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Techno Brain, custom software application development company, signed agreement with the Ethiopian Transport Authority to digitize the issuance of driving license. The new system will include bio-metric features which will make forgery difficult.

Issuance of driving license has been a problem for the Authority due to concerns of forgery and duplication, Zelalem Worku, pre-sales consultant with Techno Brain, said told journalists during a press briefing event.

The Ethiopian Ministry of Mines has finalized a draft mineral exploration licensing directive, The Reporter reported.

Following a year long suspension of issuance of explorations license, the Ministry started accepting exploration applications in March 2013, however, it has not yet started granting exploration license, according to The Reporter.

Ethiopia's Zemen Bank announced floating of shares worth 100 million Ethiopian birr to increase its capital, Capital reported.

Ermias Eshetu, Vice President of Marketing and Corporate Services of Zemen Bank, told Capital that it is initially offering the purchase of the shares to its existing shareholders numbering around 3,000 and any remaining shares will be available to the public.

May Flower, an Indian mining company is to invest US$ 116 million in the Delbi coal mine located in South Western Ethiopia, The Reporter reported.

Alemayehu Deressa, general manager of Delbi Cola Mining S.C., told The Reporter, his company has been looking for strategic partnership to jointly develop the coal mine.

East African Bottling S.C, Producer of Coca Cola in Ethiopia completed expansion project at its plant located in Dire Dawa, last week, Fortune Reported.

The US$20 million expansion project has enabled the plant to increase its production capacity five times. Currently, the plant have the capacity to fill 36,000 bottled beverages hourly.

Qatar Airways, the state-owned flag carrier of Qatar has launched thrice-weekly flights to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia on September 19, 2013.

"Ethiopia is now becoming an interesting destination for various business opportunities" said Gayatheri Pardeep, senior media relations officer with Qatar Airways.

As increasing number of Ethiopians living and working in Qatar and the Middle East has moved Qatar Airways to launch flight to Ethiopia, Pardeep said.

A civil aviation partnership agreement between Ethiopia and Qatar was signed in April 2013, in Addis Ababa, allowing the two countries to conduct a thrice-weekly flights, upgrading the previous agreement which allowed for two weekly flights each, according to Endeshaw Yigezu, director of Air Transport & Planning Directorate at the Civil Aviation Authority.

Established in 1994, Qatar Airways currently operates 129 aircraft to serve 131 destination around the world.

Source: Fortune

George Shoe Corporation, a Taiwanese company, is planning to establish three shoe manufacturing plants in Ethiopia, Fortune reported.

The Plants which will be constructed in Addis Ababa, Adama and Mojjo towns will cost around US$ 50 million, according to the report.

Ethiopia has earned over three billion US dollars revenue from foreign trade during the concluded Ethiopian Fiscal Year, the Ministry of Trade said.

Public relation director with the Ministry, Amakele Yimam told Ethiopian News Agency that the country has secured the stated sum from export of over 9.6 tons of export items. He said coffee, chat, live animals, vegetables and fruits, flowers, food and beverage, tea, cereals, oil seeds, spices, honey and foot wear are among the products exported during the reported period.

The director said the past year's performance has exceeded the previous year revenue by US$59.8 million. Ethiopia exports its produce to 133 countries including, Somalia, China, Germany, the Netherlands, Saudi Arabia, Switzerland and U.S.A.

Source: Ethiopian News Agency

Ethio Telecom has started offering its closed user group service (CUG), allowing GSM mobile telephone subscribers to make calls and receive calls from members within the group, on both post-paid and prepaid modes, effective August 18, 2013.

Previously, the CUG service was only available on a post-paid basis and outgoing call service would be terminated when the airtime quota is exceeded and customers, however, customers could still take incoming calls.

The new hybrid system prevents service interruption, by allowing customers to top up a post-paid account when the airtime balance is depleted.

“The CUG, which enables calls among an institution’s workers, has so many benefits for organizations. The price is less compared to normal ethio telecom fees,” Abdurahim Ahmed, ethio telecom’s corporate communications director, told Fortune.

“When service is halted, it created obstacles in an institutions’ daily activities and ethio telecom’s revenue was highly affected,” he stated. “This solution allows customers to receive reliable services. Ethio telecom’s revenues will not be determined solely by the post-paid service.” Abdurahim added.

Ethio Telecom launched the  closed user group service a year ago.

Source: Fortune

Amhara Regional State of Ethiopia has earned over 933.6 million Ethiopian birr  from tourists who visited natural, historic and religious sites in the State during the concluded Ethiopian Fiscal Year, the State culture, Tourism and Parks Bureau said.

Wagaw Haile, Heritage Protection and Tourism Development office with the bureau, told Ethiopian News Agency over the weekend that over 6.7 million tourists visited historic and religious sites in the State.

Revenue from tourism and the number of tourists visited the sites increased by over 500.1 million birr and 4.4 million respectively, Wagaw said. He attributed the success for infrastructure development and promotion works. The tourism sector has created jobs for 35,000 residents, Wagaw added.

The Semien Mountains National Park, the castles of King Fasiledes, the Rock Hewn Churches of Lalibela and the Monasteries in Lake Tana are major toursis attractions in Amhara Regional State.

Source: Walta Information Center