Close to one million people are engaged in the informal economic sector to make life in major towns of Ethiopia, a research conducted by Initiative Africa, an NGO, revealed.

Speaking at a consultative workshop held in Hawassa town under the theme of “Informal Economic Sector and Women's Right” on Monday Program Manager with Initiative Africa Selamawit Fikru said that the stated number of people are engaged in informal economic sector in over 90 towns across the nation. ENA reported that about 60 percent of the compatriots engaged in the informal economic sector are believed to be female. Though the informal economic sector supports a large portion of the nation’s population, no legal frameworks have been put in place to protect rights and benefits of people engaged in the sector. The number of people that join the informal economic sector has been increasing each year, the manager said and noted that those engaged in the informal sector could better protect their rights and benefits if they are organized under associations.

Centre says Ethiopia capable of produce eight types of honey products

The Holeta Bee Research Centre disclosed that besides honey and bees wax, Ethiopia has the capacity to produce eight types of honey products that could be utilized for the production of medicine, perfumes and other ointments.  Dr. Nuru Adgaba, a researcher at the Centre, told ENA that though it is possible to produce various honey products in Ethiopia, only honey and wax have been utilized. Bee milk, bee poison and bee gum are among the honey products that could be produced here in Ethiopia. To this end, the centre is conducting researches that would enable to sift and produce bee products that are not popular previously. Dr. Nuru said that a research conducted by the Centre to produce bee gum and bee milk was successful. The Centre is also conducing research on how to facilitate ways that would enable the country to export quality honey and bees wax to the foreign market. Ethiopia's honey commands high demand in the world market, according to the researcher. Though Ethiopia annually harvests several tonnes of honey and bees wax, it did not manage to profitably benefit from the sector due to poor quality and lack of accessibility, he said.

Commission licenses 5bln birr investment projects

The Oromia State Investment Commission said it has issued licenses to investors with a combined capital of close to five billion birr over the past six months. Commission Commissioner Alemu Simie told ENA on Sunday that the licenses were given to some 509 investors operating in the State. More than 300 of the investors would be engaged in the agriculture and industry sector and the remainder in housing development, education, hotel and tourism, among others. He said the investors have already received close to 600,000 hectares of land. Upon going fully operational the investment projects are expected to create temporary and permanent jobs for more than 50,000 compatriots. The Commissioner recalled that 5,000 investors with a total capital over 70 billion birr have been operating in the State as of 1984 E.C.

Company to export 20,000 camels this year, urges government to tighten control on contraband trade

SAAFI Trading and Agro Industry PLC, Ethiopia’s second largest live animal exporting company, envisages exporting 20,000 camels valued at six million USD abroad this year. It also called on the government to strengthen control on border livestock contraband trade, which it said, was disabling exporter’s competitive capacity in the global market. In an interview with ENA, company general manger Mohammed Mohamud said his company would export the stated number of camels to Egypt. Mohammed said both the quality and quality of camels the company exports and the amount of export revenue the country obtains from the organization’s export has been growing steadily. He said the country is expected to earn an additional revenue of about three million USD from the company’s camel export this year, which is likely to show a 50 percent growth when compared to that of the amount it secures last year. The GM said the company, a three-time award winner for its outstanding export performance, exports camels valued at 2.5 to 3 million USD to Egypt annually on average. Concerning the support the government provides to the sector, Mohammed pointed out that the government has been giving the necessary support and incentives to exporters engaged in the sector, which he described as “motivating”. Referring to illegal trade, Mohammed pointed out that contraband trade in livestock which he said has been growing from time to time, is dwarfing local exporters’ capacity on the one hand while preventing the nation to get the expected hard currency from the sector. He further said contraband traders from neighboring countries have been smuggling cattle and camels out of the country that has resulted in the increase of prices locally at an alarming rate while reducing legal exporter’s market competitiveness globally.

Authority speeding up construction of 151 km Kombolicha-Wolidiya asphalt road

The Ethiopia Roads Authority (ERA) said the 151 kms Kombolicha-olidiya asphalt road construction project launched at a cost of over 720 million birr is being speeded up.

Work and Urban Development Minister Dr. Kassu Ilala, district managers and department heads of the authority have visited the project recently. Information and public relation head with ERA, Samson Wondimu, told ENA that the construction cost of the road is fully covered by the Ethiopian government. The contract agreement was signed in December 2005 and would be completed in April 2009. So far, 45 percent of the construction work has been finalized. The construction work has created 4,000 jobs.

Samson said the road has a width of 12 meters and seven meters in urban and rural areas, respectively, and a three-meter shoulder for pedestrian walkway. The road would have an axle capacity of 1,000 small and heavy-duty tracks daily. He said the road would play due role in facilitating transportation of import and export goods to and from the Sudan and Djibouti ports. The road is also a route that links the central part of country with north and north-eastern Ethiopia.