. . . . Volume 1, Number 73 September 23 - 30, 2001 Hollywood to Recapture Ethiopia's Difficult Times An American entertainment company, Lions Gate Entertainment, will produce a two and half hours feature film based on a love story of a medical doctor and a lady of the higher class society, while their humanitarian job takes them to disaster and war prone areas such as Ethiopia, Cambodia and Chechnya. Two Threaten to Withdraw as Companies Bid for Tekeze Project Ministry Opts to Re-tender Controversial Parliament IT Bid Board Resolves to Retender Calub Local Companies Competing for Ministry Computer Bid Router Computer Embraces MEDaC's Computerization Comm't to Launch Fund Raising for $4m Contemporary Library Africa Beza Raffled by Shareholders Turmoil Ministry's Automation Lags a Year Behind Schedule Ministry Devising Policy on Export Industry Tekalign Challenges Revolutionary Democracy City Offers 549 Plots for Lease Spaniards Come to the Sheraton Sugar Auctions Continue to Suffer Depression 'Tmihirt bete' Back on Track EDITORIALS Our Expectations of EPRDF A Mockery of Public Health RESTAURANT REVIEW TAJ RESTAURANT AND BAR ECONOMIC COMMENTARY In Search of National Vision MEMENTOS The Things We Leave Behind VIEW POINT Calub Should Strictly Fall Under Government's Domain My PERSPECTIVE Give Peace A Chance IN MY OPINION Competent Technocrats or Loyal Apparatchiks? VIEW FROM ARADA At War With The Industry TREND The Development of Apiculture BUSINESS OPPORTUNITY LETTER TO THE EDITOR NEWS IN BRIEF TENDER TENDER MART . . Hollywood to Recapture Ethiopia's Difficult Times Local Coordinator Says the New Film Gives Tremendous Opportunity to Ethiopians BY TAMRAT G. GIORGIS AND MIKIAS WORKU FORTUNE STAFF WRITERS The American movie giant, Hollywood, is to spend "tens of millions of dollars" to recapture Ethiopia's worst moments: the 1980s famine that had put six million people on food aid. An American entertainment company, Lions Gate Entertainment, will produce a two and half hours feature film based on a love story of a medical doctor and a lady of the higher class society, while their humanitarian job takes them to disaster and war prone areas such as Ethiopia, Cambodia and Chechnya. "The backdrop is the doctor goes to all these travel spots, while the film addresses issues related to the importance and relevance of international assistance to third world countries," said Teferi Wossen, general manager of Waag Communications, a company contracted by the producers to coordinate the film titled Beyond Borders. Beyond Borders will feature Ethiopia for 25 minutes capturing the scene of Korum and humanitarian activities of the medical doctor who came to Ethiopia during the 1984/85 famine that had hit the northern part of the country. It was a dedicated doctor who runs, with a very limited amount of resources, a relief camp in Korum, a small town located 100Kms from Sekota, found in the northern most part of the country where Teferi himself was born. "Film scripts change to the last minute, although the theme remains to be a humanitarian doctor who came to Ethiopia and his relationship with a high society girl," said Teferi who has had vast experience of relief operations during the 1980s while he was head of the public relations office of the former Relief and Rehabilitation Commission (RRC), that has now evolved to Disaster Prevention and Preparedness Commission (DPPC). People in the local film industry say this is the first commercial feature film having part on Ethiopia to be made 50 years after Shaft in Africa was produced in the 1950s. The latest Hollywood undertaking in Ethiopia was the feature-documentary film, Endurance, on the life of world track star Haile G. Sellasie. "This one is an outright feature compared to Endurance," said Teferi, who was also local coordinator to the making of Endurance. Unlike Endurance, whose shots were all taken in Ethiopia and cost three million Dollars, the new film will take about five Ethiopian speaking actors and actress. About 10 Ethiopian stage performers, including the veterans such as Haimanot Alemu and Abebe Balcha, have been given a test to perform from the synopsis. "You can't formulate an opinion from a synopsis, but I would say the story is very attractive," said Abebe Balcha, adding that taking part in such prestigious film and be able to play with international celebrities like Kevin Costner and Angelina Jolie, if not the acclaimed director Martin Campbell, is "a dream come true". An assistant director has been here the last two weeks headhunting Ethiopian performers who would speak fluent English but give the film an Ethiopian touch. "This country may not have good films. But we certainly have experienced and talented stage performers," said Teferi referring to the satisfaction of the assistance director with what he has witnessed during the test screening held at the Sheraton a week ago. "Although given a short notice and time for preparation, they have performed amazingly well." "This is a great opportunity for Ethiopia's film development and image around the world," believes Haimanot Alemu. Other names who were made to do test screening were Teferi Alemu, Abonesh Mengistu, Tesfay Gusessese, Getnet Enyew and Behailu Menhesha: all big names and talented performers that may make things a bit difficult for the director to make its pick. The main challenge, however, is yet to come. The filmmakers have to take more than 200 people from the remotest province of Korum to Namibia to make them cast a role known in film making as "extras" among hundreds of other Namibians. Farmers, traders, family members who lived through and experienced those horrible years will be taken to Namibia on a chartered aircraft to stay for six weeks, the life of the shooting of the film. "These people will play the extra role, while the actors will play as local medical personnel and assistance on the Korum scene," said Teferi. As it sounds a bit bizarre to take all these people to a foreign land to recapture scenes from Ethiopia, Teferi says there are good and convincing reasons that made the filmmakers decide on that. According to Teferi, it is South Africa that has the support system for the sophisticated and huge film equipment (big cameras, light systems and bulky generators) used to shoot Hollywood type of films. With its highly developed road infrastructure and connection to South Africa, Namibia is found convenient to shoot the Ethiopian part, while the Chechnya and Cambodia part is to be taken in a scene located in Canada, according to Teferi. Teferi said his company has submitted a request to the Ministry of Information and Culture and the Ministry of Labor and Social Works to get permission to take these people to Namibia. "I am very much hopeful that we will be granted our request, as the ministries would consider the importance of the film to Ethiopia's image, financial benefits to the farmers, and exposure and experience to the Ethiopian performers," hope Teferi. "I hope the government will be cooperative assigning its representatives to the group to make sure everything will be done fairly and to the best interest of these people," said Haimanot. Teferi promised to take cooks, Azamris and even Teff in order not to disturb the normal life of the farmers. What Teferi does not have at his disposal is time since he was left with 10 days to inform the filmmakers before they start to consider other options. For Abebe, it will be tragic if the country will be to lose this as it would be denying opportunity to the actors, extras [the farmers], costume producers, the Ethiopian Airlines and the chefs who would cook for the Ethiopian battalion. But above all, it will deny Ethiopia from becoming a darling spot for the international film industry that could have seen the tremendous opportunities this country offers, according to Teferi. "This film will help us as a gateway to future films of Hollywood." All contingents however said that they are not yet informed about the budget the Hollywood Company has put aside for the film. But one thing for certain is that a low budget film would never tempt big names the likes of Kevin Costner and Angelina Jolie. Top Two Threaten to Withdraw as Companies Bid for Tekeze Project BY MIKIAS WORKU FORTUNE STAFF WRITER Two of the five engineering companies, which were short-listed after undergoing through a pre-qualification process to bid for the execution of the 2.5 billion Br Tekeze hydropower project, have informed the Ethiopian Electric Power Corporation their intention of withdrawing from the bid. Impergilo, an Italian company bidding in joint venture with the local construction company, Satcon, have wrote a letter to the corporation claiming that they are unable to continue competing in the bid process because of incapability to be up to the level of the hydropower project. Scansca-Group 5, a South African joint venture, have also said it will pull out from participating in the bid because of unforeseen workload and engagement in projects in other parts of the world, sources informed Fortune. Starbag-Salini, Wamboo-Sur Construction and Inka-Kajima are the other bidders that are retained to compete to takeover the project. All five companies were shortlisted by EEPCo after passing through a pre-qualification requirements in mid April. The Tekeze project was, in 1998, initially estimated to cost 2.5 billion Br but is now under reassessment and is subject to increase as a result of foreign currency inflation in the past three years. The Ethiopian government is so far the sole financier of the project. Sources close to the corporation said that EEPCo has responded to the companies demanding them to notify it on their final decision, which the companies failed to do so far. The deadline set by EEPCo for the companies to submit their bids is in December 2001 after being prolonged up on the request made by the bidders. Though whether there would be legal reactions from EEPCo could not be known, sources said that the corporation is not persuaded by the reasons given by the companies to snap off from the tender process because it believes the companies were well aware of the demands of the project at the pre-qualification stage. All five companies have taken the bid document from the corporation, which has hired an American company, Harza, for 10 million Dollars to prepare the bid documents, designing work of the construction and consultation on the implementation of the project, which is estimated to take five years for completion once launched, coinciding with the timetable set to start exporting electric power to Sudan in accordance with the agreement recently signed with the neighboring country. The bidding companies, according to our sources, have toured the construction site and were also briefed by concerned authorities on the general aspects