Monday, May 18, 2009

City health bureau questions Betezatha medic who examined Tilahun

Federal cake cut

Amhara set to lose out after census


By Kirubel Tadesse


Endorsed by the House of Federation last Friday, a new budget formula has been devised to calculate how the regions will share the 20 billion birr expected to be allotted to them by the Federal Government next budget year.

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Lights out at export factories


By Yohannes Anberbir


Ethiopia’s power problems have reached a critical stage, forcing the state-owned Ethiopian Electric Power Corporation (EEPCo) to incorporate all export-oriented factories into the rationing schedule.
So far, export factories were not included in the power rationing that started in March this year, due to the Government’s decision to exempt foreign currency generating factories.

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Post office to take over some ETC operations


By Muluken Yewondwossen


The Ministry of Transport and Communication (MoTC) has ordered the state owned Ethiopian Telecommunications Corporation (ETC) to facilitate the shifting of some operations and duties of the corporation to the other organ under the ministry, the Ethiopian Postal Service (EPS).

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Major power project nears completion


By Groum Abate


The Gilgel Gibe II hydropower generation project undertaken by the Ethiopian Electric Power Corporation will be completed in the next two weeks.
Sources told Capital that the 420 MW plant would enjoy an informal opening in the next two weeks after completing the remaining 700 metres of a 27 km tunnel.
As the result of several unforeseen natural hazards, the project completion has been delayed for over a year.

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Crash landing for airport chief


By Yohannes Anberbir


Deriba Kuma, Minster of Transport and Communication, (MoTC) sacked Eyobe Estifanos, head of Ethiopian Airport Enterprise,this week.
It is the first strong measure Deriba has taken since being promoted from his former position as head of the agriculture bureau of Oromia Regional State.

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Sandford governors urged to delay status change

Parents demand patience until administering agency for endowment charities is established


By Elias Meseret

Concerned parents of children at Sandford School have written to the board of governors urging them to delay a planned move to register the school as an endowment charity.
The governors are eager to do this in light of the new Charities and Societies Proclamation, but the parents have suggested that the move should only be made when an agency to administer endowment charities has been established.
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Big banks look to link with micro lenders


By Kirubel Tadesse


The Ethiopian Bankers Association, a group of private and state commercials banks, established a steering committee comprising state and private agencies to facilitate links between banks and micro financing institutions.

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Customs strike gold

By Yohannes Anberbir

Last Sunday, customs intelligence officers were informed about a kilo of gold being smuggled to the capital from the eastern part of the country.
They were tipped off around midday, with information including the plate number of the truck suspected to contain the gold. They then had to wait for around six hours at a customs station in the Kaliti area.

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Almost nine out of 10 vocational students fail exam


By Kirubel Tadesse

Of the 10,548 graduates of various Technical Educational and Vocational Education and Training Institutions (TEVET), only just over 11 per cent passed the national competence exam, Capital has learnt.

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City health bureau questions Betezatha medic who examined Tilahun


Taskforce makes surprise visits to hospitals and clinics


By Elias Meseret


The Addis Ababa Health Bureau has told Capital that it has questioned the doctor at Betezatha Higher Clinic who examined the late Tilahun Gesesse.
It says this only happened after several days of failed efforts to reach the medic.

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Tobacco enterprise to punish illegal traders

State monopoly to introduce Nyala Premium


By MulukenYewondwossen


The National Tobacco Enterprise (NTE) has announced that it will take severe measure against illegal cigarette distributors and traders in the near future.
When the operation starts it will shut superstores, including small shops who sell illegal products.

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Safety net unravels due to donor deficiencies

By Yohannes Anberbir

Ethiopia unable to deliver aid under to beneficiaries the safety net program due to a shortfall from donors, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MoARD) has reported.
Currently there are 8.29 million people chronically affected by food insecurity. MoARD planned to deliver 509,917 metric tonnes of food to the affected people within the first half of the fiscal year, however, the ministry obtained only 396.7 metric tonnes of food from donors and distributed only a small amount of it.

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Higher education bill in final stage


By Kirubel Tadesse


A new bill, which improves the 2003 Higher Education proclamation, in an effort to boost the quality of higher education, is on it way to parliament for final endorsement.
The Council of Ministers approved the bill, which oversees both state run and private higher educational institutions, during its 83rd regular meeting.

