vol. 24 no.17 saturday, april 29, 2017 pages 8, price 2.00 nfa...

Vol. 24 No.17 Saturday, April 29, 2017 Pages 8, Price 2.00 NFA

Eritrean nationals residing in Italy, Central and Western USA as well as the UK have conducted public diplomatic activities.

Public DiPlomacy activities

The Eritrean Medical Association in partnership with Italian counterpart has provided free medical service to citizens working in places exposed to pollutant gases.

The service was provided to citizens engaged in environmental sanitation and infrastructure activities besides those at Medeber here in the capital.

The service lasted for a week and a total of 140 citizens received treatment for respiratory system.

According to Prof. Marco Bruno, Head of the Italian medical team, similar medical service is also being provided to Eritrean cyclists.

Free meDical service

Board of the National Union of Eritrean Women in the Central region conducted first Congress this week. Ms. Tekea Tesfamichael, Chairperson of the NUEW, said that the Union is exerting the necessary effort to develop women’s professional and economic capacity in addition to promoting their participation in political and socio-economic

NueW boarD iN ceNtral regioN HolDs 1st coNgress

The head of the Ministry of Labor and Human Welfare’s branch in Anseba region, Mr. Girmai Bokretsion, said that efforts are being exerted to develop community-based support for martyrs families.

He indicated that the government is yearly allocating over 40 million Nakfa in support of families of martyrs. He further added that more than 20 million Nakfa interest-free loan has been disbursed to enable the same families become productive citizens and that over 86% of the loan has already been repaid.

Mr. Girmai also explained that about 200 needy students have received financial support and that 20 foster families are looking after 98 orphans who have been rehabilitated at an expenditure of around half a million Nakfa.

commuNity-baseD suPPort For martyrs Families

A total of 187 students including 32 females in Adi-Tekelezan sub-zone have graduated following four-month training in various skills.

Mr. Teame Samuel, Head of the National Union of Eritrean Youth and Students branch in Adi-Tekelezan sub-zone, and Ms. Shamla Gebrekidan, Head of projects at the NUEYS, said that the training was provided in a bid to upgrade the competence of the youth in different skills.

youtH graDuatioN iN DiFFereNt skills

World Atlas reported that Eritrean women are among the top ten countries in the world for most active in the labor force.

The report that was published on April 24 disclosed that 80% of Eritrean women are actively engaged in different activities and that their performance ranked ninth surpassing Iceland which stood tenth in the list.

According to the report, Tanzania stood first while Madagascar, Rwanda, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Burundi, Malawi and Nepal stood 3rd to 8th respectively.

The report further indicated that the active participation of the Eritrean women in socio-economic development was the outcome of the government’s policy of ensuring women’s economic emancipation.

It is to be recalled that the Government of Eritrea has given the required attention to women’s rights, including gender equality and the eradication of harmful practices.

eritreaN WomeN most active iN labor Force:

WorlD atlas

At a seminar Eritrean nationals in Milan and its environs conducted, the Eritrean Ambassador to Italy, Mr. Fisehatsion Petros explained

that solid unity and patriotism of the Eritrean people is the secret for the prevailing peace and stability in the nation and that persistent effort is being exerted to build an economically strong country and ensure social justice.

Ambassador Fisehatsion further called on the nationals to develop organizational as well as economic and professional capacity in addition to reinforcing contribution to national development programs.

Voicing admiration for the discipline and patriotism of Eritrean nationals, Mr. Enrico Marcora,

Adviser to the Mayor of Milan city, expressed readiness to strengthen relations between the Eritrean community and the Municipality of Milan.

Likewise, members of the National Union of Eritrean Women branch in Germany conducted a seminar in Frankfurt. A six-month activity report was presented on the occasion.

Also at a seminar in which members of the YPFDJ, NUEYS and other nationals from 13 States took part, Mr. Berhane Gebrehiwet, Charge d’Affairs at the Eritrean Embassy in the US, and Mr. Dawit Haile, Head of Community Affairs, gave briefings regarding the objective situation in the homeland and the significance of active participation in strengthening organizational capacity.

The participants expressed readiness to enhance participation in national development programs and portray the nation’s true image.