of the country's rules and regulations. The completion of the first phase of the 250 MW power station, together with the Tis Abay II and Gilgel Gibe and Finchaa units, would step the country's total power generation capacity by 34pc, according to the corporation. Top Ministry Opts to Re-tender Controversial Parliament IT Bid BY MARY DEJENE FORTUNE STAFF WRITER It appears that the controversy surrounding the parliament IT project is edging to a resolution. The Ministry of Finance, which was looking into the documents of the debated bid awarding process, has advised Speaker of the House, Dawit Yohannes, to re-tender the project. Speaker Dawit is now awaited to endorse the decision before the parliament resumes this Ethiopian business year session at the end of September, sources said. The ministry has finalized its assessment and sent the result to the speaker's office on Monday, September 10. According to close sources, one of the major reasons for the ministry to have counseled the parliament to put the project to retender is because it was not made to see the original bid document against a regulation that requires bid documents for government organizations' tenders above two million Birr to be approved by the ministry. The speaker had suspended and later cancelled the contract with Global Computing Solutions (GCS) on basis of "illegality on the bid awarding process" after the Federal Auditor's General office submitted the investigative report averred the bid committee had made price adjustments on GCS's proposal enabling it to win the contract over the immediate competitor, SbCnet. Ahmed Kellow, managing director of GCS, however refuted the allegation saying his company only requested for the rectification of certain arithmetical errors without changing original unit prices. The project, which is financed by the International Parliamentary Union, consists of the supply, installation, configuration, testing and implementation of a data network infrastructure within the parliament information system.Top Board Resolves to Retender Calub BY KALEYESUS BEKELE FORTUNE STAFF WRITER The interminable saga of Calub Gas S.C is going to flip another chapter and try what fate has this time stored for it. After recent reports which indicated that the World Bank has abstained from financing the project demanding the government to transfer its majority shares to private ownership, the board of Calub Gas decided to put the company up on the tender block again. The decision came on August 27, 2001 after the 14 members of the board, chaired by Hailemelekot Tekelgiorgis, vice-minister of finance, held continuous meetings to ponder the different options available on the table. The effort by the government to privatize Calub two years ago failed after the Ethiopian Privatization Agency cancelled the tender putting low price valuations offered by bidders as a backdrop for the annulment. Four companies, Sheik Al-Amoudi's Midroc Ethiopia, Norex Group, Sentafe and Malte were the prospective buyers that participated in the tender. Solomon Yilma, information officer of the company, restrained from commenting on the latest decision by the board saying his company would be giving official release " at the right time". The officer, nonetheless, did not hold back from noting that even though foreign companies have shown interest in venturing into exploiting the 76 billion cubic meters of gas said to be available in Calub reserves, however tangible results could not so far materialize. So far, 98 million Dollars has been invested in Calub both by the government and through loan extensions by international financial institutions. Solomon could not say as of when the tender would be officially announced and specifications on the company's privatization process. Arega Tesfaye the general manager of Commercial Nominees, which is a subsidiary company of Commercial Bank of Ethiopia, that had facilitated the transfer of the five per cent share to private hands working as a commission agent for the company, said it has not received information about the re-tender. But sources had told Fortune that the board has again chosen this same company to represent Calub as an agent during the re-tendering process. Calub Gas S.C was established in 1994 with 102 million Birr capital as a share company to prepare it for privatization. Private businesses' shares account to 5,657,000 Br (5pc) while the government controls the rest of the shares. The World Bank wants the government to let go of these shares in order to recommence releasing funds to finance the project. The Ministry of Finance has contributed 93.7 million Br to the total capital of Calub, while the government parastatels, the Ethiopian Mineral Resources Development Corporation and the Ethiopian Fuel Enterprise have signed stakes worth three million Birr each. The Ethiopian Electric and Power Corporation and Construction and Business Bank have subscribed in the shareholders list having shares valued at two million Br and 300,000 Br, respectively. Top Local Companies Competing for Ministry Computer Bid BY ISSAYAS MEKURIA FORTUNE STAFF WRITER The Ministry of Education (MoE), under its Basic Education System Overhaul (BESO) project, has opened on Thursday, September 20, a tender it has issued to procure a sizable package of computers and accessories for the Teachers Training Institute (TTI) and Teachers Training College (TTC). About 16 companies have participated in the tender in a bid to win the supply of 170 desk top computers, four PC servers, nine laptop computers and two copy printers. Five competitors, Alta Computech, Rabeco East Africa, Excel Information Technology, Nejat Computer, TSD Engineering, quoted their prices to provide all the items in the list of procurement, while Beneuenveti Bros. bid only to supply the printers and Melat Computers went for the PC servers. From the five companies that proposed to supply all accessories, Alta Computec offered the highest price asking to be paid 32,276 Dollars, whereas in this category Teach Plc quoted the lowest price offering 10,386 Dollars. Members of the bid committee delegated by the ministry said that the evaluation is not solely based on the price but also examines the type of computers to be supplied and the timeframe proposed by the companies to deliver the items. Launched in 1994, BESO is a project with the support of USAID, which funds the scheme with a total of 30 million Dollars. It aims at introducing reforms in the country's primary education system and build the capacity of teachers learning institutions. According to Tesgaw Chekol, project manager, BESO was launched in 1994 and operates under joint responsibility of the ministry and USAID, which has allocated its budget for a period soon to be consummated in December 2001. The project manager disclosed that similar agreement has already been signed to replenish the program but said the budget that would be slated under the new agreement is yet to be official. Top Router Computer Embraces MEDaC's Computerization BY YIBEKAL GETAHUN FORTUNE STAFF WRITER Router Computer Engineering Plc has won a computer-networking project owned by the Ministry of Economic Development and Cooperation (MEDaC) and put up on tender four months ago. The Campus Area Networking (CAN), which consists of the supply of networking equipment, software and implementation, as well as staff training, will cost one million Br to be financed by the UNDP. Fortune learnt that IT companies including African Lakes, Alta Computer and NCR/GCS have participated in the bid. The project would integrate three building blocks of MEDaC and would enable authorized outside users to access the ministry's data system. Dereje Getaneh, customer engineering and services manager of Router, said that more than 99.9pc of the equipment has already been delivered and all paper works have been finalized to start executing the job. He said the implementation phase of the project would commence in two weeks, while his company expects completion to take the following two months. "We use fiber optic cables for the networking, which is the latest technology applicable in developed countries," he noted. Meanwhile, Router has moved from its previous office premises, located on Asmara Rd, in front of Mekaneyesus Church Head Office, to a villa found around Wollo Sefer, Bole Rd. The house was formerly occupied by Midroc Gold. Fikirte Amare, majority shareholder and manager of the company, told Fortune that her company has signed a five-year contract with the owner of the place agreeing to pay 10,000 Br a month in rental fees. The company was forced to leave its former office, which it occupied for the last four years paying 5,900 Br a month, upon a request made by the Agency for the Administration of Rental Houses, looking to hand over the house to its former owners. Router Computer Engineering, established in 1997 with a paid up capital of one million Birr, is in computer sales, training, networking, software development and customer support activities with its more than 30 professional staff. The company is also an authorized channel partner for the multinational computer company, Acer, and enjoys a certified partnership from Microsoft.Top Comm't to Launch Fund Raising for $4m Contemporary Library BY MIKIAS WORKU FORTUNE STAFF WRITER The Institute of Ethiopian Studies (IES) and the Society of Friends of the Institute of Ethiopian Studies (SOFIES) are preparing to launch a project for a purpose-built, computerized new library building in the premises of the Addis Abeba University. The organizations expect to finance the project, whose construction, equipment and automation estimated to cost 4.1 million Dollars, through a fund raising campaign that would be led by a 12-person committee formed in May this year. The official launching of the fund soliciting campaign for the new library is scheduled for October 26 at the Addis Abeba Hilton. John Graham, country director for Save the Children Ethiopia office, who is also chairperson of the committee, told Fortune that local businesses and the public, international corporations and foundations are the targeted groups for soliciting the necessary finance to execute the project. Graham anticipates the fund raising process might consume a year-and-half from now. The project study of the new library, which would lay on a 5,000 Sq. meters space incorporated in the main campus at Sidist Kilo, shows that the construction of the new building is planned to commence in 2002, taking a total of three years for completion. The new library is scheduled to be operational in 2005/6. According to the draft study, the need for the new library emanates from the growing collections of materials in the present building, which occupies one of the palace structures in the campus originally designed for holding