2merkato

Vale South Africa Exploration Ltd, the second largest metal mining company in the world, secured an industrial mining exploration licence in the Southern Nations Nationalities (SNNPR) and Peoples Region after depositing one million dollars in a closed book account last week.

The company acquired a 1,822sqm plot of land in Konso, SNNPR. And it seeks to explore cobalt, nickel and copper.

Before it applied for the mining licence, Vale South Africa Exploration Ltd had acquired last year a prospecting licence to assess SNNPR's potential. 

Wednesday, 15 June 2011

Culture and Tourism Bureau of the Southern Nations, Nationalities and People's State said it had collected over 71.6 million birr income from tourism.

Mikias Israel, deputy head of the bureau said yesterday that the 71.6 million birr was obtained from 403,470 local and 72, 537 foreign tourists who visited attraction sites in the region over the last nine months.

Mikias said the amount of the income obtained and the number of tourists who visited the region over the last nine months had increased by 56 percent and 45 percent respectively, in comparison with the same period the previous year.

Expansion of infrastructures such as road, telecommunications, electricity and tourists' facilities as well as extensive promotion made by the bureau contributed to the income and increase in number of tourists, he said.

The region is rich with sites of natural and historical attraction like crocodile ranches, hot springs, caves and waterfalls among others and Mikias said the Bureau was doing its best to exploit these.

Source: Walta Information Centre

South Ethiopia Regional State is gearing up to export banana products to the Middle East, announced Haliemariam Tesfaye, Head of the State’s Agricultural Bureau. Preparations are underway to supply bananas to Middle Eastern markets while also expanding exports to neighboring countries such as Sudan, Somalia, and Djibouti.

The South Ethiopia Regional State has exceeded its annual coffee supply target, delivering more than 38,000 tons of coffee to the central market over the past 11 months, surpassing its initial goal of 34,254 tons.

The Embassy of the Republic of Korea in Ethiopia, along with Korean businesses, NGOs, and development agencies joined hands in donating equipment such as test kits, face masks, shields and financial support to the Ethiopian Ministry of Health and the Ethiopian Public Health Institute.