The YPFDJ branch in Birmingham, the UK, also conducted its annual congress.

programs.The Head of political and

organizational affairs in the NUEW branch in the Central region, Ms. Solomie Gebreselasie, stated that the Union is striving to eradicate harmful practices in partnership with stakeholders. She also called on women to strengthen organizational capacity and boost participation

in the work place. Ms. Liya Gebreab, Head of

tourism branch in the region, explained that the newly established NUEW board would make significant contribution in the implementation of the envisaged programs.

The participants elected new executive members.

NeWs brieF

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Sara Alem Aida Johar

2Vol 24 . No 17Eritrea Profile, Saturday, April 29, 2017

Mela Ghebremedhin

Engaging local communities in raising awareness and eradicate bad habits are essential parts in development endeavours. Often, the significance of local community as driver for change is disregarded by policymakers and organizations. In recent years, the role of communities seems to be increasingly recognized by those at the top of the pyramid. Truly, including local community throughout the whole process from planning to implementation is pivotal in monitoring and keeping the momentum.

As health is one of the top priorities of the Government of Eritrea, eradicating diseases is key for the development of the country. In fact, eradicating malaria prevalence is at the forefront of Eritrea’s fight, which started during the armed struggle for independence. Clearly, the fight against malaria, especially

Keeping the Momentum in fighting Malariain rural areas, has been vigorous through campaigning, sensitization programs and the implementation of preventive measures.

On April 25th, Eritrea commemorated the International Malaria Day at national level. For the occasion, I went to attend an event with local communities in the outskirts of Asmara, in a small town called Emba Dorho. In the morning hours of Tuesday, the organizing committee was making the final arrangements. Posters, leaflets and banners decorated the venue. Local communities of the town as well as neighbouring

villages from Serejeka sub-zone started to fill up the hall wearing hats bearing the slogan, “let’s get rid of Malaria” and t-shirts assorted for the occasion.

At the event, Snit cultural troupe including school girls and boys of the area, showcased various cultural performances to enhance the message of prevention against malaria. The audience expressed their pleasure towards the performers by encouraging them. The spirit of the local community

was clearly reflected at the event. Actually, the motto in eradicating malaria in Eritrea is by engaging communities to enhance awareness and take preventive measures in their respective areas.

Accordingly, Eritrea together with its partner agencies included a system of village committees whose role is together organize seminars, sensitize people in their neighbourhood as well as ensure clean and hygienic standards without failing to recall the good use of mosquito nets.

The Governor of the Sub-Zone of

Serejeka, Mr. Tesfu Fessehatzion, said in his welcoming speech that “Eritrea continues to register one of the best results in Africa”. He also stressed the importance of prioritizing health as a key element in development.

To promote health, engaging the people is an important feature as it creates a sense of ownership for the well-being of the collective. To strengthen this statement, the community-based programs

implemented since 1999 in Eritrea have shown positive results in lowering malaria prevalence nationwide. Mr. Mehari Hedad, who is in charge of Administration and Finance at the Ministry of Health Central region branch, explained the consequences of malaria prevalence particularly on children and pregnant women and that only prevention can actually eradicate the disease.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), between 2001 and 2016, about 6 million people worldwide were affected by the disease as stated by the international report in which 52.2% are children in Sub-Saharan Africa, Mr. Mehari stressed.

In Eritrea, from 2000 to 2015, the number dropped by 75% and the Central region remains the region with best results registered. Besides, according to the Ministry of Health (2016), at national level, malaria incidence per 1000 people declined from 157.1 in 1998 to 11.4 in 2015.

Despite the positive results

registered, Mr. Teklit Berhe, representative of the Governor of Emba Dorho, explained to the audience on the necessity of continuous efforts for the eradication of malaria. A research conducted by the Ministry of Health in 2016 in 17 villages of the region registered higher malaria prevalence in Durfo and Wuqay. The administration of the Central region has so far distributed about 7,000 insecticide-treated nets to pregnant women while another 40,000 have been disseminated to rural areas of the region.

Although the region is less prone to malaria compared to the Gash Barka region with the highest risk in the country, the work against malaria shouldn’t stop until it is totally eradicated”, Mr. Teklit stressed.