receptions that outstripped the accommodations available in the house, endangering both the life of the historical edifice and safety of the collections as well. The collections, exclusively dealing with subjects on Ethiopia and the Horn of Africa, comprise 100,000 books, 1,800 M.A and Ph.D dissertations, over 9,000 senior students essays, close to 3,000 Ge'ez, Amharic and Arabic manuscripts, as well as several thousands of archival items, reels of micro-films, slides and photographic albums and maps. Though priceless, the collections, which are said to be the largest cluster in existence today on Ethiopia and the horn, are valued for insurance purposes at five million Dollars. Graham said that the Finish government has made the first pledge to donate 150,000 Dollars to cover the costs of the architectural design of the new building. A local company, has been hired for the job. The cost breakdown of the project shows that the estimated total cost of construction, fixtures and fittings, as well as furniture and shelving amounts to 3.1 million Dollars. The full automation of the new library takes an investment of more than half-a-million Dollars. Related facilities such as access to computers and Internet and display areas for exhibitions are also been envisaged to be incorporated in the planned library. Patrons of SOFIES fund raising committee include Haile Gebreselassie, Haddis Alemayehu, Tekalign Gedamu, Brehane Mewa and Richard Pankhurst. IES is holding an open house reception tomorrow, September 27, at the Ras Mekonnen Hall of Addis Abeba University to elaborate the new project to invited guests and show the institute to those unfamiliar to it. According to Graham, the land, allocated for the future site of the university, has been received and the government has agreed to allocate fund for the long term operating budget of the library.Top Africa Beza Raffled by Shareholders Turmoil KALEYESUS BEKELE FORTUNE STAFF WRITER At a time where enrollment of students is at its peak for the blooming private colleges, the two years-old Africa Beza College is swimming in an ardent disagreements between its major and founding shareholders, resulting in two splinter groups falling under Yalewlayker Yemane, managing director, and Israel Kassa, manager of the Addis Abeba Branch. The dispute was sparked by differences of auditing process and selling of shares discussed at a general assembly of shareholders held at the Sheraton on April 7, 2001. Yalew alleges that disagreements at the assembly surfaced after shareholders insisted for an external auditor to be hired to audit the books of the college, whereas the board, that was spearheaded by Israel, resisted this idea. Yalew said that Israel wanted to pay the shareholders off their ownership in the college. "I have completely disagreed with him," he said. Israel unwilling to comment on the issue citing "company confidentiality", however, said Yalew has been "removed from his position for misconduct" which he declined to reveal. "Partnership is a new experience to Ethiopia and there are people who are trying to destroy it," said Israel who is also a major partner in Ethio-computer and serving as president of Ethiopian Chase Federation as well as board member of the Addis Abeba Chamber of Commerce. "We are fighting their deeds." Yalew refuted his partner's allegation of being purged from his post but says he is no more serving as a managing director because he has completed his term this September. "The former board has been replaced by a new elected members and the college is currently under auditing," he said. Africa Beza College was established as a share company in December 2000 by eleven founding shareholders with a capital of 1.7 million Birr, of which Israel and Yalew each own 20pc. Now the college has 42 shareholders who, Yalew said, have not been given a shareholding certificate of the college to this date. "They say that the shares we have bought are illegally acquired," Kebede Sima, a shareholder and member of the new board, told Fortune. "A letter signed by Israel was given to us demanding to retake our money and withdraw from the partnership since we bought shares without the knowledge and consent of the previous board." He disclosed that when he and some of the shareholders threatened to take the case to court, they were told it would take them at least six years to settle the case. "They are taking advantage of the poor legal system prevailing in the country," said Kebede. The squabble among the shareholders, in dreaded coincidences, is shrouded in pitiful circumstances. Shortly after the dispute erupted, three ex-board members, who were all supportive of Israel, accidentally died in three months intervals. Kebede Mulugeta and Yared Endale died in car crashes while driving from Nazareth to Addis Abeba. Kebede's wife, married to him only a month before the fatal accident, also died in the car accident. According to Yalew, another shareholder, Admasu Molalign, has died a natural death. Africa Beza has two thousand students in its Addis Abeba, Shashmene, Awassa, and Nekemet campuses. Brothers of Israel and Yalewlayker are also shareholders of the college.Top Ministry's Automation Lags a Year Behind Schedule BY MARY DEJENE FORTUNE STAFF WRITER A software development and computerization project of the Ministry of Trade and Industry to automate its documentation and licensing departments would be completed and put into use at the end of December 2001, delayed by more than a year from its original timetable. A local company called Cybertech is undertaking the project, originally scheduled to be completed in July 2000. According to Petros Kassahun, information and documentation service head of the ministry, the implementation of the project financed by USAID, has commenced a year behind the anticipated time. He said the Ministry of Economic Development and Cooperation (MEDaC) had to conduct its own evaluation on the project document and make revisions accordingly. According to Kurt Rockeman, Chief of Agricultural Natural Resource Office, USAID is funding the project with a total of 500,000 Dollars. Regional trade, industry and tourism offices in Amhara, Oromia, Tigray and Southern regions will be beneficiaries during the first phase, while the rest will be granted the computerization fund in the second phase. "Two system analysts from US that came here in May recommended developing a proposal for the second phase project implementation and we are waiting for that," Petros said. With the completion of the project, the ministry would perform application, licensing and other chores in a computerized system, which would enable applicants receive more efficient service, said Petros. Its information and documentation service and registration and licensing department would also be networked and twelve employees of the ministry have already received training to operate the new automation.Top Ministry Devising Policy on Export Industry BY YIBEKAL GETAHUN FORTUNE STAFF WRITER A team of experts created by the office of Kassahun Ayele, minister of Trade and Industry, is formulating an export oriented industrial policy in an effort to enhance the country's participation in the world market. Kassahun, who has declined to give details as of when the new draft would materialize, said that the formulation, which focuses on export industries, would be based on the five- year development program of the EPRDF government. There is a plan to launch a regular public-private sector forum to involve the private sector in the policy formation process, said Kassahun at a launching of World Investment Report 2001, held on Tuesday, September 18, at the UNECA. United Nations Conference on Trade and development (UNCTAD), in partnership with the Ethiopian Investment Authority has launched this year's World Investment Report dedicated to promote linkage. The need to diversify the investment promotion strategy of the country is something that should be given an emphasis, said Kassahun. "The promotion has to be done regularly and carefully perusing the most effective techniques," he remarked. According to him, the promotion trend as well as the strategy has to be aggressive and the techniques should be more advanced than displaying sample products, brochures or audiovisual documentaries. Tadesse Haile, general manager the authority, said at the launching that during the nine months of the current fiscal year, the authority has issued licenses for 44 foreign investment projects with an aggregate capital of 2.891 billion Br. He added that the performance has shown a 77.7pc increase in the amount of capital compared to the same period the previous year, while foreign direct investment (FDI) inflows to Africa declined by 1.4 billion Dollars (13pc) in the year 2000 compared to the previous year, according to UNCTAD report. The decline marks the first major drop since the mid 1990s, attributed to the significant drop of inflows of the continent's main recipient countries: Angola, Morocco and South Africa. The decline, according to the annual report, brings down the continent's low share in world FDI inflows to below one per cent. This may also have some bearing on the number of investors to Ethiopia, which has suffered a decline of 18.5pc only registering 54 foreign investment projects with an aggregate capital of 1.67 billion Br. Between July 1992 and 2000, the authority has registered 230 investment projects having close to 10.97 billion Br capital of which about 120 projects with 5.42 billion Br capital in aggregate are fully owned by foreigners and 110 are joint ventures. So far, 50 of the projects with a total capital of 3.63 billion Br have started operations and 66 other investment projects are under implementation, according to Tadesse. "The flow of FDI to the country is low but not discouraging as it shows improvement," said Tadesse. Ethiopia has signed bilateral agreements with more than eight countries: China, Denmark, Italy, Kuwait, Malaysia, The Netherlands, Sudan, Switzerland and Tunisia, but none with the leading attraction of investment in Africa. Angola, Egypt, Nigeria and South Africa are four of the countries attracting 1.8, 1.2, 1 and 0.877 billion Dollars of foreign investment, respectively. UNCTAD's report indicates that in the year 1999, Africa's FDI inflow had surged by 2.2 billion Dollars and reached 10.5 billion Dollars to only decline in the year 2000 by 1.4 billion Dollars to 9.1 billion Dollars. The global flows of FDI grew by 18pc in 2000 to a record of 1.3 trillion Dollars. Top Tekalign Challenges Revolutionary Democracy BY MIKIAS WORKU FORTUNE STAFF WRITER Unlike the days that followed the split at the core of the EPRDF's coalition government, Prime Minister Meles Zenawi had surely had ample time to spare to conciliate his impulse of doing some writings: an 