The World Economy Forum in Davos opened on Tuesday (January 22), and this year’s theme was “Globalization 4.0: Shaping a New Architecture in the Age of the Fourth Industrial Revolution.”  The Forum comes at a time when the IMF believes the “cyclical forces that propelled growth may be weakening faster than we thought.” The IMF has cut its forecasts for global growth. The world economy is now expected to grow 3.5% in 2019 and 3.6% in 2020. In other words, it is expecting rising risks and slowing growth, and calls on policy-makers to resolve trade disagreements cooperatively and quickly. Founder…

The World Economy Forum in Davos opened on Tuesday (January 22), and this year’s theme was “Globalization 4.0: Shaping a New Architecture in the Age of the Fourth Industrial Revolution.”  The Forum comes at a time when the IMF believes the “cyclical forces that propelled growth may be weakening faster than we thought.” The IMF has cut its forecasts for global growth. The world economy is now expected to grow 3.5% in 2019 and 3.6% in 2020. In other words, it is expecting rising risks and slowing growth, and calls on policy-makers to resolve trade disagreements cooperatively and quickly. Founder…

The AU and EU held the first of a series of annual joint ministerial meetings in Brussels this week (January 21-22). The meeting brought together Ministers of Foreign Affairs of the European Union and the African Union. It was co-chaired by the High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Ms. Federica Mogherini, and the Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation of Rwanda and Chair of the African Union Executive Council, Richard Sezibera. EU and AU Commissioners also attended. The Ethiopian delegation was led by State Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mrs. Hirut Zemene. This was…

The third round of IGAD-EU consultations took place on the margins of the AU- EU ministerial meeting on Tuesday (January 22). The meeting was chaired by Ethiopia’s State Minister for Foreign Affairs, Mrs. Hirut Zemene and Ms. Federica Mogherini, High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security. The two sides welcomed the “historic developments in the Horn of Africa with the normalization of relations between Eritrea and Ethiopia, the tripartite agreement between Ethiopia, Eritrea and Somalia, as well as the engagement of Eritrea and Djibouti and Eritrea and Sudan towards normalization of relations”. This offered major new openings for…

Ethiopia’s House of People’s Representatives adopted significant revisions in the existing refugee law on Thursday last week (17 January), giving the country what UN High Commissioner for Refugees, Filippo Grandi, described as “one of the most progressive refugee policies in Africa”. The new law allows refugees to obtain work permits, access education and health services, obtain drivers’ licenses, legally register life events such as births and marriages and opens up access to national financial services, such as banking. The passing of the law came only a few weeks after the UN General Assembly agreed to the Global Compact on Refugees…

This month the Ethiopian Embassy in Beijing organized an “Ethiopia – China Pulses, Oilseeds and Spices Sellers-Buyers Matchmaking Seminar” on January 11 and a few days later in Hohhot, capital of the autonomous region of Inner Mongolia, an investment forum promoting opportunities in agriculture and livestock processing in Ethiopia. The seminar in Beijing was planned in collaboration with China’s Chamber of Commerce of Import and Export of Foodstuffs, Native Produce and Animal By-Products (CFNA). 10 major exporting companies from Ethiopia, led by Anteneh Zegeye, Chairman of the Ethiopian Pulses, Oilseeds and Spices Processors and Exporters Association (EPOSPEA), participated.  Ato Anteneh…

The Federal Government of Somalia and aid agencies launched the 2019 Humanitarian Response Plan (HRP) on Monday this week (January 21), calling on donors to provide sufficient and early funding to sustain aid operations in Somalia in 2019. The response plan seeks $1.08 billion to support to 3.4 million Somalis affected by conflict, climatic shocks, and displacement. It noted that improvements in the food security situation due to good 2018 Gu rain, a sustained humanitarian response throughout 2018 and a more focused definition of needs have resulted in a 32% decline in the number of people in need of humanitarian assistance, from…

Terrorists stormed a bank within a hotel complex in Nairobi before a suicide bomber detonated himself in the foyer of one of the buildings of the Dusit D2 Hotel complex on Tuesday afternoon this week (January 15). Several vehicles exploded in the hotel car park as they then attacked the hotel, shooting indiscriminately. Kenyan specialist security forces almost immediately launched an operation to flush out the terrorists. Hundreds of people had been trapped inside and President Kenyatta said a total of 700 civilians had been rescued by security forces when the operation came to an end. The attack left 21…

The 37th Ordinary Session of Permanent Representatives’ Committee of the African Union was held in Addis Ababa at the headquarters of the African Union this week (January 17-18). The meeting prepared the agenda of the 32nd AU Summit with appropriate recommendations for consideration by the AU’s Executive Council. The theme of the 32nd Assembly of Heads of State and Government of the African Union is “Refugees, Returnees and Internally Displaced Persons: Towards Durable Solutions to Forced Displacement in Africa.” The Permanent Representatives’ Committee Meeting is the first of the three statutory meetings held under the framework of the 32nd Summit…

Deputy Prime Minister Demeke Mekonnen led a delegation to Freetown for a working visit to the Republic of Sierra Leone at the end of last week (January 11-13). The delegation, which included Ministers as well as senior government officials, was warmly welcomed in Freetown by Vice-President, Dr. Mohamed Juldeh Jalloh. The visit aimed to boost bilateral and diplomatic ties between the two countries, and Deputy Prime Minister Demeke held fruitful discussions with the President of Sierra Leone, Julis Maada Bio on ways to consolidate the relationship in all areas of cooperation in a spirit of mutual benefit. Their talks covered…