Commemorating Malaria Day at community level is an occasion to remind every citizen of his/her responsibility to promote healthy and clean practices and enhance the level of awareness of the community.

poster such as this one illustrating the importance of consulting health professional in case of symptoms of malaria

the local community in Embadorho during malaria day, @MOI/H.Gebremedhin 2017

Snit cultural troupe performing at the commemoration of malaria Day, Embaderho, central region. @MOI/H.Gebremedhin/April 2017

Sophia tesfamariam

Disinformation about Eritrea has become a cottage industry among Eritrea’s quislings and the minority regime in Ethiopia. Not a single week goes by without some kind of mention of Eritrea by the regime, its self-serving think tanks and the Addis based international media, who have now become extensions of its misinformation campaigns. The latest report comes from IRIN and James Jeffrey, an Addis based free-lance journalist and Martin Plaut of the BBC. Eritreans know a thing or two about Plaut and the BBC, but who is James Jeffrey and what does he know about Eritrea?

According to the Guardian, James Jeffrey is:

“…a British journalist based in the United States, where he graduated with a master’s in journalism from the University of Texas at Austin, in May 2012. He left the British army as a captain in April 2010, having served over nine years in the Queen’s Royal Lancers, including operational tours in Kosovo (2002), Iraq (2004, 2006) and Afghanistan (2009)…”

Jeffrey was sent to the United States by African Business to study journalism, and moved to Ethiopia In October 2013 just months after his graduation. Africa Business’s Ethiopia bias is found in its latest headlines, which tout Ethiopia’s “growing trade and investment”. But elevating Ethiopia’s stature in the region is not enough-it has to also undermine Eritrea’s in order to be complete. Such has been the campaign for the last 20 years…and James Jeffrey is just another addition or is it edition.

It is safe to say that James Jeffrey does not have any firsthand knowledge about Eritrea and that everything he knows has been from his payors, or from the minority regime in Ethiopia. In his March IRIN article, Jeffrey’s defers to Ethiopian officials for his story on Eritrea and Eritreans. As with each story about Eritrean refugees, information about them is provided by the Administration for Refugee and Returnee Affairs (ARRA) and cadres of the Tigray Peoples Liberation Front (TPLF). Inputs from the said refugees serve

Crocodile Tears: Cover for Real Threats in the Horn Region

to embellish the reports, which serve to perpetuate the myth about Ethiopia’s benevolence and good will towards Eritreans.

This from a regime that deported over 80,000 Eritreans and Ethiopians of Eritrean origin at the height to the Eritrea Ethiopia border conflict in 1998-2000, and a regime that continues to occupy sovereign Eritrean territories in violation of international law, the Eritrea Ethiopia Boundary Commission’s final and binding delimitation and demarcation decisions, and an embarrassing and reckless regime that has repeatedly manufactured “evidence” to support its preposterous accusations against Eritrea in international forums. The shameless regime has left no stone unturned to reverse the final and binding rulings of the EEBC and no sugar coated pronouncements can fool Eritreans about its evil intentions.

Jeffrey’s article is filled with all the usual spin on Eritrea-and off course, the National Service program, the minority regime’s obsession…or is it nightmare. Eritreans who leave Eritrea also know the spill-seems to work for all age groups. The truth is and anecdotal evidence shows that, very few of those who use national service in order to gain asylum, have ever served. For those who absconded while in service, the years served are very few. It took the whole nation to liberate Eritrea and it will take the whole nation to rebuild Eritrea, as no other state of peoples have a responsibility to do that. Eritreans owe it to themselves and for almost two generations who have paid lives and limbs for Eritrea’s independence and territorial integrity, to rebuild their nation and lay the foundations for a prosperous future, for generations to come.

Eritrea is a young nation with a very small population and will need to utilize all of its human and natural resources to develop its nascent economy. If Americans and Europeans can send youth to Africa and Asia, to serve in programs such as the Peace Corps, to build infrastructures, teach and provide health care in foreign villages and towns, why is it considered such as crime for Eritreans to serve in their own country? Unfortunately,

instead of educating the public on the virtues of national service, western NGOs and their surrogates, with the media in tow, have chosen to disparage it and have engaged in an unprecedented disinformation campaign about the program. Eritrea must be doing something right….why else would they put such efforts to halt a program that instills civic values and enhances youth engagement and participation in development? Is that not what global institutions such as the UN are calling for today?

