiative, Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed met with Yonatan Aklilu this afternoon to handover the promised cash prize.

It is to be recalled that in September 2019, Prime Minister Abiy recognized Yonatan Aklilu for the transformational work he is doing in support of Ethiopian youth.

Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed met with President Sauli Niinistö of Finland and his delegation earlier today. The President expressed his congratulatory message to Prime Minister Abiy for his Nobel Peace Prize win. Stating that the Nobel Prize is 10% recognition and 90% assignment to work harder for peace, Prime Minister Abiy shared key milestones of the reforms and the development priority areas the government is currently working on and the means by which the Finnish government can support. The two further discussed the strengthening of Africa-Europe relations grounded in mutual benefits.

Recalling the victory achieved in August 2019 with the signing of agreements which formed a civilian government in the Republic of Sudan, Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed acknowledged in his remarks the beginning of negotiations between the new Sudanese government and armed groups as a demonstration of the will for peace and reconciliation.

He encouraged all stakeholders to reach a consensus and redirect their focus to building an inclusive and prosperous Sudan. Prime Minister Abiy returned to Ethiopia tonight, following the conclusion of the IGAD leaders consultation.

Today marks the inauguration of ‘Unity Park’ which is a manifestation of the MEDEMER idea, inviting us to takes stock of our positive capital from the past (our historical and cultural assets) and build upon it for future generations. Unity Park symbolizes our ability to come together for a common goal and cross the finish line by, creating an exquisite lasting prints of our collective worth.

Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed met with South African President Cyril Ramaphosa's Special Envoys, Mr. Jeff Radebe and Dr. Khulu Mbatha this morning. The Special Envoy delivered a message from President Cyril Ramaphosa to Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, which acknowledges the historic relations between the two countries and extends an invitation to officially visit South Africa, with the purpose of scaling the relationship to a strategic level.

They conveyed the efforts the South African government is undertaking in adequately responding to recent attacks and looting on foreign nationals and appreciated the many Ethiopians playing a positive role in South Africa. The envoys also expressed their thanks to Prime Minister Abiy for this strong leadership demonstrated in release of prisoners and commended the strengthening of relations with Eritrea.

Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed recounted the various manifestations of relations between the two countries. He hailed South Africa as exemplary for Africa in its economic growth and promotion of democracy. He emphasized the positive role Ethiopians living in South Africa play in contributing to their host country as well as Ethiopia, and encouraged strengthened support from the South African Government for their endeavours in the country.

Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed launched the ‘Beautifying Sheger’ section of the project to be built by the Chinese construction giant CCCC. In his remarks at the launch event, he thanked the Government of China for the continued support being provided in Ethiopia’s ambitions of greening and cleaning its capital. The 12km section of the entire 56kms river cleanup and rehabilitation work is being supported by the Chinese Government in a grant secured earlier this year. The first phase of the project launched today is expected to be finalized by May 2020.

Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed received the special envoy of South Sudan’s President Salva Kiir earlier today with a message from the South Sudan President and to discuss key bilateral and regional issues.

The World Tourism Forum President Bulut Bağcı presented the 2019 World Tourism Award to Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed for his commitment to promoting tourism. Additionally, based on the milestones marked by #Ethiopia in the tourism sector, the agreement confirming Ethiopia as host to the 2020 World Tourism Forum was also delivered. The delegation were given a tour of the National Palace restoration work and confirmed their continued support and commitment to Ethiopia.

In his remarks to residents of Hosaena and surrounding towns present at the stadium, Prime Minister Abiy hailed the Hadiya people for demonstrating the MEDEMER principles. He called upon the people of Hoseana and youth in particular to focus on laying the foundations for their future by placing their energy and focus on the ways and means of staying together.

Hoseana town community members expressed their appreciation to Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed for the visit and raised their key development questions during the town hall discussion. Raising requests in infrastructure development, healthcare, and agro-processing investments to facilitate jobs creation, they reiterated the will of Hadiya people to continue exercising their timeless practice of raising their questions nonviolently.

Prime Minister Abiy emphasized the need to address any grievances in a balanced way without destruction of common assets and values. He also appreciated the people of Hoseana for their wisdom and focus to stay united within the region. He called upon Ethiopians from Hoseana in the South African diaspora to engage in large scale investments by pooling their resources together.

Responding to their infrastructure requests, PM Abiy gave direction to the Minister of Health, Agriculture and Director General of the Roads Authority, who were part of the delegation, to undertake studies that will assess the key sectoral issues raised by the community members.

Developing the tourism sector is one of the pillars of job creation and attracting investments for the government of #Ethiopia. Preservation of heritage sites is therefore one of key priority areas in the sector. Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed met with the Minister of Culture of the French Republic, Franck Riester this morning to discuss progress on the restoration work of the Rock Hewn Churches of Lalibela and the Jubilee Palace, currently being supported by France. Noting the strengthened relations between the two countries PM Abiy recounted the immense support of President Emmanuel Macron and encouraged expediting the restoration works.

Mr. Riester expressed his visit as a commitment of President Macron to the preservation of heritage important to both countries, and to sharing technical expertise and skills. While studies to determine restoration needs are nearing completion for the Jubilee Palace, the technical work is expected to begin in a few months towards readying the Palace for tourism.

Today September 15, 2019 PM Abiy Ahmed along with Deputy Prime Minister Demeke Mekonnen and Minister of Defense Lema Megersa arrived in Kaffa zone, Bonga for a conversation with representatives of the community.

In a speech he made at Bonga Stadium, PM Abiy Ahmed recalled the historic and societal assets of the Kaffa Population has had for centuries such as peaceful co-existence with nature and surrounding, self administration, building strong institutions, reasonable division of labor among others and called upon the residents to share their assets with Ethiopians all over the country. At the end of his speech, he was given a horse, a sword and shield by the zonal administration and elders of the area.

During his discussion with the representatives of the Kaffaa zone residents, questions of regional structure, infrastructure such as road, water, health and library, utilization of resources, unemployment, investment and others were raised.

Responding to the questions raised, PM Abiy Ahmed said he would consult relevant bodies and revert to answer as much as possible. To attract investors the residents need to collaborate in a civilized manner, he added, what the people of Kaffa did to live with nature is commendable.

He further added, Regional reconfiguration will not answer all questions but encouraged them to work with the regional administration to define and identify better working modalities.

He concluded by saying now is the time to work in the spirit of MEDEMER to be able create a prosperous Ethiopia.

Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed opened the discussion session with development partners and the diplomatic community on Homegrown Economic Reforms. Recapping some of the key milestones achieved in shifting the economic landscape, PM Abiy laid out the vision of the homegrown economic reforms agenda that will propel Ethiopia to become the African icon of prosperity by 2030. Towards this aim, he called upon development partners to continue strengthening their support.

Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed visited the newly renovated 8 blocks of Black Lion Hospital earlier today and expressed his appreciation to all collaborators. The blocks were renovated with the support of members of the business community. The Prime Minister also inaugurated the 320 million birr block that has the capacity of over 300 beds at St. Peter Specialized hospital.

Over 200 members of Ethiopian foreign missions, consulates and Ministry of Foreign Affairs staff visited the Office of the Prime Minister and National Palace to see the renovation works. Following their visit they met with Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed who encouraged them to mobilize investment and tourism flows.

ጠቅላይ ሚኒስትር ዐቢይ አሕመድና ምክትል ጠቅላይ ሚኒስትር ደመቀ መኮንን ከኢትዮጵያ ኦርቶዶክስ ተዋሕዶ ቤተ ክርስቲያን ቅዱስ ሲኖዶስ ጋር ዛሬ ጳጉሜን 1 ቀን 2011 ዓም ጠዋት በቢሯቸው ተወያይተዋል፡፡ የቤተ ክርስቲያኒቱ ቅዱስ ሲኖዶስ ባቀረበው ጥያቄ መሠረት በተደረገው ውይይት ላይ ጠቅላይ ሚኒስትሩ ከለውጡ ወዲህ መንግሥት ቤተ ክርስቲያንን በተመለከተ ያለውን አቋምና ያከናወናቸውን ተግባራት አውስተዋል፡፡ ብጹእ ወቅዱስ አቡነ ማትያስና ሌሎችም ሊቃነ ጳጳሳት ክቡር ጠቅላይ ሚኒስትሩ ወደ ሥልጣን ከመጡ ወዲህ ለሀገርና ለቤተ ክርስቲያን የተከናወኑ በጎ ተግባራትን በመዘርዘር ምስጋና አቅርበዋል፡፡

በለውጡ ሂደት እያጋጠሙ ያሉ ፈተናዎች በውይይቱ የተነሡ ሲሆን በአንዳንድ አካላት እየተፈጸሙ ያሉ ጥፋቶችን በማንሣት ጳጳሳቱ ለጠቅላይ ሚኒስትር አቅርበዋል፡፡ ጠቅላይ ሚኒስትሩም የእርሳቸውም ሆነ የመንግሥታቸው ፍላጎት የተጠናከረች፣ ለሀገር ግንባታ የሚቻላትን ሁሉ የምታደርግና አንድነቷ የተጠበቀ የኦርቶዶክስ ቤተ ክርስቲያንን ማየት መሆኑን ገልጠዋል፡፡ የኢትዮጵያ የእምነት ተቋማት መጠናከርና አንድ መሆን ጥቅሙ ለእምነት ተቋማቱ ብቻ ሳይሆን ለሀገር ጭምር መሆኑንም ተናግረዋል፡፡

