The Ethiopian Messenger 13 (January-March 2019)

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The Ethiopian Messenger

ውድ አንባቢያን

Dear Readers,

ወደ አዉሮፓ የሚመጡ ስደተኞች ቁጥር እ.ኤ.አ.2015 ወዲህ ትርጉም ባለዉ ደረጃ በመቀንስ ላይ ሲሆን የአዉሮፓ እና የአፍሪካ አገሮች ህገ ወጥ ስደትን በተመለከተ ዘላቂ መፍትሄ ለመሻት በጋራ እየሰሩ ይገኛሉ፡፡የመጽሄቱ የመጀመሪያ ክፍል ባለፈዉ ህዳር ወር በአዲስ አበባ የአፍሪካ እና የአዉሮፓ አገሮች ተወካዮች ስደትን በሚመለከት በመካከላቸዉ ያለዉን ትብብር ለማጠናከር ያካሄዱትን የምክክር ስብሰባ ማጠቃለያ አካቷል፡፡

While the number of migrants coming to Europe has significantly decreased since 2015, Europe and Africa are still working on finding long-term solutions to irregular migration. Our first article presents the conclusions of a meeting held in Addis Ababa last November, where representatives of African and European countries discussed ways to enhance their cooperation and provide a framework for sustainable management of migration.

ክቡር ጠቅላይ ሚኒስትር አብይ አህመድ ወደ ስልጣን ከመጡ ወዲህ በአገራችንም ሆነ በቀረዉ ዓለም ብዙም ባልተለመደ ሁኔታ ሴቶችን ወደ ከፍተኛ የኃላፊነት ቦታ የማምጣት ሂደት ተፈጥሯል፡፡በዚህም መሰረት ከካቢኔ ሚኒስትሮች መካከል ግማሾች ሴቶች እንዲሆኑ ሲደረግ ክብርት ፕሬዚዳንት ሳህለ ወርቅ ዘዉዴ ደግሞ የመጀመሪያዋ የአገሪቱ ርዕሰ ብሔር ሆነዋል፡፡ የመጽሄቱ ሁለተኛ ክፍል ከላይ የተጠቀሱትን እና የለዉጡ አካል የሆኑ ፖለቲካዊ እርምጃዎች ዉሳኔ ላይ እንዴት እንደተደረሰ እና የኢትዮጵያ ፖለቲካዊ አካሄድ እንዴት እየተለወጠ እንደመጣ ያስቃኘናል፡፡ በአፍሪካ ቀንድ የሰላም አየር መንፈስ ጀምራል ፡፡በኤርትራ እና በኢትዮጵያ መካከል የሰላም ስምምነት ላይ ተደርሷል ፡፡በሶማሊያም የአካባቢ አስተተዳደሮች ምርጫ ተካሂዷል፡፡ሶስተኛዉ የመጽሄቱ ክፍል እነዚህን ጉዳዮች ይዳስሳል፡ ፡እ.ኤ.አ. በኦክቶበር ወር 2018 ጠቅላይ ሚኒስትር አብይ አህመድን ጨምሮ የ12 አፍሪካ አገሮች መራሄ መንግስታት በቡድን 20 አገሮች Compact Africa ጉባዔ ላይ ለመሳተፍ ወደ ጀርመን በርሊን በማቅናት ከመራሂተ መንግስት አንጌላ መርከል ጋር ተገናኝተዉ መክረዋል፡፡ በምክክሩም በአፍሪካ የግል ኢንቨስትመንት ማጠናከር በሚቻልበት እና የግሉ ሴክተር የመሰረተ ልማት ግንባታ ጨምሮ በሌሎች ሴክተሮች ላይ በመሳተፍ ለዜጎች የስራ ዕድል መፍጠር በሚቻልበት ሁኔታ ላይ የተነጋገሩ ሲሆን ይህን ጉዳይ የሚዳስስ ጽሑፍ በክፍል አራት ቀርቧል፡፡በክፍል አምስት አገራችን ሳተላይት ለማምጠቅ በዝግጅት ላይ እንደምትገኝ በመጥቀስ በዚህ ቴክኖሎጂ አማካኝነት የአየር ጸባይ ለዉጥ ፣የዉሃ ሀብት እና የመሳሰሉ ጉዳዮችን በሚመለከት ወሳኝ መረጃዎችን ለማሰባሰብ የሚረዳ መሆኑን ያትታል፡፡

Since Prime minister Abiy made an unprecedented move by filling half of his new cabinet with women and picking SahleWork Zewde as the country’s president, women are now wielding enormous political power in Ethiopia. In our second article, you will learn how this decision, which is an integral part of the transformative agenda he has set out since coming into power, is changing things in Ethiopia.

