02.02.2024

Prime Minister Abiy Attends the Italy-Africa Summit

Global Ethiopian High Level Diaspora Diplomacy Forum Inaugurated

Annual Ambassador’s Retreat Concludes Successfully

News in Brief

Africa and the African Union 

The Chairperson of the African Union Commission, Moussa Faki Mahamat, on Tuesday (January 30) issued a communique with regards to the announcement of the withdrawal of Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso from the West African regional economic community ECOWAS. In the communique the AUC Chair called for the pooling of all efforts so that the irreplaceable unity of ECOWAS be preserved and African solidarity be enhanced.  

On Tuesday (January 30), Chairperson Mahamat addressed the Italy-Africa Summit. In his address the Chairperson said, we are a continent, grappling with a number of challenges on the security, ecological, health, mobility, technological, development financing and integration fronts and that our priorities obviously emanate from these challenges. 

The African Union Mission in Somalia (ATMIS) on Wednesday (January 31) announced that it successfully concluded Phase Two Drawdown by signing the official handover documents for seven Forward Operating Bases (FOBs) to the Somalia National Army (SNA) on Monday (January 29). 

The AU Peace Fund Board of Trustees held consultations with the Executive Management Committee to deliberate on the Funds’ governance, investment portfolios, disbursement of funds, resource mobilization, and impact of the fund in addressing peace and security, disclosed the continental body on Monday (January 29). 

Ethiopia 

Premiere Abiy Ahmed along with fellow African Heads of State and Government on Monday (January 29) participated at the Italy-Africa Summit hosted by his Italian counterpart Georgia Meloni under the theme “A Bridge for a Common Growth” (See Article).

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Demeke Mekonnen, on Saturday (January 27) met with Cuban Vice President Salvador Valdés Mesa and discussed upscaling cooperation on bilateral and multilateral issues of mutual interest. 

A high-level delegation led by the Governor of the National Bank of Ethiopia, Mamo Esmealem Mihretu, on Tuesday took part in the first BRICS Sherpa and Sous Sherpa meeting in the Russian Capital, Moscow. In his address, he reaffirmed Ethiopia’s commitment to closely working with Member States to enhance partnership especially in the economic sphere and the implementation of the Strategy for BRICS Economic Partnership 2025. 

UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi, who was in Ethiopia on an official visit over the week, on Wednesday (January 31) wrote on X, in spite of the challenges, Ethiopia continues to host people fleeing war and violence in neighbouring countries, as I saw yesterday at the Sudanese border. He also expressed his gratitude to Prime Minister Abiy for Ethiopia’s continued good refugee policies. 

The largest Pan-African carrier, Ethiopian Airlines and Kanoo Travel on Wednesday (January 31) inked an agreement to enhance cooperation to meet the ever-growing demand for air transport across the globe. 

Kenya  

President William Ruto on Monday (January 29) addressed the Italy-Africa Summit in Rome, Italy. He said, Africa’s ambitious goal to transform into a green industrial powerhouse hinge on securing the right type and amount of capital, particularly in the realms of renewable energy and infrastructure. 

Interior and National Administration Cabinet Secretary Kithure Kindiki on Monday (January 29) delivered a keynote address at The Mashariki Cooperation Conference, a gathering of the security and intelligence chiefs of East Africa in the Coastal Kenyan City of Mombasa. The conference brought together spy chiefs and officials from 15 Greater East African countries including Ethiopia. 

In a Gazette Notice released on Wednesday (January 31), CS Kithure declared Good News International Ministries an organized criminal group, thereby facilitating the further investigation and possible prosecution of members deemed to have aided and abetted cult leader Paul Mackenzie. The church has been accused of orchestrating a spate of suicide among followers through starvation.  

South Sudan 

President Salva Kiir Mayardit on Friday (January 26) held talks with German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock on bilateral and multilateral issues of mutual interest including the status of the implementation the Peace Process, the upcoming elections and the crisis in the Sudan. 

Sudan 

The United National Higher Commission for Refugees on Thursday (February 1) announced that, nearly 8 million people have been displaced by the brutal conflict in Sudan. The announcement came in the wake High Commissioner Filippo Grandi’s visit in the country. Grandi called for urgent support the international community to meet people’s needs. 

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Prime Minister Abiy Attends the Italy-Africa Summit 

Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, together with fellow African Heads of State and Government on Monday (January 29) took part in the Italy-Africa Summit hosted by Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni in the Capital, Rome. The high-level conference was themed “A Bridge for a Common Growth”. During the summit, Italy’s proposed ‘Mattei Plan’ for Africa was discussed. Named after founder of the country oil and gas conglomerate ENI, the Mattei boasts a €5.5 billion (US$5.9 billion) investment programme centred on five key pillars – education and training; health; agriculture; water; and energy – that aims to offer a new cooperation model for Africa. 

On Sunday, 28 January 2024, the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) bestowed upon Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed the prestigious Agricola Medal for his vision, tenacious leadership and continued commitment to food self-sufficiency, nutrition and the pursuit of innovative solutions in wheat self-sufficiency in the context of fast-changing and challenging circumstances. Premiere Abiy received the Medal in Rome, Italy in the presence of high-level delegates of various countries, representatives of international organizations, diplomatic missions in Italy and private sector representatives. Expressing his gratitude to FAO for the recognition, PM Abiy said, “Our focus on high value and industrial crops is yielding promising results and we are committed to our food sovereignty path.” 