የቀረቡት ችግሮች በለውጥ ውስጥ ካጋጠሙት ተግዳሮቶች መካከል መሆናቸውን ጠቅላይ ሚኒስትሩ ያነሡ ሲሆን ዓይነታቸው ቢለያይም የተለያዩ የእምነት ተቋማት በለውጡ ሂደት ፈተና አጋጥመዋቸዋል፣ በመሆኑም ዕንቅፋት የሚፈጥሩትን አካላት መታገል ያለብን በጋራ ነው ብለዋል ጠቅላይ ሚኒስትሩ፡፡ የቀረቡትን ችግሮች በዝርዝር በማጥናትና በየደረጃው ካሉ አመራሮች ጋር በመነጋገር በጋራ እንደሚፈቱ ጠቅላይ ሚኒስትሩ ምላሽ ሰጥተዋል፡፡ በሀገር ላይ የሚደርሱ ጥፋቶች በሁሉም ላይ የሚደርሱ በመሆናቸው መንግሥትና የእምነት ተቋማት በጋራ በመሥራት መፍታት እንዳለባቸው ገልጠዋል፡፡

በመጨረሻም የተፈጠሩትን ችግሮች የጋራ በማድረግ የቤተ ክርስቲያኒቱን አንድነትና ክብር በጠበቀ መልኩ በጋራ ለመፍታት ከስምምነት ላይ ተደርሷል፡፡

Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed congratulated scholarship students at a farewell ceremony earlier this evening. The MA and PhD level students will be participating in the MOFCOM Scholarship program of the Chinese Ministry of Commerce, set up to further strengthen the communication and cooperation between China and other countries. Prime Minister Abiy expressed his appreciation to the Government of China for investing in education of individuals who will serve as bridges between the two countries. He encouraged the students to pay attention to the ways in which knowledge is at the root of addressing Ethiopia’s challenges and emphasized that the nation expects much of them upon their return.

Ethiopia is paying keen attention to the quality of education and making efforts in creating scholarship opportunities. Through the MOFCOM program more than 800 individuals from all Federal Ministries and Regional Governments have gone for short courses aimed at building their capacities. Additionally, over 400 MA and PhD students have also previously engaged while this year alone, 228 individuals have been selected to undertake their higher education studies in China.

PM Abiy Ahmed hosted a dinner for more than 1450 young construction workers yesterday evening. The youth who are engaged in the National Palace project have been spending several hours during the day and night, working hard to expedite the project. ‪Prime Minister Abiy commended them for their commitment and dedication to hard work and highlighted that they are role models for a generation of youth in Ethiopia.

Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed was welcomed in an official ceremony by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the Office of the Prime Minister. In his remarks, Prime Minister Abiy recounted the long standing and historical relations between the two countries as the basis for strengthening further engagements through investments in agriculture, irrigation, ICT and other sectors.

Following their opening remarks, the two Prime Ministers presided over signing of a five point joint declaration as follows:

1. The parties have agreed to further strengthen the bilateral economic cooperation between the two countries in accordance with the respective laws and regulations of the parties, and bilateral agreement signed between them.
2. The parties have agreed to further strengthen their cooperation to implement the agreements signed at various levels in the areas of agriculture, water, irrigation, health and science and technology.
3. The parties will examine the possibilities of concluding additional agreement(s) in other fields of cooperation, including cyber security, telecommunication and space science and technology.
4. The parties will explore the establishment of additional mechanisms, as appropriate, to monitor the implication of agreements and provide solutions to problems that may arise in the implementation of these agreements.
5. The parties, within the limits of their available resources, will encourage review and follow up of the implementation of agreements between the two countries.

Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu held bilateral discussions with their respective delegations in which both reiterated commitment to not only sustain but elevate existing relations.

Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed and his delegation paid a courtesy visit to the President of the State of Israel, Mr. Reuven Rivlin. Mr. Rivlin expressed the readiness of Israel to exchange know-how in various fields.

Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed and his delegation held a series of meetings with development partners to discuss opportunities for investments and support to various initiatives. First meeting with the Chairman of Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO), PM Abiy underscored that JETRO can play a significant role in Ethiopia’s current economic reforms. He encouraged them to also expand their investments and support to other Horn region countries, in-line with the #MEDEMER prosperity vision through regional integration.

PM Abiy also met with Yohei Sasakawa, philanthropist and Chairman of the Nippon Foundation, which leads agricultural support programs in Ethiopia through Sasakawa Africa. PM Abiy encouraged assistance on the Addis Ababa rivers cleaning project and development of urban agriculture, based on Japanese success of cleaning up river systems.

He also met with the President of Japan International Cooperation Agency who commended Prime Minister Abiy for his peace endeavors. PM Abiy reiterated the economic reform priorities and called upon JICA to support in the focus areas as well as in human capital and industry development.

PM Abiy Ahmed and his delegation met with Japan’s PM, Shinzo Abe in a bilateral during #TICAD7. PM Abiy briefed PM Abe on Ethiopia’s ongoing political and economic reforms. He shared the vision of making #Ethiopia one of the top 5 leading economies in Africa through the homegrown economic reforms currently in the pipeline, and called upon the Government of Japan’s support for this initiative as well as for Japanese business investments in agriculture, tourism, ICT and mining. Lastly, PM Abiy requested PM Abe to facilitate work opportunities for skilled youth in various sectors in Japan.

PM Shinzo Abe expressed his support for PM Abiy and the domestic reforms being undertaken by the government. He also acknowledged the role of #Ethiopia in promoting peace with Eritrea; in South Sudan talks and PM Abiy’s role the Sudan agreements. He affirmed continued support for PM Abiy and Ethiopia and shared particular assistance for the construction of the Jimmy-Chida road.

Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed and his delegation are attending the 7th Tokyo International Conference on International Development (TICAD) with other African leaders and development partners.

Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed met with President Moon Jae-In of the Republic of Korea in a bilateral meeting. President Moon-Jae appreciated the efforts being made by Prime Minister Abiy which he expressed the world is taking note of. The two reached consensus on elevating Ethio-South Korea relations to a strategic partnership.

Following the bilateral, the two leaders presided over the signing of five agreements:
1. MOU on mutual waiver of visa requirements for holders of diplomatic/official service passports;
2. MOU on the establishment of a joint ministerial commission;
3. MOU on cooperation relating to standardization, certification, conformity assessment and technical regulation
4. MOU on environmental cooperation and,
5. Loan agreement for the establishment of center of excellence for Adama Science and Technology university project.

Later in the evening, President Moon Jae-In held a state dinner in honor of Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed where both recounted the historic ties that binds the people of Ethiopia and Korea together.

In bilateral discussions with the Executive Vice President of Samsung, Mr. Won-Kyong Kim, Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed invited the multinational conglomerate to invest in #Ethiopia and create a positive impact in the country and the region. Mr. Kim shared he has respect for the economic reform policies currently underway and expressed interest in exploring the capacity for investing.

Continuing his engagement, PM Abiy Ahmed met with Hyundai leadership to discuss the potential expansion of investments in #Ethiopia. He also met with steel making giant POSCO and explored the possibility of setting up steel works in Ethiopia to meet the current domestic demand in construction, as well as to enable jobs creation.

Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed delivered opening remarks at the Ethiopia Korea Business Forum organized by the Ethiopian Embassy to South Korea with the objective of promoting investments in #Ethiopia. In his remarks, Prime Minister Abiy shared the various activities currently being undertaken by his administration to create a conducive business environment for investments to thrive. Noting the historic relations between the two countries, he called upon South Korean businesses to join Ethiopia’s journey to prosperity.

Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed met with the President of the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) to discuss further strengthening of the support to #Ethiopia. He expressed appreciation to KOICA for the development work that they have undertaken in education, water and agriculture. KOICA expressed interest to further develop the cooperation with Ethiopia in various areas.

Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed and his delegation commenced the official state visit in Seoul, South Korea by laying a wreath at the Seoul National Cemetery reserved for Korean veterans. #Ethiopia and South Korea relations date to the 1950s when His Imperial Majesty Haileselassie I sent battalions of his Imperial Body Guard to join the UN forces during the Korean War.

Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed visited the Korea Institute for Science and Technology (KIST) together with his delegation where they were briefed on the contribution of science and technology in building Korea’s strong economy. While the current cooperation between #Ethiopia and KIST exists with the Ministry of Science & Education as well as Adama Science & Technology University, Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed expressed interest in collaborating to set up an institute like KIST in Ethiopia.

Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed met with the President of the EXIM Bank of the Republic of Korea. The parties discussed ongoing and potential new support to #Ethiopia. The EXIM Bank support for currently ongoing projects exceeds 600mil USD while a recent support of USD 300mil has been signed under the Korea-Ethiopia Economic Development Cooperation Fund for the 2019-2020 period.

PM Abiy Ahmed arrived in Seoul, Korea for a two day state visit and meeting with President Moon Jae. He was welcomed in an official ceremony by the Government of South Korea. Members of the Ethiopian community in Seoul also warmly welcomed the PM and his delegation.

Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed met with members of the Ethiopian community in a dinner reception organized by the Ethiopian Embassy to South Korea. He encouraged members of the community to work towards supporting their country from where they are in the spirit of #MEDEMER.

