The African Development Bank (AfDB) is withdrawing all its international staff from Ethiopia immediately, following a “gross violation” of diplomatic protocol and assault on two staff members by Ethiopian security forces. On October 31st, 2023, two Addis Ababa-based AfDB staff were unlawfully arrested, physically assaulted, and detained for hours without charge or explanation. This constituted a severe breach of their diplomatic immunities, rights, and privileges under the AfDB’s Host Country Agreement with Ethiopia. To prioritize staff safety, the AfDB will temporarily relocate all international staff from Ethiopia. The Bank reiterates its commitment to Ethiopia’s development, with $1.24bn invested in 22 ongoing projects as of September 30th, 2023.

Talks between Ethiopia and Egypt over the controversial Great Renaissance Dam have broken down, with Cairo accusing Addis Ababa of refusing to compromise. Ethiopia and Egypt have traded blame for the failure of a fourth round of negotiations aimed at resolving a long-running dispute over a controversial mega-dam built by Addis Ababa on the Nile. Negotiations between Ethiopia and downstream neighbours Egypt and Sudan have yet to produce an agreement since construction of the $4.2 billion project began in 2011. The dam is central to Ethiopia's development plans, and in February 2022 Addis Ababa announced that it had begun generating electricity for the first time. At full capacity, the huge dam - 1.8 kilometres long and 145 metres high - could generate more than 5,000 megawatts.

Ethiopia and Egypt said the latest round of talks over a huge, highly contentious hydroelectric dam Ethiopia has built on the Nile's main tributary again ended with no deal. Egypt's Ministry of Water Resources and Irrigation said the talks were unsuccessful due to Ethiopia's “persistent refusal” to accept any compromise. The countries have been trying to find an agreement for years over the $4 billion Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam, which Ethiopia began building in 2011. The Blue Nile meets the White Nile in the Sudanese capital, Khartoum, and then flows onwards through Egypt. Egypt is deeply concerned over how much water Ethiopia will release downstream from the dam and wants a deal to regulate that.

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The African Development Bank has announced its decision to withdraw all its international staff from Ethiopia with immediate effect. This was disclosed in a statement sent to The PUNCH on Wednesday. It also said that the bank’s international staff in Ethiopia will work remotely outside the country until the findings of the government investigations into the incident are transparently shared with the bank. It continued, “The African Development Bank formally communicated with the government of Ethiopia through an official note verbale on 6 November requesting a full and transparent investigation into the incident. The Bank President said, “The assessment from the Bank’s delegation indicates that the situation is still not yet resolved in a satisfactory manner.

Ethiopia has accused Egypt of bringing a “colonial mindset” to negotiations on the operation of a megadam that Addis Ababa is building on the Blue Nile. The Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam is seen by its downstream neighbours Egypt and Sudan as an existential threat to their share of water from the Nile. Cairo has repeatedly tried to get Addis Ababa to sign a legally binding agreement on the operation of the dam. Addis Ababa, it continued, is negotiating only to win an endorsement from Egypt and Sudan to exert its absolute control over the Blue Nile. Though earlier on in the dispute with Ethiopia, Egypt hinted at intervening militarily to end the dispute, a stronger emphasis has been placed on diplomacy in recent years.

Ethiopian Airlines has secured a USD 450 million loan agreement to finance the acquisition of five new Boeing aircraft—three Boeing 737-8 and two Boeing 777F (Cargo). Citi, a long-standing partner of Ethiopian Airlines, has provided its largest aircraft financing in Ethiopia in the last decade. The loan marks Citi's 70th year working with Ethiopian clients, and the bank continues to support Ethiopian Airlines' growth across the globe. Ethiopian Airlines Group has already achieved its vision 2025. The vision also aims to almost double the Ethiopian Airline’s fleet by increasing the airline’s number of aircraft to 271.

CAPE TOWN, South Africa (AP) — More than 300 firefighters battled a blaze on the slopes of a mountain near Cape Town in South Africa for a second day on Wednesday and residents were evacuated from at least one neighborhood overnight, emergency services said. Five firefighters were injured and two were taken to the hospital, Cape Town Emergency Services spokesperson Jermaine Carelse said. The wildfire on the slopes near the seaside town of Simon’s Town, around 40 kilometers (25 miles) south of Cape Town, threatened houses in the pre-dawn hours after it started on Tuesday. Wildfires are a regular threat on the mountain slopes around Cape Town and the Cape Peninsula to its south in the hot, dry months from November to April. A huge wildfire burned across the slopes of Cape Town’s world-famous Table Mountain for days in 2021, destroying nearly a dozen buildings, including some historic structures at the University of Cape Town.

