The National Election Board of Ethiopia (NEBE) on Wednesday disclosed that it has recognized and registered nine opposition parties, according to a report by state media.
Citing the board, Ethiopian Broadcasting Corporation (EBC) reported eight of the parties are recognized as parties operating in regional states while one party is registered as a national party.
According to EBC, Freedom and Equality Party (FEP) is the party that is recognized and registered as a national party.
Meanwhile the remaining eight region-based parties, which is a euphemism for ethnic-based parties namely Afar People’s Freedom Party (APFP), Gamo Democratic Party (GDP), Mocha Democratic Party (MDP), Kaffa Green Party (KGP), Afar People’s Justice and Democracy Party (APJDP), Wolayta National Movement (WNM), Kucha People’s Democratic Party (KPDP) and
Somali Unity Party (SUP). Two of the new ethnic parties are from the Afar region of Ethiopia, the report says.
Meanwhile, NEBE dismissed earlier this week a news report published by different media outlets saying the Board has disclosed the next election date is wrong. (EBC)
Institute, AGBL Group sign MoU, DNA sequencing machine inaugurated
Ethiopian Biotechnology Institute (EBTi) signed Wednesday a Memorandum of Understanding with Alliance Global Group (AGBL) to work in partnership on areas of biomedical technologies.
Ethiopian Biotechnology Institute Director-General, Kassahun Tesfaye said on the occasion the agreement encourages mutually strategic partnership in science and technology with specific emphasis on biotechnology, genomic, and biomedical areas.
It allows Ethiopian Biotechnology Institute to collaborate with the Group on capacity building and infrastructure development at national level, he added.
AGBL Group CEO, Tamer Degheidy said on his part “we believe that Ethiopia will be one of the leading African nations in the area of science and technology. …we are very optimistic about the future genomic-genetic researches in Ethiopia and the Horn of Africa.”
Meanwhile, Director-General of the institute disclosed that a 4-million-birr DNA sequencing laboratory machine built on the premises of Ethiopian Biotechnology Institute was inaugurated.
The laboratory machine has been installed with the support and collaboration of Alliance Global Group, which contributed around 2 million birr for installing the machine. (ENA)
Ethiopia’s HDI low despite improvement: UNDP 2019 report
Even if Ethiopia’s Human Development Index (HDI) shows 65.8 percent increase between 2000 and 2018, it is still below the average of countries in the low human development category, UNDP Human Development Report reveals.
Launching the 2019 Human Development Report Tuesday, UNDP Ethiopia Resident Representative Turhan Saleh said “when you take a comprehensive measure of human development, Ethiopia has improved quite a lot because it made some good policy choices and investment in health, education and water and sanitation.”
He stressed that “despite the improvement Ethiopia is still below the average for low human development countries and for Sub-Saharan Africa. So we have room to catch up as it still needs to keep up even with its neighbors.”
The report positioned Ethiopia at 173rd out of the 189 countries with 0.470 value for 2018 HDI and categorized it under the low human development.
In terms of Gender Inequality Index, the report ranked Ethiopia 123rd out of 162 countries with only 37.3 percent of parliamentary seats held by women. (FBC)
ICRC, ERCS distribute emergency assistance to displaced households in North Ethiopia
The ICRC and the Ethiopian Red Cross Society (ERCS) on Tuesday jointly distributed 1,167 essential household items to people affected by ethnic violence in Gondar town and its environs in Amhara Region in northern Ethiopia.
Plastic sheets, sleeping mats, blankets, jerry cans, cooking utensils and soaps were delivered to each displaced household in Zobel, Ershasaebel and Arebaba areas located in Gondar town and its vicinity.
Banchialem Derege, is one of the recipients of the assistance and has four family members. “Our houses and properties were destroyed during the violence. We have nothing. Thus, the support we got is very important in partially mitigating our problems” she remarked.
According to Wilson Mondal, an ICRC Delegate, the support, aimed at meeting the basic needs of the displaced persons, had benefitted about 7,000 displaced people.
A local official in charge of facilitating support for displaced persons, Melaku Gebre said the goods provided by the Red Cross would have paramount importance in alleviating the problems of the affected communities. (Relief Web)
