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Issue 01, September 2014

Contents

The US - Africa Leaders Summit ............................... 1

U.S - Ethiopia Business & Investment Forum ....... 3

Aurora - Adama Sister City Signing ......................... 4

Memorial Service of late PM Meles Zenawi .......... 5

Ethiopia hands over AGOA Chairmanship ............ 5

Mickey Leland's 25th anniversary Commemorated... 6

Diaspora Festival in Tigrai ......................................... 7

Ethiopia's Simien Mountains ..................................... 7

The US-Africa Leaders' Summit in Washington DC

The US-Africa Leaders' Summit held from August 04 - 06, 2014 in

Washington DC was an important political statement by the US

and Africa that both value a deepened relationship. Nearly fifty

Heads of State and Government attended the summit.

There were three broad topics for the Summit: Investing in

Africa’s Future; Peace and Regional Stability; and Governing for

the Next Generation. Sessions were chaired by President Obama,

but much of the action took place in business and policy

meetings on the fringe of the Summit. A US-Africa Business

CEO summit, organized by the US Secretary of Commerce and

Bloomberg Philanthropies helped to highlight the potential of

African markets for US corporate investors.

The US-Africa Business Forum, the first such gathering of

African and American business leaders, focused on

infrastructure, power, agriculture, finance and capital

investments and information and communication technologies.

At the Forum, President Obama, underlining the US aim to

strengthen America's links with Africa, announced US$33 billion

in public and private money in commitments, aimed at moving

U.S. ties with Africa beyond humanitarian aid and towards more

equal economic partnerships.

Ethiopian Embassy News A Monthly Newsletter of the Ethiopian Embassy, Washington D.C.

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Other initiatives announced during the Summit included

an African Peacekeeping Rapid Response Partnership

with Ethiopia, Ghana, Rwanda, Senegal, Tanzania and

Uganda to develop rapid response forces ready to deploy

as part of United Nations or African Union missions.

Prime Minister Hailemariam, speaking at a panel on

climate change, called on African leaders to launch

climate-smart agricultural initiatives to combat the effects

of climate change that affect agricultural productivity.

Prime Minister Hailemariam also held talks with US

Secretary of State, John Kerry who welcomed the Prime

Minister as a regional leader whom, he said, had been

“enormously engaged with us on many different issues.”

He spoke of Ethiopia’s very important help to try to move

the peace processes in Sudan and South Sudan forward

and said Ethiopia had been a leader in bringing countries

together to try to effect a ceasefire and move the parties in

South Sudan into negotiations. He said Ethiopia had been

a key factor for the US in respect to the transition taking

place in Somalia, for which the US was very grateful. He

described the relationship between Ethiopia and the US as

“strong and productive”, and said the US was “very, very

grateful for [Ethiopia’s] leadership most of all at a difficult

time in some difficult places.”

Prime Minister Hailemariam, who said he believed the

relationship between Ethiopia and the United States was

deepening added that Ethiopia was working hard to

pacify the IGAD region as peace and security were the

basis for all engagements, economic development and

cooperation. He noted both governments were working

hard to encourage US investors to invest in Ethiopia and

take advantage of its peace and stability, a prerequisite for

investment.

In a related development, a symposium entitled

“Investing in Our Future” was held in Washington D.C.

It brought together US-African first spouses, leaders from

non-governmental and non-profit organizations, private

sector partners, and other leading experts. The

symposium highlighted the important role of first

spouses and focused on the impact of investments in

education, health and economic development through

Public -Private Partnerships.

Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn in

different activities of the summit

Ethiopian Foreign Minister, Dr Tedros

Adhanom, co-chaired a Forum on Health, on

the theme of “Investing in Health in Africa's

Future”, with US Secretary of Health and

Human Services, Sylvia Burwell. The forum

deliberated on major health issues including

ways to keep the world safe and secure from

infectious diseases and to deal with emerging

threats.

The focus of much of the discussions at the

U.S.-African Leaders summit was on

increasing United States investment in Africa

and promoting peace and stability on the

continent. The forum had provided for

discussion of numerous issues such as

conflicts in the Great Lakes Region, in South

Sudan and Somalia, and on terrorism, as well

as backstage diplomatic discussions that will

yield future deals and partnerships between

American companies and African nations.

