By Abdinassir Shale Sagar Background An economic development agenda is a central pillar of state building and is key to societal progress. Both the academic literature and practitioner views converge on the idea that states emerging from civil war or protracted conflict should put in place measures to strengthen economic development and spur growth. While...
The market practices that led Eritrea to slap Ethiopian Airlines with a flight suspension could be indicative of inadequate competition in Eritrea’s air transport sector, as well as the pressure that the Ethiopian flag carrier feels to generate foreign exchange for the state. Industry observers see the airline’s alleged predatory practices as partly driven by...
CAIRO –Egyptian Minister for Foreign Affairs and Immigration Badr Abdel-Aty headed to Djibouti and Mogadishu on the first flights of the Egyptian national carrier, EgyptAir, inaugurating the direct flight line between Egypt, Djibouti and Mogadishu, on Friday. The Minister was accompanied by Sameh El Hafny, Minister of Civil Aviation, and representatives of several concerned Egyptian...
Weeks since protests began, determined Kenyans continue going out to voice their frustrations with the government. But when demonstrators first took to the streets in June to rally against proposed tax hikes, it was not only President William Ruto and members of parliament who came under fire. In the protests that later turned deadly, placards were...
(ERGO) – Displaced families in Baidoa, southern Somalia, say that a greenhouse farming project set up to provide sustainable livelihoods for them has uplifted their living standards. Fiiday Ali Ibrahim, who lives in Garasweyne IDP camp, has been growing fresh produce such as tomatoes and lettuce as part of group running a greenhouse farm outside the...
Somalia held a consultative road map meeting last week, which would see its legal structures aligned to those of the East African Community (EAC) to enable it to benefit from the regional bloc. The one-week meeting, attended by EAC partner state delegates, was aimed at developing a comprehensive roadmap for Somalia’s integration into the EAC,...
Mombasa port bypassed its main Eastern African competitors, Djibouti and Dar es Salaam, in the latest World Bank global ports index over ship delays and non-tariff barriers. According to the newly released Container Port Performance Index (CPPI) 2023, increasing business bottlenecks in the Djibouti port, a facility touted as the region’s maritime hub, resulted in...
Toronto – This week, Ethiopia claims to have discovered 21.3 billion cubic meters of natural gas reserves in the Ogaden region in the south eastern part of the country. The Ethiopian Herald, a state-owned media outlet, on Saturday cited Milion Matheos, State Minister in the Ministry of Mines, as saying that “a survey supported with the...
Over the past two decades, the volume of remittances sent globally has increased fivefold. Despite this growth, there is still a pressing need to reduce transaction costs and improve access to financial services for the 1.4 billion adults worldwide who remain unbanked. This issue is highlighted in this year’s International Day of Family Remittances (IDFR),...
The National Fuel Reform Steering Committee has launched a probe into what it says is an unusually large number of businesses applying for permits to operate gas stations and distribute fuel products. Despite an embargo on new fuel distribution and pumping station operator permits enacted four months ago, officials say there are a significant number...