Here are ten top facts about Africa’s WHO candidate.

Here are ten top facts about Africa’s WHO candidate.

Africa, Europe and South Asia will battle it out for who leads the United Nations (UN) health outfit, the World Health Organization (WHO).

The African candidate is a former Ethiopian technocrat and diplomat who is aiming to be the first African to occupy the topmost position in global healthcare management.

1. Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus has held two ministerial portfolios in Ethiopia – Health (2005 – 2012) and Foreign Affairs (2012 – 2016)

2. He has by far been the most vibrant social media (Twitter) campaigner among the three finalists. @DrTedros has over 227,000 followers.

3. He holds a PhD in Community Health and boasts of having technical and political competences that can help the WHO to move forward – as a health expert and seasoned diplomat.

4. He received the endorsement of the African Union (AU) in January 2016 during the 26th Ordinary Session of the AU Assembly.

5. He will become the first African Director-General to lead the WHO and also the first non-physician Public Health Specialist.

If I win I will be the first Minister of Health to lead #WHO, the first DG from #Africa & the first non-physician Public Health Specialist

— Tedros Adhanom (@DrTedros) April 29, 2017

6. One of his priorities is to expand the funding base of the WHO and increase member states’ contribution.

7. In July 2009, he was elected Board Chair of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria – a post he held for a two-year term.

8. He did not entirely leave the Ethiopian civil service space after resigning as Foreign Affairs chief, he continued as a special advisor to the Prime Minister.

9. He is credited with overhauling Ethiopia’s entire healthcare structure which was highly challenged. His reforms led to dramatic gains in indicators such as child and maternal health.

10. He was born in neighbouring Eritrea on March 3, 1965 – currently he is 52 years old.

The Director-General is WHO’s chief technical and administrative officer and oversees the organization’s international health work.

The current Director-General, Dr Margaret Chan, was appointed in 2006 and will complete her second term on 30 June this year.

His other two contenders are Dr. David Nabarro of Britain – who is seen as Tedros’ main contender. The third candidate is Dr. Sania Nishtar, a Pakistani physician. Read more here

Shaban Abdur Rahman Alfa
Africanews web journalist
Republic of Congo, Pointe Noire
alfa.shaban@africanews.com

NCAA bans Ethiopian airline from unauthorised charges

By Adekunle Williams and Solomon Asowata

The Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) has ordered Ethiopian Airlines to stop the collection of unauthorised charges forthwith.

The order was contained in a statement signed by Mr Sam Adurogboye, NCAA General Manager, Public Relations, on Sunday in Lagos.

Adurogboye said these unauthorised charges referred to as” refundable deportation fee” is put at between 75 dollars and 150 dollars.

According to him, all South Africa bound passengers on Ethiopian Airlines are compelled to pay this amount before boarding.

He noted that the authority had been inundated with several complaints from many passengers that have suffered this fate.

“According to investigation by NCAA, all outbound passengers to South Africa from Murtala Mohammed International Airport, (MMIA), Lagos and Akanu Ibiam International Airport, Enugu, transiting through Addis Ababa, are liable to pay 75 dollars.

“However, if your transiting time is 24 hours or beyond, the passenger will pay 150 dollars.

“While passengers are not given prior notice concerning these charges before arriving at the airports, some were made to sign undertaken to be responsible for all expenses incurred if deported,” Adurogboye said.

He said consequent upon this, the Ethiopian Airlines’ Country management were summoned by NCAA, where they claimed the fees were always refunded when a passenger was not deported.

Adurogboye said the regulatory authority however found this unacceptable and viewed it as a violation of the its extant regulations.

“The Nigerian Civil Aviation Regulations (NCARs) Part 18.4.1(iii) stipulates that “all air carriers should obtain approval from the authority to introduce or increase add-on charges or surcharges prior to implementation.

“Till date, the authority has not received any request for fare increase, tariff or add-ons from the airline.

“On this strength, Ethiopian Airlines has been ordered to stop with immediate effect these illegal charges,” he said.

