Sunday, 06 July 2014 20:42

Newsletter 39

In this newsletter

  • First motor oil, grease company opens in Ethiopia

  • BNH to open permanent office in Addis Ababa

  • Africa Bamboo center to be established in Ethiopia

 

First motor oil, grease company opens in Ethiopia

Lubham Oil and Grease Company was opened on Tuesday in Gelan town of the Oromia Special Zone, which is located some 37 on south east of Addis. 

Nastech Petroleum, the owner of Lubham Oil and Grease Company, which is currently investing in Ethiopia, is looking for future expansion of the factories with the aim of boosting the automobile industry, according to Eng. Nazar Ibraheim Omar, chairman and CEO of Nastech Petroleum.

The Sudanese-based petroleum firm is known to have an oil investment in the United Arab Emirates and Ethiopia and has attracted the firm to invest a non-existing type of investment. “We believe Ethiopia catches eyes for investment and this is what we thought the best way to enter it is,” the chairman said.

Mebrhatu Melis (Ph.D.), state minister of Industry acknowledged the investment made by Nastech Petroleum that would inspire many to engage in the automobile industry. Mulugeta Kebede, mayor of the Gelan town said that the company would bring in variety as the town hosts a number of firms engaged in commodity production. Moreover, it will encourage other giant companies to invest in the industry town. “This company has invested millions of dollars and is hiring the local labor force,” he said.

Lubham Oil and Grease Company commenced with an initial investment of USD 10 million and hundreds of labor from the locality. It is also one of the 276 investments in Gelan town.


Source the reporter ethiopia newsletter, 28 JUNE 2014     WRITTEN BY  HENOK RETA


BNH to open permanent office in Addis Ababa

The deputy hospital director and other members of the Bangkok-based BNH Hospital – a hospital that has been in service for 116 years – were here in Addis Ababa to assess the situation in Ethiopia and to establish a strong link between the hospitals and the community that seeks medical treatment abroad.

The visit was organized by Molla Zegeye and Family Plc.

Nopparat Panthongwiriyakul (MD), deputy hospital director of BNH hospital, told The Reporter that since they have some patients from Ethiopia coming to their hospital for some treatment, particularly spine operations and breast cancer treatment, they came here to inspect the situation in the country themselves so as to develop a plan to scale up thier service and also to see how they can cooperate with other medical institutions in Ethiopia.

He  said that during their five-day stay in Addis Ababa to conduct a feasibility study they were able to exchange views with people from the Ministry of Health on issues related to transfer of technology and sharing the experiences that BNH acquires through its longstanding medical treatment services. 

Apart from the individuals from the ministry, the representatives also discussed with public and private hospitals ways of strengthening their cooperation so as to facilitate the travel for the purpose of medical treatment in Bangkok, Thailand.

Thanasit Siripokhakul, acting overseas marketing division manager, told The Reporter that currently the hospital was working with Molla Zegeye and Family Plc as a link between the hospital and the patients who need treatment at the BNH hospitals.

He added that BNH hospital would open a permanent office here in Addis Ababa within the next six or 12 months to mainly perform the works of screening patients who are seeking medication attention abroad. The office will mainly carry out the screening, which means that if the patient can be treated here they will stay in the country, if not they will be transferred, saving time and money.

Molla Zegeye, a renowned lawyer and member of the board of directors of the Addis Ababa Chamber of Commerce and Sectoral Association (ACCSA) and the  Ethiopian Institute of Corporate Governance (EICG) told The Reporter that his company was working closely with the hospital during the past and the current visit organized by his company aims at inspecting the situation here to establish a permanent liaison office here in Addis Ababa to examine the patients before they go anywhere abroad, especially the BNH Hospital Thailand.

According to him the establishment of this representative office will facilitate the necessary preconditions before the patients depart abroad and help the patients to finalize their checkups here and if their case is not severe to treat it locally.

The BNH Hospital was formerly known as the Bangkok Nursing Home Hospital, thus the acronym BNH. It was established more than 100 years ago by George Grenville, the British Ambassador to Thailand at the time.

BNH Hospital receives approximately 75,000 international patients annually, mostly from the United States, United Kingdom, France, Australia, Canada, Germany, Switzerland and Denmark.

 

Souorce The Reporter Newsletter Ethiopia 

28 JUNE 2014 WRITTEN BY  NEAMIN ASHENAFI

 

Africa Bamboo center to be established in Ethiopia

Bamboo resource in Benishangul Gumuz under threat

Ethiopia, home to 67 percent of the overall bamboo and rattan forest in Africa, is to become home to the continent's first bamboo and rattan research and demonstration center with the aim of promoting the resource, its various value addition options and untapped economic value across Africa.


Categorized under the grass family, the bamboo plant can be processed into 1,500 different types of products and factory ingredients for which there are high demands around the globe at the moment. And so far, the potentials are far from being tapped in Africa; most importantly in East Africa where bamboo is an indigenous plant and the bulk of Africa's bamboo forest is located. Ethiopia, which is estimated to have one million hectares of bamboo forestation, dominated by lowland and highland bamboo varieties, is the most important in this region.  

Sileshi Getahu, state minister of agriculture, said his ministry is well aware of this potential and is taking steps to lead the sector. An ideal platform, according to Sileshi, has been the International Network for Bamboo and Rattan (INBAR), an intergovernmental organization established in 1997 to develop and promote innovative solutions to poverty and environmental sustainability using bamboo and rattan, to which Ethiopia is home, together with 38 other countries. Since China is the world's leading nation in the utilization of the bamboo plant, INBAR is headquartered there. And for the past two years, Ethiopia has chaired the ministerial council, an intergovernmental body that is leading the INBAR network. 

According to the state minister, the proposed center is an outcome of the role Ethiopia has been playing as chair of this council for the past two years. “First and foremost, the idea of setting up a bamboo center in Ethiopia is the outcome of the bilateral talks between the Chinese government and our counterpart. Nevertheless, we have some convincing to do to persuade other African countries that are members of the network to locate the continental bamboo center in Ethiopia,” he told The Reporter. 


 

Source The reporter ethiopia 21 JUNE 2014 WRITTEN BY  ASRAT SEYOUM


 

Last modified on Sunday, 06 July 2014 21:12