The Ethiopian Aviation Academy has been upgraded to an aviation university.
The airline’s media consultant in Nigeria said in a statement that the university has started undergraduate and graduate programs in the fields of aerospace and hospitality. The statement hinted that the Aviation Academy has been offering aviation training programs such as pilot, aircraft technician, cabin crew, airline sales and services and others.
After it was upgraded to a university level, it launched degree programs such as a BSc degree in aeronautical engineering, a BSc degree in aircraft maintenance engineering, a BSc degree in aviation management, a BA degree in tourism and hospitality management, and an MBA in aviation management.
As a member of the Ethiopian Airlines Group, which includes Ethiopian Airports, Ethiopian MRO Services, Ethiopian In-Flight Services, and the Ethiopian Skylight Hotel, the university offers programs with advanced curricula, which are taught by faculty and industry practitioners.
Mesfin Tasew, the Ethiopian Airlines Group CEO, while commenting on the new status, said that after continuous breakthrough expansion and investment, the upgrade of the 65-year-old Ethiopian Aviation Academy to a university level offering several degree programs was yet another milestone in the long and successful journey of the airline.
(Independent)
Tens of thousands flee Somaliland into drought-hit Ethiopia
An estimated 100,000 people have fled fighting in Somalia’s breakaway Somaliland region into a remote, drought-hit area of Ethiopia, the UN and Ethiopian refugee agencies said.
Citing authorities in Doolo, located in the south-eastern tip of the country, more than 1,300 kilometers (more than 800 miles) from the capital Addis Ababa, the UN refugee agency said it believes more than 98,000 people have crossed the border since February 6.
“We will substantiate the numbers,” Tesfahun Gobezay, director general of the Refugees and Returnees Service (RRS), an Ethiopian government agency that has started registering the arrivals, told reporters.
“This is an area that is lacking in infrastructure and social development, and of course it has dealt with a drought that has lasted for four years, but they have shown us that we can still be considerate to others,” Tesfahun said.
“Even before we were able to arrive, they were the ones who were sheltering them in their homes and sharing the minimum food they were having.”
So far, 29,000 refugees have been registered, according to Mamadou Dian Balde, the UNHCR representative in Ethiopia.
“These numbers are growing and growing,” Balde said, adding they were “women and children mostly.”
(Mail Online)
Ethiopia hosts over 80 Pakistani businessmen
The government of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia has hosted more than 80 businessmen from Pakistan for a five-day business trip in its capital city, Addis Ababa. The historic business delegation mobilized by the FDRE Embassy in Islamabad arrived in Addis Ababa last Sunday to explore business, trade, and investment opportunities.
On the first day of the trade delegation, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister of Ethiopia, Demeke Mekonnen, launched the Ethiopia-Pakistan Business Forum in the presence of more than 80 delegates from Pakistan. Addressing the delegates, Demeke gave an overview of the bilateral, multilateral, and regional cooperation between Ethiopia and Pakistan.
He underlined the need for strong collaboration between Ethiopia and Pakistan on global security, technology transfer, and the economy. The Deputy Prime Minister said Ethiopia attached great importance to Pakistan, which played a significant role in the politics of South Asia as well as the globe due to its geographical location, natural resources, young population, and technological advancement.
“We are really grateful to the government of Pakistan and its people for standing with Ethiopia in these difficult times,” he said.
(The Nation)
21 Ethiopians go on hunger strike to protest long detention
A group of Ethiopians who are in police custody pending their repatriation staged a hunger strike, causing panic.
The 21 aliens had been arrested on February 17, 2023, in Juja, Kiambu and taken to court, where a judge ordered their repatriation. Since then, officials say they have been processing the planned repatriation.
On March 2, 2023, the group refused to take their meals, saying they wanted to be taken back to their country. They said it had taken too long to process their movement out of the country.
Police at the Juja police station said the group had been taken there by officers from DCI’s Transnational Organized Crime Unit pending further arraignment and repatriation.
“We have done communication for profiling of the men in vain. This has caused pain,” said an officer at the station.
The aliens continued to stage a hunger strike at the weekend amid calls to hasten the process to remove them from the station.
The police said the group looked too weak and vulnerable following the hunger strike and feared the worst.
Head of Transnational Organized Crime, George Mutonya, said they are handling the matter to ensure it is solved.
(The Star)
Uganda’s Entebbe Expressway declared ‘safe’ after bomb scare
Ugandan police have declared the Entebbe Expressway safe after a bomb scare on Wednesday morning.