At the regional level, the wind of peace is still blowing strongly in the Horn of Africa. Our third article presents updates on the ongoing reconciliation between Ethiopia and Eritrea, the regional presidential elections in Somalia, and other important developments.

Our following article takes stock of the G20 ‘Compact with Africa’. In October 2018, twelve African heads of state, including Prime Minister Abiy, met with Chancellor Merkel in Berlin to discuss this initiative to promote private investment to Africa, including infrastructure. Talking about development, our fifth article focuses on the satellite Ethiopia is set to launch and which will help the country to collect precious data and further advance its development agenda.

በመጨረሻም በክፍል ስድስት Akaso የተባለና በብራሰልስ ከተማ እምብርት ላይ የሚገኝ ኩባንያ የኢትዮጵያን ባህላዊ ልብሶች ዲዛይን በማድረግ እንዲሁም የኢትዮጵያን ቡና በ Aksum Coffee House በማዘጋጀት በገበያ ላይ በማዋል የኢትዮጵያን ባህል በማስተዋወቅ ላይ መሆኑን ያስቃኛል፡፡

Finally, in our sixth article, learn more about an island of Ethiopian culture located in the heart of Brussels thanks to Akaso, a fashion store resulting from the meeting of Belgian designers and Ethiopian artists, and Aksum Coffee House, the temple of Ethiopian coffee in the city.

መልካም ንባብ

Most sincerely,

የአርትኦት ኮሚቴ

The Editorial Team

Content

Africa and Europe discussed migration in Addis Ababa 4 Ethiopian women are smashing the glass ceiling

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Hope is spreading in the Horn of Africa

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Taking stock of the G20 Compact with Africa projects

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Ethiopia to launch its first satellite into space

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Akaso and Aksum Coffee House: a piece of Ethiopia in the heart of Brussels

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የክቡር ጠቅላይ ሚኒስትር እና የዲያስፖራ አባላት ውይይት በፍራንክፈርት

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Quarterly magazine of the Embassy of Ethiopia in Brussels. Editor: Embassy of Ethiopia in Brussels, info@ethiopianembassy.be +32 2 771 32 94.

January - February - March 2019

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EU-Ethiopia

Africa and Europe discussed migration in Addis Ababa

Since 2015, Africa and Europe have been collaborating closely to fight irregular migration and address its root causes. Representatives of African and European countries met in Addis Ababa on 14 and 15 November 2018 to take stock of their partnership, identify problems and plan further initiatives.

On the 14th and 15th of November 2018, around 280 Senior Officials from across Europe and Africa met in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

Representatives of African and European countries gathered in Addis Ababa on 14 and 15 November 2018 to continue to enhance their cooperation and provide a framework for humane and sustainable management of migration on both sides of the Mediterranean Sea. The meeting was part of an ambitious process launched in November 2015, at the peak of the migration crisis in Europe, when European and African leaders gathered in Malta’s capital Valletta to strengthen cooperation on both sides and support the most fragile and affected African countries through a new financial instrument, the European Union Emergency Trust Fund for Africa (EUTF).

This second Senior Officials Meeting aimed at reviewing the activities that had taken place during the last year and making suggestions for a way forward in the cooperation process. This state of play was carried by the regional Khartoum (involving countries on the Eastern migratory route) and Rabat Processes (Western migratory route) which, as key dialogues, are mandated to monitor and report on the implementation and progress of the Joint Valletta Action Plan. Both dialogues had prepared analysis reports to outline progress at regional level.