800-page document one foreign newsletter dubbed as Meles' Revolutionary Democracy Bible. Whatever the case might be, the constituents of the draft, which Meles put forward as the ultimate policy panacea for Ethiopia's future, have never faced suggestive public challenges except for the party cadres that, as reported by various state media, unanimously supported the document after a series of prolonged closed-door meetings. No member of scholars or none of the bunch of civic organizations dared to call public convention to question the contents of the draft policy of Prime Minister Meles Zenawi. Nor members of the business community, about whom the document says a lot, did come forward in supporting or criticizing the Prime Minister's new policy and ideological directions. At least, until last week. Tekalign Gedamu, CEO and board chairman of Bank of Abyssinia, has had all the candidness and courage to publicly challenge Meles on issues related to banking, corruption, businesses and the latter's new classification of businesspeople as rent seekers and those who add value. Tekalign, who is a respected banker with vast international experience, was too open in telling those who gathered at the Hilton on Tuesday, September 18, that he was advised "not to be too frank" being reminded that such critical but not sufficiently tactful presentation would provoke a negative response from the authorities. And these advises do not seem to have stopped him from challenging Meles in his lack of definition to the very concept of the term Revolutionary Democracy. "The term Revolutionary Democracy is nowhere to be fined in the document," observed Tekalign who was wondering whether it could be a new concept or some rendition of Marxist-Leninist thinking. "People familiar with Marxism-Leninism may guess, but guessing cannot replace the intention of the authors of the document." In addressing more than 100 businesspeople gathered at the meeting organized by the Addis Abeba Chamber of Commerce, Tekalign prepared for the meeting particularly under the theme "Troubling Times for Ethiopia's Banks", where he outrighteously lashed at some of the arguments found in the newly produced edition of the document: Revolutionary Democracy; Directions and Strategies for Development. He calls the document "puzzling, unpersuasive and altogether unconvincing." The ideas of the draft policy to which the chief executive refers lay in the sections where the author defines the relationship between government and the business community and statements formulated as guidelines to direct the banking sector. The document identifies Ethiopia's businesspersons in two categories - the first class comprising "those who create value" and the second ones who are classified as "rent collectors - businessmen who through legal or illegal means suck the wealth created by others as well as the country's natural resource". The document, according to Tekalign, also uses epithets like speculators and parasites to describe businesses it categorized under the division of rent collectors. Tekalign rejects this analysis from the onset arguing such "form of discrimination introduces a major degree of arbitrariness in the government's treatment of businessmen, an arbitrariness which would give rise to uncertainty, which in turn would undermine business confidence, and ultimately investment". He says business confidence has been already undermined following events that occurred in May this year, which has sent "shock waves through the business community." He was referring to the government's crackdown on influential businesspeople (together with powerful politicians), who are suspected to have indulged in high profile corruption, and now under investigation by the Federal Police. Contrary to police claims of their involvement to what the World Bank calls grand corruption, Tekalign was blunt in saying the charges against these detainees, which "we have been able to verify up to now", are in great part not related to corruption. "Only a few seem to be," the bank executive says, casting, "serious doubts on the contention that corruption is the principal reason for the detention of businessmen." Tekalign's deputy, Alazar Dessie, is now behind bars for an alleged corruption involvement while approving loans to businesspeople while he was serving as vice president of the Commercial Bank of Ethiopia. Tekalign, who says he believes in government's moral and legal responsibilities to fight corruption at any stage, is however skeptical to accept the sincerity of the existing crusade by the government alleging that it has more to do to the execution of the rules spelt out in the document of Revolutionary Democracy, which looks to "constrain and ultimately destroy opportunities" used by businesses it has in the first place categorized as rent collectors. "These persons could have been charged and been brought under the full force of the law, instead of being locked up in jail," the executive asserts. He said that these events have caused depression and a greater degree of uncertainty to the already troubled economy, which is undergoing a recession as it can generally be concluded looking at the sharp drop in the prices of agricultural products, compelling banks to face new major risks. Risks he described as political that are unforeseen and unforeseeable. Subsequently, he cited the seizure of Ethiopian merchandise by the government of Eritrea at the ports of Assab and Massawa as a recent unpredictable political risk banks had to face. Although he applauds the recent move by the Ministery of Finance to guarantee those businesses who have lost their properties at the Eritrean ports, sparing his and other banks from carrying the full burden of financial responsibility. "Good judgment ultimately prevailed when banks were informed by the National Bank that they would not be required to make the provision," says the CEO. He did not, however, try to polish his statement with diplomatic modesty when he says: "The political risk banks face today on account of May events is greater and more ominous than the political risk banks faced when the Eritrean government seized Ethiopian merchandise awaiting transshipment in Assab." The banker says that assets held as collateral by Bank of Abyssinia for loans forwarded to borrowers detained by police have recently been put under the control of government authorities. An 18-member board comprising representatives from different public and civic organizations have recently been appointed by the Supreme Court to oversee the companies owned by the detained businesspeople and directives have been issued preventing banks from foreclosing properties held as collateral without the sanction of the newly formed body. "This constitutes a political risk beyond the responsibility of any commercial bank and a serious risk to banking business," Tekalign fears. The banking business is in jeopardy if borrowers are obstructed from managing their business and meet banking obligations when "precipitate, unforeseen, and arbitrary detention with little transparency are imposed on them". Engineer Berhane Abate, who was present at the meeting, remarked that he assumes behind the anti-corruption campaign of the government lays the World Bank. He recalls a meeting where the bank met businesses and was advocating for such measures to be taken by the government to stamp out corruption. The CEO says that actions taken outside the framework of transparency, impartiality and if judgments are not taken by independent courts, it would undermine business confidence, place insurmountable obstacle to banking business, discourage people from investing in banks and hamper the contribution to economic development and to eradicating poverty. "Addis Abeba and the rest of Ethiopia have become showcases of poverty," he told the gathering, "but there is no doubt that investment generates jobs - whether it is done by speculators, parasites, high minded entrepreneurs, banks or the government itself." He mentioned the contribution his bank has had to the economy. Bank of Abyssinia has so far paid to the government a total of 31.7 million Br as a corporate tax; seven million Birr in sales tax; 5.7 million Br in stamp duties; 1.3 million Br in tax on dividends; 1.7 million Br income tax from its employees, while he is expecting for his bank to pay around 16 million Br in corporate tax this year. "Government policy should, therefore, be business friendly in order to enhance the country's capacity to fight poverty effectively," he urged. Paradoxically, Prime Minister Meles do not seem to have ears for that, as it is witnessed from his recent statements to his party members. He tenaciously believes and reaffirmed it this week on the ruling party's 10 years report that what he repeatedly identified as "parasite businesses" are the pitfalls of the country's economy and "cubicles of corruption". He was quoted as saying that the growth of the country's economy has been hampered and could not move as desired because these "parasites were not crushed", a principle at the core of Tekalign's torments. He calls it "sowing seeds of uncertainty among the business community," which would result in deterring investment and handicap the fight against poverty. "The simple point I am making is for this section of the document to be substantially revised," he appeals. Another area in the revolutionary democracy that makes him sound distressed is the dogma's pronouncement for some portion of the national savings to be channeled to development, through an establishment of state-owned banks, which he referred as "not altogether persuasive". "No new government banks are needed today. What is needed is enhancing the governance and efficiency of the existing one," he protests. On top of that, he finds the policy's towards real estate business, "puzzling". At a time when no statistics or survey are required today to realize that the country is in dire need of more residential houses and buildings, real estate is regarded in the revolutionary democracy as a low priority for development purpose, according to Tekalign. "Office and residential units are essential investments both to respond to the huge pent-up demand and to spur industrial activity, and create jobs," he disagrees. The next controversial issue, the CEO says, is the document's stand on foreign banking operations. He finds it difficult to be persuaded by the revolutionary democracy argument that says: "We should bar foreign investors from entry into key areas like banking in order to give the government the capability for guiding the nation's economy. If foreign investors were to enter these sectors, they would take them over quickly and position themselves to obstruct government policy." The government's argument at one point in time since the liberalization