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US - Ethiopia Business and Investment Forum held in LA and Houston

The "U.S. - Ethiopia Business and Investment

Summit" has been convened in Houston (July 30),

Texas and Los Angeles (August 01), California,

under the theme "Fostering Private Sector

Partnership for Economic Development."

The Summit is the first of its kind to bring together

in one place several high-ranking Ethiopian

government officials and private sector

representatives with the U.S. private sector, fully

dedicated to the cause of fostering business and

investment between Ethiopia and the United States.

The Ethiopian delegation to the Summit was led by

H.E. Dr. Mulatu Teshome, President of the Federal

Democratic Republic of Ethiopia and consisted of

H.E. Dr. Tedros Adhanom, Foreign Minister of

Ethiopia, H.E. Mr. Girma Birru, Ambassador of

Ethiopia to the United States, and other cabinet

Ministers as well as senior government officials and

more than 80 private sector representatives. The

presence of this high-level delegation at the Summit

reaffirmed the strong commitment of the Ethiopian

Government to encourage and promote foreign

investment in the country.

The Summit was a resounding success, both in

Houston and Los Angeles. In both places, it was

attended by an over-flowing audience with some

380 representatives of U.S. companies attending the

Summit in Houston, and more than 320 U.S.

companies in Los Angeles.

The diverse composition of the companies that were

present at the Summit (ranging from Energy and

Mining to Agriculture, Manufacturing,

Construction, Hotel and Tourism; Education and

Health services) indicated the wide scope of interest

from American companies to do business in

Ethiopia.

President Mulatu Teshome and Amb. Girma Birru

addressing U.S. - Ethiopia Business and Investment

Forum

Some well-known U.S. companies that have already

commenced significant investments in Ethiopia have

also attended the Summit. To mention a few, some of

these investments include the 4 billion USD

Geothermal investments by the US-Icelandic

independent power producer, Reykjavik Geothermal,

to build the largest geothermal facility in Africa to

produce 1,000 MW of electricity.

The recent $200 million investment by the renowned

global private equity firm, KKR in the flower sector -

which is the company's first investment in Africa; and

the recent agreement signed between the Ethiopian

government and Delonex Energy and Warburg Pincus

- One of the largest private equity firms in the U.S. -

for the exploration of petroleum products at the

Ogaden region at an estimated project cost of 150 to

200 million dollars are just prominent companies that

have showed a marked interest to do business in

Ethiopia.

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U.S. - Ethiopia Business and Investment Forum

Participants

These and several other investments by multinational

companies indicate that U.S. companies are showing

increasing interest and confidence that Ethiopia is an

attractive destination for business and investment.

The Summit reinforced our firm conviction that now

is the time for American companies to invest and do

business in Ethiopia.

With a population of about 90 million, the country

has huge potentials for investments in various sectors

of the economy including agriculture, ago-

processing, manufacturing, mining, energy,

infrastructure and tourism. As a result of these

diverse opportunities, the conducive business

environment and a wide-range of investment

incentives provided by the government, Ethiopia is

increasingly becoming an attractive destination for

business and investment from around the globe.

The Embassy of Ethiopia in Washington D.C. is fully

committed to support and facilitate these endeavors.

Thus, U.S companies, that have interest to do

business and investment in Ethiopia, should consider

the Embassy as their first gate of entry to explore

these untapped opportunities.

At Global Fest 2014, Aurora Colorado Welcomes Adama as Sister City A delegation from Adama, Ethiopia was festively

welcomed to Aurora, Colorado on Saturday, August

23rd, 2014 at the annual Global Fest celebration

where representatives of the Ethiopian and

American municipalities signed a Sister Cities

agreement.

“It’s intentional,” Aurora Mayor Steve Hogan told

the Denver Post. “Aurora is really the most

international city in Colorado. Others may claim it,

but we are, and it’s events like this that are making

that happen, that celebrate that international flavor.”

