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Ethiopia is to sign an agreement, in November, to ship and unload coal through Port Djibouti. The agreement to be signed next month with Djibouti allows Ethiopian Petroleum Enterprise (EPE) to import coal to be used for fuel in cement factories.

Ethiopia and Djibouti have agreed on the general terms of the deal and the process of drafting the contract is underway said Mekonnen Abera, head of market research and business promotion for Ethiopian Shipping and Transit Services Enterprise.

Mekonnen traveled to Djibouti with Yigzaw Mekonnen director general of EPE to establish the terms of the agreement.

The Ministry of Mines, Ethiopia is to sign a Petroleum Development and Production Sharing Agreement with South West Energy. The agreement will allow the company to prospect for gas and oil reserves in Gambella Regional State, Ethiopia.

The agreement will be signed by Sinkenesh Ejigu Minister of Mines and Tewodros Ashenafi, Chief Executive Officer and founder of South West at the Head office of the Ministry of Mines.

South West Energy will also be able to develop gas and oil reserves in the exploration area according to the agreement.
The petroleum exploration and development agreement was approved by the Council of Ministers.

The government of Ethiopia is to sign an intergovernmental agreement on air traffic with the Ukraine.

The draft for the agreement submitted by Borys Kolesnikov, Vice Premier and Infrastructure Minister was approved by the Ukrainian Cabinet this week said a press release from the Infrastructure Ministry of the Ukraine.

The agreement will be the foundation for regular air links between Ethiopia and the Ukraine explained the press release.

Ethiopia is prepared to ink agreements which total USD 200 million to supply wheat to non-governmental organizations including the World Food Program. Agreements to sell 3 million quintals of wheat have already been signed with six countries including Kenya and Sudan.

The National Bank of Ethiopia is preparing to introduce a standardized check system which will require banks across the country to use the same type of checks with enhanced security features, starting from January 2013.

The new checks to be printed under the control of the NBE are expected to be coded so as to make them more difficult to forge according to a source. It is expected that banks will cover the cost of the new checks to be printed electronically and will be differentiated for the different banks by the bank logos that will be placed on them said the source.

The details of how the new checks will go into operation are yet to be divulged although the central bank is expected to offer trainings soon added the source.