Taking stock of the partnership

At the end of the Summit, Valletta partners emphasised and welcomed the growing ownership of the plan by all actors, including regional institutions, local authorities and nonstate actors, whose role has proven to be crucial for the impact of actions pursued. They also noted the importance of promoting a constructive and long-term approach to migration and mobility, which can benefit countries of origin, transit and destination. While acknowledging the achievements to date, Valletta partners recognised that further concerted efforts should be made concerning legal migration and mobility, in particular for young people and women: entrepreneurs, students, and researchers, moving within Africa and between Africa and Europe.

Although the various initiatives implemented since the first Senior Officials Meeting of countries of the Joint Valetta Action Plan in February 2017 have undeniably contributed to reduce the chaos started in 2015 and substantially decreased the arrival of irregular migrants to Europe, much more remains to be done to sustain the results achieved so far. Therefore, key issues such as promoting legal paths of migration, further enhancing joint efforts to deal with trafficking and smuggling in human beings, ensuring the protection of refugees and migrants, and further partnership on readmission and reintegration of migrants with their comthe munity were also part of the discussions.

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Conclusions of the Summit

To address the root causes of irregular migration, the Rabat and Khartoum Processes called for intensified efforts

on the creation of economic opportunities, decent jobs, vocational education, and training, especially for youth and women, step up support to small and medium enterprises (SMEs) and increased access to finance. Both processes also reiterate the importance of investing in agriculture, reducing disaster risks and preventing the adverse effects of climate change and land degradation.

The meeting was part of a process launched at the peak of the migration crisis, when European and African leaders met in Valletta to strengthen cooperation and support African countries.

Valletta partners also recognized the need to furtherstrengthen the fight against irregular migration by fostering cooperation and mutual trust and stepping up current effort to stop trafficking in human beings and smuggling of migrants and underline the necessity for stronger regional coordination and cross-border cooperation.

They restated their commitment to step up protection to those in need, with particular attention to persons in vulnerable situations such as victims of trafficking in

human beings (being predominantly women and girls) and increase efforts on reintegration of migrants and the voluntary resettlement of persons in need of international protection.

PM Abiy Ahmed’s first visit to Brussels Recently, the EU and Ethiopia have taken another step forward in their longstanding relationship during Prime minister Abiy Ahmed’s first visit to Brussels from 2324 January 2019, where he met with top officials of the continental bloc. On this occasion, Ethiopia and European Union (EU) signed a € 130 million cooperation package following PM Abiy Ahmed’s meeting with European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker.

The three new programmes are part of the implementation of the ‘Africa-Europe Alliance for Sustainable Investment and Jobs’, which aims to deepen the economic and trade relations between the two continents to create sustainable jobs and growth. Belgium was the third stop of an official tour that started in Rome, where PM Abiy met with his Italian counterpart and the president. He also had a meeting with the Pope and heads of other international agencies.

From Rome, he traveled to Davos, Switzerland, where he participated in the World Economic Forum (WEF). In his address, Abiy stressed the resolve of his administration to see through and consolidate the wide-ranging reforms started since April 2018. After pledging to make doing business in Ethiopia easier for everyone who wishes to invest in the country, he called on investors from all across the world to take advantage of the considerable investment and business opportunities available in the country.

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January - February - March 2019

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Political Affairs

Ethiopian women are smashing the glass ceiling Ethiopia is changing rapidly under Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, with women now wielding enormous power. In many ways, 2018 was not just a year of pacification and reconciliation for Ethiopia: it was also the year of women.

Women make up half of Ethiopia’s new cabinet

Ethiopia’s face has considerably changed since Abiy Ahmed became Prime minister in April 2018. Since the release of thousands of prisoners, the push for peace with Eritrea and the opening of several sectors of the economy to private investors, the country has made great strides over the past year.

However, it is on the gender side of things that Ethiopia’s new leader has taken its most progressive initiatives.

In November 2018, Prime minister Abiy made an unprecedented move by filling half of his new cabinet with women and picking Sahle-Work Zewde as the country’s president following Mulatu Teshome’s stepping down in October. Far from being a publicity stunt, these decisions are an integral part of the transformative agenda he has set out since coming into power and are likely to have a profound impact on the country’s history. 2018 was not just a year of pacification and reconciliation for Ethiopia: it was also the year of women.