PM Abiy Ahmed met with Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani, DPM and Minister of Foreign Affairs of the State of Qatar. The two continued their discussions on key areas of bilateral cooperation that had commenced during PM Abiy’s visit to Qatar in March 2019.

H.E. Sheikh Mohammed expressed readiness to begin realizing some of the investment initiatives agreed upon previously, particularly in hotels, sugar factory, tourism sector development and construction of a new kidney treatment hospital.

Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed traveled to Khartoum, Sudan August 17, 2019 to preside over the final signing of agreements between the Transitional Military Council & the Forces for Freedom and Change. This final agreement paves the path for formation of a civilian government.

During his one day visit, members of the Forces for Freedom and Change (FCC) met with Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed ahead of the signing ceremony. Appreciating him for the role #Ethiopia played in facilitating the agreements, they expressed that the constitutional and political agreements will lay a foundation for sustainable democracy and development.

Prime Minister Abiy encouraged them to foster forgiveness and nurture unity, noting that while successful negotiations are stepping stones, the more challenging journey remains ahead of them. He emphasized that women play a critical role in political leadership and encouraged the FFC to demonstrate inclusivity. He recalled for the FFC the Ethiopian experience in ensuring a 50-50 gender equal cabinet.

During his remarks following the signing of the Sudan agreement, Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed called upon the people of Sudan to be the custodians of peace and the guardians of dignity as they work toward building a democracy.

Completing the Sudan visit, he returned to Ethiopia with over 100 female victims of trafficking that have been in Sudan enroute to other countries. Among those that returned with Prime Minister Abiy also include individuals released from imprisonment for various offenses.

PM Abiy Ahmed met today morning Ambassador Yoshifumi Okamura, Special Envoy of Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and his delegation. The two discussed on the further strengthening of bilateral relations and in working together on regional peace in Africa.

የፋይናንስ ሚኒስትሩ ከፍተኛ አማካሪ ብሩክ ታዬ ባለፉት 17 ወራት የተተገበሩ አንኳር የማሻሻያ ስራዎችን ዘርዝረዋል

ዘላቂ መፍትሄ የሚሹ የዋጋ ግሽበት: የውጭ ምንዛሬ እጥረትና የብድር አከፋፈልን የተመለከቱ ፖሊሲዎች: በንግድ ውስጥ ላሉና ወደንግድ ለሚመጡ ማነቆዎችን መፍታትና የመንግስት ልማት ድርጅቶችን ወደ ግል ለማዞር የተደረጉት እንቅስቃሴዎች ናቸው::

በነዚሁም ከአበዳሪዎች ጋር በመደራደር እፎይታ ለማግኘት የሚያስችሉ ማሸጋሸጊያዎችን ማድረግ: ያላለቁ የመንግስት የልማት ድርጅቶችን ማስጨረስና ሕጎችን የማብላላትና የመከለስ ስራዎችን አንስተዋል:: ሁለተኛዉ ተናጋሪ መሳይ ታደሰ የፋይናንስ አቅርቦት ላይ ያሉ መልካም አጋጣሚዎችንና ተግዳሮቶችን አንስተዋል::

እንደገለፁት ለሀገር ውስጥና የውጭ ሀገር ባለሀብቶች የብድር አቅርቦት ፣ ከ28 በመቶ በላይ ሴቶችን የሚያሳትፉት ሶሻል ኢንተርፕራይዞች የሚመዘገቡበትና የሚተዳደሩበት አግባብና የብድር አቅርቦት እጥረት ዙሪያ መሰራት እንዳለበት አንስተዋል::

የንግድ እንደራሴ የሆኑት ብሩክ ፍቅሩ እንደገለፁት በወጪ ንግድ ላይ አለም አቀፍ አሰራርን የመረዳት ክፍተት ችግሮች ባጋጠሙ ወቅት ሙሉ በሙሉ መርምሮ የመረዳት አቅም ማዳበር አልተቻለም::

የሕግና የአሰራር ማእቀፎችም ባለሀብቶችንና የተወሰኑ የሕ/ሰብ ክፍሎች ብቻ ሳይሆን ግለሰቦችንም መሰረት ያደረጉ እንዲሆን መስራትና የተሻለ የእቅድ ማስተባበር አስፈላጊነት ላይ አተኩረዋል::

PM Abiy launched the Investment and Jobs Creation National committee this morning in the presence of Regional Presidents and Federal Ministers.

Noting that Ethiopia has to unlock the full potential of the private sector with a view to creating sustainable & decent jobs, he reiterated that the importance of putting the country on a path to a virtuous cycle of development.

The committee, Chaired by PM Abiy, comprises the Deputy Prime Minister, Presidents of the 9 Regional Governments; Addis Ababa and Dire Dawa Mayors; 2 PMO representatives and 10 Federal Ministries.

The Ministries include Trade & Industry, Peace, Agriculture, Urban Dev’t & Construction, Labor & Social Affairs Innovation & Technology; Water, Irrigation & Electricity; Mines & Petroleum; Tourism & Culture; and Science & Higher Education.

The national committee will ensure the creation of sustainable & decent work by aligning policy and institutional systems. It will also play a leading role in securing & expanding investments closely & ensure implementation of plans to increase investments and job creation.

The committee is also set to coordinate for effective outputs, the work of Federal & Regional entities and other stakeholders in creating a conducive investment environment to accelerate jobs creation.

Every year b/n 2-3mil youth enter the employability age range and add to #Ethiopia’s human resource & talent pool. While #Ethiopia’s economic performance is progressive, more work needs to be done to create a conducive investment climate towards job creation.

The Doing Business Initiative and committee led by PM Abiy has marked key milestones towards the goal of creating an enabling business env’t in which the pvt sector can play its critical jobs creation role.

These two committees working in sync are expected to facilitate the goal of creating 3mil jobs by the end of E.C 2012. Key sectors identified and given special focus to accelerate jobs creation nation wide include agriculture, mining, tourism and IT.

The National Committee will meet every two months to evaluate progress and follow-up on issues requiring immediate action to unlock performance. Following the meeting, PM Abiy and the committee members planted seedlings together for a #GreenLegacy.

PM Abiy held a meeting with Danish Minister for Development Cooperation, Rasmus Prehn during which the two discussed issues related to energy policy, jobs creation, increased investments, democracy, climate change and the environment.

Mr. Prehn expressed the Government of Denmark’s support to #Ethiopia’s reform initiatives. He also lauded the #GreenLegacy initiative & joined PM Abiy in planting within the compound.

Ethiopia’s women Ministers met with PM Abiy today upon completion of the Ethiopian Women Ministerial Leadership Forum led by Harvard Ministerial and facilitated by Dr Senait Fisseha.

Citing the importance of women leaders driving political & social change, he expressed his gratitude to women’s leadership advocates like Professor Senait Fisseha. PM Abiy also recognized & awarded Dr. Senait Fisseha for her continued support to Ethiopia, particularly in the health sector.

Together with former President Ellen John, UNWOMEN Exec Director Phumzile Mlambo and female Ministers, PM Abiy planted seedlings in the compound of the PMO for a #GreenLegacy

Continuing his commitment to the #GreenLegacy initiative, PM Abiy was out planting this afternoon with members of the Republican Guard. PM Abiy encourages all in #Ethiopia to continue to #PlantYourPrint in the remaining weeks of the rainy season.

Responding to EPRDF cohesion and merger, he raised the importance of practicing constructive dialogue to broaden the relationship between the fronts and work towards finding a common ground. In a progress towards merger of the coalitions into one party, he highlighted the studies, consultations and other work that are being undertaken towards that end.

On national elections, Prime Minister Abiy cited the importance of the electoral process being equally significant as the outcome and therefore requiring extensive and in-depth dialogue. He confirmed the Government’s ongoing preparations to hold the election per the set schedule.

With regards to Sidama regional autonomy, he acknowledged the historical basis of the question and cited that only a political response in isolation cannot address the longstanding demand for an autonomous region, which he says need to be examined from other dimensions of legal and administrative due processes.

Regarding the success of the #GreenLegacy initiative, he appreciated all sections of society for heeding the MEDEMER call to plant together as well as to the media for the role they played in creatively raising awareness. He conveyed the importance of post-planting upkeep to nurture seedlings into fully grown trees and indicated the continued work of the national committee in maintaining as well as preparing for next year’s planting period.

On the failed coup attempt investigations, Prime Minister Abiy appreciated the leadership of those involved in expediting the process. He shared that more than 1000 tips were given by the public in a 24hr period from which law enforcement bodies identified and apprehended up to 350 key suspects, releasing more than 120 in a short time frame.

In his opening remarks he shared his immense gratitude to all in #Ethiopia who have heeded the call to plant their #GreenLegacy and attempt the 200million in 12 hrs.

PM Abiy arrived in ArbaMinch city for the #GreenLegacy initiative where he already planted seedlings with government officials and community members this morning.

