Month: May 2023

Categories
Government

Ethiopia Needs to capitalize its Best Airlines to Promote Tourism: Mexico’s Ambassador

Ethiopia needs to use the best airlines in Africa (Ethiopian) to promote its beautiful tourism attractions as Mexico open to work with the country to promote the sector, Ambassador of Mexico to Ethiopia Victor Trevino said.

Recently, the government prioritizes the sector as one of the pillars of the economy for the country and has given due attention under the 10-year development plan.

Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed initiated “Dine for Nation” projects on Koysha, Wonchi, and Gorgora believed to inspire and transform Ethiopia’s tourism sector.

In an exclusive interview with ENA, Ambassador of Mexico to Ethiopia, Victor Trevino said Ethiopia and Mexico are very proud countries about their culture and history among others with long-term bondage.

Even though Mexico is too far in terms of geography, Mexico’s first embassy in the whole continent was established here in Ethiopia, he elaborated.

The longstanding friendship between the two nations goes back to 1936 when Mexico strongly condemned the Italian invasion of Ethiopia and supported its independence and status as a member of the League of Nations.

Alongside maintaining the importance of history, the traditions of the two nations, he said “we need to go further for the importance of the future. We need to pass these values to the younger generations and we need to increase our trade ties.”

The Ambassador stressed that increasing trade ties has to be one of the priorities of Ethiopia and Mexico.

“We import more than we export. For example the main import product of Ethiopia to Mexico is the sesame seeds and we export to Ethiopia some parts of agricultural machinery but we need to increase the trade ties further.”

In the near future, he added “we can increase the cooperation in the tourism sector as well. As partners, we must promote the tourism industry in Ethiopia.”

For the Ambassador, Ethiopia has beautiful sites, but unfortunately it is not even in the top five tourist receptionists in Africa even though you have the most important airlines in the continent to promote the sector and you have the beautiful places to visit.

The airline serves 131 international passenger and cargo destinations, including 63 African cities, with daily and multiple flights with a minimum layover in Addis.

The country has lots of cultural heritages, ethnographic attractions, traditional crafts, natural resources, natural beauty, the scenery, the landscapes, and the beautiful weather among others.

“You need more human resources to exploit the tourism resources and to promote it to the global community. We are open to work with Ethiopia to promote scholarships for people to study tourism,” he noted.

Praising the recent peace agreement in Ethiopia, the Ambassador stressed that peace is vital to attract more investment to Ethiopia in various sectors in general and in tourism in particular.

Ethiopia, which is the diplomatic capital of Africa, is known as “the land of origins,” where many important archaeological and paleontological milestones have been uncovered.

Source: Ethiopian News Agency

Categories
Business Market

Nation Earns 172.25 Mil USD from Mines Export in Nine Months

Ethiopia has earned 172.25 million USD from Mines export trade over the past nine months of current fiscal year.

The Ministry of Mines has discussed on its nine months plan and performance of current Ethiopian fiscal year.

Strategic affairs executive officer at the ministry, Meseret Nigusei has said in her nine months performance report of the ministry, the nation has produced 2.68 tons of gold, 255.7 tons of jewelry minerals and 164 .5 tons of tantalum.

The country has earned a total of 172.25 million USD from mines export trade during the stated period.

Out of the total revenue secured, 150.6 million USD was obtained from gold, the executive officer said.

According to him, investment licenses were issued to 15 foreign and 29 domestic companies to engage in the development, exploration and production of minerals.

The sector has created jobs to more than 146,784 citizens during the nine months of this budget year.

Minister of Mines, Habtamu Tegegn said the government is exerting efforts to develop the sector with a view to strengthening foreign currency revenue and job opportunities.

Source: Ethiopian News Agency

Categories
Market

Ethiopia, Türkiye Stress Need to Further Diversify Ties in Trade and FDI

State Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Mesganu Arga received the Deputy Foreign Minister of Türkiye and conferred on bilateral, regional and multilateral issues of common interest.

The two sides concurred that Ethiopia and Türkiye, which enjoy solid traditional diplomatic bond formed over 127 years ago, need to further diversify their ties in trade and foreign direct investment (FDI), according to Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Ambassador Mesganu, who briefed his Türkiye counterpart on the implementation of the peace agreement in Pretoria called upon the international community and Türkiye, in particular, to support the post-conflict peace-building process.

The Deputy Foreign Minister, on his part, lauded the implementation of the peace deal.

He said Türkiye business community is keen on investing in Ethiopia.

The Sudanese people should be given a chance to solve their differences through dialogue than military means, the two officials agreed.

Source: Ethiopian News Agency

Categories
Market

Coffee Processing Factory in Oromia Starts Exporting Coffee by Adding Value on its Products

Delegations from Zambia, Niger, Tanzania and Cote d'Ivoire today visited ONE.KOO Coffee Factory, a coffee processing factory owned by Oromia Coffee Farmers Cooperative Union in Gelan town.

The visit was accompanied by the Chief Administrator of Oromia Regional state, Shimelis Abdisa and other regional state officials.

Oromia Coffee Farmers Cooperative Union is one of the unions that exports coffee to the international market by adding value on the production.