Defending women’s rights While several powerful women like the legendary Queen of Sheba, Queen Candace or Queen Eleni have marked

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The Ethiopian Messenger

Ethiopia’s history, the country remains a male-dominated society where women are often confined to traditional roles, especially in rural areas. Things started to change in 1993, with the formulation of the National Policy on Women, aimed to create appropriate structures within government offices and institutions to establish equitable and gendersensitive public policies.

In 1995, the Government of Ethiopia renewed its commitment towards this policy by enshrining gender equality in its new constitution. Equality between men and women is also one of the central pillars of the Growth and Transformation Plan I and II, while the Development Plan for Women and Children (2011-2028) includes specific commitments to increasing women’s participation in political life and decision making, promoting women’s economic empowerment and reducing violence against women.

Abiy’s milestone Prime minister’s Abiy signaled his intention to champion women’s rights from day one when he paid tribute to his late mother and his wife in parliament. Furthermore, two of

A double first: Sahle-Work Zewdw became Ethiopia’s first female President, while Meaza Ashenafi is the first woman to hold the position of President of the Federal Supreme Court

the most powerful ministries of the new cabinet (the defense portfolio and the newly created peace ministry, which covers the police and the powerful intelligence agencies) are headed by women.

PM Abiy later appointed renowned human rights lawyer Meaza Ashenafi, whose efforts to tackle child marriage transformed the lives of thousands of girls across Ethiopia, as the country’s most senior judge. It is important to note that while PM Abiy’s progressive views are helping to fight old prejudices, these appointments were the results these women’s hard work and endeavors.

Aisha Mohammed, the defence minister, is the first woman to hold that position in the country, and Muferiat Kamil, the former parliament speaker, are both known to be political heavyweights. Ms. Aisha even heads one of the four parties which form the ruling coalition, the Ethiopian Peoples’ Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF).

Meaza Ashenafi, for its part, is a highly experienced lawyer whose most significant success came in the late 1990s when she defended a 14-year-old child bride in court. She won the case, and it led to Ethiopia outlawing the traditional practice of abducting young girls for marriage.

Countless studies have shown that society at large reaps the reward from having educated, empowered women.

Continental change While the last months have been spectacular for women in Ethiopia, the country’s efforts are not isolated. In fact, things are changing all over the African continent. The African Union (AU) has taken several initiatives to show its commitment to eliminating injustices against women.

In 2003, the AU adopted the Maputo Protocol to boost the protection of women.

The protocol was considered the turning point for the protection of women’s rights in Africa, with groundbreaking provisions such as the prohibition of female genital mutilation and child marriage and the allocation of budgetary resources to realise women’s rights.

At least half of African countries already have legislation and services protecting women and girls from domestic violence, and this figure should increase in the future. All African countries forbid child marriage, and 43 have laws targeting sexual harassment. Enrolment in primary school is now higher for girls than for boys in several African countries.

Countless studies have shown that society at large reaps the reward from having educated, empowered women. At a moment of considerable political change in Ethiopia, the presence of women in power has brought new qualities and leadership styles to the country.

Ethiopia, which hosts the capital city of the African Union while being the continent’s fastest-growing economy, has set a new standard of gender parity to which all African nations can aspire. We can hope that Prime minister’s Abiy bold steps will not only normalise the presence and contribution of women in the highest ranks of power in the country but on the continent at large.

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January - February - March 2019

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Regional Affairs

Hope is spreading in the Horn of Africa Six months after the reconciliation between Ethiopia and Eritrea, a historic paradigm shift that is underway in the Horn of Africa and has contributed to strengthening security, normalcy, and stability in the region. Encouraging developments are following one another, with the peaceful regional elections in Somalia, the rapid normalization of relations between Eritrea and Ethiopia and the recent EU-IGAD ministerial meeting in Brussels.

IGAD Foreign Ministers and EU High Representative Federica Mogherini

Al-Shabab resistance and peaceful elections in Somalia Africa’s longest-standing terrorist group, the al Qaeda affiliate al-Shabab, once controlled almost all southern Somalia, but have now been pushed back to rural areas.

Despite being defeated both militarily and politically, the dispirited terrorist group still stages nearly constant attacks on Somali cities. The recent brutal attack in Kenya, a country that al-Shabaab has been targeting for years, proved that they are still deadly enemies. On 15 January 2019, four al-Shabaab militants killed at least 21 people in Nairobi, bombing and shooting up a luxury hotel, office, and shopping complex located near the city center. This is a clear message to all regional countries, the African Union Mission to Somalia (AMISOM) and the international community that the security institutions of Somalia need

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to be strengthened to fight this evil group which endangers peace in Somalia and the region.

