Bahir Dar

I spent my weekend in Northern Ethiopia in Bahir Dar and Gonder. It was my third visit to Bahir Dar, but I haven’t been back there since November 2004 so it was good to see some positive change. We flew in on Friday morning and headed straight out to visiting our urban garden project partners to see the results of the program that targets HIV/AIDS affected women and children on the ground.

In general, it seems that there has been a lot of positive change. There are certainly lots of new buildings going up, several roads that were dirt a few years ago are now tarred, and maybe the biggest change was the complete lack of children hounding me continuously for a pen or a Birr (the local currency which equals about ¢12) that followed me everywhere a few years ago. There is still a long way to go. As we drove through the streets of Bahir Dar, I noticed two young boys in tattered clothes peeking over a fence. When I looked closer, I realized they were eavesdropping on a class lesson going on at the elementary school on the other side of the fence. Education at government schools is free, but there are still many children who do not attend because their families cannot afford the cost of the required uniforms, books and pens, and most importantly the cost of the lost labor to the household from the children going to school instead of working. As a result, many children stay home, furthering the cycle of poverty. According to the 2005 national health survey 67% of girls and 54% of boys have never been to school. The large gender gap is because the earning potential for girls is generally perceived as being far less than boys.

It was very rewarding to be able to speak to some of the women that are benefiting from our program by having access to land to grow their own vegetables. Almost all of these women are producing their own food for the first time and they told me they were feeding their families, and selling some vegetables, using the extra income to send their children to school. Surprisingly, I believe the biggest impact of the program is the impact on the women and children’s self perception. It may seem very touchy feely, but by producing their own vegetables and earning income, the HIV/AIDS affected people are transformed by renewed hope.

Zimbabwe-Ethiopia connection

I have been thinking a lot about Zimbabwe over the last couple of days, what with the government arresting the opposition leaders, giving them a severe beating in jail and then releasing them so they could tell their story to the world media. You would almost think that it was a set up by the opposition except that the incident is so characteristic of the current Zimbabwe government. I have been following this story and am holding my breath that the renewed international pressure, and signs of cracks in the ZanuPF support for Mugabe (at a recent Zanu convention there was little support for Mugabe’s proposal to alter the constitution to allow him to extend his term in office until 2010) could eventually lead to a change in government. It has long been my dream that Mugabe dies – and that it would then open opportunities for agricultural development in Zimbabwe and I would be able to go work there and start to repair the damage done by this monster.

So today my main objective was to renew the license for my company to operate in Ethioipia. One could assume that this would not be too difficult as we already had a license, but only someone not familiar with the joys of African bureaucracy would make that mistake. My Ethiopian colleagues have been trying to renew the license for months but have been refused for one artificial reason or another. In the middle of talking with one particularly stubborn man trying to put obstacles in our way, there was a knock on the door and who should enter but the Head of the Investment Commission for Zimbabwe! He was there to be introduced to the stubborn ministerial employee but shook hands around the room. I greeted him with a warm “mangwananani”, the Shona greeting. He was surprised and asked if I knew Zimbabwe. I thought for a split second and decided to surprise him. “My family is from Zimbabwe”. “Oh” he said and smiled and quickly made his exit. What I would have given to have more time to discuss with him. What I did take away from this brief encounter was the level of desperation in Zimbabwe if they are looking for investment from a country that is better known for famine than funding. (Either that or he was looking to invest ill-gotten gains from Zimbabwe…)

Three hours after arriving at the ministry we achieved an unexpected success and walked out with our license to operate. What a pleasant surprise. I have been told by the Chief of Party of the project that with this major accomplishment under my belt it is okay if I do nothing else for the rest of the week. Tempting, but I am hoping to get a lot done this week – including some visits to fun tourist sights. What amazes me about the experience today is that this ministry is considered the most efficient in Ethiopia (according to one of my Ethiopian colleagues). As all investors have to get a license as a first step before they can operate here you can only imagine the difficult business environment. Another much-needed development project.

Back in Addis

I find myself in Addis Ababa for the fourth time in four years and it is good to be back. I’m here for two weeks on a management visit to one of our projects. I helped to start up this project in 2004 and this is the first time I’ve been back to work with the team since, so it’s great to see how much the team has accomplished.

It was a typical grueling flight, but at least it did not involve flying through Charles de Gaulle. The highlight was watching the golden sun set over the sand dunes of Sudan out the window of the plane. A surreal sight. My preferred hotel here (the Hilton) is fully booked as usual so I am staying at Hotel Leopold, and yes, it is just as interesting as it sounds. As I walked through the entrance delirious from the 24 hour journey I thought my eyes were deceiving me as I was flanked by exotic animals – a very badly stuffed scruffy lion and an equally sad-looking leopard. The trip continued when I got to my room and discovered a king sized bed with a leopard print velvet bedspread and matching pillow cases. In the morning I had to shower one-handed as the only way to ensure a stream of water was to pull down on the shower hose. Plus the soap dish was angled downward so it was impossible to keep the soap on it. At breakfast, I discovered a beautiful chandelier in the dining room – it was just a shame that the ceiling was only 10ft high and the chandelier is at least 5ft tall, meaning that you have to walk around the chandelier, which is conveniently located in the middle of the buffet. The sad thing is that Leopold is the same price as the Hilton, and although no where near Hilton standards, it is actually quite a nice hotel, it’s just the little things that they have missed. Now why isn’t there a tourism development project in Ethiopia – it would be very helpful.