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NGO help organisations deal with CSO law


Initiative Africa, an NGO promoting good governance, is developing a program to help business support associations (BSO) adapt to the new realities created by the recently enacted Law of Charitable Associations.
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Animal laboratory opened

Dr Aberra Deressa, State Minister for Agriculture and Rural Development, officially opened East Africa’s safest laboratory for diagnosis of animal diseases at the National Animal Health Diagnostic and Investigation Centre (NAHDIC) in Sebeta, on Friday, May 15.
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Ethiopia to host World Public Health Congress


By Addis Mulugeta

The World Public Health Federation has nominated Ethiopia to host the 13th World Public Health Congress in 2012 that will discover what is happening in health sectors around the world.
Mengistu Asnake (MD) president of Ethiopian Public Health Association (EPHA) told Capital that this is a very important opportunity for developing countries, particularly Ethiopia, to gain knowledge of health sectors in developed nations.

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Government protests UN malaria outbreak report

By Elias Meseret


The Ministry of Health has denied UN reports of a malaria outbreak in southern Ethiopia.
The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reported this week that a malaria outbreak in many low and midland areas of Ethiopia is worsening the nutritional situation of Southern Nations Nationalities and Peoples Regional State (SNNPR), but the ministry said there is no outbreak at all.

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Al-Jazeera food security report rejected by ministry

By Addis Mulugeta


The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MoARD) has rejected an Al-Jazeera report on the number of people who are suffering food shortages because of the failure of the meher rains.

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Record number of accountants achieve global standard

By Groum Abate


A record number of Ethiopians celebrated success in their final ACCA (Association of Chartered Certified Accountants) examinations at a ceremony held at the Sheraton Addis on Friday 15 May.

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Cement imported to meet rising demand

By Groum Abate

The Government has started importing cement worth 44 million dollars to avoid interruptions to major construction projects. The move comes after two big cement factories, Mugher and Mesobe, were ordered to renovate their factories due to the shortage of electric power.

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Toyota dealer celebrates 50 years of service

By Elias Meseret

The Motor and Engineering Company's (MOENCO) first Toyota franchise was established back in January 1959 when there was no such kind of business at the time in the country, thanks to the audacious vision of Mr. Lappine, founder of the company, and Mrs. Maroussia Lappine, his courageous partner.
The enterprise that started 50 years ago in a small garage with a capital of 200,000 birr in the heart of Addis Ababa, around the area commonly known as Mexico, 50 years ago, is now the biggest car sale outlet in Ethiopia.

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Police gets more time to investigate plot suspects


By Kirubel Tadesse

Last Monday, the police was granted another fourteen days to investigate the alleged foiled plot to kill senior government officials.
The joint Anti-terror Taskforce of the National Intelligence, Security Service and the Federal Police operation first put 35 individuals under its custody on Friday, April 24.

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Ethiopian pharma company receives international standard

By MulukenYewondwossen

Ethiopian pharmaceutical company, Sino-Ethiop Associate (SEA) received international Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) certification following a pharmaceutical inspection cooperation scheme.

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Federal cake cut

Amhara set to lose out after census


By Kirubel Tadesse


Endorsed by the House of Federation last Friday, a new budget formula has been devised to calculate how the regions will share the 20 billion birr expected to be allotted to them by the Federal Government next budget year.
The effect of the controversial census released last December, which put Amhara State’s population below projection, means that it will be receiving a smaller share than in the past.
Some members of the House expect Amhara’s share to slide by some three per cent from what it pocketed last year and Ayalew Gobeze chairman of the House’s Standing Committee and also the president of Amhara State, says the budget allocation was done according to the latest census and that it would be redone if the Central Statistics Agency’s (CSA) investigation into the Amhara population leads to a readjustment before parliament announces next year’s budget.
The new budget, which will serve for the coming three financial years, introduces a new mechanism to allocate one per cent of the overall subsidies exclusively for the four less developed regions: Afar, Somalia, Benishangul Gumuz and Gambella.
The Federal Government apportioned 17 billion birr for regions in last year’s budget, but, according to the comprehensive macro economic and fiscal package for 2010 – 2012 by the Ministry of Finance and Economic Development (MoFED), which the Council of Ministers approved a month ago, three billion more will be diverted to regions this year.
The Formula?
The new formula is designed to provide equivalent service to citizens, while encouraging less developed regions. Previous formulas had considered revenues collected by the regions, however, it was a source of controversy, as House members, argued that it discouraged collection efforts in the regions. Because of this, the new formula only factors into its calculations 80 per cent of revenues and 90 per cent of expenditure,which ensures states are not punished for good performances.
The final numbers?
As per the new formula, Oromia takes the lion’s share by being awarded over 32.53 per cent from the overall subsidies. It is followed by Amhara with 23.3 per cent.
Southern Nations, Nationalities and Peoples’ Regional State (SNNPR) ranks third with 19.9 per cent, while Somalia and Tigray are at numbers four and five respectively, with 8.43 and 7.04 percentages shares.
“We are not sure if the subsidies will cover the salaries we pay, due to salary improvements, but we want to share some of the pain our other regions who are least developed endure,” Shiferaw Shigute, SNNPR president said, pointing out that some of the areas in his state which have development levels that are low even when compared to the least developed regions, were not considered by the formula.
However, extraordinary factors, such as for security, desert allowance, and temperature influence on electrification costs, were considered for all relevant regions.
Lights out at export factories