It’s hoped that the pact between Aurora and Adama

will “open up trade between the cities, boost

economic development and give citizens in both

locations a better sense of who each other is.”

Present during the signing ceremony was

Ambassador Tebege Berhe, Deputy Chief of the

Embassy of Ethiopia in Washington D.C.

According to the Denver Post, the Aurora-Denver

border area is home to an Ethiopian population of

approximately 30,000. The event featured music,

dance, and food by an Ethiopian Restaurant.

Signing of Sister Cities agreement at the Aurora

Municipal Center in Aurora, Colorado

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Ethiopian Diaspora 2nd Annual Memorial Service for late Prime Minister Meles Zenawi Washington D.C.

Ethiopian Diaspora members residing in

Metropolitan DC area commemorated the 2nd

anniversary of the death of the late Prime Minister

Meles Zenawi with a candle-light vigil they held on

August 20, 2014 at the auditorium of the Chancery of

the Ethiopian Embassy in Washington D.C. The

youth who sponsored the event speaking on the

occasion said, the Premier had played a significant

role in clearing the bottlenecks that the Ethiopian

society was grappling with and encountering by the

provision of tested solutions to its ills.

The event participants had underlined the useful

moral support and close leadership of the Premier

and the assistance he offered to the rapid growth the

country has registered in the past years, they noted.

Ethiopia has a large number of young poeple who

are working diligently to realize the vision of PM

Meles Zenawi, they emphasized.

Ethiopia due to the vision and directives set by the

late Premier has given special attention to its

development which has earned it the fastest growth

rate for the last so many years, they pointed out.

Chicago

Ethiopian Community Council of Chicago held 2nd

annual memorial service for late PM Meles Zenawi

on August 30th 2014. The event highlighted candle

light vigil, silent prayer, and remarks by speakers

representing various Midwest States.

The speakers highlighted various achievements of PM

Meles, citing his leadership in forging a strong party,

EPRDF, charting feasible plans for Ethiopians

economic and political developments; and advancing

the interests of Ethiopia and Africa on world fora. The

memorial service underscored Meles Zenawi’s legacy,

vision and place in history as the architect of

contemporary Ethiopia’s Federal Democratic Republic

system. The audience comprised of guests from

Illinois, Indiana and Wisconsin. The memorial service

was concluded by remarks made by the Council

Chairman, Befekadu Terefe Retta who thanked the

audience for their attendance and reminded them to

continue to do their level best to support the ongoing

development and good governance of their

motherland.

Denver

In a similar manner, Ethiopian Diaspora members in

Denver and Aurora also commemorated the 2nd

anniversary of the late Prime Minister Meles Zenawi

on August 24, 2014.

Ethiopia hands over AGOA Chairmanship

Ethiopia handed over the chairmanship of the Africa

Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) Ministerial

Consultative Group to Gabon at the meeting of

African Trade Ministers held on August 3, 2014 at the

African Union Representational Mission to the USA,

convened to make consultations prior to the AGOA

Ministerial meeting on August 4, 2014.

In his opening remarks as the outgoing chair, Mr.

Kebede Chane, Minister of Trade of the Federal

Democratic Republic of Ethiopia mentioned that one

of the key tasks undertaken since the 2013 AGOA

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In his remarks, Dr. Tedros Adhanom stated that

Ethiopians always remember Mickey Leland as a

compassionate person who brought to international

attention the plight of those suffering from hunger

and famine. He further noted that the legacy of the

Congressman lives on in Ethiopia as its people and

government have committed themselves to

ensuring the end of hunger there.

“Ethiopia has no other enemy except poverty and

backwardness and the government is therefore

doing all its best to bring about food security and

development to its people”, the Minister stated.

Speeches of remembrance were made, among

others, by Congresswoman Eddie Bernice Johnson

and Texas State Senator Rodney Ellis who were

close friends to Congressman Leland.

Congressman Leland was the chairman of the

House Select Committee on Hunger. The Select

Committee generated awareness within Congress

of national and international hunger and prompted

a bipartisan effort to find solutions to hunger in the

U.S. and around the world. During his time in

office, Congressman Leland led numerous

humanitarian missions, returning to Washington,

D.C. to relay to fellow Members of Congress his

firsthand accounts of acute hunger in Sub-Saharan

Africa.