የሚኒስትሮች ም/ቤት በዛሬው ዕለት ባካሄደው 72ኛ መደበኛ ስብሰባ በተለያዩ ጉዳዮች ላይ ተወያይቶ ውሳኔ አሳልፏል፡፡ ከስብሰባዉ ቀጥሎ ጠ/ሚር ዐቢይ አሕምድ ከሚኒስትር ም/ቤት አባላት ጋር በጽ/ቤቱ ግቢ ችግኝ በመትከል #አረንጓዴአሻራ አብረዉ አኑረዋል::

ጠ/ሚር ዐቢይ አሕመድ የገቢዎች ሚኒስቴር መ/ቤት “ግዴታዬን እወጣለሁ መብቴን እጠይቃለሁ” በሚል ሀሳብ ሲያስተባብር የቆየዉን ንቅናቄ አስመልክቶ ታማኝ እና በግብር አከፋፈል የተሻለ አስተዋፅኦ ላስመዘገቡ ግብር ከፋዮች እዉቅና ሰጡ፡፡

With a vision of placing Ethiopia among the top 100 ‘Doing Business’ ranking countries by 2021, the national committee led by PM Abiy, comprising key government entities, has undertaken key reforms over the past few months towards creating a conducive business env’t.

While the short term milestones have been on legal reforms, PM Abiy highlighted that institutional reforms to build the requisite implementation capacity & creating public awareness on the new ways of doing business will be a key component in the medium to long term.

Moving forward, PM Abiy assigned chairing of the national ‘Doing Business’ committee to the Min of Trade & Industry and Min of Innovation & Technology on a rotation basis, to drive the implementation of established medium and long term priorities set.

He also announced that a new national level committee will soon be launched to steer progress in jobs creation and investments over the course of E.C 2012, in synchronicity with the ‘Doing Business’ committee.

Creating an enabling business environment for private sector investments is a critical pillar for creating 3mil #jobs in the new year.

To review the milestones & the medium term reform roadmap for the ‘Doing Business’ initiative visit: http://bit.ly/2JUNr66

በጠዋቱ መርሀ ግብር ዶ/ር ሰሚር ዩሱፍ: ዶ/ር ዳኛቸው አሰፋና ዶ/ር ኮንቴ ሙሳ የብሔረ መንግሥት ግንባታዎች ውጣውረድ በኢትዮጵያ: ጦር የሰበቀና ሰላም ያነገበ የፖለቲካ አካሄድ ፍልስፍና በኢትዮጵያ እና ብሔራዊ መግባባትን በማስፈን ሀገረ መንግሥት ግንባታን ለማሳለጥ የመንግሥታት ሚና በሚሉ ርእሶች ዙሪያ የመወያያ ሀሳቦችን ያቀርባሉ::

ድሬዳዋ የተካሄደው ሁለተኛው አዲስ ወግ ከ300 በላይ ከድሬዳዋ: ከሀረር: ከአፋር: ከሶማሌ ከኦሮሚያ እንዲሁም ከአዲስ አበባ የተውጣጡ ነዋሪዎችና የተለያዩ የማሕበረሰብ ተወካዮች በተገኙበት ሲካሄድ ውሎ ተጠናቅቋል::

PM Abiy Ahmed met EU Commissioner @MimicaEU who reconfirmed EU’s support to #Ethiopia & to the PM for continuing to drive the reforms unabated. Citing previous & forthcoming financial support, he reiterated the EU’s firm political commitment to Ethiopia’s democratization journey.

PM Abiy received at his office Minister of the Economy and Finance of the French Republic Mr. LeMaire. The two discussed the continued strengthening of economic cooperation between Ethiopia & France.

Mr. LeMaire conveyed France’s appreciation of steps being taken by Ethiopia, particularly to increase competitiveness & business conduciveness & confirmed Ethiopia as an investment destination for France. The two ended their meeting by planting seedlings.

PM Abiy presided over signing of a $100mil grant MOU b/n the FDRE Min of Finance & UAE Government represented by Khalifa Fund for Enterprise Dev’t. The MOU was signed by State Minister Admassu Nebebe & Chairman of the Khalifa Fund Board of Directors, Hussain. J. Al Nowais.

The support provides for micro, small and medium enterprise sector development and job creation, particularly focused on innovation and technology.

Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed met with the Foreign Minister of Finland, Pekka Haavisto this morning to discuss bilateral issues and the role of Ethiopia in bringing regional peace and stability, particularly in Sudan.

PM Abiy Ahmed also met with the Foreign Minister of South Korea, Kang Kyung-wha. The two parties discussed the long standing relations between Ethiopia and South Korea, modernizing the taxation and customs system, provision of support for education.

Kang Kyung-wha extended an official invitation on behalf of the Government for PM Abiy to visit South Korea.

Leaders of civil society organizations are met with senior government officials at the PM Office. This consultation is part of the series of conversations the PMO has held on issues of the reform agenda with various groups in the country.

The consultations are organized with the objective of engaging stakeholders to discuss key milestones and performance of government reforms as well as to detail stakeholder role in the democratization processes.

CSO participants raised key reform achievements, sectoral challenges as well as points on sustaining the reforms. In closing, gov't officials called upon CSOs to strengthen their contribution to good governance, building democratic culture & accelerating economic growth.

In strengthening peace & security and democracy he highlighted three key areas of institutional reforms, efforts to maintain rule of law and peace building efforts undertaken.

On Rule of Law: apprehending individuals & groups participating in organized crime; human rights violations; high level corruption; inciters of ethnic violence; arms proliferators; money launderers, human traffickers & members of terrorist groups whose plans were foiled.

On Displacement: Of the 2.3million displaced (1.2mil before the reforms & 1.1mil) total of 2.1 million of inter and intra-regionally displaced returned to their original locales. Efforts underway to reinstate the remaining.

On Economy: efforts focused on correcting macro-economic imbalances. Noting jobs are key to economic progress Jobs Commission @Jobs_FDRE formed and expected to create upto 3mil jobs by end of E.C 2012 budget yr. End of E.C 2011 budget yr 1.4mil jobs created through SMEs.

On Gov Revenue & Expenditure Performance: 10% increase in revenues over past 11 months at ETB 178.5billion. Expenditures at end of budget year not expected to go above set limit for E.C 2011.

Financial Sector deposits performance shows increase by 22% and credit disbursement performance increase by 35% in comparison to last yr. While inflation decreased in comparison to last yr, May/June period increase being addressed by task force to study & provide solutions.

On Foreign Relations: diplomacy centered on ensuring Ethiopians abroad are treated in a dignified manner, with negotiated release of 15k from prisons; safe return of 76k whose contracts ended; signing of agreements with recipient countries for migrant Ethiopian workers.

Strengthening & establishing peaceful relations with neighboring countries; securing USD 3bill in grants; loan cancellations & increased FDI. Strengthening cultural diplomacy & securing renovation support for Lalibela, Axum, Abba Jifar Palace; & establishing new relations.

PM Abiy finished today’s parliament session by planting seedlings in the compound together with DPM Demeke Mekonnen and House Speaker Tagesse Chafo.

PM Abiy Ahmed planted Weyra (Olive) seedlings in the compound of the National Palace this afternoon, to memorialize Dr. Ambachew Mekonnen, General Seare Mekonnen, Migbaru Kebede, Ezez Wasse and Maj. General Gezai Abera.

The seedlings planted today honour the lives they lived and recognize, as a standing memorial, their contributions to the reforms.

Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed met with Mahmoud Ali Youssouf, Minister for Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation of Djibouti. Mr. Youssouf carried a message from President Ismaïl Omar Guelleh sharing his condolences to Prime Minister Abiy. In addition, the two discussed bilateral issues including accelerating economic relations between the two countries and strengthening social and cultural relations. Considering regional peace and security, the two also consulted on the role of IGAD in facilitating stability in Sudan through the leadership of Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed. Marking the strong relationship between Ethiopia and Djibouti, the visit ended with Prime Minister Abiy and Mr. Youssouf planting seedlings in the compound.

Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed today made a closing remarks at the 19th WB International Development Association Replenishment Meeting hosted in Addis Ababa.

Every three years, donors meet to replenish World Bank--IDA resources and review its policy framework. Ethiopia is the largest beneficiary of IDA.

Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed said IDA is the most reliable, predictable stable source of development finance for Ethiopia and called for continued support.

Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, in his discussion with around 400 leaders of Protestant Churches provided direction on national issues and other relevant topics the religious leaders raised. Today’s conversation is similar to those held in Addis Ababa and in various parts of the country with community members, teachers, religious leaders, health professionals, artists and the justice sector professionals among others.

Concluding the discussion, a committee of 15 members was formed to strengthen the unity between the church and the laity and come up with solutions for internal challenges.

In the past, similar dialogues between the two synods of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church and Committee for the solution of Ethiopian Muslim Affairs successfully created a peaceful resolution of issues, and spirit of togetherness.

Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed met with Italy’s Vice Foreign Minister Emanuela C. Del Re this morning. The Vice Foreign Minister is currently in Ethiopia as part of a delegation that will visit the Axum obelisks to elaborate on strategies related to restoration works. Ms. Del Re conveyed Italy’s continued support to Ethiopia in various areas. The delegation she is leading will also be determining support to build the technical and human capacity of Ethiopia in its readiness to effectively respond to natural disasters.

Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed welcomed at his office the President of Equatorial Guinea, H.E. Teodoro Obiang Nguema, who is in Ethiopia on an official state visit. Ethiopia and Equatorial Guinea have enjoyed diplomatic relations spanning several years. The two leaders discussed key bilateral points of mutual interest, as well as regional peace, in addition to issues related to refugees, as the global community observes World Refugee Day today. They also planted seedlings in the compound of the PMO. President Nguema also extended an invitation to Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed to make an official visit to Equatorial Guinea.

Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed welcomed to his office the Eritrean Foreign Minister Osman Saleh and Head of Political Affairs and Presidential Advisor, Yemane Gebreab earlier this afternoon.

The Eritrean Government officials came to deliver a message of condolence from President Isaias Afwerki and to deliberate upon the one-year peace journey taken between the two countries. Both parties reflected on the milestones achieved over the past year in ceasing of hostilities and discussed upon the next steps to be taken in further strengthening the relationship.

Almost a year ago to this day, both Osman Saleh and Yemane Gebreab came to Ethiopia for the landmark peace talks marking the first time in twenty years a high-level delegation visited from Asmara.

To celebrate the strengthening relationship between Eritrea and Ethiopia, Prime Minister Abiy joined by the two officials, planted seedlings within the compound of the PMO.

For #EverydayWeCleanEthiopia Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed was up early cleaning Black Lion Hospital and planting seedlings in the compound. Thereafter he also visited with the Federal Police Anti-Terrorism and Ministry of Education ICT center teams in their respective offices as they were cleaning and planting.

Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed together with First Lady Zinash Tayachew participated in an 800 seedlings planting activity organized by the Office of the First Lady this afternoon in the CMC area, in the presence of Deputy Mayor Takele Uma.

Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed together with Deputy Prime Minister Demeke Mekonnen and Amhara Region President Ambachew Mekonnen, held a public dialogue with residents of Dessie city earlier today.

In his remarks, Prime Minister Abiy appreciated inhabitants of the region for their tradition of living harmoniously across lines of divides, rooted in peace, forgiveness and love.

Participants of the dialogue raised various questions related to the rule of law, infrastructure, job creation, regional budgetary allocations and issues of social inclusion.

Responding to questions raised, Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed reiterated the importance of acknowledging achievements, including around 4,000 individuals that have been brought to justice in efforts to maintain the rule of law and the nation wide efforts to return a majority of the displaced back to their original homes. He also shared the Federal Government engagements underway in infrastructure development, including roads and the construction of a referral hospital in the city of Dessie.

Concluding the session, Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed confirmed his commitment to Ethiopia’s growth and development rooted in the MEDEMER philosophy. He called upon all to transcend divisive issues and rather commit ourselves to overcoming poverty through a united and concerted effort.

PM Abiy Ahmed commended the work of Dr Belay Abegaz and awarded him for his dedicated contribution to society as a pediatric cardiologist and his work through the Cardiac Center of Ethiopia, which is celebrating its 30th year of service today.

The Ministry of Innovation and Technology hosted the 9th Annual National Science, Technology and Innovation Award and Recognition Ceremony at the African Union Commission in the Presence of Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed.

In his remarks, the Prime Minister emphasized the importance of innovators in science and technology in time of critical need as innovators are positioned to solve sociatal issues. He also stated that the ultimate achievement of knowledge is to bridge society together through the application of positive Innovation and technology.

Prime Minister Abiy encouraged award recipients to utilize the Medemer philosophy and work cohesively towards developing Ethiopia for generations to come.

The community members appreciated the Prime Minister’s responsiveness to the call residents made to hold discussions with him on issues related to the rehabilitation of the obelisks. In addition, the Prime Minister addressed key queries raised regarding budgetary allocations, water shortages, infrastructure requirements, peace and security and other issues.

The Axum Obelisk is a testament to Ethiopia’s historic civilizations. Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed and his delegation are currently in Axum reviewing the current status of the obelisks. Prime Minister Abiy was received by Tigray Region Vice President Dr Debretsion Gebremichael.

During his Sudan visit, Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed also held discussions with members of the Forces for Freedom and Change as part of mediation efforts underway. He expressed Ethiopia’s commitment to fostering peace in the region and underlined that unity is a prerequisite for restoring peace in Sudan.

Finalizing his Sudan visit, Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed returned with Ethiopians released from prisons in Sudan. Serving sentences of up to twenty years, the Government of Ethiopia has been negotiating for the release of 78 prisoners over the past few months.

Following the Government’s efforts to have the prisoners released and return home, their release was secured yesterday through further efforts by Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed in discussions with the leadership of the Transitional Military Council, while in Sudan.

Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed in his opening remarks during discussions with the justice sector emphasized the need and focus to anchor the legal reforms undertaken over the past year in institutions. He highlighted the importance of creating capacities and enabling mindsets that believe in the supremacy of the rule of law, including among Government officials.

In his discussion with justice sector professionals, Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed highlighted the role of our informal social norms and values as key components in the rule of law. Drawing a distinction between ‘moral of duty’ vs ‘moral of aspiration’ he emphasized that maintaining the rule of law cannot only be based on the former but through investments in nurturing moral of aspiration. Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed also once again reiterated the nonintervention policy of his administration and the executive body in the work of the judiciary.

He concluded the discussion session by planting seedlings together with members of the justice sector and calling upon them to spend the upcoming kiremt cleaning, cleansing and planting.

The panelists on the ‘Greening & Cleaning Ethiopia’ roundtable discussion raised the interrelationships between the ‘Beautifying Sheger’ project; the 4billion trees and the monthly cleaning/cleansing initiatives which aim to address key challenges towards making Ethiopia a green, productive and climate resilient country. Dr. Seleshi Bekele highlighted the ways in which the tree planting initiative is rooted in Ethiopia’s green and climate resilient policy and strategy.

From a health perspective, Dr. Amir explained in what ways all the initiatives contribute towards addressing health challenges in Ethiopia, including communicable and non-communicable diseases, as well as impacts on early childhood development. Meskerem Tamiru shared the technical details of the ‘Beautifying Sheger’ project and the way in which it exceeds cosmetic cleaning but is rooted in ensuring that the city’s river systems are cleaned of liquid and solid waste; residents are protected from river flooding and city dwellers are provided an environment of dignity. Dr. Meheret particularly emphasized the importance of dignity and its relationship with the thoughts we generate and the environment we create, stressing that nature is not dirty in of itself - it is people that intervene.

Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed visited the National Archives and Library of Ethiopia where he talked to and provided morale support to students preparing for the upcoming national exams. In his remarks, he advised the students to undertake the examinations in a relaxed and focused manner and also reminded them that libraries are spaces that nurture minds and therefore should be frequented at other times too. Prime Minister Abiy also shared the plans to build a large library in front of the Parliament. He concluded his visit by encouraging the staff members of the archives and library. This is the first time since His Imperial Majesty Haile Sellasie’s visit that a leader has visited the library.

Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed together with Ethiopian Orthodox Sunday school students cleaned the area around stadium in preparation for Eid al-Fitr. As Muslim brothers and sisters celebrate the end of the holy month of Ramadan, fellow Christians are showing their solidarity through cleaning.

Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed received Republic of Somalia President Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed and his delegation this morning and held discussions at the Office of the Prime Minister. In their discussions, they raised bilateral issues of mutual interest, including further strengthening cooperation in regional peace and security. The two leaders, including the First Lady of Somalia, planted seedlings within the compound.

Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, accompanied by Oromia Region Vice President Shimeles Abdissa, SNNPR President Million Matiwos and Minister of Peace Muferiat Kamil, heard from Guji and Gedeo community members that recently returned to the area. Their representatives expressed the unity of the two communities and shared the material needs they currently have. Prime Minister Abiy encouraged them to strengthen their unity while the government continues to fill identified gaps. The delegation led by Prime Minister Abiy also provided the community with building materials for reconstruction of their homes. In a gesture of good wishes for the two communities, Prime Minister Abiy planted seedlings.

Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed and First Lady Zinash Tayachew visited the Hamlin Fistula Hospital in celebration of the hospital’s 60th anniversary of service. Prime Minister Abiy commended Dr Catherine Hamlin for her tremendous work of restoring the dignity of Ethiopian women affected by obstetric fistula. He expressed his heartfelt appreciation for the care-taking role she took of the most marginalized in their time of grave need. Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed also bestowed an award upon Dr Catherine Hamlin on behalf of the Government of Ethiopia for her tireless contribution and together with First Lady Zinash Tayachew planted seedlings in the compound of the hospital.

Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed received at his office Rwanda Foreign Minister Dr. Richard Sezibera for bilateral discussions.

On the occasion of the Ginbot 20 victory, Prime Minister Abiy together with Dr. Sezibera planted seedlings within the compound of the Office of the Prime Minister.

Members of the diplomatic community and heads of international organizations toured the National Palace this afternoon and were briefed on progress of the political and economic reforms. Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed also joined them in planting seedlings on the occasion of Ginbot 20 and the launch of the national greening program.

Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed met with the Head of the Sudanese Transitional Military Council General Abdul Fattah Burhan. General Abdul Fattah recognized Ethiopia as a close ally of Sudan and asked for the Prime Minister to share his advise on key concerns raised. Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed assured of Ethiopia’s support through the provision of ideas with a commitment to non-interference. On the request for advise, he noted the importance of being inclusive in the transition process.

Following their bilateral discussions, both parties planted seedlings within the Office of the Prime Minister compound.

Federal and Regional Police Commissioners joined Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed in planting seedlings within National Palace compound following their tour. Prime Minister Abiy also shared with them the vision and progress of development projects within the compound and in the city with the ultimate aim of rolling out such initiatives throughout the country.