On the sidelines of the Italy-Africa Summit, Prime Minister Abiy held discussions with his Italian counterpart Meloni and IMF Director Kristalina Georgieva to further consolidate development cooperation with regards to food security and related matters. Speaking of his bilateral talks with PM Meloni, he later announced, our continued engagements are a testament to the growing cooperation between Ethiopia and the European country.  

On Wednesday (January 31), the Premiere officially presided over the handover of “Tsehay”, the first aircraft build in Ethiopia in 1935, to Ethiopia by the Italian Government. Build with the collaboration of a German engineer and Emperor Haile Selassie I’s pilot, Herr Ludwig Weber, the aircraft was named after the emperor’s daughter, Princess Tsehay. PM Abiy made incessant efforts to guarantee the return of the historic aircraft to its home country. The successful reclamation of an engineering marvel of the times deemed the “sole aircraft manufactured on Ethiopian soil” is part of Ethiopia’s restitution diplomacy.  

Global Ethiopian High Level Diaspora Diplomacy Forum Inaugurated  

Ethiopia has been implementing the Diaspora option as a policy orientation aimed at utilizing the human, economic and social capital the Ethiopian Diaspora.  To this end, the Diaspora is becoming a significant component of the development strategies in Ethiopia under the leadership of Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, who from the outset vowed to engage the diaspora in the country’s development in various aspects.  

As a result, Ethiopia has gone through different institutional and legal endeavours aimed at reconnecting its Diaspora with home. The history of Ethiopian Diaspora engagement practice goes back to 2002 with the creation of notable array of structures at regional and federal levels at home and diplomatic and consular missions abroad. This was coupled with the enactment of different legal frameworks including Ethiopian diaspora policy to enhance continued diaspora engagement. 

Even though auspicious exertions have been made so far, our engagement trend has been largely state-centric for quite long time. Nowadays we have comprehended that a shift from state centric to diaspora centric diaspora engagement approach is imperative in line with the level of maturity we have reached. To actualize this shift, we have determined to strategize the ways on how to create integrated, empowered and protected diaspora so that the Diaspora would be an asset for both with their host countries and the motherland.    

One of the devices designed to implement this initiative is executing Integrated, Empowered and Protected (EIP) strategy for the creation of transnational Ethiopian community by establishing Global Ethiopian Diaspora Diplomacy high level Advisory Forum. 

The Form has been set up in the event held at the Science Museum on 22 January 2024 in Addis Ababa encompassing more than 300 renowned and high calibre members of our diaspora who are determined to share their accumulated knowledge and experience in creating integrated, empowered and protected diaspora. The Forum will have a bridging role between our diaspora and state with the objective of creating a platform of experience sharing, capacity building, consulting and providing advisory support. 

Annual Ambassador’s Retreat Concludes with Renewed Commitment   

The two-week long Annual Retreat of Ethiopian Heads of Diplomatic and Consular Missions overseas successfully concluded on Saturday, 27 January 2024 in the presence of Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Demeke Mekonnen Hassen. This year’s gathering brought together director generals at the headquarters and heads of diplomatic and consular missions around the world to deliberate on key policy issues, current domestic, regional and global issues of importance and ways of enhancing engagements and adopting innovative solutions. The crux of the discussions revolved around the national interest of Ethiopia and the context in which it will be pursued. The participants among others had an unprecedented opportunity to deliberate on Ethiopia’s key foreign policy priorities including regional integration, economic diplomacy, peace and security and humanitarian diplomacy around the world.  

Speaking at the closing ceremony of the meeting, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Demeke Mekonnen stressed the importance of ensuring Ethiopia’s active participation in regional, continental and multilateral organizations and emerging global blocs such as BRICS, which Ethiopia recently joined. Leveraging these platforms to advocate for national interest of the country, address regional challenges, and foster mutually beneficial collaboration was at the heart of Demeke’s remarks. Among others, DPM and FM Demeke noted, BRICS membership will provide new opportunity to further develop economic relationships with Member state and to advance South-South Cooperation. He also reaffirmed Ethiopia’s commitment to cooperative multilateralism, to strengthen economic partnership and Ethiopia will actively participate in implementing the BRICS economic strategy to create equitable global development.     

Peace, security and economic diplomacy were the key topic addressed during annual ambassadors retreat remarks, given Ethiopia’s pivotal role in promoting peace and integration in the region. In this regard, the DPM and FM highlighted the crucial role Ethiopia played in conflict resolution, peace keeping operations in the region, the Continent and the world at large in tandem with combatting transnational crimes including terrorism. Ethiopia’s regional diplomacy, to which it accords utmost attention, is aimed at enhancing regional peace and security and sustainable yet shared development.  

On the other hand, Ethiopia’s commitment to  humanitarian issues both at home and in the region was discussed. Emphasis was given to further enhancing Ethiopia’s efforts to hosting, assisting and supporting refugees from neighbouring countries.  

Last but not least, the DPM and FM also reiterated the growing significance of economic diplomacy as part of the pursuit of Ethiopia national interest through diplomacy. He noted, this genre of diplomacy stands as the primary pillar of Ethiopia’s foreign policy engagements. The retreat, in this connection, focused on leveraging avenues of further bolstering cooperation in trade, investment, tourism, and sharing technical expertise.