The African Development Bank (AfDB) has decided to withdraw all of its international staff from Ethiopia following an assault by Ethiopian security forces on two of its staff members a few weeks ago. AfDB President Akinwumi Adesina said the assault “continues to cause much anxiety” in a statement released earlier today. The Bank’s Ethiopia office located on Africa Avenue (Bole Road) will remain open, helmed by an officer-in-charge and its Ethiopian staff, who will continue to work for the AfDB. “The incident has also raised concerns among the Bank’s shareholders, international financial institutions, [and] the broader diplomatic community,” said Adesina. The Bank is currently financing close to two dozen projects in Ethiopia, with a portfolio valued at USD 1.24 billion.

The African Development Bank (AfDB) will “immediately” withdraw all its international employees from Ethiopia following an assault on its staff members by government security forces, the institution said on Wednesday. The bank sent a high-level delegation to the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa on Nov. 22 to meet with the Ethiopian government and bank staff, Wednesday’s statement said. The delegation’s assessment was that the situation had not been resolved, AfDB President Akinwumi Adesina said in the statement. Its office in Addis Ababa will remain open, and the decision to withdraw international staff will not affect locally recruited employees. In an internal memo from Adesina distributed to bank employees on Tuesday informing them of the staff withdrawal, he said the decision related to an “assault by Ethiopian security forces on two of our international members of staff”.

ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia, Dec. 20, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- UNESCO and Huawei donated ICT equipment to the Ethiopian Ministry of Education last week under the Technology-enabled Open School Systems for All project (TeOSS), which the two partners have been running in Ethiopia, Egypt, and Ghana since 2020. In Ethiopia, the three-year TeOSS project is focusing on ICT infrastructure build-out to connect pilot schools, train teachers and students, and build a Learning Management System integrated with a Teacher Training Platform. Since the inception of the project in 2020, project partners have designed and evaluated project outcomes in Ethiopia, Egypt, and Ghana with a view to scaling up the project in Africa. For more information, visit https://moe.gov.et/About Huawei TECH4ALLTECH4ALL is Huawei's long-term digital inclusion initiative and action plan. For more information, please visit Huawei TECH4ALL website at https://www.huawei.com/en/tech4allFollow us on Twitter at https://twitter.com/HUAWEI_TECH4ALLPhoto - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2305011/Handing_over_Ceremony_of_ICT_equipment_to_the_Ethiopian_Ministry_of_Education.jpg

NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — Ethiopia and Egypt say the latest round of yearslong negotiations to find an agreement over a highly contentious hydroelectric dam Ethiopia has built on the Nile’s main tributary ended with no deal. The countries blamed each other after three days of talks in Addis Ababa ended on Tuesday. The countries have been trying to find an agreement for years over the $4 billion Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam, which Ethiopia started construction on in 2011. Egypt relies almost entirely on the Nile to supply water for agriculture and its more than 100 million people and fears the dam upstream in Ethiopia will affect its supply. You can review our Community Guidelines by clicking hereIf you would like to share a story idea, please submit it here.

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Photo Credit: AfDBAddis Abeba – The African Development Bank (AfDB) has said the Ethiopian government didn’t yet resolve “in any satisfactory manner” the assault by Ethiopian security forces on two of its international members of staff on 31 October 2023. Subsequently, it decided to withdraw all its international staff from Ethiopia with immediate effect as of 19 December 2023. The bank said back then the assault was “a very serious diplomatic incident,” and that its complaints to the Ethiopian government had been “formally acknowledged”. According to the internal memorandum, the bank’s decision to withdraw its international staff will not affect nationally recruited staff from Ethiopia, and the bank’s office in Ethiopia will remain open but under an Officer-in-Charge. According to the Bank, as of 30th September 2023, the Bank’s ongoing portfolio in Ethiopia comprised 22 projects, which totaled $1.24 billion.

Brazilian cargo airline Sideral Linhas Aéreas could be a new operator of the Boeing 777F. According to a document sent by the company to the US Department of Transportation (DOT), Sideral intends to have two jets to operate cargo flights to China. The company has a fleet of older Boeing 737 jets converted to freighters, but has plans to have at least four 737-800s for cargo soon. Sideral also operates a sole 737-800 on passenger flights and is expected to take it to the USA for charters. Also according to the outlet, the airline plans to acquire two 737s to fight fires in the Amazon region.