ONE.KOO Coffee Factory, which was established a year ago at a cost of 50 million birr, has been expanding its products to foreign markets including the United States by adding value.

The factory has earned 70 million birr in the first half of this Ethiopia fiscal year, the general manager of the factory, Solomon Taddela told ENA.

Delegations drawn from the four African countries are in Ethiopia to exchange the best practices and experiences of Ethiopia in transforming agriculture, particularly wheat, avocado, and coffee developments in Ethiopia.

The delegations have so far visited several agricultural activities being carried out in wheat and avocado cultivations.

Source: Ethiopian News Agency

Categories
General

First Round of Peace Talks in Tanzania Concludes: GCS

The first round of peace talks held in Tanzania concerning the conflict in Oromia regional state have been concluded today, according to Government Communication Service(GCS).

In its current situation update issued today, GCS stated that while the talks have been largely constructive, unfortunately, it was not possible to reach agreement on some issues during this round of the talks.

Both parties have acknowledged the need to continue these talks with a view to resolving the conflict permanently and peacefully, it added.

The Service also said that the Government of Ethiopian would like to take this opportunity to reiterate its commitment to the peaceful resolution of the conflict in accordance with the FDRE Constitution and within the framework of fundamental principles that have guided such efforts until now.

The government of Ethiopia would like to express its gratitude for those who have facilitated and hosted the talks.

Source: Ethiopian News Agency

Categories
General

WPFD: Journalists trained on misinformation, disinformation, and fake news

Several Media practitioners have been sensitized on the negative impacts of misinformation, disinformation, and fake news.

This was on the occasion of the commemoration of World Press Freedom Day in Cameroon on May 3 at the Ministry of Post and Telecommunication.

The seminar which took place under the theme ” Disinformation, a hindrance to the rights of Citizens to have access to the right information, was chaired by the Minister of Post and Telecommunication, Minette Libom Li Likeng.

The minister said they recognize that Journalists have a key role to play in the organization of society by avoiding fake news, misinformation, and disinformation.

“We are therefore here to help Journalists to do their Job by giving them the right information to make them be able to differentiate between misinformation and the truth” She stated.

According to Yerima Kini Nsom, Bureau Chief of The Post Newspaper in Yaounde, Journalists should be steadfast in ensuring that anything that goes to the public is verified and trusted.

“Journalists should show that responsibility of great magnitude to fight against the ill on misinformation and disinformation. They can do this by discipline and verification of facts. Journalists should be doubting Thomases, it’s not enough to see issues being published on social media that one should think it is the truth. We should always verify our sources in order to avoid fake news” He said.

He further recalled to media men to ” Always check and check and if in doubts kill the story. Always verify if the person giving you that information has the authority of intellectual capacity to give you that information”

” It was an enriching experience, I leave this seminar more aware of the dangers of social media, and I have to take every piece of information I come across with a pinch of salt. I leave here like a doubting Thomas to question every piece of information I come across before disseminating and passing across to the public” a participant, Isaac NGONG KUM said.

Before the end of the seminar, there was a working session where Journalists had an exchange with experts for a better understanding of these concepts. Awarding of Certificates to participants thereafter.

Organized under the sponsorship of MINPOSTEL by the Association Media, Mediation and Citizenship, this event is in line with actions taken by the government to end misinformation and fake news in the country.

Source: Cameroon News Agency

Categories
Sports

Franco-Cameroonian born, Joel Embiid wins NBA Most Valuable Player Award

Cameroonian born Joel Embiid, 29 of the Philadelphia, USA 76ers has been named the National Basketball Association NBA’s Most Valuable Player, MVP for the 2022-23 season.

EmbiId who finished second in the award behind Nikola Jokic in the past two seasons, was competing against Giannis Antetokounmpo and Denver Nuggets star Jokic to claim the game’s top individual accolade on May 2nd.

He bagged the award with 73 out of the 100 available first-place votes. Jokic had 15 while Antetokounmpo rounded out the top three with 12 votes, ahead of Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum and Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.

Reports reveal he had publicly campaigned and declared his intention to win the MVP for years now. Speaking to “ Inside the NBA press” after being named MVP he reacted saying “I don’t even know where to start. It’s been a long time coming, a lot of hard work. I’ve been through a lot, and I’m not just talking about basketball… It feels good. I don’t know what to say. It’s amazing.”

Embiid began his basketball career at 15 after playing volleyball and soccer back in Cameroon. He discovered basketball by watching videos on YouTube and dedicated himself to his craft, before he moved to the United States at 16 years and was spotted in a basketball camp.

Source: Cameroon News Agency

Categories
Africa Asean MENA Pakistan Press Releases South Africa

Registration for GMAT™ Focus Edition to Open in August 2023

Free prep materials available two months prior to propel candidates to success on their business school journey

RESTON, Va., May 02, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — The Graduate Management Admission Council™ (GMAC), a global association representing leading business schools, today announced that registration for the GMAT™ Focus Edition, an updated version of the Graduate Management Admission Test™ (GMAT™) exam, will open on August 29, 2023 for testing in the fourth quarter this year. In addition, official GMAT Focus prep materials will be available on mba.com on June 6, 2023, with a free study planner of only six weeks to help test takers stick to a schedule, inform prep activities, and track progress, as well as a free GMAT Focus Official Starter Kit that comes with a sampler of 70 real GMAT questions and two full-length practice exams to help candidates establish performance baseline.

