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Ethiopia is seeking an additional loan of 300 million US dollars in financing for the last stretch of the Awash-Woldiya-Mekele Railway Project, from the government of India.

The new loan will be in addition to the original 300 million US dollars promised by Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.
Discussions to negotiate the conditions of the loan arrangement are underway between the governments of the two countries according to Genet Zewdie, Ethiopian Ambassador to India.

Contracts for the construction of two out of the three sections included in the railway construction project have been awarded to Turkish and Chinese companies.  The  China Communications Construction Company is in charge of building the Mekele-Woldiya section while the Turkish company Yapi Merkezi Construction was awarded the Awash to Woldiya section of the Tadjourah railway.

Kaizen Ethiopia awarded the ‘Kaizen Award’ to three Ethiopian companies for the first time. The three companies which received the award are Kadisco Chemical Industry, Zenith Gebse-Eshet Ethiopia Ltd and Maru Metal Industry.

The companies were awarded for showing the most significant improvement in productivity through utilizing the Kaizen Philosophy.

The three companies were selected from a highly competitive pool because of the notable improvement seen in the quality of their products, increased productivity, improved safety conditions and the enhanced relationship between management and employees said Gethaun Tadesse, Director General of Kaizen Ethiopia, speaking at the awards ceremony held at the Ethiopia Hotel earlier this week.

The Indian oil producing Pongamia tree is being marketed under the trademark ‘Vayusap.’ The plant promoted as a Wonder plant is being marketed by the Vayugrid Marketplace Services plc.

The strain being marketed in Ethiopia is a high yield, genetically selected form of the Pongamia plant resistant to a range of negative weather conditions and is tolerant to poor quality soil types according to Vayugrid.  

The oil from the plant has a range of potential uses in the production pharmaceuticals and bio fuels explained Douglas M. Petersen, Chief Executive Officer of Vayugrid Marketplace Services.

The National Insurance Company of Ethiopia registered 25.2 million in profit before taxes for the previous financial year. The profits recorded by the insurer have increased four times over in the last twenty years according to sources.

The company’s before tax returns had been no more than 5 million birr in the past years according to Tewdros Bogale, Deputy General Manager of Corporate Affairs with the NICE.

The insurance company’s net profit after taxes was nearly 18 million birr enabling it distribute 1096 birr per share to its shareholders.

A new center for aviation sector training is to be opened in Ethiopia. The new center, the National Aviation College, is a collaborative venture between the National Airways of Ethiopia and Kenya Aeronautical College.      

The college is intended to cater to the requirements of the Aviation Sector which is in need of skilled manpower.

The institute will launch operations by offering training to ticket sales personnel and travel agents as well as cabin crew noted Captain Abera Lemmi, General Manager for National Airways.

A solar assembly plant to produce a range of solar powered and environmentally conscious products is expected to be launched in Ethiopia in the near future. Among the products that will be produced by the factory will be solar panels with the ability to generate as much as 60 watts of electricity, charge controllers and Light Emitting Diode lamps which are known for being electricity efficient.

An area has already been set aside for an exhibition and training center in the Oromia Regional State according to Samson Tsegaye, Country Director for The Solar Energy Foundation.

The area dubbed the ‘Solar Valley’ is located on 15 thousand square meters of land within the Tatek Industrial Park.
The foundation expects the financing to launch the assembly project to come from solar companies seeking for investment opportunities said Samson.

Samsung electronics is to launch e-learning technology for Ethiopian elementary schools in association with the Ministry of Education.

The electronics company is in the process of conducting a survey of the elementary curriculum to integrate it with its Smart Education Environment technology. The interactive e-learning technology has an estimated 25% coverage in Africa it was said.

The smart school solution is one the best developed technology on offer from Samsung according to Tadewos Awel, Country Manager of Samsung East Africa.

The castor seed development project initiated by Agropeace plc has launched a full scale plantation on six hectares of land according to sources. The agro investment company established by six Israeli investors aims to produce export quality seeds in three month cycles.

Agropeace has been conducting a pilot for the project in Somali Region within local communities for the past four years. The pilot project involved testing a variety of castor seed types with 46 people representing 22 households in the community taking part in the project said Anteneh Gelaye, Chief Operation Manger for the Pilot Project.

The Ethiopian Ministry of Mines is in the process of facilitating visas for the Tullow drilling crew that will oversee the launch of drilling processes by the company in January. The crew is expected to be composed of 20 primarily Polish experts.

Tullow is preparing to launch drilling activity on its concession in the Southern Omo Valley according to its tentative program said Sinkensh Ejigu, State Minister for Mines.

The schedule set for drilling may be changed if the visa processes prove to take longer than expected she said.

The official representatives of the Coca Cola Company in Ethiopia the East African Bottling Company has received land from the Bahir Dar city government to construct its plant in Ethiopia. The project is expected to cost a total of 800 million Ethiopian birr.

It is expected that construction work on the plant at Bahir Dar will begin early next year and is to be completed in a year. The site for the new plant was selected after a survey conducted by a team from South Africa which studied the availability of drainage. Links to the road network in the area and access to water supplies according to sources.

East African Bottling has signed an agreement for the construction of the plant with Elmo-Olindo a construction company previously engaged for rehabilitation and expansion efforts undertaken by the Coca Cola producer.