Another issue that has consumed Ethiopia’s leaders and some western media outlets is Eritrea’s food security. None has written as doggedly about it, and gotten it wrong each time, than Martin Plaut of the BBC. Ever since the regime in Ethiopia rejected the EEBC’s final and binding delimitation and demarcation decisions, Martin Plaut has churned out several articles and reports to undermine Eritrea’s moral and legal position, while shielding the minority regime in Ethiopia and its excesses. Relying on Ethiopia’s surrogates for his information about Eritrea, as he has not visited the country for over a decade, he has continued to misinform his readers with outrageous claims. His latest being a report about “hidden famine” in Eritrea.

The incessant orchestrated vilification and defamation campaigns by the frightened minority regime in Ethiopia, its surrogates and handlers has had a negative impact on public opinion about Eritrea, but a visit to the country quickly dispels the many lies…and the one about famine is the easiest. Anyone that knows anything about Eritrea can attest to the dramatic changes in Eritrea’s landscape-and Eritrea’s strategy on the making of a more drought and famine resistant landscape is not one that will be found in any of Plaut’s reports on the country or its people.

For Eritrea, food security is a matter of national security, thus a development priority. With water scarcity being one of the most urgent food security issues facing sub-Saharan countries, Eritrea has developed a national strategy to capture and harness water, which includes the building of strategic

dams, big and small, throughout the country. These dams have improved irrigation, improved supply of clean potable water, recharged ground water supplies and farmers are growing a variety of profitable crops. Once arid and barren land has now been converted into irrigational land and the financial status of farmers has improved. The dams provided habitat for flora and fauna, electricity (hydro power) and in some areas, provide recreational activities such as boating and fishing.

Martin Plaut’s reports about Eritrea have the same recurring theme. Without foreign NGOs and media to validate Eritrea’s development, the world will not get an accurate picture of the country or its people. How condescending. The people of Eritrea are not intellectually inferior to their western counterparts, or any other peoples for that matter and are very cognizant of their needs and how to achieve them. Eritrea’s multi-pronged food and water security strategy which includes universal education and health care, improved sanitation, building dams and water catchments, restoring land degradation and erosion etc. are making immense contribution to the development of a healthy Eritrean society.

Plaut forgets that Eritrea’s concern for food security predates independence in 1991, and with the establishment of the Agricultural Research and Human Resources Development (DARHARD), now the National Agricultural Research Institute (NARI), Eritrea continues to conduct extensive research on indigenous seeds and plants, to ensure Eritrea’s biosecurity and increase food production. Eritrea’s Agricultural Ministry has shown its commitment to Eritrea’s famers by providing agricultural advice, research and information on all aspects, from pre-to post-harvest-including storage and reserves, to mitigate against drought and low rainfall levels. Eritrea always saves for a rainy day…and its food reserves are enough to help it weather any storm.

Plaut and his ilk seem to have forgotten about Eritrea’s abundant, yet untapped marine resources. Eritrea’s strategic location in the Horn of Africa has been a source

of great enmity for the regime in Ethiopia and successive regimes have tried to annex sovereign Eritrean territories at one time or another, with the acquiescence, or tacit approval, of the international community. In its 2015 Fishery and Aquaculture Country Profiles, the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) stated the following:

“…Located at the widest part of the Red Sea, Eritrea has an Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) of 121 000 km2. Its mainland coastline is about 1 900 km from the Sudan border to the Djibouti border. Eritrea has a continental shelf of 56 000 km2 with a plateau containing 360 islands that define the Dahlak Archipelago. The latter add another 1 300 km of coastline…The waters of the southern part of the Red Sea are highly productive and rich in biodiversity. This productivity supports substantial populations of over 1 000 species of fish and 220 species of corals…”

Plaut also forgets that Eritrea also has a huge and thriving livestock sector…making famine, an impossible phenomenon in today’s Eritrea.

Today, it comes as no surprise that the regime would want to divert attention away from the famine stalking Ethiopia once again, and the Ethiopian people who are not only starving, but also living under an 8 month old State of Emergency decree that has stripped them of their rights. So instead of writing about the country that he now lives in and is witness to, the suffering of the people, James Jeffrey decides to attack Eritrea. Suppose he has to earn his keep…

All those shedding crocodile tears for Eritrea and her people need not fret….their concerns are misplaced… but, the Horn region is in trouble. Despite funneling funds to the minority regime, and providing it diplomatic, political and military shield and support, and feeding its people, the debilitating conditions in Ethiopia, increased malnutrition and disease in the population, increase in famine and hunger, increase in ethnic and religious violence and conflicts, has increased instability and insecurity in Ethiopia, and now threatens the entire Horn region.