Over 250 members of the House of Peoples Representatives, including Speaker of the House H.E. Tagesse Chafo and Deputy Speaker H.E. Shitaye Minale toured the compound of the National Palace this morning to explore the development projects currently ongoing. Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed also joined the parliamentarians for a brief exchange of ideas on the projects.

Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed is currently holding discussions with national agricultural transformation leaders in Adama city on their role and responsibilities in modernizing the sector. He called upon them to champion the National Green Development Program which aims to plant 4billion trees during the upcoming rainy season. Over the past years Ethiopia’s forest coverage has decreased and the initiative is set mobilize national reforestation at 40 trees per head.

Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed officially launches the national 4billion trees initiative by planting a seedling.

Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed together with Oromia Region Vice President, Shimeles Abdissa, inaugurated the Selale Oromia Cultural Center and the memorial statue built to honor Brigadier General Tadesse Birru in the town of Fiche. In his discussion with community members, he raised the importance of emulating Tadesse Birru’s heroism rooted in leaving a strong legacy for the next generation.

High ranking officials of the National Defense Forces visited the Office of the Prime Minister today to view the projects currently being undertaken in the compound. Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed also joined them in a briefing on the holistic contribution to citizens of city wide development projects under the ‘Beautifying Sheger’ initiative.

Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed is currently overseeing the 2nd 100 day evaluation of Ministries and accountable organizations. The policy and performance evaluation unit within the Office of the Prime Minister have undertaken the evaluation process through the review of institutional reports, consultations with the Ministries. undertaking sudden supervisions and undertaking consultations with service users and other stakeholders.

For the first time in 46 years, an Ethiopian leader visited the Addis Abeba University Alle School of Fine Arts. During his visit to the arts school on May 12, 2019 Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed visually explored historic and other art pieces developed at Alle. He also held discussions with the art teachers on how the school can be further setup to reflect the hopes of the country.

Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed also visited Zoma Museum on May 12, 2019. He expressed his amazement at the effort that had been made to transform a garbage accumulation point to a place of respite. He also shared his hope that all Ethiopians would overcome challenges like Zoma center founders and work to change their country.

Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed hosted members of the Ethiopian and international Muslim community for iftar on May 11, 2019 , sharing his well wishes for the holy month of Ramadan.

In his remarks, Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed shared that the values of peace, unity, forgiveness, giving and reconciliation are espoused in the holy month, expressing his hopes that these values extend into several months. He also called upon the Muslim community to extend the practice of internal cleansing to cleaning our environment and neighborhoods next week Sunday morning as part of the monthly cleaning program.

The second Addis Weg Expert’s Roundtable exploring the rule of law in democratic transitions on May 10, 2019 included H.E. Meaza Ashenafi, H.E. Muferiat Kamil, Dr Dagnachew Assefa and Dr Getachew Assefa.

Dr. Dagnachew Assefa of AAU explored the philosophical underpinnings of the rule of law, bringing to the fore the milestones achieved by the current administration in democratizing and the key challenges it is encountering.

Dr. Getachew Assefa from AAU provided a distinction between the rule of law and rule by law as a basis for understanding where we were and where we are coming from.

Citing international reports that show Ethiopia’s progression in maintaining security and order in 2018 period, Federal Supreme Court President, H.E. Meaza Ashenafi highlighted the current transition from government using the law for its own purposes to working towards institutionalizing the rule of law.

H.E. Muferiat Kamil Minister of Peace affirmed the commitment of the Government to build a democracy based on engagement with citizenry as opposed to authoritarianism. Noting that the psychology of many of our institutions have been crafted around anti-democratic characteristics which require a lot of effort and time to democratize.

Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, who attended the session discussed the responsibility and obligation of the government to legally ensure the supremacy of the law, under the context of legal system of the nation and its institutions. After listening to most of the comments, suggestions and concerns the participants raised with regard to the perceived inaction of the government to bring peace and stability in the country, the Prime Minister expressed the importance of patience, and his government is not only committed but also capable to safeguard the safety of its citizens.

Press Secretariat spokespersons within the Office of the Prime Minister, Nigussu Tilahun and Billene Seyoum addressed members of the local and international media in a press briefing. The briefings explored updates on efforts to address displacement, rule of law and the status of the Beautifying Sheger development project.

Former President H.E. Dr. Negasso Gidada laid to rest Sunday, May 5, 2019 at 3pm.

Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed met with Japanese Foreign Minister Taro Kono on the morning of May 5, 2019. The two conferred on bilateral, regional and global issues of mutual concern. H.E. Taro Kono expressed the Japanese Government’s support of Ethiopia’s domestic reforms and efforts to bring peace in the region and extended Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s invitation for Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed to make an official visit to Japan. Prime Minister Abiy acknowledged Japan’s contribution to Ethiopia as a development partner and shared his interest for continued cooperation in human capacity building, trade and investments.

Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed held discussions on May 4, 2019 with 3000 national health professionals on key issues within the sector.

Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed declared the discussion with health professionals as key for policy making. Noting that responses to issues of resources need to be viewed in light of Ethiopia’s reality, he reviewed the macroeconomic situation inherited by his administration a year ago which required immediate interventions to bring to balance.

With the conviction of government to address challenges in the health sector, Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed recounted the milestones achieved over the past year to enable an effective health system and highlighted the importance of taking stock of achievements.

Particularly:
1. Setting up six establishments to enable medical tourism to Ethiopia of which three are becoming operational;
2. Changes in the procurement process of imported pharmaceuticals to expedite provision;
3. Setting up of up to six pharmaceutical industries through public private partnership investments;
4. Allocation of 120million USD for the purchase of pharmaceutical supplies.
5. Development of 4200 housing units in 340 health centres throughout the country.

On the sidelines of the 2nd Belt and Road Forum Leaders' Roundtable, Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed met with President Vladimir Putin of the Russian Federation. The two discussed the historic relations between their two countries and bilateral issues of mutual interest. President Vladimir Putin extended an invitation for Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed to make an official visit to the Russian Federation this year.

Similarly, Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed also met with the Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte on the margins of the Belt and Road Forum Leaders’ Roundtable. The Italian government has pledged to renovate the historic Axum obelisk. Additionally, Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte also confirmed ‘Dine for Sheger’ participation amount of 5mil Euros.

Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed and his delegation attended the opening session of the Second Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation on April 28, 2019.

In his remarks during the High Level Meeting at the Belt and Road Forum, Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed highlighted the role the Addis Ababa - Djibouti railway is playing in facilitating trade between the two countries; testament to the connectivity principle of the Belt and Road Initiative. Sharing the investment-led economic policy and reforms being undertaken, he encouraged more investors to participate in the newly opened up sectors.

On the margins of the Belt and Road Forum, Ethiopian Investment Commission has signed four MoUs with Chinese companies that have decided to invest in Ethiopia. These include:

1. Taison Group and Green Diamond which will establish a large-scale bamboo pulp-paper manufacturing in Assosa, Benshangul Gumuz with a capacity to manufacture 1 million tons pulp paper per annum
2. Amity Printing will set up a printing factory in Ethiopia.
3. CGCOC Group has agreed to establish a fully integrated livestock and meat processing plant with an annual slaughtering capacity of 300,000 castles and 3 million sheep in Awash, Fentale.
4. Zhende Medical Products Manufacturing will invest in a pharmaceutical plant in Kilinto Industrial Park to manufacture wound care, surgical sensory, pressure therapy and fixed products.

Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed visited the China Academy of Space Technology to inspect Ethiopia’s 70kg Multi-Spectral Remote Sensing Satellite ETRSS-1. Ethiopia, under the auspices of the Ethiopian Space Science and Technology Institute (ESSTI), has been in the process of co-developing the Satellite through the support of the Chinese government. ETRSS-1 is to be launched into space before end of this year, according to the Gregorian calendar. The Satellite is expected to monitor weather patterns for better agricultural planning, drought early warning and forestry management.

China is currently Ethiopia’s largest trading partner and a key source of Foreign Direct Investment. Twelve kilometers of the ‘Beautifying Sheger’ riverside project and the construction of a central square is being supported by the Chinese government. Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed visited the China Urban Construction Design and Research Institute to review and discuss the proposed design and development plan. He appreciated the efforts made by the engineers to contextualize to the needs of the city, and provided direction for the development to commence.

Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed and his delegation visited the headquarters of the e-commerce giant Alibaba, in Hangzhou, China. Following up on their meeting earlier this year in Davos, Switzerland, Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed and Alibaba Group Chairman Jack Ma shared that this visit is a reflection of a friendship geared towards supporting Ethiopia’s development. Jack Ma expressed he has been inspired by the reforms that Ethiopia has been undergoing, confirming that Ethiopia is now a key strategic partner which he will visit this year.

Communist Party Secretary of Zhèjiāng province H.E. Che Jun welcomed Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed and his delegation on the Prime Minister’s first visit to the coastal province of Eastern China. Private enterprises from the province are currently operating in Ethiopia, and Prime Minister Abiy encouraged for more investments in the newly opened up sectors, including engagement in agricultural exports to the province. Zhèjiāng province, a winner of the United Nation’s ecological honor for its river and streams clean up and revival program, is a model for the ‘Beautifying Sheger’ river cleaning project.