Mr. Leland, along with fifteen others, died in a

plane crash in Gambela, Ethiopia in 1989.

Forum was to communicate to the US Administration

and members of Congress the essence of the

continental aspirations for a seamless and enhanced

extension of AGOA beyond 2015. In relation to this, he

mentioned that he had been privileged to oversee the

development of a White Paper, prepared by the African

Union Commission and the United Nations Economic

Commission for Africa that outlines Africa’s position

on the AGOA review process and has now been

submitted to the office of the United States Trade

Representative (USTR).

Ethiopia, in its capacity as the chair of the Group, had

been coordinating activities of AGOA eligible countries

at Ministerial, Ambassadorial and Experts levels. In

Washington DC, H.E. Ambassador Girma Birru and his

team in the Embassy of Ethiopia had, among others,

organized consultations amongst AGOA eligible

embassies, participated at roundtables and conducted

meetings with the administration and members of

Congress on issues pertaining to the reauthorization of

AGOA beyond 2015. This has been done in accordance

to the mandate given by the African Trade Ministers to

the Washington DC based AGOA eligible

Ambassadors to engage actively the US Administration

and members of Congress on the way forward and

mobilize support from relevant stakeholders.

Ethiopia had been the chair of the AGOA Ministerial

Consultative Group since 2012 and had hosted the 12th

AGOA Forum of 2013 in Addis Ababa.

Anniversary of the death of Congressman Mickey Leland Commemorated

The Embassy of Ethiopia in Washington D.C. held a

commemorative event on August 7, 2014 on the 25th

anniversary of the tragic passing of Congressman

Mickey Leland, organized in collaboration with the

office of Congresswoman Eddie Bernice Johnson and

Texas State Senator Rodney Ellis. The event was

graced by the presence of H.E. Dr. Tedros Adhanom,

Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ethiopia as well as

friends and colleagues of the late Congressman.

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Diaspora Members who took part in Festival Tigray Motivated by Development in the Country

Diaspora members who took part in the International

Fest expressed their feelings by saying that the

developmental growth registered in the country has

motivated them to come back to their land of origin

and become participants and beneficiaries of the

process.

Participants who took part in the week long Diaspora

Festival held in Mekelle, from July 31, -August 6, 2014

said that they have taken great pride in the

development and growth registered in the state and

the country at large.

Some of those who converged from around the globe

reaffirmed that they are undertaking feasibility study

on a project that they can run in an organized

manner.

The Diaspora members had the opportunity to visit

first hand historical places, cultural sites and centers

of development projects.

Over 200 projects launched by members of the

Diaspora in Tigray state have created over 5,000 jobs,

it was learnt. The Festival is aimed to showcase the

ongoing development endeavor in the state and

motivate members of the Diaspora to be active

partners. The Festival entertained symposiums and

tours of development works in the State of Tigray.

The next festival is decided to take place in Seattle,

United States. Over 3000 Tigray born Diasporas

participated in the festival, it was learnt.

Contact Us: EMBASSY OF ETHIOPIA

3506 International Drive, NW

Washington D.C., 20008

Email: embassy@ethiopianembassy.org

Tel: 202 364 1200 Fax: 202 587 0195

Take a Hike across Ethiopia's Simien Mountains Once you've been up on the Roof of Africa in the Ethiopian

Highlands, you won't want to come down

The Simien Mountains

Up a stony path, the air thins with every breath.

Ribbons of mist weave around and a vulture circles

overhead. Just when one thinks the legs can't take it

anymore, you have reached the top.

Looking over the edge of a precipice. Similar hills rise

like turrets in the valley below, with sheer drops for

sides, and it is hard to take in the scale. With these

majestic cathedrals of rock—and not another soul as

far as the eye can see—it's obvious why they call this

the Roof of Africa.

A group of gelada baboons There, sitting contentedly in a neat circle, are the

Gelada Baboons—found only in the Ethiopian

Highlands.