Disclaimer: articles published in this column do not reflect the stance or opinion of Eritrea Profile



Natnael Yebio W.

The industrialized countries with their gospel of economic globalization are now ready to swallow the whole world hook, line and sinker. In Tigrinya the words ‘bdewna k’beluna delyom’ (they want to eat us alive) aptly describe the situation. Do you think that Americans will take kindly to the breakneck economic growth of China and India? It is now becoming very unsettling to Western eyes that the Chinese are penetrating deep into Africa. It is therefore time for America to overhaul its foreign policies and trade relations with Third World countries, for more investment concessions.

Now they seem to be coming back in full force. The old masters are coming along with some new ones. There is no choice. What do they want? Why are they flocking to my country? Asks the poor and hungry African villager. Oil? There is more oil in their goddamn hair than in the whole goddamn country. Gold? There is more gold in their bloody teeth than in this bloody country. Wait a minute my African friend, not so fast. Who knows, maybe right now, you are standing on a rich deposit of lithium or uranium or even plutonium, and just under your papaya tree your soil may be sloshing with oil and squeaking with gold. So don’t ask foolish questions!

How about partnership? Asks the Africans economic adviser. Hey, the rich don’t like partnership. They don’t like to consult with poor people either. The rich investors from the West simply say, “Hey, look here young man, this world is after all ours; we made it the way it is; now how about a glass of whiskey…”

Whether we like it or not, the world has now become a small and smoke-covered planet (one of nine) revolving around the sun. Mankind is lucky that this planet doesn’t miss its orbit and hurtle straight onto the sun or swoosh on a collision course with one of the unwary planets in the solar system, and kiss itself goodbye. No, never. It keeps on revolving by the grace of God, dancing to the rhythm of the music of the spheres. But nobody seems to

A Perverse Worldgive a damn about this amazing grace and this everlasting miracle. Well, just for being doubtful, there are asteroids lurking in the dark bidding their time. Will mankind stop thinking about its own narrow interests and start to reflect about the whole world just for a moment?

The Earth revolves around the sun carrying on board 196 countries and about 7 billion people, bickering, threatening each other with weapons of mass destruction, wishing instant death for each other, eating their hearts out because one lucky country has struck oil while theirs has just dug out only trouble; signing a declaration of war just because that country has just snatched the World Cup ‘illegally’ from it, etc. They never stop antagonizing each other because they have not learned the art of tolerance and the concept of brotherhood.

The rich feels the best way to e r a d i c a t e poverty is to eradicate the poor; the believer waits for the day he could attain bliss by seeing the infidel roast in hell; the macho feels like tearing a woman into shreds, and the pervert dreams of one day walking barefoot on women’s breasts. Très interessant!

You know what one Whiteman said when asked to give his views about poverty in Africa. He said, and these are his own words: They are born too much and they don’t die enough!

Have you ever seen passengers fighting on board a commercial airliner? The hostesses are watchful lest the fight turn into a ‘nightmare’ in mid-flight. Should something resembling this take place on the plane, the captain will do everything in his power to put things in order, even to the point of shooting the troublemaker with a tranquilizing dart.

Fortunately, our planet (moving like a jet plane in an empty space) is strong enough to withstand small fights here and there, but the moment the big powers start hurling nuclear bombs at each other, there is a possibility that the entailing shock could nudge the Earth off its orbit and those of us who continue breathing after the rise of the mushroom cloud, have to kiss our bottoms goodbye for all time.

The planet Earth is carrying on its back a mass of people polarized between the rich North and the poor South, or the West (with its hedonistic culture) and the East

(with its m y s t i c -oriented traditions). This situation which is daily worsening through lack of tolerance and understanding between the diverse peoples of the world has made this planet a tinderbox. Hence, only a mad and determined country impelled by greed, lacking tolerance and reluctant to live on equal terms with its neighbors, could start the nightmarish countdown and blow this world to smithereens along with its inhabitants.

Our planet seems to have changed a lot since its creation at the dawn of time. A planet that had accommodated dinosaurs and pterodactyls, not to mention

saber-toothed tigers and dodos in the past, is now incapable of accommodating even the most innocuous and humble of animals such as the antelope or the gazelle.