By Yohannes Anberbir


Ethiopia’s power problems have reached a critical stage, forcing the state-owned Ethiopian Electric Power Corporation (EEPCo) to incorporate all export-oriented factories into the rationing schedule.
So far, export factories were not included in the power rationing that started in March this year, due to the Government’s decision to exempt foreign currency generating factories.
Since then, the factories have been receiving power throughout the week, but the special treatment granted to them has not lasted
The corporation sent an official letter to all the factories explaining its failure to meet their electricity demands.
The corporation has been forced to suspend the privilege due to the severe reduction of water volumes in all the hydroelectric station reservoirs, the letter signed by Mesfin Berhane, head of distributions systems of the corporation, reads.
The factories will face eight days without power per month starting from May 11, 2009, according to the letter, which also details the schedule.
More than 13 leather processing and shoe factories and textile factories will be challenged by EEPCo’s latest measure. Leather and leather products are the fourth larget export items of the country, fetching over 106 million dollars last year.
The power shortage tied with price reductions in foreign markets will harm the factories’ profitability, but a management member of the biggest tannery, Ethiopian Tannery, told Capital they understand the Government has no option.
The Government also ordered all cement factories to stop production last Monday, aiming to retain the remaining generating capacity of the power stations.
The measures taken against local cement factories will aggravate the current cement shortage, however, the Government has decided to import two million quintals of cement, from Pakistan and Yemen the coming two months to combat the problem.
Despite the current foreign reserve shortage, the Government budgeted 44 million dollars to import the cement.
Currently, the country’s foreign reserves stand at 850 million dollars, a level that can only support six weeks’ worth of imports, according to data from the National Bank of Ethiopia.

Post office to take over some ETC operations


By Muluken Yewondwossen


The Ministry of Transport and Communication (MoTC) has ordered the state owned Ethiopian Telecommunications Corporation (ETC) to facilitate the shifting of some operations and duties of the corporation to the other organ under the ministry, the Ethiopian Postal Service (EPS).
A letter signed by Driba Kuma, the Minister of Transport and Communication, instructed both organisations to study how they could work jointly on the post paid (mobile, internet, and landline) services, and how to transfer the billing system, public phone service, and the corporation’s value added works to the post office.
The letter also recommended the postal service handle ETC employee’s payroll and that the two organisations work together on the sale of low cost mobile apparatuses.
“A new plan is being examined by both parties before implementation” a senior high level official at the corporation told Capital.
Currently, EPS is working on the sale of SIM cards by commission with the corporation.
ETC’s management passed a decision in 2004 to outsource its mobile SIM card sales, in order to focus on infrastructure development in the sector. Five private companies - Dire Electronics, Garade, Haron Computer, Admas Tele, Glorious and EPS - have initially been selected to distribute the cards for a price of 368.10 birr, which then reduced by 54 per cent to 169.10 birr a few months ago.
In related developments, after months of delay, the state monopoly ETC announced that in the coming weeks it will handover top up card sales to selected private companies who won the bid with a margin of three per cent commission. The move follows the boost ETC received from the increase in the number of pre paid mobile telephone users.
However, the corporation did not give out the subcontract over the last seven months, despite ETC’s board posting a letter in its branches announcing the winners.
“We were working on the risks and market impact assessment of the subcontracting in relation to the new tariff adjustment of the SIM card. That is the main cause for the delay,” a senior ETC official on condition of anonymity told Capital, “but we will outsource the service in the next couple of weeks to the winners,” he added.
Currently, ETC is carrying out the distribution of voucher card for retailers by itself.
In the nine month performance report of MoTC, disclosed to parliament two weeks ago, mobile service sales showed a shocking underperformance by twenty per cent, mainly due to network congestion and late projects. The report explained that the first nine months of the current budget year saw overall telecom service sales falling from the target at an average of nineteen per cent.
The number of mobile subscribers is mounting and the state telecom monopoly ETC says it now has 3,119,493 customers enjoying the service of its current capacity to support nearly 4.8 million customers.
According to the MoTC report, the disappointing sales are partly caused by the ongoing optimisation work on a number of vendors’ networks.
Major power project nears completion