of the economy was the need to protect the small but emerging private banks from unfair competition. Another reason to disallow foreign banks to be established here was to wait the central bank to have adequately strengthened its monitory capacity before letting foreign banks enter the sector. "We are now given [by the revolutionary democracy] a third rational perhaps a definitive one," he anticipates. Tekalign firmly believes that foreign participation in banking activity could be to the benefits of the economy, increasing investment and attracting foreign investors who could be enticed to come over by the presence of foreign banks in the country. Whereas private banks would also be beneficiaries from a competitive environment, opportunities of partnerships and technology transfer. "Local banks are perfectly capable of standing competition up to a Citibank branch in Addis, if it were to come to that, not in Wall Street, or New York at any rate," is his conviction. Leaving out this law, he says, would not have any economic threats but would bring benefits. "All that law does is to give a bad name to this country," he criticizes Tekalign advises the government to be inclusive, not exclusive, to wage the war against poverty and bring about significant changes. "Pragmatism not dogmatism is what we should open our minds to," he is persuaded. He also mentions needless politicization of management, which supersedes professionalism in public service, as another drawback in the current system. His hope lays in the slightest possibility that, "someone somewhere in the government," would put an end to the interminable meetings, which prevent public servants from carrying out their mandate. "We can not be silent in times like this when poverty is decimating our people so visibly and brutally and reducing them to a level of living which is truly subhuman," he insisted. "We need to speak and we need to be listened to," he demanded. But listening, experience tells, is not in the habit of Meles' government. The Prime Minister, in his report this week, appeared to believe that the country could not follow the path of development and its economy has been stumbling all the way because the principles contained in the revolutionary democracy could not be strictly applied. He appears to be firm on his stand that what Ethiopia needs to spur its economy and bury all its social problems in the way forward is the panacea of revolutionary democracy. Although telling to what extent the principles in the document would be rigidly protected by the government would be sheer speculatio, Tekalign still sees a twinkle of hope at the end of the revolutionary democratic tunnel. He finds the fact that the document is still in the "draft" stage a little bit reassuring. ". . . It is something that we can pin our hopes for the future of Ethiopia's business community. I trust that this would lead to a revised policy document more flexible and practical than the present one," he hopes.Top City Offers 549 Plots for Lease BY MELAKU DEMISSIE FORTUNE STAFF WRITER After announcing its anticipation to earn around 14 million Br from the previous lease auction, the Addis Abeba City Administration Lease Office has issued this week the 38th round extending 549 land allotments for auction. The office laid over 150,000 Sq. meters of land scattered across 19 woredas of the city and three localities: Keranio, Mekanisa and Lafto. The plots are projected to serve for the construction of residential apartments, offices, stores, residential quarters and infrastructure for small-scale industries. The notice issued by the office shows that of the 549 plots put up for lease, 338 are offered for the construction of residential quarters, 160 for residential and commercial apartments, offices, stores and related businesses, while 51 pieces are slated to host small-scale industries. Seven plots located in Woreda 15 Kebele 30, found in the surroundings of Kazainchis area and behind the UNECA compounds are again included in this round auction. The office has been auctioning these plots all along during the past year but managed to only attract two investors. Jupiter Trading leased during the previous round a 1060 Sq. meters in this area pledging to pay 1.8 million Br for the construction of a 10-storey building. According to the notice, 122 of the plots are located around Keranio, Bethel Hospital, and 111 pieces are sited on environs of Yeka Terara hill, where Top View Restaurant is situated. Some 105 are found around Mekanisa area. The office has invited potential bidders to purchase bid documents paying a non- refundable 100.00 Br accompanied by bid bonds of not less than one per cent of the total price of the plots. Bid submission deadline is set for October 8, 2001, and the auction would be opened the next day in the presence of bidders or their legal representatives at the City Administration hall. Top Spaniards Come to the Sheraton Sheraton Addis is soon to launch a full-fledged Spanish Food Festival, organized in conjunction with Torres Winery of Spain and Lufthansa, on October 4 but to be staged for 10 consecutive days. A press release from the hotel says that The Sommelier, Franck Massard, has coordinated the hiring of chefs, musicians, flamenco dancers and the supply of Torres wines, all from Spain. The opening of the event is scheduled for launching with a gala dinner in the Grand Lalibela Ballroom where Spanish musicians, flamenco dancers, lavish Spanish Buffet and a variety of Spanish wines would be introduced by the Sommelier. According to the release, prominent businesses and government personalities will attend the opening and the event "will be on sale to the public". Guests will be offered a free entrance to the Gaslight Nightclub to finish their night to the tunes of modern and contemporary Spanish dance music. The festival would carry on daily with Spanish buffets and menus, as well as performances by the Spanish group, in the different restaurants and outlets of the Sheraton Addis all along the duration of the event. Sheraton management has announced that special Topaz bar snacks will be incorporated into the Stanley's, Office and Sunset Bars for the duration of the promotion. In addition, two special "Spanish Night" packages will be offered for guests wishing to spend their nights at the Sheraton Addis. (Press Release compiled by Mikias Worku, Fortune Staff Writer) Top MEMENTOS The Things We Leave Behind BY DUKE HELFAND LOS ANGELS TIMES For three years, Dr. Yeneneh Betru of Burbank, a specialist in internal medicine, waged a relentless campaign to ship kidney dialysis equipment to his native Ethiopia, where such machines are exceedingly rare. He moonlighted to pay for his project. He lobbied Ethiopia's health minister for help. He wrote the country's embassy in Washington. Finally, having cleared a mountain of red tape, Yeneneh planned later this month to ship the six machines in his dusty garage to Addis Ababa by boat. "He wanted to do something big for his home country before he got married," said Jim Stramoski, who refurbishes dialysis equipment for hospitals in the San Fernando Valley and helped Yeneneh assemble the equipment. With Stramoski's help, he was able to put together the six machines at a total cost of about $15,000. Brand new, they would have cost roughly eight times that much. Yeneneh, 35, was among the victims of hijacked American Airlines Flight 77, which crashed into the Pentagon. His plans might have ended there. But now there is hope. Dr. Yeneneh's employers have pledged to finish his mission. "[We want to] put together the money to make sure he gets it to Ethiopia in honor of him, to make sure his dream can be fulfilled," said Adam Singer, president of IPC, a North Hollywood-based company that manages inpatient hospital practices across the nation. Yeneneh was director of medical affairs at IPC. He also served patients at Consultants for Lung Disease and at Providence St. Joseph Medical Center, both in Burbank. Just the week before the attacks, he had returned to Ethiopia to be married to a young woman named Zelalem. Sirak Betru is gratified by the offers of assistance from those who once worked with his brother. Searching through his brother's garage over the weekend, he recalled how Yeneneh wanted to open a medical clinic in Addis Ababa but instead settled on sending the dialysis equipment after hitting roadblocks. Sirak Betru sifted through the things that were so important to his brother - tubes, switches and knobs, dials hidden behind plastic wrappers. Sending these lifesaving machines back home, he said, will complete his brother's journey.Top Sugar Auctions Continue to Suffer Depression BY DAWIT TAYE FORTUNE STAFF WRITER It has almost become the good old days to the Ethiopian Sugar Industry Support Center S.C., which was in the habit of amassing millions in trading after it manage to sell all the amount of sugar it used to supply to the biweekly auctions. What was more interesting then was the cut-throat competition by companies such as Star Business Group, including its affiliates, and Abeba Gidey who were giving highly competitive prices, sometimes as high as 690.00 Br per quintal. Most managers and owners of these companies now behind bars for an alleged involvement of corruption while trading sugar and loans related to the Commercial Bank of Ethiopia. Their absence has indeed depressed the market and caused major declines in the earnings of the support center that is struggling to sell at least half of what it is provding for auctions. True to its recent tradition, the center could only manage to sell 39,000 quintals of sugar from the 80,000 quintals it has offered at the 78th round auction. The center is expected to earn 15.6 million Br from the latest auction, a far cry compared to what it had been getting prior to the 71st auction - more than 30 million Br. What is positive about this whole saga is the stabilization of prices, thus benefiting consumers. The once alarmingly inflated price could not move now much from the 400.00 Br floor price the center has set. Ninety five percent of the sugar sold was bought on its floor price. So does the number of participants at the auction, whose declined number has forced the center to review its requirement bidders not to go for quintals less than 5000. Inspite of its openness to sell any amount companies bid for, the number of bidders at the latest auction has remained to be not more than 11. Merchandise Wholesale Import and Trading Enterprise (MWITE), a state owned company that has been participating in the last six consecutive auctions, has bought 10,000 quintals, while Ato Welela Ahmed and Hassan Sultan bought 6,000 quintals each. Top 'Tmihirtbete' Back on Track BY MULUGETA GIRMA FORTUNE STAFF WRITER After it was postponed from its original date of opening, which