For this, Buffalo Bill and his ilk will be called to account in the Day of Judgment for massacring wild animals just for fun, including all the big time hunters in Africa and the French Canadian fur hunters, the Russian seal killers, the greedy Japanese whale eaters, the big logging American companies in the Amazon, all timber companies and lumberjacks with their dynamites, shotguns, chainsaws and their big lumber trucks held as exhibits. Not even

the buyers will be spared. They will stand before the Grand

Tribunal to testify, and they won’t be set

free without further questioning.

And then to add insult to injury, W e s t e r n i n d u s t r i e s had already made their d o o m s d a y contribution by filling the atmosphere

with gas, smoke and

soot, not to mention electronic

debris. Well, if this continues unabated we

will soon be shivering in the frozen wastes of the

Earth for millennia or cooking in our sweats in the torrid wastes for eons.

Alas, until now gas emissions creating greenhouse effects were coming from the West, but now they are wafting from the East. Greed’s gravitational field seems to have changed its global position.

Scary, isn’t it? Now here are some suggestions on how to treat the ills that are afflicting the world, before it is too late. Let’s begin with the first, namely the question of asteroids.

Once I saw a film in which, to save themselves and the world from an incoming asteroid, the

two superpowers (US and Soviet Russia) concerted their armed forces and logistics and directed their nuclear arsenal against the intruding monster hoping thereby either to blow the flying monolith to pieces in mid-air, or failing that, to nudge it off its course and send it hurtling into outer space without touching the Earth. In the end it was a big success. The asteroids left the poor earth alone and zoomed to eternity. Unity does create force; hence, in the event that something of that sort happens again, the world has enough infernal weapons to be used to save mankind from deadly astral collisions instead of using them to wipe out each other.

The film continued. You know what? Once the common enemy was blown out from the sky for good, the two powers went back to business as usual, accusing and calumniating each other impelled by greed and mutual suspicion. I think the world really needs some asteroids and a few meteorites now and then for the realization of a lasting world peace. But if, in the first place, the peace and unity created by the asteroid had been genuine and not made for expediency, it would have endured.

The second question is political and should be tackled with caution. The best cure for narrowing the gap between the North and South is economic justice, respect for universal human rights and wholehearted tolerance. A small global village cannot go on existing for long with the rich getting richer everyday and the poor getting poorer every second. If the money spent for stupid wars and idiotic conflicts had been used wisely to help the underdeveloped countries get out of their misery, there wouldn’t have been any reason to build lethal weapons and squander the world’s wealth in fighting.

Humankind should recognize that it is more profitable to be at peace than to be at war, even if for the time being it seems more tempting for one to get what one wants through war alone. Well, you can’t do a right thing in the wrong way. And war is wrong,

continued on page 7

Natnael Yebio W.

In my first edition of the Gash effect, I took a look at the chief catalyst for the Gash-Barka’s recent transformation in agricultural development: the National Crops and Livestock Corporation. In this edition also, I’ll take a brief look at the region’s agricultural structure, in line with the interview I had with the managing director of the development region Mr. Hailezghi Habte.

Agriculture has been the cornerstone of the Eritrean economy in the past and is still the main source of income and food for more than 60 percent of the population. Eritrea has substantial and varied natural resources that can be developed to sustain socioeconomic development. Generally, Eritrea possesses modest land and water resources.

Eritrea’s agricultural policy is based on the twin pillars of modern agricultural undertakings to enhance food security in its broadest sense – to meet domestic consumption needs as well as to focus on high-yield exports – and purposeful interventions and support to individual small scale farmers to increase household income. In this sense, the economic improvement of the farming section of the society will have a corresponding effect on the development of infrastructure and services that would give them an opportunity to move up on the socio-economic ladder. (G.Damr 2015.)

On his annual New Year’s address President Isaias Afwerki indicated that Eritrea is divided into three development zones: the East, West and the Highlands. In line with this and my recent trip to Gash-Barka, which falls in the West Development Region, this article will focus solely on this.

The objective of the Regional

The Gash Effect: Eritrea-led DevelopmentAgricultural Development Program is to improve food and economic security for the population. The program focuses on three strategies to accomplish this goal. It works to improve the productivity of crops and livestock sectors; it supports policy measures that facilitate growth in the agricultural economy. The projects undertakes agricultural constraints analyses on extension services, irrigation systems, quality and availability of seeds and planting materials, post-harvest handling and storage, accessing opportunities for women, cooperatives and associations, and fertilizer and crop protection products to inform the Ministry of Agriculture’s policy development processes.