By Groum Abate


The Gilgel Gibe II hydropower generation project undertaken by the Ethiopian Electric Power Corporation will be completed in the next two weeks.
Sources told Capital that the 420 MW plant would enjoy an informal opening in the next two weeks after completing the remaining 700 metres of a 27 km tunnel.
As the result of several unforeseen natural hazards, the project completion has been delayed for over a year.
Six months ago the project was halted for several days after the drilling machine got stuck in muddy terrain. This came just after striking a hot spring, a development that forced the diversion of the tunnel.
Gilgel Gibe II is a continuation of the Gilgel Gibe I project, using the water discharged by the dam currently in use and channeled through the 27km tunnel under Fofa Mountain.
The project cost is projected to be 373 million Euros. When the Gilgel Gibe II hydropower plant becomes operational it is expected to increase the electricity generating capacity of Ethiopia by 30 to 40 per cent.
Though the Ethiopian Electric Power Corporation (EEPCo) has started a number of generation projects, the country's annual power demand growth of 16 per cent has risen faster than it could keep up with, causing huge power shortages. Accordingly, power shedding has already begun to affect the state power monopoly's customers, as the Tekkeze and Gilgel Gibe II hydropower projects are in danger of not being operational during the coming rainy season.
EEPCo recently announced that geological, geophysical and hydro-geological phenomenon have caused construction of the nearly complete dams in the country to lag behind schedule. The two dams, Tekezze and Gilgel Gibe II, are said to have been delayed for almost a year after the projects faced geological phenomena that would cost the state power monopoly, EEPCo, billions of birr.
The two billion birr Tekeze hydroelectric power project was faced with landslides where the arch dam was constructed. This led to an additional 400 million birr cost to stabilise the surrounding land.
Crash landing for airport chief


By Yohannes Anberbir


Deriba Kuma, Minster of Transport and Communication, (MoTC) sacked Eyobe Estifanos, head of Ethiopian Airport Enterprise,this week.
It is the first strong measure Deriba has taken since being promoted from his former position as head of the agriculture bureau of Oromia Regional State.
Eyobe had served for five years as director of air transport and planning at the Ethiopian Civil Aviation and he had been heading the Airport Enterprise for the last two years.
However, he was not able to build his career at the enterprise because of the sudden move of MoTC: "I was attending a three day conference in Dubai last week and when I got in to my office early this week, I found the letter from the ministry," Eyobe told Capital.
The letter ordered me to return any equipment and documents belongs to the enterprise and to leave office, without explaining any reasons for the move Eyobe added.
"I didn't feel anything, except to wonder why it happened?" said Eyobe, expressing surprise at his dismissal.
It is impossible to link Eyobe's dismissal with the Business Process Reengineering, because it is not at its implementation stage, a source said.
The ministry appointed Shiferaw Alemu to replace Eyobe. Shiferaw had been serving as head of Engineering and Regional Airports Bureau, according to sources in the enterprise.
Capital's attempts to reach Minister Deriba were not successful.
The Airport Enterprise is a Federal Government entity responsible for administering and building airports in the country.
Sandford governors urged to delay status change

Parents demand patience until administering agency for endowment charities is established


