Strategic Thinking on East Africa

By KRISHNAN NAIR By shrewdly targeting policies and investments to poorer regions, in sharp contrast to other emerging markets, Ethiopia is managing to maintain rapid growth while successfully staving off inequality according to a new report from the Overseas Development Institute. A forecast by the World Bank for 2014-17 put Ethiopia top of a list of the world’s fastest growing […]

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From The New York Times By JACEY FORTINOCT. 18, 2015 MIESO, Ethiopia — Every day, Yasin Mohammed Aliye stakes out a spot on his small farm to chew khat leaves, a stimulant, and guard against intruders. STORIES FROM OUR ADVERTISERS The khat, he explains, helps to dull the hunger. “We got just one day of […]

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From Foreign Policy The Real Farmers of Tanzania Oxfam is funding a reality TV show to try to empower women in the country’s anemic agricultural sector. But is it working? BY ALICE ROBB Carolina Chelele, a middle-aged farmer and mother of four, is making her way, blindfolded, through a hut in the rural Tanzanian village of […]

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by Christine Mungai Enrolment in secondary education has shot up, from less than 500,000 in 1996/97 to just under 21.9 million in 2012/13 – that’s a 4,280% increase. A wedding party enjoying a Sunday afternoon at Amora Gedel National Park near Awasa, Ethiopia. The country will book in among the world’s highest growth this year. (Photo/ […]

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by Seth Cook and Dawit Alemu Introduction This paper explores the nature and extent of Chinese migrants’ involvement in the demand and supply of non-traditional agricultural commodities in Ethiopia, shares the perspectives of the different actors involved, and discusses the implications of this presence for Ethiopian development. The focus here is not simply on the […]

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Somalia’s post-conflict banana harvest revival BY WARKA Afgoye, Somalia (Aljazeera) – Early morning showers fade into the distance as thick rain clouds give way to the piercing rays of a tropical sun, revealing wet, dark brown fertile soil. About 30 people emerge from the shades of full grown mango trees, woven baskets made of dried banana leaves […]

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From The Africa Report By Tinishu Solomon PHOTO©REUTERS An agricultural hotline designed to provide free agricultural advice to smallholder farmers about planting crops, using fertiliser and preparing land, has registered a massive success since its launch in Ethiopia only last year.The country’s first agricultural hotline, 8028 call-in system, has achieved a major milestone, surpassing a full […]

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Addis Ababa, 3 February 2015 (WIC) - On Sunday, the government of Canada’s Department of Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development announced a nearly six-year, $18-million project in Ethiopia. Titled “Agricultural Transformation through Stronger Vocational Education” (ATTSVE), the project will be led by Dalhousie with the support of partners the Mennonite Economic Development Associates of Canada (MEDA), […]

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