Worancha ወራንቻ

Often dubbed the false banana, the giant enset is a staple crop in certain parts of Ethiopia. As climate change brings increasingly frequent droughts, the plant's versatility and resilience could help fight hunger. When 52-year-old Gebre Ynitso was a child in Ethiopia, he and his fellow villagers tended a towering plant with broad, lush green leaves. They harvested its roots and leaves for food and collected its fibers to weave into hats, sacks and even mattresses. No part of the plant went to waste. "I would play hide-and-go seek in the dense enset plantation," said Ynitso, who also helped his parents transplant the enset, as the eye-catching crop is known. Ynitso also made toys out of its roots. Endemic to Ethiopia, the plant has been cultivated there for more than 7,000 years. It's often dubbed the false banana because of its similarity to the banana tree. The enset can withstand droughts as well as heavy rains, making it ideal for cultivation in Ethiop

THE UK Government has been urged to provide assurances of “strict scrutiny” over the export of material which can be used to manufacture nuclear weapons to a country with defence links to North Korea. Data shows that in January this year, the UK approved the export of £1,193 of deuterium compounds to Ethiopia under a licence granted by the government’s Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS). The material has uses ranging from the construction of nuclear reactors and the manufacture of medicinal drugs, to the production of nuclear weapons. The information, collected by the Campaign Against the Arms Trade (CAAT), also shows the deuterium has been exported to Ethiopia under a “dual-use” licence as goods for both military and civilian purposes. But SNP MP Stephen Gethins, a member of the House of Commons Foreign Affairs Committee, has raised concerns over the transaction, pointing out there is no record of any nuclear power reactor in Ethiopia. The country ha

With a $10,000 grant and an idea Telavive Taye '17 returned to her childhood home of Hawassa, Ethiopia, to create an enterprise she hoped would promote peace and prosperity. Photo from Davidson College The recipient of a Projects for Peace grant from the Davis United World Scholars Program, Taye established a car wash managed completely by and for youth, with the goal of engaging them in a productive business in a growing city with high rates of unemployment. In fact, official estimates place the country's rate of youth unemployment at more than 50 percent. As a partner to the Davis program, Davidson's Center for Civic Engagement solicits project applications from Davidson students and submits the most outstanding ones to the Davis program for consideration. The program seeks grassroots projects that promote peace and address the causes of conflict. Taye, a biology major who plans to attend medical school, moved with her family in 2005 from their home in Hawassa

- Indian garment factory opens doors By Birhanu Fikade Following the recent visit of Prime Minister Hailemariam Dessalegn, a Chinese firm has finalized deals to lease two manufacturing sheds with 11,000 and five thousand sq.m areas at the Hawassa Industrial Park which currently is under construction, The Reporter has learnt.  Indochine, a renowned Chinese textile firm mostly engaged in souring activities has wired the down payment of USD 200 thousand via the National Bank of Ethiopia and currently the firm has acquired 11,000sqm. Anila Kularatne, who currently undertakes the establishment of the Indochine International, a subsidiary of the China based Indochine Apparel Ltd, told The Reporter that the company has deposited the minimum capital required from foreign investors.  According to Kularatne, the company will be involved in manufacturing garments and will install plants for laundry, denims and the like. Though Kularatne opted not to disclose further details before fi

Photo from soka Kenyan striker Eric Muranda was among the starters as his team, Sidama Bunna rallied from a goal down to hold Hawassa Kenema to a one-all draw in the first match of the 2015 Ethiopian Premier League on Thursday 29 October at Hawassa Stadium. Bekereket Yisaq gave Hawassa the lead at the stroke of halftime from the spot beating Sidama goalkeeper Fikru Wodessa but Andualem Nigussie levelled from a similar situation on the 55th minute. Suffered Nigussie placed the ball past Hawassa goalie Brian Tobego as the two sides went on to share spoils in the fixture, dubbed the Southern derby. In other matches played on the day, defending champions St. George FC suffered a 0 – 2 loss at the hands of Adama Kenema thanks to Wondwessen Milkias’s double on the 14th and 17th minutes. At Addis Ababa Stadium, Yabun Williams perhaps scored the fastest goal in the league as Ethiopia Bunna defeated Ethiopia Nigd Bank by a solitary goal, with Yabun scoring 30 seconds after the o