“Update! Entebbe Expressway now open for public use,” the police tweeted after the bomb squad was sent to investigate an object suspected to be explosive.
Ugandans woke up to a terror scare on the shortest route to Entebbe International Airport when police closed it and diverted traffic.
The police said the bomb squad was carrying out investigations and asked road users to use the old Entebbe Road. After the operation, which lasted a couple of hours, the road was reopened to the public.
“This is to inform all road users who are using the Entebbe Expressway that there is an investigation going on by the Police Bomb Squad along the expressway. You are, therefore, requested to use the Old Entebbe Road to the city and to Entebbe for the time being,” the statement from Kauma Nsereko, the Commander of Kampala Metropolitan Police Traffic, said.
“We appreciate the public’s vigilance in reporting suspicious abandoned items, and we commend our bomb squad crisis intervention teams and Pinnacle Security for their quick response,” said a statement from the police.
(The East African)
MTN Group commits to supporting Uganda’s industrialization
MTN Group’s leadership has discussed efforts to support the development of the Ugandan economy with Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni on the sidelines of his two-day state visit to South Africa.
The MTN delegation included MTN Uganda Chairman Charles Mbire, MTN Group President and CEO Ralph Mupita, MTN Uganda CEO Sylvia Mulinge, MTN Southern and East Africa Vice President Yolanda Cuba, and MTN Group Chief Sustainability and Corporate Affairs Officer Nompilo Morafo.
Re-iterating MTN’s commitment to Uganda, Mupita proposed facilitating a two-day investment summit in Kampala in May 2023 in collaboration with the relevant government ministries and departments as well as the Forum of South African Businesses in Uganda.
A platform to attract South African agro-processors and other potential investors to the east African country, the two-day event would be a follow-up to the Uganda-South Africa trade, investment, and tourism summit held in South Africa this week. Mupita said it would facilitate the participation of those investors identified by the Uganda Investment Authority.
“This year, MTN celebrates 25 years in Uganda. We are driven to create shared value across our markets and offer leading digital solutions for Africa’s progress,” Mupita said.
(Africa Tech)
KRA loses Sh900 mln tax dispute with Coca-Cola
The High Court has thrown out a case in which the Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) sought to collect Sh900 million from soft drink manufacturer Coca-Cola.
Justice Chacha Mwita upheld the decision of the Tax Appeals Tribunal to block the KRA from demanding the tax from Coca-Cola Central, East, and West Africa Limited.
The dispute involved a VAT input refund on export services related to marketing and promotion of the Coca-Cola brands in Kenya through vernacular media stations and roadshows.
The judge upheld the tribunal’s finding that the beverage maker paid the disputed VAT in the US following the service agreement between Coca-Cola Africa and Coca-Cola Export.
The Coca-Cola Export, which is based in the US, commissioned the agreement with Coca-Cola Africa, which is based in Kenya, to promote Coca-Cola brands through advertising to local potential customers.
“I, therefore, agree with the Tax Appeals Tribunal that, in accordance with the destination principle, this was an export service and the US had the taxing rights,” said Mwita.
The dispute started after Coca-Cola Africa applied for a refund of input VAT in 2017 for Sh903 million.
(Nation)
South Sudan declares new cholera outbreak in Malakal
South Sudan’s Ministry of Health has declared a cholera outbreak following the confirmation of 179 cases and one death in Malakal, a town in the country’s Upper Nile State.
Yolanda Awel Deng, Minister of Health, said 179 cases were recorded in late February this year.
“Since February 22, 2023, a total of 179 cases, including one death, have been reported in Malakal, Upper Nile State,” Awel said in a statement seen by Sudans Post on Wednesday.
She stated that approximately 106 cases are male and 73 are female.
“On February 22, Medicine’s San Frontiers (MFS) in Malakal, Upper Nile State, received an alert of increasing cases of acute watery diarrhea and vomiting in children aged one year and below.”
Awel revealed that 109 cases have been reported in Malakal town, while 70 are from Malakal Protection of Civilians Sites.
“Overall, patients between 0 and four years old are mostly affected, with 170 of the 179 cases reported. Of these, 109 are from Malakal town, while 70 are from Malakal Protection of Civilians Sites,” she said.
She urged the public not to panic but to remain calm and observe all the precautionary measures to prevent community transmission.
(Sudans Post)