In parallel, the Somali government is continuing to implement its transition plan as agreed with all stakeholders.

On this regard, the two recent regional presidents’ elections (in the Southwest region and Puntland), as well as the federal government’s increased engagement with regional leaders, demonstrated that Somalia is moving towards stability. Somali President Mohamed Abdullahi Farmajo announced that he was ready to turn a new page in his relationship with the regional states, which in the recent past had hit rock bottom last year. In December, local lawmakers in Somalia’s South West state elected Abdiasis Mohammed “Laftagareen” as president of the region, while Abdullahi Deni was elected President of Puntland in January. President Deni vowed to eliminate terrorism in his region during his inaugural speech on Saturday 26 January

and emphasized that the restoration of security was his number one priority to promote development.

Ethio-Eritrea peace deal implementation Ethiopia and Eritrea have continued to normalize their relations over the past months. On 7 January 2019, Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, went to the town of Tessenai, in Western Eritrea, where he and Eritrean President Isaias Afwerki officially opened the Omhajer-Humera crossborder road, which had been closed for more than two decades. The reopening of the road was in line with article 3 of the Joint Declaration of Peace and Friendship that the two countries signed on July 9, referring to the resumption of transport, trade and communication links between the two countries. The opening of the border aims at further expanding people-to-people relations on both sides, as well as to facilitate cross-border trade among the two countries.

Since taking office in April 2018, Prime Minister Abiy has consistently conveyed the message of reconciliation including forgiveness, togetherness, love, and tolerance in his encounters with the Ethiopian public and during his visits abroad. The political reforms the Prime Minister has been implementing domestically have laid down solid and firm foundations for national consensus. The same approach has appeared in his foreign policy strategy, which has been responsible for the paradigm change in the relations between Ethiopia and Eritrea and in the Horn of Africa at large.

Six months after the reconciliation between Ethiopia and Eritrea, a paradigm shift in the Horn of Africa has contributed to strengthening security and stability in the region.

IGAD-EU ministerial consultations The third round of IGAD-EU consultations took place on the margins of the AU- EU ministerial meeting on 22 January 2019 in Brussels. The meeting was chaired by Ethiopia’s State Minister for Foreign Affairs, Mrs. Hirut Zemene and Mrs. Federica Mogherini, High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security. The two sides welcomed the “historic developments in the Horn of Africa with the normalization of relations between Eritrea and Ethiopia, the tripartite agreement between Ethiopia, Eritrea and Somalia, as well as the engagement of Eritrea

The Omhajer - Humera border between Eritrea and Ethiopia was officially reopened on 7 January 2019

and Djibouti and Eritrea and Sudan towards normalization of relations.”

After condemning the January 15 terrorist attack in Nairobi and expressing support for the reform agenda in Somalia, the EU reiterated its commitment to support Somalia’s Recovery and Resilience Framework, the AMISOM and the Somalia Transition Plan. The two sides also reaffirmed their support for the peace process in South Sudan and the Revitalized Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict in the Republic of South Sudan, underlining the importance of implementation in full and according to the agreed timescale. IGAD requested the EU to consider further support to the South Sudan Pre-transition activities.

IGAD Ministers expressed their appreciation for EU’s continued constructive role in the region and welcomed high-level engagement. Besides, both sides emphasized a desire for regular dialogue and encouraged future meetings on deliverables for the region’s priority agenda such as job creation. They highlighted opportunities for strengthening the gains made through advancing an integration agenda while underlining the importance of continuing cooperation in fighting terrorism and threats to peace and security.

They agreed to promote regional cooperation, training and capacity building and to use all opportunities to strengthen inclusive regional and cross-regional cooperation and dialogue across the Horn of Africa and the Red Sea, covering trade, migration, climate change, food security, peace and security, and maritime security.

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January - February - March 2019

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Investment

Taking stock of the G20 Compact with Africa projects In late October 2018, twelve African heads of state met with Chancellor Merkel in Berlin to take stock of the G20 “Compact with Africa” initiative. The meeting was dedicated to evaluating the effects of the large-scale project launched in 2017 to boost African infrastructure and the economy. Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed Ali was among the attending leaders.