Adurogboye noted that the Airline could take advantage of the Nigerian Civil Aviation Regulations (Nig.CAR) and obtain necessary approvals from the Authority if it has genuine grounds to increase fares or obtain tariffs.

The spokesman said :”the NCAA hereby warns all operating airlines to endeavour to adhere to the regulations in all facets of their operations.

“It is part of our statutory responsibilities to protect the rights of passengers and this we shall continue to do in accordance to the law.” (NAN) Read more here

Ethiopian Christians imprisoned five years have little hope of release

Twenty-two Christians imprisoned in the Kucha province in southern Ethiopia for five years have had their appeal deferred again, with no future date given.

Isaac*, a relative of one of the prisoners who can’t be identified for fear of repercussions, has said “We felt so sad and the detainees too. There was no sufficient reason why they did change it. We suggested that the judges were pushed by the politicians to do so.”

Read more here

Ethiopians illegally resident in Saudi refuse gov't help to return – PM worried

Ethiopian Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn has expressed worry over the refusal of nationals illegally resident in Saudi Arabia to return home despite a 90-day amnesty program.

Desalegn said he feared that the Saudi government will resort to forcibly deport Ethiopians who have refused to voluntarily return home.

The Premier is quoted by the Ethiopia News Agency as saying, “the situation that made the Saudi Government forcibly deport our citizens is being created. Therefore, it is better if our citizens come back home before various problems arise seizing the opportunity they are given even in the remaining short period”.

I wasn’t trying to commit suicide, I was trying to escape from the woman who tried to kill me.

The 90-day amnesty expires in a few days and authorities say the numbers of people they expected to return under the program was all but underwhelming. The PM, however, renewed the appeal for them to return in their own interest.

The period for illegal foreigners to leave the oil-producing giant started on March 29, 2017. Those who fail to leave will be subjected to fines or face legal measures, which include forced deportation.

The PM further assured that nationals residing in Saudi Arabia and the government will continue to collaborate with the Ethiopian mission in Saudi Arabia and other regional governments for the safe return of citizens.

Even as the government continued to fight trafficking of persons, the PM held that illegal brokers were thwarting those efforts and destroying lives of citizens because of their profits.

Most affluent Middle East countries hire thousands of domestic helpers from Africa and Asia. Most of these helpers often complain of abuse from their employers. In a recent case in Kuwait, an Ethiopian maid was virtually thrown off from the seventh floor of an apartment block by her employer.

The maid was filmed by her employer, a Kuwaiti woman, while she hanged outside their building tightly gripping the window frame with one hand until she fell onto a metal awning seven floors below.

Local media reported that she was attempting to commit suicide despite her call for help before falling. She denied that claim in a later interview.

“I wasn’t trying to commit suicide, I was trying to escape from the woman who tried to kill me,” she said.

The employer was arrested for not helping the Ethiopian maid who was rescued by health professionals and rushed to the hospital with blood oozing from her nose and ears as well as a broken arm. Read more here

Ethiopian PM concerned over illegally citizens in KSA

Prime Minister Hailemariam Dessalegn has expressed concern over the reluctance of Ethiopians in Saudi Arabia, without resident and work permits, returning home as the 90-day amnesty granted by the kingdom draws closer.Prime Minister Hailemariam Dessalegn has expressed concern over the reluctance of Ethiopians in Saudi Arabia, without resident and work permits, returning home as the 90-day amnesty granted by the kingdom draws closer.

“Even as the 90 days deadline the Saudi government has given to all foreign nationals illegally residing in the country is drawing closer, very few Ethiopians have returned home as compared to the expected number” the state owned Ethiopian News Agency reported on Saturday quoting Dessalegn.

Well over 200,000 Ethiopians are estimated to live in Saudi Arabia without legal documents, of whom only 23,000 have returned since March 29, 2017

The premier expressed fear that the situation could be worse than the previous crackdown in 2013, when 100,000 Ethiopians were forcibly deported by the Saudi government.

The amnesty period for illegal foreign nationals to leave the kingdom without paying fines or facing legal measures started on March 29, 2017. Read more here