Earlier this year, GMAC introduced GMAT Focus Edition after extensive research efforts involving hundreds of school professionals and an in-depth concept testing with thousands of students globally. The GMAT, the most widely used business school admissions exam in the past seven decades, was redesigned with improved test taking experience and flexible new features to better support candidates of graduate business education. Schools will benefit from it as an improved element in their holistic admissions process.

“We want to encourage people with a broad set of qualifications, undergraduate backgrounds and lived experiences to understand the richness of their choice and take that leap forward on their business school journey,” said Joy Jones, CEO of GMAC. “It is our belief that GMAT Focus Edition will allow candidates to optimize their preparation for graduate business education while helping schools attract a global pool of qualified and diverse applicants.”

“This is an important evolution of the test,” said Bruce DelMonico, Assistant Dean for Admissions at Yale School of Management and a board member of GMAC. “In terms of the relevance and usefulness of the test, this is definitely a positive step that will be beneficial both to business schools and to candidates.”

More efficient, more flexible, and more insightful, in an all-new testing experience

The GMAT Focus Edition will feature three 45-minute sections: Quantitative Reasoning, which examines problem solving skills; Verbal Reasoning, which evaluates critical reasoning and reading comprehension but no longer incorporates sentence correction; and the newly developed Data Insights section, which measures candidates’ data literacy skills and ability to analyze and interpret data and apply it to real-world business scenarios. With these changes and the removal of the Analytical Writing Assessment (AWA), it is nearly one hour shorter than the current version of the GMAT and therefore requires less content to prepare. Besides new features that allow test takers to bookmark as many questions as they want, review questions within the remaining section time and change up to three answers per section, and to complete the three sections in any order, the enhanced Official Score Report now offers detailed performance insights that helps them assess strengths and identify focus areas at no additional cost.

“I think the redesign of the GMAT exam is testament to GMAC’s commitment to continuous improvement. Changes to the exam address the growing importance of certain competencies and the future of work – for example with the addition of Data Insight,” said Arnold Longboy, Executive Director, Recruitment & Admissions at London Business School.

New score scale and concordance to help assess candidate competitiveness

The GMAT Focus Edition’s Total Score, ranging from 205 to 805, is based on test taker performance on all three sections of the exam, with each section, ranging from 60 to 90, weighted equally. This change has been made to ensure that test takers and schools can easily distinguish from a GMAT Focus Edition score to the currently available GMAT Exam score, which ranges from 200 to 800. To understand a test taker’s relative competitiveness, one can use the concordance tables available on mba.com that link score distributions between the two versions of the exam by percentile. With the GMAT Focus Edition’s new score scale, percentile rankings deserve the primary attention from test takers and schools when looking to understand the results.

“When comparing scores of GMAT Focus Edition to the current version of the GMAT Exam, we encourage test takers and schools to compare percentile rankings rather than comparing total scores,” stressed Manish Dharia, director of product development at GMAC. “Because the Total Score scale and the score scale distribution have both changed, comparing total scores or section scores from the current version of the exam to the GMAT Focus Edition is not appropriate, accurate, or a meaningful comparison of performance. Scores of 600 and 605 may look similar, but they represent very different performance levels on different skills.”

Additional efforts to facilitate smooth transition and swift adoption

As GMAT Focus Edition rolls out for the remainder of 2023, the current version of the GMAT exam will continue to be available to candidates until early next year to facilitate their in-progress preparation and applications for business school. Also, to that end, the GMAT Focus Edition fees will remain the same as the current GMAT exam.

“Keep in mind, all GMAT exam scores – whether they are of the current GMAT or GMAT Focus Edition – continue to be valid for 5 years,” said Ashish Bhardwaj, senior vice president and head of market development at GMAC. “With the advance announcement of the new edition, we encourage candidates to proceed with registering and taking the GMAT exam in ways that best enable their pursuit of graduate management education.”

About GMAC

The Graduate Management Admission Council (GMAC) is a mission-driven association of leading graduate business schools worldwide. GMAC provides world-class research, industry conferences, recruiting tools, and assessments for the graduate management education industry as well as resources, events, and services that help guide candidates through their higher education journey. Owned and administered by GMAC, the Graduate Management Admission Test™ (GMAT™) exam is the most widely used graduate business school assessment.

More than 12 million prospective students a year trust GMAC’s websites, including mba.com, to learn about MBA and business master’s programs, connect with schools around the world, prepare and register for exams and get advice on successfully applying to MBA and business master’s programs. BusinessBecause and GMAC Tours are subsidiaries of GMAC, a global organization with offices in China, India, the United Kingdom, and the United States.

To learn more about our work, please visit www.gmac.com

Media Contact:

Teresa Hsu
Sr. Manager, Media Relations
Mobile: 202-390-4180
thsu@gmac.com

GlobeNewswire Distribution ID 8829077