Investment rather than aid

Listening to African needs

The G20 Compact with Africa was initiated in 2017 under the German G20 presidency to promote private investment to Africa, including infrastructure. The idea was simple: Africa and Europe should work together more closely on economic issues. This should make Africa more prosperous, and Germany’s economy would also benefit. With the Compact with Africa project, Berlin also hoped to curb migration to Europe by offering young Africans jobs in their own countries.

The Compact with Africa primary objective is to support country-specific reform agendas and advertise investment opportunities to private investors. Another goal is to increase the attractiveness of private investment on the continent by bringing together African countries committed to implementing reforms to improve their investment potential while international partners would assist with economic issues, offer technical expertise and help encourage investors to the country.

One of the most striking aspects of international migrants in Africa is that most move within the region. Contrary to much media coverage, most Africans do not leave the continent.

They mainly move to neighbouring countries. Between 2015 and 2017, for example, the number of African international migrants living within the region jumped from 16 million to around 19 million. Within the same period, there was only a moderate increase in the number of Africans moving outside the continent, from about 16 million to 17 million.

The initiative is demand driven and open to all African countries. Since its launch, the Compact with Africa has sparked considerable interest. So far, eleven African countries have joined the initiative: Benin, Cote d’Ivoire, Egypt, Ethiopia, Ghana, Guinea, Morocco, Rwanda, Senegal, Togo, and Tunisia. By joining, these countries have agreed to develop policy changes in their macroeconomic, financing, and business frameworks, and each of the CwA countries has submitted an investment prospectus – a list of projects for which financing is sought.

Around 90 percent of refugees from African countries stay on their native continent. Given these particularities, a sustainable way reduces the pressure on Europe’s borders is through a strong, binding international partnership that creates better living conditions and opportunities for its people and in which G20 countries take the lead.

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Changing dynamics During the opening ceremony of the summit, Chancellor Merkel said that the project puts African countries and the West in an equal footing. The point is not just talking about Africa but aims first and foremost to be long-lasting and benefit all equally. Apart from strengthening Africa as a location for investment, it also aims at establishing fair

trade relations between Europe and Africa. Prime minister Abiy Ahmed said for his part that the Government of Ethiopia attaches high importance to the initiative, as it provides the much-needed framework to enhance investment and infrastructure in the country.

Ethiopia is at a historic moment of economic, social and political transformations that have put an inclusive and sustainable development agenda front and centre.

Since June 2018, the country has officially embarked on privatising state enterprises in areas such as energy, telecom, and aviation sectors. Part of this economic transformation agenda is placing a strong focus on leveraging Foreign Direct Investment to foster industrialisation, diversify exports and, most importantly, creates jobs for the population.

In this context, high-quality investments in productive infrastructure, skill development for enterprises and competitiveness are needed, and foreign investors are welcome to partner with the government in these critical areas. The Prime Minister also emphasised the need to establish fair trade relations between Europe and Africa sharing of a shared vision towards transforming the two continents.

Ethiopia is at a historic moment of economic, social and political transformation that have put a sustainable developmet agenda front and centre.

More remains to be done For too long, international engagement with Africa has been confined to the silo of development, and the continent was effectively reduced to a set of problems for external actors to solve. This attitude prevented Africa from participating as a legitimate and equal member of the global community.

Fortunately, the language and objectives of the Compact with Africa reflect a more balanced examination of African problems. More the recently, the EU followed a similar approach when President Commission Juncker proposed a new program that would create up to 10 million jobs in the next five years and could potentially unlock â‚Ź44 billion in public and private investments.

However, to make the impact of the Compact with Africa sustainable, these views must go beyond the limited scope of the G20’s interactions with Africa. The continent should also be involved in broader discussions about the global trade architecture, climate change, and the future of work rather than limiting its engagement with the G20 to addressing narrower development issues. A rapidly changing Africa has a lot to say on other topics relating to development. We can only hope that the world will keep listening to a rapidly changing continent.