On April 24, 2019, Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed and his delegation met with H.E. President Xi Jinping in a bilateral meeting ahead of the Belt and Road Forum. President Jinping admired the leadership of Prime Minister Abiy and the reforms he has led over the past year, noting that China holds Ethiopia’s development in high regard. He also shared the cancellation of interest free loans matured till end of 2018. Furthermore, President Xi emphasized that the Chinese government attaches high importance to the Beautifying Sheger project and is working on a grant assistance in its support. Both parties agreed to a strengthened cooperation between the two countries in various sectors.

Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed shared with H.E. President Xi Jinping the commitment of Ethiopia to deepening the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership with China, which is enabling critical moves like restructuring the debt of the Addis Ababa - Djibouti railway. The railway project is an early harvest of the Belt and Road Initiative that Ethiopia is part of. In addition to a common understanding on global, regional cooperation and bilateral issues, Prime Minister Abiy also expressed his concern on the detainment of the young female engineer Nazrawit Abera.

Similarly, Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed and his delegation met with Prime Minister Li Keqiang to discuss the further strengthening of Ethio-China relations. Premier Li Keqiang confirmed that China will continue to support Ethiopia’s efforts in promoting the wellbeing of its citizens and its economy. Both Prime Ministers presided over the signing of five agreements that reflect the deepening of these relations.

The agreements signed include:

1. a Financing agreement for development of a plaza and 12km of the ‘Beautifying Sheger’ river bank project;
2. Provision of grants for technical cooperation
3. Provision of grants to go towards food aid
4. Belt and Road Initiative five year cooperation plan
5. an MOU operationalizing cooperation under FOCAC

During his stay, Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed met with the leadership of the China Railway Construction Corporation (CRCC) in Beijing on the margins of the Belt and Road Forum. CRCC’s current largest engagement includes connecting Ethiopia and Djibouti through the railway project. CRCC have expressed interest in investing in agro-industry parks development, oil and gas development and the Beautifying Sheger river project.

In a similar note, following a meeting with State Grid Corporation of China, Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed oversaw the signing of a USD 1.8 billion investment agreement which covers provision of energy transmission and distribution lines. This project will supply power for up to 16 industrial parks; the Addis Ababa to Djibouti 2nd railway line and for different cities in the country. This agreement will facilitate not only uninterrupted power supply but also enable the creation of jobs.

Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed also met with the China Export and Credit Insurance Corporation (Sinosure). They guaranteed their full cooperation, particularly in enabling the materialization of the investment in energy by the State Grid Corporation of China.

The Office of the Prime Minister organized a two day round table from 19-20 April, 2019 under the theme ‘Ethiopia in the Wake of Political Reforms’ which reviewed thirty chapter entries for a book project. The book project set to examine the past one year by academics and thematic experts, includes a review of political and economic reforms, federalism and nation building and foreign policy and national security.

Key government representatives shared the administration‘s perspectives on the thematic areas. State Minister at the Prime Minister’s Office, Fisseha Yitagesu on the political reforms shared the scope of the political reforms have focused on scaling up of past successes; correcting previous mistakes and protecting the interests of the future generation.

Deputy Attorney General, Dr Gedion Themotios, highlighted the reforms as rooted in changing laws, the structural framework and leadership with commitment of government to bring political liberalization. In addition, key focus has also been on laying the foundation of institutional and normative frameworks for an inclusive and competitive political environment as well as modernizing the legal system.

In reviewing the base of the economic reforms, Investment Commissioner Abebe Abebayehu noted key priorities set have been to build a sustainable, broad based and market focused growth. Economic reforms have also shown renewed commitment to regional trade integration and enhancing participation of both foreign and local private investments.

State Minister of Foreign Affairs, Dr. Markos Tekle shared changes that have occurred in foreign relations. Additionally, in exploring the reforms that have been taking place in how the Ministry functions, he noted how the change in the domestic politics has significantly enhanced Ethiopian Foreign Relations.

Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed received at his office Ivanka Trump, Advisor to the United States President, and her delegation on April 15, 2019 to discuss issues of mutual interest. Ms. Trump is in Ethiopia as part of the Women's Global Development and Prosperity (W-GDP) initiative aimed at advancing global women’s economic empowerment.

Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed met a delegation headed by General Galaledin Alsheikh, Member of the Transitional Military Council of the Republic of Sudan on April 15, 2019. General Galaledin Alsheikh briefed Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed on the situation in Sudan, noting the relationship with Ethiopia is of significant strategic importance. They called upon the Government of Ethiopia to continue its longstanding support to the country particularly in this time of transition.

On his part, Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed reaffirmed the support of the Government of Ethiopia to the people of Sudan, stressing that this support is based on respect for Sudan’s sovereignty and on the principles of non-intervention. He encouraged the Transitional Military Council to be inclusive in addressing grievances and concerns as Sudan makes a peaceful transition.

Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed and other government officials participated in the cleaning Ethiopia initiative on April 14, 2019.

On April 12, 2019, the Office of the Prime Minister held the ‘Addis Weg - Experts Round Table, focused on institution building. Panelists and participants who have written, taught, researched and working on the issue raised, discussed and developed ideas as input for polaicy making.

Panelists defined institutions as the rule of the game and organizations as the players, in explaining evolution of institutions. They raised the need to develop strong institutional frameworks that function equitably and guide the way society functions, regardless of varying governmental administrations.

To create and nurture capable institutions, participants agreed that work on changing mindsets is essential as a primary task. Furthermore, they also shared the need to be open to change; to inculcate the habit of planning and delivering.

With regards to civil service reform measures taken by the government, the details and contextual dispositions of the current ideology of ideas, individuals and institutions were clearly defined. Focusing on individual performance and the immeasurable sacrifices of civil servants, the discussion dwelled on ownership of duties, upholding laws when no one is watching, duty and national service.

A strand of the quarterly ‘Addis Weg Discussion Platform’, the Experts’ Roundtable will continue to convene a small number of subject matter specialists, practitioners and members of Government, to exhaustively discuss pertinent and priority topics.

Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed and Oromia Region President Lema Megersa arrived in Nekemte town on April 11, 2019 to inaugurate the Wollega stadium. With a capacity of up to 80,000, the Wollega stadium becomes the biggest and modern type stadium and youth center in the town which will serve as recreational and sport center for its inhabitants.

Nekemte town residents received Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed and Lema Megersa with high energy and cheers as Prime Minister Abiy inaugurates the new stadium with a goal kick.

Addressing the Nekemte town residents in the newly inaugurated Wollega stadium, Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed recognized those who have paid a premium price for freedoms gained in Ethiopia. Emphasizing that there is no negotiating Ethiopia’s growth, he called upon Nekemte and Oromia region residents to unite, work peacefully and hard on Ethiopia’s unity and ultimately regional unity.

Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed and Oromia Region President Lema Megersa also held discussions with East Wollega Zone residents in Nekemte town.

President Sahlework Zewde and Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed celebrated Ethiopian athletes, coaches and officials that participated in the 43rd edition of the IAAF World Cross Country Championships at a state dinner on April 9, 2019.

In his remarks at the dinner, Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed noted the value of MEDEMER in action witnessed through the victories of our athletes. Reflecting on current challenges, he highlighted the lessons that can be drawn from athletes in winning the race if we listen to each other closely, work collectively, develop patience and work hard.

He concluded by calling upon all Ethiopians in all parts of the country to dedicate every Sunday from 6am to 7am to cleaning - our neighborhoods, our streets, our minds from all that is polluting our environment and our beings.

The athletes achieved a great victory, returning to Ethiopia with 5 gold, 3 silver and 3 bronze medals, taking 1st place among 63 countries. Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed awarded the leadership of the committee and high performing athletes with certificates of recognition and financial rewards.

‪Renowned athlete Feyisa Lelisa, also present at the dinner, was honored in a special category, as part of the celebratory evening, for his silver medal victory at the Rio 2016 marathon.

Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, First Lady Zinash Tayachew and the Prime Minister’s delegation arrived in Kigali, Rwanda on April 6, 2019 for an official state visit and upon arrival were received by H.E. President Paul Kagame. Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed and First Lady Zinash Tayachew attended various ceremonies in relation to the 25th commemoration of the 1994 genocide in Rwanda.

Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed and First Lady Zinash Tayachew joined H.E. President Paul Kagame and other world leaders in laying a wreath and lighting of the remembrance flame at the Kigali Genocide Memorial where more than 250,000 victims of the Genocide rest. The 25th commemoration of the Genocide in Rwanda is a critical moment for the global community to reflect on the need for mutual understanding and tolerance across divides. We can build peaceful communities through nurturing open dialogue and mutual understanding.

Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed in his remarks at the 25th commemoration of the Genocide in Rwanda noted the importance of seeing others as reflections of ourselves in moving past grievances and building unity of purpose. Emphasizing that as a global community we should not experience such devastation to honor each other’s lives, he commended the Government and people of Rwanda for recognizing unity, forgiveness and reconciliation as key pillars for their remarkable growth.

Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed and First Lady Zinash Tayachew joined H.E. President Paul Kagame and other world leaders in the Genocide memorial walk before concluding their official visit and returning to Addis Ababa on 7 April, 2019.

During Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed’s visit to Qatar end of March 2019, he visited with hospitalized Ethiopian’s requiring continuous medical care. Following this visit, the Qatar Government pledged to support the return of those patients back to Ethiopia, covering medical costs for up to a year so they continue their treatment among their families. One of the patients is set to arrive in Addis Ababa between April 8-10, 2019.