was scheduled for August 9, the grand opening of the long-awaited educational and book fair "Timhirte Bete", literally translated my school, seems to have come up to the expectations of organizers and participants alike. More than 60 government, non-government and private organizations, involved in publishing, printing, advertising, and education fields, descended on the Addis Ababa Exhibition Center to display their products on the 10-day event. The fair is jointly organized by the Addis Ababa Exhibition Center and Mega Advertising Enterprise in collaboration with Ministry of Education (MoE), whose deputy minister, Dr. Teklehaimanot Haileselassie cut the ribbon yesterday, September 21. The trade fair was postponed to further promote its importance and attract more participants by involving MoE as a co-organizer in addition to the principal organizers. Dr Teklehaimanot said at the opening that the event aims not only at promoting educational training and Information Technology (IT) - distributing various types of books in quality as well as quantity - but also opening opportunities for investment in the education sector, introducing services and products that are the bases of knowledge to the benefiting public. He also said that the exhibition is designed having in the organizers mind to raise the awareness of the public, particularly the youth, about HIV/AIDS in order to bring about behavioral changes. Exhibitors of the fair, which will remain open until October 1, are allowed to sell materials they have put on display. Solomon G. Michael, Mega's sales and promotion head, told Fortune that over 82pc of expected participants have surfaced. However, he voiced his disappointment that the panel discussion (Educational Books and Information: Problems Encountered in Ethiopia and Future Trends) incorporated in the exhibition, has failed to addressed pertinent issues surrounding the impending HIV/AIDS crisis in the country. "After all, the educational theme of the fair relates to the youth who are under direct threat from the epidemic," he said urging concerned governmental and non-governmental bodies to further take advantage of the annual educational and book fair in the future. Artistic performances including soliloquy, dramas, and literary competition among high schools in Addis, nevertheless, are to touch upon the issue during the exhibition, he disclosed. Eden Mebratu, sales and promotion agent for Melat Computer, whose company subscribed the largest display (16 Sq. meters), anticipates to fully benefit from the duration of the exhibition. "We have decided to participate at the fair hoping to promote the image of our company established recently, while the education sector is one area of our business that is directly related to information technology and we would like to pursue," said Eden. Others exhibitors also said that they are pleased to participate in this exhibition, which carries a unique theme as its focuses on education targeting the schooling community. Participants include universities such as Debub and Bahir Dar, private colleges like Admas, Africa Beza, and Queens, while international libraries including the British Council took part in the exhibition. The veteran university, Addis Ababa University (that had participated previously) and the private giant, Unity College, are not in the row of participating organizations.Top ECONOMIC COMMENTARY In Search of National Vision Through Auspicious Investment Atmosphere By Abebe Tadesse Following the shocking, unimaginable yet incalculable damages caused by terrorist attack upon the physical infrastructures of the United States, the world is expecting a significant decline in terms of the flow of global foreign investment. I have no reason to think otherwise, except anticipating that this unfortunate state of affair in turn would have a negative impact particularly on international trade, causing a subsequent decline in the prices of primary commodities. As Ethiopia is primary commodities exporting nation, whose export account more than 90pc of its total exports, I would assume shocks to Ethiopian economy is inevitable. A nation whose economy is largely related to its structural dependence on imports to sustain production and investment needs an uncertain revenue from exports, while exogenous revenues are crucial to finance balance of payment and budget deficit. It appears to me that it is unlikely for Ethiopia to get the kind of capital inflows in the near future that will significantly shift the growth path beyond the current prone level. As a result, I strongly believe that the design of economic policy on the basis of high expectations from the quantity and quality of foreign capital inflows is likely to lead to failure and incorrect prioritization. The fact that a country is attracting small foreign capital is believed to indicate that it is pursuing the correct economic policy. This, however, may not be entirely true. Getting the fundamentals that attract rights of portfolio investment does not necessarily mean that the policy is getting other developmental fundamentals right. Ethiopian Investment Authority (EIA) has revised the investment code about four times in the past nine years in an attempt to rectify some of the bottlenecks of both local and foreign investment inflows. Its general manager, Tadesse Haile, sounds more optimist following the political upheavals that has rocked the EPRDF. He recently told the Ethiopian News Agency (ENA) that the "renewal movement" in the governing political party would seek a feasible solution to the bottlenecks that hamstrung the development of investment in the country. Whether the ruling party publicly confesses its failure in attracting more investment, the facts on the ground remain insufficient, particularly the investment that came from foreign companies or entrepreneurs. Of the total licensed investments in the past nine years only 4.3pc (273 investment projects) now run by foreign entrepreneurs, while the barely existing public sector invests 0.5pc with its 31 investment projects. Tadesse's bureau now claims to register 6,336 investment projects with a combined capital of 69.1 billion Br from during this nine years. However, the tough question to answer would be how much of these figures show light on the ground made free from being hostages from his office and of those who wanted to invest. The bitter fact remains that some of the licensed projects did not go far beyond the paper and many remained stacked up in the beginning or in the middle not being lucky enough to reach the final stage. Tadesse himself had admitted last year that only 47pc of the total registered investment projects were being implemented. Speaking to the government daily, Addis Zemen, the investment authority boss once frank and bold enough to cite the tedious bureaucracy in getting land from the government and the poor utility supplies even for those that were found accessible for investors. To date, the key constraint to private investments remains to be the lingering process in acquiring land coupled with the exorbitant prices charged by the city government of Addis Abeba. If there was any renewal we have witnessed with the EPRDF, it could not demonstrate its self better than the frankness of the senior party fox who admit this fact, such as Sufian Ahmed who happen to say recently that the lease prices charged by the Addis Abeba city government has been major hindrance to the growth of investment. I believe the EPRDF chaps should not worry at all whether they would have any number of people who would disagree with the blatted confession. It is very much true that land lease policy has crippled economic growth deterring long-term investment from both foreign and local entrepreneurs, if not slowing the pace of privatization. If there is any singly yet major bottleneck to the development process of the country, it could not be any worse than the existing exclusive monopoly of land by the government. This tenure system would not go along with what EPDRF is extremely proud about, since the success in terms introducing meaningful development has been insignificant. It is just enough to see the level of poverty people are in. The macroeconomic environment as well as the climate for investment should be conducive both to local and foreign investment. As they encounter uninviting investment atmosphere, investors either refrain from committing irreversible capital investment or are content with short-term investment in trading activities. What is actually needed is a clear, transparent and predictable policy of controls and incentives for capital inflows. The government is expected to lessen its tax burden (particularly from rental income tax and capital gains tax), set reasonable price for land auctions, eliminate the frustrating red tape in obtaining land and encourage the private sector in every sector. Foreign investment will only be beneficial if it is only embedded within a broad national strategy driven by the exigencies of a compressive and inclusive national vision. The presence of such a national vision also makes policy credible to would be investors. Top RESTAURANT REVIEW TAJ RESTAURANT AND BAR Tel: 154091/92 LOCATION: In front of City Stadium- Ground Floor of Ibex Building Service ** The place gives out the impression that it is traversing through a recession period. One good reason that triggers this thought is because the waiting staff consists of not more than two, or maximum three attendants, which may imply that the owners have reduced the personnel to the lowest possible. One would not rule out the possibility that business is not at its peak these days. The other thing is that those who are responsible for the restaurant do not seem to be working at full steam in trying to constantly ameliorate the standard and quality of the house. The fact that there are scant attendants to serve customers has its own shortcomings in delivering quality service but when those few that are available do not exhibit professionalism when doing their job makes matter worse. What the waitresses of this place are doing is to take orders, which come after interminable minutes of 'stakeout', and bring the bill at the end of the meal. The thing called customer handling is non-existent. Leaving aside welcoming, ushering guests to their seats and treat them right through the entire meal, they are clumsy to the extent that they ask customers who come to the restaurant if they are there to dine! What else do they want when going there, for God's sake. To visit and leave as if the place is some kind of a tourist attraction & a descendant of the Tajmahal of India perhaps from where it derives its name? Such inquiry gives a sentiment that the person does not belong there. To make it worse, orders arrive after more than half an