Africa

The Mali crisis: a continental menace

The crisis in Mali is no longer a simple Malian affair. How Africa deals with it will speak volumes on the continent’s readiness to solve its troubles by itself.

Fred A. Eno, Special to Addis Standard

Dr. Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma could be pardoned for over indulgence in the oft-criticized but favorite past-time of the AU Commission: travel. Yet the Malian crises, and the many others she will have to tackle in the next four years, cannot be resolved from behind her desk in the Office of the Chairperson of the Commission in Addis Ababa. The tasks ahead require the best of her experience, tenacity and perseverance, as they bring to play all the challenges, and criticisms that the AUC encounters in determining its role in questions of peace and security, development, governance, democracy, human rights, social equity, humanitarian issues and inclusivity on the continent.

Africa

Inside Ethiopia’s mediocre service providing sector

Recently Lonely Planate named Addis Ababa as one of the world’s ten best cities to visit in 2013. It did so for the city’s culture, food, and value for money. But customer handling in most places where the best food and culture is available is niggling

 Emnet Assefa

Being home to the African Union Commission (AUC), The UN Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA), more than a hundred embassies and diplomatic missions, as well as a growing number of multilateral companies means Addis Ababa in particular and Ethiopia in general has seen its share of hotels and resorts, cafés, restaurants, and tour and travel agencies, among other service delivery sectors, triple in the past one decade alone. Not only has the number tripled, each and every service delivery sector has seen their income increase significantly thanks to Ethiopia’s  opportunities to host so many international conferences, meetings and events every year.

Africa

Addis Ababa City: Under construction at 125

Emnet Assefa

Addis Ababa has just completed celebrating its 125th year of founding anniversary, which was being marked for the last one year, as Ethiopia’s capital. Being the capital city of a country with a history that stretches over 3000 years, it’s safe to say that Addis Ababa is a very young city. But in just over a few  decades the city has gone from being a capital of a nation to a political capital of the continent Africa, a seat for hundreds of international diplomatic missions and organizations and one of the “fast evolving cities”, according to Lonely Planet. It has become the business center for many international institutes and organizations too, and has grown very big, became highly populated as compared to its young age and changed a lot in many aspects.