It is to be recalled that in April 2018, Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed during his visit to Saudi Arabia secured such a similar support for Ethiopian citizens requiring critical medical care.

The National Security Advisor Temesgen Tiruneh provided updates on efforts made over the past year to reform the National Defence Forces, INSA, NISS and Federal Police.

The institutional reforms have focused on leadership, mindset, work process and operational changes as well as ensuring enhanced alignment across the security apparatus.

The ‘Dine for Sheger’ committee chaired by Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, and mobilizing funds for the 'Beautifying Sheger' project, met this afternoon to review the status of its preliminary work. The committee will finalize its tasks within the next few weeks and provide further details.

ጠቅላይ ሚኒስትር ዐቢይ አሕመድ እና የኦሮምያ ክልል ፕሬዘዳንት ለማ መገርሳ የኢትዮጵያ ምርት ገብያ በመቱ በከፈተው 23ኛ ቅርንጫፍ የመክፈቻ ስነስርዓት ላይ መጋቢት 26 ቀን 2011 ተገኝተዋል። ምርት ገብያው በ60 ሚሊየን ብር ለሚያስገነባው መጋዘን እና ቅርንጫፍ ቢሮዎች ግንባታ የመስረት ድንጋይ የኦሮምያ ፕሬዘዳንት ለማ መገርሳ አስቀምጠዋል። የመቱ ከተማ ነዋሪዎችም ለጠቅላይ ሚንስትር ዐቢይ እና ፕሬዘዳንት ለማ መገርሳ የባህል አልባሳት ስጦታ አበርክተውላቸዋል።

በመቀጠልም ከመቱ ከተማ ኑዋሪዎች ጋር ተወያይተዋል። በውይይቱም ነዋሪዎቹ የመንገድ፣የአውሮፕላን ማረፊያ እና ሌሎች የመሰረተ ልማት ግንባታ ጥያቄዎች አቅርበዋል። ነዋሪዎቹ ዩንቨርስቲ በከተማው መከፈቱን አድንቀው ነገር ግን የአርሶ አደሩን ህይወት መለወጥ የሚችሉ የጥናት እና ምርምር ስራዎች እየተሰሩ አይደለም ብለዋል። ጠቅላይ ሚንስትር ዐቢይ አሕመድ ሁላችንም አንድነታችን ማስጠበቅ ከቻልን የተነሱ ጥያቄዎች መመለስ የሚችሉ ናቸው ብለዋል።

ጠቅላይ ሚኒስትር ዐቢይ አሕመድ እና የኦሮሚያ ክልል ፕሬዚዳንት ለማ መገርሳ በምዕራብ ኦሮሚያ የሚያደርጉት ጉብኝት ቀጥሎ ዛሬ ከቡኖ በደሌ ዞን ነዋሪዎች ጋር ዉይይት እያደረጉ ይገኛሉ:: በዉይይቱም ላይ ጠቅላይ ሚኒስትር ዐቢይ እንድተናገሩት እርስ በእርስ ከተዋደድንና ከተፋቀርን ኢትዮጲያ ለሁላችንም የምትበቃ ሀገር ናት::

Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed arrived in the city of Jijiga earlier this afternoon and will be attending the closing ceremony of the Ethiopian Somali People’s Democratic Party (ESPD/SDP) 10th congress.

Over the past three days, the party has arrived at various decisions, including changing its name to Somali Democracy Party (SDP).

In Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed’s address to Ethiopians at a public event marking the first year at the helm of his premiership, he called upon Ethiopians to harness diversity, to draw upon forgiveness and love as we forge ahead anchoring the reforms in institution building.

A photo exhibition capturing a year of reforms opened this morning by H.E. Dr Hirut Kassaw, Minister of Culture and Tourism. Dr. Hirut noted photography as one means of retaining memories that will be part of history. The exhibition, organized by the Office of the Prime Minister, includes more than 250 digital and print photos captures moments captured by various photographers showing public responses and engagements of Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed and other government dignitaries.

የኢፌዴሪ ጠቅላይ ሚኒስትር ዐቢይ አሕመድ ለአገር ውስጥና ለውጭ ጋዜጠኞች ወቅታዊ የአገሪቱ ጉዳዮችን በተመለከተ ለተነሱላቸው ጥያቄዎች ምላሽ ሰጥተዋል። ዋና ዋናዎቹ ነጥቦችም ከዚህ በታች ተዘርዝረዋል፡፡

የሕግ የበላይነትን ማስከበር በተመለከተ፤ በተለያዩ የአገሪቱ ክፍሎች ተፈጥረው የነበሩ ሕገ ወጥ እንቅስቃሴዎችን መንግሥት እየተከታታለ ሕግና ሥርዓትን ለማስከበር ባለፈው አንድ ዓመት ተጠቃሽ ሥራዎችን ሰርቷል፡፡ ለዚህም ጠቅላይ ሚኒስትሩ እንደምሳሌ ያነሱት ከ30ሺ በላይ የታጠቀ ኃይል በነበረበት የኢትዮጵያ ሶማሌ ክልል የተፈጠረውን ቀውስ ከመቀልበስ ጀምሮ፤ በሐዋሳ፣ በቡራዩ፣ በአዲስ አበባ፣ በወለጋ፣ በሻሸመኔ፣ በጌዶና በቤኒሻንጉል በመቶዎች የሚቆጠሩ ተጠርጣሪዎች ጉዳያቸው በፍርድ ቤት በመታየት ላይ መሆኑን ነው፡፡

The two day ‘Addis Wog’ forum opened on 22 March, 2019, with sessions to reflect on the one-year journey of reforms, rooted in Ethiopia’s socio-economic and political history. The two days platform, ‘Addis Wog’ aims to introduce a novel approach to exchanging ideas and a respectful culture of dialogue.

Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed in addressing participants at the ‘Addis Weg’ platform, described the discussions as an opportunity to collect our spirits from the streets and bring them to the room; our power from stones and sticks to ideas; and letting go of our baggage to move towards collectively building Ethiopia.

In explaining manifestations of our political breakages, Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed identified the following as key societal challenges that need to be collectively addressed:

1. not being conscious of others beyond individual and group interests
2. not delivering in equal measure to what we demand
3. thinking in extremities
4. not making linkages between past, present and future
5. dismissing profession in favor of activism
6. not valuing and taking stock of what we’ve achieved so far
7. media not being aware that they are in the process of writing history in their daily reporting; and
8. lack of social media ethics among users

He concluded by asserting that one of the administration’s commitments is rooted in ensuring a true electoral democracy and creating a conducive environment for it.

Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed during his official visit to the State of Qatar on 19 March, 2019, he discussed with Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, the Emir of Qatar, on bilateral issues of mutual interest.

Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed and his delegation proceeded to Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates on 21 March 2019. He was received by Crown Prince H.H Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed bin Sultan Al-Nahyan. Both parties held discussions on issues of mutual interest.

Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed travelled to Gedeb Woreda on March 18, 2019 to assess the state of Gedeo community members currently in temporary shelters. Members of the displaced expressed their grievances to Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed hold lengthy discussions with representatives.

The Federal government, through the coordination of the National Disaster Risk Management Commission, upon the request of zonal and regional administrators earlier this week, has been transporting humanitarian supplies to the area as of March 11th.

All Ethiopian political parties signed a code of conduct on March 14, 2019. Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed signed the document on behalf of the Ethiopian People’s Democratic Front (EPRDF). The signing of this common code of conduct further confirms the opening up of the political space in Ethiopia, and government’s commitment to ensure fair, free and inclusive election.

Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed noted the signing of the code of conduct as a milestone for democracy. Describing the day as a historic and unique one that has bound more than 100 parties in common understanding, he called upon all to treat the document as one that guides the actions of all. He also called upon law and security enforcement entities to serve all parties equally. In concluding, Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed called upon all to be custodians of peace and unity in our current moment.

President Emmanuel Macron of the French Republic arrived in Ethiopia on March 12 for a two-day official visit.

In an an official welcoming ceremony at Lalibela airport, Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed received the President of the French Republic, H.E. Emmanuel Macron. This is President Macron’s first state visit to Ethiopia. The reception at Lalibela is the first of its kind since the city’s historic relevance as a site of diplomacy 800 years ago.

The two countries have also enjoyed strong diplomatic relations since 1897. Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed and President Emmanuel Macron visited the Rock-Hewn churches of Lalibela this afternoon. It is to be recalled that Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed secured a support pledge from the French in October 2018 that would go toward restoration of the Churches.

More over, the two leaders presided over the signing of cooperation agreements between Ethiopia and France.

Honorable Aisha Mohammed (Eng), Minister of Defense signed the defense cooperation agreement which covers training, capacity building and a strategic level exchanges.

Honorable Ahmed Shide, Minister of Finance and Economic Cooperation signed the following:
- Memorandum of Understanding on the Promotion of French Investments in Ethiopia
- Joint Declaration on the Financial Support to the Economic Transition
- Joint Declaration on the Heritage Cooperation

The signing of these agreements is testimony to strengthening Ethio-France relations.

Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed bid farewell to President Emmanuel Macron on March 13, 2019 as he concluded his two-day state visit to Ethiopia.