hour delay. One of our reporters, as a result of the languorous service, spent nearly two hours in the restaurant. The place offers two menus, one having Indian specialties and the other continental dishes. It is, indeed, good to offer customers more choice. But the attendants tend to give customers only one of the menus, the shortest one, where the European dishes are listed and diners would not even know the existence of the other menu, which has a complete list of starters, long list of Indian specialties and dessert. The attendants are not there to judge or determine which food is appropriate for whom but display all the things that the place has to offer to any customer. The right measure to take for the managers of the restaurant to bring the service of the restaurant to the level of standard it deserves is to employ skilled and trained staff, as well as closely follow what kind of treatment customers should get. The two or three attendants that are presently serving in the place are observed overburdened to cater for customers coming to the place even on days of scarce diners. Food *** The green salad for a starter was well prepared and rich with variety of ingredient. It also had a good content and size. The Lasagna, though does not taste bad, still needs to be more flavorsome and spicy, reminiscent to similar dish we have had in some other places. The restaurant should try to constantly fill its stock and make available all the items displayed in the menu. The attendants sometime disappoint customers that this or that is unavailable, which undermines people's preferences. The Chicken Cream Soup, served without crème because it was no more available, as the attendants tried to explain, was not appetizing at all. The same goes to the Spaghetti with Tomato Sauce, which tasted strange with a pronounced tang of overcooked food. The bread served with the dishes also appeared to have been in the cupboard for few days. The Indian dishes, which are offered in multiple choices in the extensive menu, are fortunately well prepared and fairly good. Environment *** The place has a plain set up with simple furnishing, which gives it somehow a cold entourage. There is no even a faint sight of touch to embellish the place with various adornments. Wall-to-wall carpet covers the floor, and white apparel curtains the corner-to-corner glass wall at the front side. There is a bar with straw roofing, perhaps the only gadget of the place's whole composition that draws attention, and massive wooden counter facing the entire interior of the house. Even if the place reflects a faint allure of its own, small reformation with eyeful stuff would contribute a lot. Though the materials that constitute the sparse fixtures appear in a good shape and well maintained at sight, close observation reveals that some of them need to be replaced. The red fabric that dresses the chairs show some sign of fatigue and are losing their original color probably due to old age. Even what is bewildering is that some of the clothes that are laid on the tables, at least on one of the tables, have holes with considerable dimensions, though not visible if one does not discover them accidentally as they lay underneath the small pieces of clothes that make the upper dressing. What would take to at least change the attires with which tables are dressed? That points out that the place really needs a serious management. For a devout restaurant owner, even with an average sense of perfection, it only requires him/her to get to Mercato and buy fabric by the meters and use it after very minor weaving. The small alleyway behind the main dinning room linking it with the kitchen and the toilets, which is accessed through a door, displays a shabby and tumultuous area. All the noises and agitation of the whole area permeates the main room of the restaurant via the back door that always remains open, also exhibiting not a charming sight to guests in the restaurant. The noise coming from there could be a nuisance and the place would be better off by shutting off the corridor or make it presentable. Even spider webs are visible in the main room, a salient evidence that the restaurant is somehow victim of neglect. As it already has all the ingredients necessary, including occupying an exceptionally good location, to make a place have an outstanding look and service, the restaurant would undoubtedly have more pleasant atmosphere and environment to offer with minor but perceptive measures and refurbishment works. The owners should start moving it, and quick, if they are contemplating to stay in the business in the long run. Price **** The prices of the dishes can be said cheap. Pasta dishes cost between 10 to 12 Br, starters go for seven Birr in average, while the Indian dishes are in the twenties. These prices are considerably low compared to other places with Asian specialties. But many people would prefer to have a perfect service and quality food to pay more. Parking **** There is a public parking space available for the restaurant customers that are mostly used by tenants of offices and residential apartments on the buildings around the area. However, the parking has the trend of being less crowded during lunchtime and at night hours, which is the time when the restaurant receives its customers most. So, finding a parking slot would not be a difficulty. The parking has its own security. Sanitation ** Although passably neat, the restrooms are not vigorously looked after and well maintained as observed left without being flushed, while the toilet in the ladies room is heedlessly mended with a cord and water facilities are not fully functional. Tissue papers are absent some of the time but utilities such as soap and towel were available. Next to the restroom that we assume is reserved for guests of the restaurant, there is another toilet compartment that finds itself in horrendous conditions and looks to be used by the people that hang out around the area. We believe that customers would not be expected to use this restroom, if we can call it one, and would spare our readers from the nasty details of its description. But still, knowing that such a restroom, depraved even from the slightest notion of sanitation, exists in the same corridor alongside the main dinning room of the restaurant is a grisly thought. It should be locked off for good if no body is taking the responsibility of looking after it or should be upgraded to a presentable condition and kept that way. Top IN BRIEF Tourism Sector Underutilized, Commissioner Yousuf Abdulahi Sukker, commissioner of tourism and Ethiopia's most elegant and fabulously dressed official, admitted that tourism resources in Ethiopia are underutilized, poorly contributing to the national economy despite their potential. He was forthright in saying had tourism resources were managed properly and promoted with a better policy, they could have had a great contribution for the country's economic growth. According to Yousuf, 140,000 tourists have visited Ethiopia in 1997, shortly to decline following the Ethio-Eritrean conflict in 1998. Yousuf is a commissioner responsible for a federal agency to direct and promote Ethiopia's tourism resources for better contribution to its economy. (Source: The Daily Monitor, September 18) City Offers 2m for Ring Road Relocation The city administration is now showing its human face addressing the plight of those whose properties have been demolished while the ring road was in progress. The Addis Abeba Roads Authority (AARA) announced its offer amounting to 2,337,840 Br as compensation for individuals and organizations whose residential units, fences or business buildings were fully or partially demolished to open space for the construction of the ring road in Addis Abeba. Tekeba Getachew, public relations head, said 71 households and 10 organizations have received the compensation. (Source: The Ethiopian Herald, September 19) Investor to Build 42m Hospital One of Ethiopia's growing regional towns, Nazareth, is not only having mushrooming buildings of hotels lined right and left of its major road. At least a construction of modern hospital complex at a cost of 42 million Br is in the pipeline. The hospital is anticipated to provide Nazareth, located 100Kms east of Addis, will have comprehensive medical services and would employ 250 health professionals. According to the investor, Dr. Adem Ali, manufacturing plants for glucose, intravenous needles and essential drugs are also integrated in the project. The 200 bed hospital will have a capacity of providing medical services to 30,000 patients. (Source: The Ethiopian Herald, September 18) EPHARM Gains 13m in Gross Profit Ethiopian Pharmaceuticals Manufacturing Factory disclosed that it has secured a gross profit of 13,323,989 million Br during the just ended Ethiopian fiscal year. Tsegaye Redda, general manager of the factory, said this gross profit meets 93.6pc of the targeted profit set for the year. The manager also said that the factory's sales volume has reached 67,259,177 million Br, which represents 81.3pc of the target for the year. (Source: The Ethiopian Herald, September 16) Investors Urge Implementation Support Patent right owners and investors have demanded a greater support from the government and entrepreneurs to realize the implementations of their inventions and industrial designs. Mulugeta Amaha, acting head of the Ethiopian Science and Technology Commission, said that the commission has granted 98 patent rights to what he described as minor inventions and industrial designs investors, from the 268 applications submitted since the national copyright law was enacted. Officials of the commission urged inventors to use the 20 million projects in their database that show inventions since the 18th century. (Source: The Ethiopian Herald, September 14.) Al Amoudi to Engage in Education Sheik Mohamed Hussein Al-Amoudi has applied to establish METI - MIDROC Education Training Institute with an initial capital of 20 million Br in partnership with his two brothers and a close relative. The company has 2000 shares valued each at 10, 000 Br. As tradition has it for him, the Sheik is the majority shareholder owning 1,400 shares and has become general manager of the institute. The company would start providing education from pre-primary to university level after acquiring license from the Ethiopian Investment Authority. (Source: The Ethiopian Herald September 19) EAL Says No Loss Due to U.S. Attacks The Ethiopian Airlines (EAL), who had earlier cancelled at least two of its flights to the United States, gave a bizarre statement that it has not incurred any loss resulting from the terrorist attacks on the U.S. EAL said although there had been some inconveniences in flight schedules, registered travelers were being served by regular flights. The