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Technology

Ethiopia to launch its first satellite into space Ethiopia is heading to space. The country is set to launch its first earth observatory satellite in late 2019, joining a list of few African nations that have put the devices into orbit. The satellite will help Ethiopia to collect precious data on changes in climate and weather-related phenomena and allow the country to further advance its development agenda.

A long term project The announcement marks a significant development to Ethiopia’s space ambitions, which have considerably accelerated in the last few years as the government was trying to find ways to fully exploit space technologies for development purposes. The Ethiopian Space Science Society (ESSS), which was first established in 2004 by three aspiring astronomers, has recruited more than 10,000 members since its launch. In 2013, a privately-funded, multi-million-dollar space observatory was created on the 3,200-metre summit of the Entoto hills overlooking Addis Ababa. The one-ofits-kind station takes advantage of the station’s unique location and ability to observe practically the entirety of the sky -- both northern and southern hemispheres. Finally, in January 2017, the ministry of science and technology announced it would launch a satellite into orbit to improve its weather-monitoring capabilities.

Satellite technology for development Satellite technologies can support sustainable development in many ways, such as providing much-needed data on upcoming rainfalls and temperature variations, land degradation and monitor water resources or crop yields.

Satellite data will undoubtedly play an essential role in the country’s modernisation drive, especially as the Ethiopian government is seeking to modernise its agriculture sector and achieve food security. This knowledge will also help the Ethiopian government to make informed decisions about policies and programming and use their resources more efficiently. Meanwhile, satellite-based telecommunications can assist emergency teams during disaster response and help track access to health and education facilities.

By gathering these key data, the Ethiopia-operated satellite would allow the country to save the money usually spent on buying data and information and will further advance its development agenda. What may seem like a significant investment now will pay off in years to come and in more ways than one.

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Advancing Ethiopian science Ethiopia will launch its satellite with the support of China.

However, while the satellite will be launched from China, its command and control center will be based in Ethiopia, and most preliminary and critical design will be done by Ethiopian scientists. There are 20 Ethiopian aerospace engineers currently involved in the satellite project.

About 60 masters and Ph.D. students are also taking part in research and training at the space institute as well as the Country’s Entoto Observatory and Research Center. In addition, Ethiopia is collaborating with universities and observatory centers from around the world including the United States, United Kingdom, France, Italy, Spain, Russia, South Korea, Chile, and South Africa. With time, this collaboration with different countries’ space scientists and institutions will provide Ethiopian engineers with hand on experience will ultimately enable them to design, build and launch a second satellite independently.

An African priority Ethiopia will join the growing number of African countries that have built and launched satellites. Countries like South Africa, Egypt, Nigeria, Ghana, Algeria, Morocco, and Kenya – which launched its nano-satellite in May 2018 – have all launched their own programs to power their scientific, technological and military ambitions. At the continental level, the African Union has also introduced an African space policy, which calls for the development of a continental outer-space program and the adoption of a framework to use satellite communication for economic progress. In the case of Ethiopia, a satellite will also aid efforts to deal with climate change threats and push ahead the country’s goal of becoming a carbon neutral middle-class nation by 2050. In the twenty-first century, science and technology will matter more than ever to make Ethiopia go from a developing economy to a developed country.

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Akaso and Aksum Coffee House: a piece of Ethiopia in the heart of Brussels Ethiopia has found a place in the prestigious King’s gallery thanks to Akaso, a fashion store resulting from the meeting of Belgian designers and Ethiopian artists, and Aksum Coffee House, the temple of Ethiopian coffee, which serves some of the best brews in town. Together, they form an island of Ethiopian culture in the heart of Brussels.

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Culture

AKaso, a meeting of art and fashion in the heart of Brussels

It is not easy to stand out in the prestigious King’s gallery, located in the heart of Brussels. Yet, among well-known luxury brands and fancy chocolate shops, a bright fashion store manages to do just that. With its enigmatic name and striking designs, Akaso is the kind of place that immediately catches your eye. AkaSo comes from the Italian ‘a caso’ – meaning “by coincidence”, in a nod to the many coincidences that led to its creation – is the story of the improbable meeting of Belgian designers and Ethiopian artists.

An improbable meeting The label was born from the encounter of founder Philippe Vertriest with a book on African body painting art containing striking pictures of the Kara people, a small group of about 1,500 people living in South-Western Ethiopia and renowned for their distinctive body painting art using the skin as a canvas.

