COVID-19 response must target African ag and the rural poor

COVID-19 response must target African ag and the rural poor

By Olusegun Obasanjo and Hailemariam Desalegn Boshe Africa has so far escaped the worst health consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic. However, the continent looks like it could be the worst hit from the economic fallout of the crisis: 80 million Africans could be pushed into extreme poverty if action is…

Ethiopia’s Abiy: New prize, new book, same old crisis

Ethiopia’s Abiy: New prize, new book, same old crisis

Ethiopia is again on edge, and there’s no reason why anyone at home or in the international community should be surprised. For all of the optimism that came with Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed’s leadership and his commitment to enacting democratic reforms, there’s always been a drumbeat of analysts warning that…

Laureen is the editor of Africa Times

Oromo leader Abiy named new Ethiopian PM

Oromo leader Abiy named new Ethiopian PM

Abiy Ahmed, the head of the Oromo Peoples Democratic Organization (OPDO), has been named the new prime minister of Ethiopia and its ruling EPRDF coalition. Abiy’s election was confirmed Wednesday after he received 108 votes from Ethiopia’s ruling council of 180 seats. Forty-five of them come from the OPDO, which…

Ethiopia declares new state of emergency after PM’s resignation

Ethiopia declared a three-month state of emergency beginning today, the state Ethiopian Broadcasting Corporation (EBC) announced Friday. The move follows the sudden resignation of Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn and his departure from the chairman role of the EPRDF party on Thursday. The state of emergency will leave the military in…

Kenyatta arrives in Beijing for Belt and Road Forum

President Uhuru Kenyatta has arrived in China to attend the Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation (BRF) in Beijing, which runs through May 15. The Government of Kenya announced in April that it was one of more than 100 participating nations, with the heads of state of at least…

Update: Toll soars to 113 in Ethiopian trash landslide

The toll has soared to 113 people who died last weekend in a landslide at an Ethiopian trash dump, and dozens remain missing as the search for victims continues near Addis Ababa. The accident happened Saturday night at the dump on the outskirts of the city where people often gather to…

Obama arrives in Ethiopia

Yesterday United States President Barack Obama arrived in Ethiopia where he is scheduled to stay for two days. He is the first serving U.S. president to visit the country. His plane arrived at Addis Ababa’s international airport on Sunday after his three-day visit in Kenya. He was greeted by the…