airlines had cancelled flights to and from the U.S. on September 16 and 18, but resumed its regular flights beginning last Sunday, 16 September. (Source: The Ethiopian Herald, September 20) Top VIEW POINT Calub Should Strictly Fall Under Government's Domain By Yalew Bekele I read your article headlined, "The World Bank Leaves Off Extending Loans to Calub", that has appeared on your newspaper. Although I believe it was a well-researched report, there are some points that I think are to the interest of the public if it is on the table for discussion. I do not see any reason why the World Bank is pressuring the Government of Ethiopia to privatize Calub, since it is a condensate field that is already discovered and proven reserve but on a development stage. I strongly believe that remote basins that forces the government to be involved in high risk investment undertakings shall be better left to the private sector, particularly the transnational oil companies. This is not to say that the development process is a low cost project. Countries like India and Pakistan have an interesting experience in this regard that only remote areas (unexplored or little explored) are for the private sector while projects like Calub should strictly fall under governments domain. They relay for funds on rich countries whose economy is dependent on their petrochemical industries and encourage more exploration activities. The richer nations extend funds in the form of long-term loan and some sort of grants because they have to have a continuous supply of petroleum to their economy. Their complete dependence on the Middle East oil source has been, however, a threat to their national security. They believe that more discoveries will lower the price of petroleum and secure a constant supply. Therefore, we have to exhaust these possibilities by forwarding feasible projects to such countries in seeking their funding before settling for privatization. Having some projects under the government has tremendous impacts on strengthening national capacity, particularly in building national corporations and increasing the wealth of trained manpower, where a number of countries such as Uganda are known for. Our track record shows to the contrary, unfortunately. Although I am of the opinion that the type of agreement the previous government with the Soviet Union had exerted heavy pressures on the national economy, it also had positive contribution in building national capacity. It is enough to mention the last well, Hilal 4, drilled to a depth of about five kilometers by a drilling crew comprised of all Ethiopian nationals, if there is any need to substantiate the fact that I have mentioned above. The chief engineer and the chief geologist, who were both Soviet nationals, were following the operation from Dire Dawa with occasional field trips in times of cementing and testing. These professionals, with higher level of education with their rich experience, were a source of pride to the nation. It is very depressing to know what happened to these professionals, while it is pathetic to observe their current situation. The structural adjustment program introduced some years back with the pushing of the IMF has led to the liquidation of the former oil and gas exploration project coordinating office, which was a capital budget project under the Ministry of Mines and Energy, before it became one of the departments of the Ministry. Out of about 120 highly trained professionals and semi-professionals, only 40 of them were included in the new organizational structure prepared for the department, while the rest were made to scatter to regional bureaus where they have been under utilized or jobless since then. What a waste of highly valued human resources! I believe this was a grave mistake to make. And governmental authorities in the Ministry and the Prime Minister's Office shall reconsider it, thus make certain policy adjustments. I know a number of high caliber professionals who are now jobless or have been sitting in the offices doing nothing for the last couple of years. Was it impossible to come up with a better organizational structure that can accommodate these professionals instead of throwing them here and there, while keep sending repeated complaining reports to the Prime Minister's Office about the unavailability of trained manager? How about the possibility of establishing profit- oriented enterprises, which may be involved in drilling activities in the water sector such as geothermal wells and sub-contracting other drilling activities for companies involved in the mining and construction sectors? Based on information available to me, the first opportunity to do those was lost during the time of a study conducted on the organizational structure and manpower allocation for the Ministry. However, the second opportunity presented itself when a committee was formed under the Prime Minister's Office to study the Calub gas project in order to find alternative proposals to decide over the fate of Calub Gas Share Company. Knowing that the committee, comprising high-level government officials such as the Deputy Prime Minister, Kassu Ilalla, and former boss of the Privatization Agency, Assefa Abraha, was active for about three months on a full time basis, I hope all the possible alternatives have been exhausted. Since I do not have slightest clue on the conclusions of the Committee, it will not be appropriate to comment on it. But I consider this area to be of an interest to your newspaper for further research. Hypothetically speaking, however, had we been able to keep our professionals in their proper offices, we might not need to contract out the well completion work to the Chinese company. Instead, by hiring foreign experts and consultants, under the supervision of our professionals, we would have strengthened our national capacity and saved a lot of hard currency. There are certain individuals who played an important role towards the establishment of the current status of the Calub Gas Share Company. In spite of the distorted policy of the government at the time, and continued pressures from the World Bank and the IMF, I personally would like to give credit to the current general manager of the Company for his courage, dedication and diplomatic efforts he has been exerting. Had it not been to his vision, personal devotion and wonderful managerial skills, the Company could not have become a reality. Some people may disagree with, this but I personally witnessed these efforts starting from the conception, effective execution and realizationof the project, which I strongly feel that the credit should go to the people who deserve it. There is also another interesting issue that should be discussed in connection with the privatization of the Calub Gas Share Company. There is another gas field at Hilala area located 75Km from Calub. This field was penetrated, tested and preliminary reserve estimation was conducted by a technical team for the purpose of securing a loan from the World Bank for the Calub project. This estimation is by no means conclusive and accurate because you cannot know its volume based on the data from well. Its lateral extension shall further be known by drilling more exploratory - production wells to come up with more accurate reserve limitation. Therefore, if the privatization of the Calub project includes the gas research at the Hilala structure, then it will be like selling a product without knowing its volumes. Thus I think this is worth a point to further research for you. The last but by no means the least of interest is the purchase of the heavy duty drilling. I know for a fact that the Ethiopian government has purchased a drilling rig with a drilling capacity of six kilometers (I assume the only one of its kind in East Africa) about five years ago. I also know that it had no plan to purchase the rig but under the agreement made between the government and the Soviet Petroleum Exploration Expedition (SPEE), upon termination of the contract, the Ethiopian side was committed to demobilize all equipment owned by SPEE up to the parrot for departure. Following a cost-benefit analysis, the Ethiopian government has decided to purchase the drilling since it was for sell after depreciation was considered, which was to be close to the cost of demobilization and I think it was quite a reasonable decision. Sadly enough, the drilling was left in the desert to mist after the purchasing was completed. Have we tried to work for a market to lease the rig for companies who are operational in drilling activities in East Africa, particularity in Sudan and Uganda? Yalew Bekele is a geologist by training and he was involved in the explorations stage of Calub Gas Project for about six years.Top My PERSPECTIVE Give Peace A Chance Let us drop the Bomb By Yonas Kebede In New York, the slow task of finding and identifying the victims of the World Trade Center attack continues 24 hours a day. It is now estimated, subject to revision that at least 6,300 may have perished on that sad day. Death by fire and falling debris, horror, and bewilderment must have been the order of the day for the victims from over 40 nations, following the Kamikaze-like suicide attack on the twin towers. If the foundation of the bombed World Trade Center collapses, it would allow the Hudson River to flood the New York subway system, it is reported. For now, the disaster that struck New York rippled through beyond, shaking the global capital markets, the airline and the insurance industries and others. Major airlines axed tens of thousands workers when air traffic declined as travelers displayed their lack of confidence in the security of airports by massively shifting to ground transportation. To the families of the victims, the hardest thing is the uncertainty, although by now it is certain that no one will survive. Their loss cannot be measured. There are disturbing reports too of share dealings (short-selling and put options) based on prior knowledge of the September 11th attack. Profit taking from the knowledge that share-prices of airline and insurance companies will plummet as a result of the attack. Even more disturbing are the attacks on the Muslim community. An Egyptian born shopkeeper and Sikh petrol station owner were shot to death in Los Angeles and Arizona for no apparent reason than that they were dark skinned and were perceived to be Muslims. They looked like the enemy. Ironically, the Egyptian victim was in fact Coptic. Until last week, the most horrendous act of terrorism committed on American soil was the Oklahoma bombing. Then too Muslims were the primary suspects until, quite by accident, it was discovered that it was the work of a homegrown terrorist. Nobody, you see, has a monopoly on terrorism. Nine days after the attack on New York and Wash