Interview| Meles Zenawi: I’ll probably teach at the leadership academy
A certain man named Richard Dowden, Director of the Royal African Society, apparently met Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi this month during the World Economic Forum meetings in Addis Ababa. He published ‘a selection of quotes from the interview’ this week. The interview, albeit very brief, covers a range of issues. However, based on Mr. … Read more
Ethiopia: Official discloses New data on Leased Farmlands
An official from the Ethiopian Ministry of Agriculture disclosed new figures on the size and utilization of the agricultural land leased as well as the harvest and jobs from. It is to be recalled that the Ministry disclosed last year 24 contract documents concluded with Ethiopians and Foreigners for the leasing of 350,099 Hectare (865,095 … Read more
Ethiopian, Pakistani farmworkers killed near Saudi-Star farm
Unidentified gunmen killed five and wounded eight nearby Saudi-Star’s farm in Gambella region, western Ethiopia, on Saturday. (Saudi-star is owned by the Ethiopian-born billionaire Mohammed Al-Amoudi.) The state-owned Ethiopian News Agency reported the incident as follows: Five people were killed including a Pakistani national and eight others suffered injuries in an armed attack that occurred … Read more
Ethiopia’s food production plan promising – Think tank
The Addis Ababa based think tank, Access Capital forecasted that Ethiopia’s “plans for large gains in food production face daunting ‘execution risks’, both for commercial and small-holder farms, but will still materialize’; adding that: ‘The main reason for optimism with respect to the food production outlook is: (i) the strong policy push and investor response … Read more
Africa Rising: Ethiopia moves to diversify exports – By Jenny Vaughan
Highlights: * In an effort to move beyond just coffee, Ethiopia now exports leather, vegetables, flowers, and yes, the occasional bottle of wine. * “We’re like a plane on a runway about to take off, so either get on now or watch us take off,” he says with a smile. About three hours south of … Read more
Resettlement and Human Rights Watch’s unsound and shoddy methodology
(Jan. 20, 2012 – A Week in the Horn of Africa) This week, Human Rights Watch produced yet another of its deliberately emotive reports on Ethiopia, this time claiming the government under its villagization program was forcibly relocating some 70,000 ‘indigenous’ people in the Gambella Regional State to new villages that lack adequate food, land … Read more
Ethiopia: Human Rights Watch – ‘Forced Relocations Bring Hunger, Hardship’
Here is a statement by Human Rights Watch, titled ‘Forced Relocations Bring Hunger, Hardship’. January 16, 2012 (London) – The Ethiopian government under its “villagization” program is forcibly relocating approximately 70,000 indigenous people from the western Gambella region to new villages that lack adequate food, farmland, healthcare, and educational facilities, Human Rights Watch said in … Read more
Is one man’s agricultural investment another’s land grabbing? | A Week in the Horn
Highlights: * In the first place, we need to understand the definition of “land grabbing”. It is something that can be defined in a number of ways depending on the time and context. * …no displacement of farmers from small-holder areas is taking place,…..one has to look at the actual process of land acquisition, a … Read more
Ethiopia: Karaturi claims to have lost its first harvest
Karuturi Global reported ‘a flood destroyed its first planned harvest’. The Indian company is growing sugar cane, palm oil, cereals and vegetables in 100,000 hectares land it leased from the government. The damage was caused by flooding from the Baro and Alwero rivers in western Ethiopia, where Karuturi’s farm is located. The Company clamed that … Read more
Wikileaks: Analysis of ‘Land Grab’ in Ethiopia
A leaked Cable of US Embassy Addis Ababa presents a fairly informative analyzes the issues of foreign Agricultural investment in Ethiopia. The Cable was prepared on Dec 2009 based on inputs from ‘local Economic and Commercial Specialists’ and a wide range of domestic and foreign stakeholders from Nov 30 to Dec. 2, 2009. The Embassy … Read more