He managed to connect with this closed community with the support of an Ethiopian anthropologist and invited the Kara community to give a new dimension to Kara body painting art.

From there, Philippe Vertriest, who hates cultural appropriation, developed the idea of a collaborative design label. Each collection grows from a co-creation workshop between Ethiopian artists and Belgian designers from Akaso. Artists from the Kara tribe design drawings themselves, for which they receive a fair payment, and Belgian designers then use the drawings as a basis to design clothes in consultation with the artists. Together, they collaborated on a collection that mixed their art with knit pieces in cotton and silk.

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Rapid expansion The young brand (Akaso was founded in 2016) has managed to expand its range considerably in only a short time. Starting with T-shirts and sweatshirts, Akaso has since developed a fullfledged accessories line and fine knitwear. The first handbag range celebrates Kara tribe skin scarification culture, for which Akaso developed and patented a unique technique to visualise a three-dimensional print on supple Italian calf leather. The entire collection, which is made in Europe with eco-friendly fabrics, stand out for its unique print and pattern techniques. In November 2017, Akaso opened its first flagship store in Brussels and inaugurated a second store in Antwerp in mid-September.

In addition, the brand has now fifteen sales outlets in Belgium.

Originality without sacrificing quality AKaso works exclusively with suppliers in line with their human and ethical values. Respect for the environment and workers are amongst the brand’s priorities. These high standards and attention to detail are reflected in products of exceptionally high quality. The handbags are especially eye-catching, with patterns looking like the scars that the tribe members use as body decorations.

Too often, luxury brands find inspiration in other cultures without acknowledging their sources or giving back to these communities. The only alternative for lovers of unusual patterns is to turn cheap exotic clothes or accessories whose quality leaves a bit to be desired. That Akaso managed to unite luxury and authenticity while paying an hommage the culture of the Kara people is probably the brand’s greatest feat.

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Culture

Aksum Coffee House, the temple of Ethiopian coffee in Brussels

A unique experience The first thing anyone notices when walking into an Aksum Coffee House is how different this place is. Entering feels as if you have been teleported to a whole different world, far from the busy streets of the city center. At a time where most coffee places, decorated with modern and impersonal pieces of furniture, seem to copy each other, Aksum offers a welcome alternative.

Great attention is paid to details, from the highly original store design to the beautiful paintings on the walls, all made by African artists. The Aksum Coffee House located rue des Chapeliers even boasts magnificent ceiling paintings reminiscing of the famous Debre Berhan Selassie Church in Gondar (Northern Ethiopia).

But what really sets Aksum apart, besides its relaxing atmosphere and pleasant hospitality, is its unique coffee offer.

Quality products from the birthplace of coffee In this temple of coffee, certified-organic beans come straight from the birthplace of coffee: Ethiopia. The beans are handroasted daily on site, and customers can even take beans home, by choosing between several regional origins. Ethiopian quality coffees have a unique taste and are among the best in the world. Ethiopian coffee is exceptional and not easy to describe: by adapting to the altitude, coffee plants have undergone a

miraculous transformation that gives the coffee a delicious character. To do their taste justice, the owner of Aksum Coffe House meticulously selects his beans from certified-organic farms, where there are subject to rigorous quality controls to preserve a unique flavor. The color, weight and aspect of the beans are analyzed to obtain the best characteristics of excellent Ethiopian coffee for all the different aromas.

The ideal place to drink coffee in Brussels At any time of the day, whether you prefer a strong double espresso or a smooth caffè latte, the taste of Ethiopian coffee is really something different. Besides, Aksum has more than coffee to offer, with several other African/fair trade drinks such as Senegalese herbal teas, healthy baobab drinks, soft drinks from Côte d’Ivoire, South African wine and Ethiopian beer, for instance.

This is clearly not a place for “fast-food coffee”: the beans are ground and brewed to suit every client’s order, and the small bites and cakes all come from local and small-cases producers.

Occasionally, the owners even organize traditional coffee ceremonies, so that guests can drink their coffee the Ethiopian way. With everything it has to offer, Aksum Coffee House is undoubtedly the ideal place to drink quality coffee in Brussels.

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