By Elias Meseret

Concerned parents of children at Sandford School have written to the board of governors urging them to delay a planned move to register the school as an endowment charity.
The governors are eager to do this in light of the new Charities and Societies Proclamation, but the parents have suggested that the move should only be made when an agency to administer endowment charities has been established.
The letter came at a time when the board of governors is scheduled to conduct their annual general meeting and register the school next Saturday as an endowment charity.
Parents say this is a scheme that is neither legal nor appropriate since the agency that will administer endowment charities is not yet set up.
The letter states that the proclamation has given the school the option of registering either as a charitable endowment, or a charitable society.
"The agency which has been given the responsibility of administering the new law is not operational yet. It has also announced publicly that all associations and endowments should conduct their usual businesses without interruption until the agency is up and running," the parents' statement read.
According to parents, while these are significant developments with positive implications for the future of the Sandford International School Association, the board of governors are trying to come up with their own 'by-laws' so as to gain re-election to the board of their planned endowment charity.
"First, SISA can pursue legality not only within the framework of a charitable endowment, but also under a charitable society. Secondly, parents are given an ample time to thoroughly deliberate on the implications of both charitable endowment and charitable society. So, parents, along with teachers and associate members, can conduct informal discussions on all relevant matters on their own, without the constraints of structured meetings that hardly allow open and frank discussions to take place," the letter reads.
The parents argue that the draft statute circulated by the board in a form of 'by-laws' falls short of what is legally required, be it for a charitable endowment or a charitable society. They say this is a matter best left for the agency. "As far as we are concerned, no lawyer, board or parent body has a final say on the legal form or content of the document, except the authorised agency," the parents argued.
Accordingly, they advised the board to refrain from endorsing any document that has not been given the green light by the registering agency. "To do so otherwise will be nothing more than an exercise in second guessing the work of the agency. Let the agency be operational first, then, we will endorse a document that is appropriate for our circumstance."
Some parents told Capital that the current board of governors, comprising of five Ethiopians and five British citizens, have finished their term, so election should be held on the general assembly meeting and a 'Blue Ribbon Board' should be elected.
The parents have long been protesting the Board of Governor's document (by-law) entitled 'Sandford International Endowment Foundation Memorandum of Association', which they say was prepared and unanimously approved by the board. Capital’s effort to contact the board of governor s failed.

Big banks look to link with micro lenders


By Kirubel Tadesse


The Ethiopian Bankers Association, a group of private and state commercials banks, established a steering committee comprising state and private agencies to facilitate links between banks and micro financing institutions.
Official data shows micro financers have over 2.2 million active borrowers with an outstanding loan portfolio of approximately 4.6 billion birr. The commercial banks now see potentially big markets among micro financers dominated areas.
"We as institutions were not set up to provide loans as small as micro financers do," Leikun Berhanu, Ethiopian Bankers Association (EBA) President said, explaining that partnering with micro financers is a must if commercial banks are to expand outside the main cites.

A study, which resulted in the establishment of the steering committee, explained that commercial banks suffer inflexible systems and slow rates of loan disbursement with high collateral oriented policy. According to the study conducted by Partners Consultancy and Information Services, the commercial banks' weaknesses can be addressed with micro financer involvement, which in turn will help micro financers with their problems of lack of access to capital markets and funds.
The half day workshop organised by EBA debated possible linkage models for banks and micro financing institutions.
The micro financing institutions twelve year performance, which mobilized 1.6 billion birr in savings, is the next big market, as the 31 bankers gathered at Ghion Hotel last Thursday agreed. But a representative of the Development Bank of Ethiopia Rural Financial Intermediation Programme (RUFIP) is less enthusiastic about the realisation of the partnership.
"The mandate of the steering committee is vague as to whether the composition will allow it to direct policy either to the regulator or to the commercial banks to revise collateral oriented loans," Bahiru Ayalew of RUFIP said, adding that the commitment of the banks should start by looking into their own loan policies.
The regulator, the National Bank of Ethiopia (NBE) doesn't see why it will be an obstacle, as long as it keeps on playing its three key tasks: stabilising prices, creating a sound financial system and maintaining loan quality.
Muluneh Alemu from the NBE agreed to the establishment of the steering committee, which comprises other state agencies like Ministry of Finance and Economic Development and the ten year old Association of Ethiopian Microfinance Institutions (AEMFI), which has a reputable record of representing its 29 members.
Customs strike gold

By Yohannes Anberbir

Last Sunday, customs intelligence officers were informed about a kilo of gold being smuggled to the capital from the eastern part of the country.
They were tipped off around midday, with information including the plate number of the truck suspected to contain the gold. They then had to wait for around six hours at a customs station in the Kaliti area.
The suspected truck arrived at the customs station around 6pm, but it passed through the usual inspection process and no gold was found on it.
However, the customs intelligence unit had no doubt about their information, which led them and the Federal Police to secretly drive behind the truck with the intention of locating collaborators. Four hours were spent following the truck, but they didn't find any other people involved.
Finally, the intelligence unit ordered the police members to stop the truck and arrest the driver and a passenger.
At the request of the intelligence officers, the police checked the two side boxes of the truck and found six bars of gold inside.
"We submitted the gold to the National Bank of Ethiopia the next day following authentication of the gold at the Geological Survey," Ephram Mekonnen, public relations manager of the Revenue and Customs Authority told Capital.
According to him, the bars of gold totally weighed 15.6 kilograme.
The following day the authority brought the suspects to the Federal First Instance Court, where they obtained 14 extra investigation days.
"We are investigating the suspects' links," said Ephram.

Almost nine out of 10 vocational students fail exam


By Kirubel Tadesse

Of the 10,548 graduates of various Technical Educational and Vocational Education and Training Institutions (TEVET), only just over 11 per cent passed the national competence exam, Capital has learnt.
Offered by the Ministry of Education (MoE), the national competence exam was introduced last year after being designed for Ethiopian industries to enjoy qualified graduates with a National Competence Certificate. Only 1, 203 students (11.4 per cent) qualified for the certificate, official data has revealed.
The certificate does not only certify TEVET graduates, but is also offered to certify professionals with years of practice, who have been educated informally. MoE also put passing the exam as one criterion for TEVET students to join academic studies.
Additionally, the story of the teachers at TEVET is not that far from their students, a nine month performance report of the Ministry of Capacity Building, revealed last week.
The ministry's report to parliament's standing committee, explained that TEVET reform is a component of the Engineering Capacity Building Program (ecbp) - an Ethiopian program established under the Ministry of Capacity Building with the support of the German government. There has also been under qualification of TEVE instructors - only 161 of 4067 teachers who sat for the assessment were found to be qualified.
Yilma Tibebu, from the Ministry's Public Relation Office, said the latest number are enouraging: "It does not mean that once the candidates didn't qualify they will be fired, rather works to build their capacity will follow.
"The latest numbers from the Education Ministry show that TEVET instructors qualification percentage rose to 48 per cent following extensive efforts.!
TEVET reform is striving to achieve an efficient, competent and demand-oriented middle-level qualified and semi-skilled labour force.
The Goverment is looking into other options such as hiring Filipino and Germans professionals to make up for the lack of qualified instructors.
City health bureau questions Betezatha medic who examined Tilahun


Taskforce makes surprise visits to hospitals and clinics


By Elias Meseret


The Addis Ababa Health Bureau has told Capital that it has questioned the doctor at Betezatha Higher Clinic who examined the late Tilahun Gesesse.
It says this only happened after several days of failed efforts to reach the medic.
Had it not been for the doctor's absence, the city's health bureau would have concluded its investigations at the beginning of last week.
Wolde Rufael Dirar, head of health institutions inspection and quality control in the Addis Ababa Health Bureau (AAHB), said the issue is now ready for investigation and will finally be sent to the minister of health.
"Our inspection so far has revealed that Tilahun was dead on arrival at Senay Hospital. But we still want to know what the circumstances were. Our main investigation is now into Betezatha Hospital," he added.
Tilahun's case is under investigation by experts from the city's health bureau and the Ministry of Health (MoH) after allegations surfaced that the medical treatment he received on the night of his death was sub-standard.
The investigation was ordered by the minister of health, Tewodros Adhanom (PhD). The report is expected to be finalised in the coming few days and submitted to the minister.
Tilahun Gesesse died on April 19, 2009 in Addis Ababa as he was being taken to hospital by his wife. He had just returned to Ethiopia from the United States where he had been in poor health for several years due to diabetes.
His family claims the legendary singer was not provided with the necessary medical treatment at the hospitals he went to. They said there was no oxygen in Betezatha Hospital, the nearest health centre to his home. In addition to this, the medical staff on duty at Betzatha Hospital could not provide Tilahun with any medical treatment, his family added.
However, Bethezatha Higher Clinic argues all the necessary effort was made to deal with the urgent situation at the time. "There was an oxygen cylinder available at the time. The problem was that it was not possible to bring it to Tilahun's car as it was big," representatives of the hospital have said. Some also question the unavailability of ambulance at the time.
In a related development, the city's health bureau is conducting surprise visits to the city's public and private hospitals and clinics to examine their operational capacity during night and holiday times.
According to the information Capital obtained, the taskforce started the visits last Monday. The group of four will conduct the visits and report back to the city's inspection and controlling unit led by Wolde Rufael.
It is said to be part of the ongoing effort the city's health bureau is conducting to control illegal and unethical conduct by some hospitals and clinics.

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