Driving program activities are embedded in the three development zones. Their deep agricultural knowledge and established working relationship with Eritrea’s Ministry of Agriculture makes them the ideal focus of the project. This bold and comprehensive approach embodies the government’s vision for Eritrea-led development, from short-term stabilization to long-term sustainable growth.

Food security has been the priority as diverse factors converge to affect the demand for food around the world and in particular in Africa. In Eritrea, there was scarcity of mechanization, transportation and storage at the dawn of independence. Hence Agro-Macro policy as devised, irrigation based agriculture was introduced to increase output and create surplus in cereal corps, vegetables, fruits, and livestock. Dams, micro-dams and water diversion schemes were constructed. Since 1991 in Gash Barka region 90,000 hectares of land have been cultivated through irrigation, splash irrigation, and drip irrigation. Agro-industries have been put in place. Aligider cotton farm, Gereset, the Fancos and Ad Omer agro-industry are examples

of what has been achieved over the years.

The Gash-Barka region is situated in the south-west of the country, bordering the Anseba region to the north, and the Maekel (Central) and Debub (Southern) regions to the east; the country of Sudan lies to the west and Ethiopia to the south. The major crops in the region are bananas, tomatoes, cotton, onions, millet, sesame, green pepper and sweet melon.

Gash Barka is one of the richest zones in ethnic diversity: all except one of Eritrea’s nationalities inhabit this zone: Kunama, Nara, Hedareb, Tigre, Tigrinya, Saho, Bilen and Rashaida live in this region.

Currently, the Gash-Barka development region is divided into two development sub-regions; North West and South West regions.

The South West region which encompasses the Tessenei, Haikota and Golij sub regions includes four previously cultivated and three new agricultural sites under the supervision of the National Crops and Livestock Corporation. The most important structure of these agricultures found in this region is based on the dams constructed in the region. The region has 5 dams under its belt. Gerset, the two Fanco’s, Badmit, and Aligdr.

Looking along these dams gleaming spillway, you’re immediately struck by their masses. This is no illusion: they really are massive.

With the arid nature of much of the region, it is often important to store water when it is more plentiful in the wet season for use during the dry season or droughts. Farm water storages generally rely on the collection of water directly from the environment.

Rain collected off a clean roof will give one of the best water quality results. Runoff from a catchment collected in an earthen dam can be quite variable depending on the condition of the catchment area and activities occurring within it. It is a great advantage if the catchment is under the control of the dam manager. The quality of water flowing into the dam can be protected through careful management of catchment activities. Hence the region’s dams are under constant supervision by the inhabitants. All water storages are planned and designed to collect

good quality water. Further, they are managed to maintain that quality while it is retained in storage. The motto is it is much more efficient to collect good quality water rather than to treat it after collection.

The development of irrigation farming through these dams enables everyone in the vicinity to have their share in improving their livelihood. The big farms would create an opportunity for the nearby residents with employment opportunity. This is to say the least without talking the revenue the country would earn from the development of agro-industry.

Thus, the existing agricultural sites found in this region with the exception of the Adi Omer project all get their water supply from the aforementioned dams.

The region is most notably known for the huge amount of cultivable land. As Mr. Hailezgi noted, overall, about 30,000 hectare cultivable land is available in the region. Indicating that Eritrea has taken ensuring food security as one of the top national priorities and the cornerstone for sustainable economic growth and poverty reduction, the food security strategy, adopted more than a decade ago, aims at ensuring that all Eritreans have sufficient quantity of nutritious food at an affordable price at any given time and place within the country. As such, these Agro-Industries are working to augment the needs of the population, sustain market price volatility of stable food and in the future produce crops, vegetables, and fruits that will be exported into the international market.

At the moment, Gerset agro-industry is cultivated with orange, lemon, mango, papaya and palm trees that have started to yield date and citrus fruits. Fanco Rahwe and Fanco Tsemue have citreous fruits, vegetables, onions, red pepper and tomatoes planted on them; the two Fanco farms are suppliers of tomato to Alibu Bantom factory for domestic consumption with a view for international exportation in the near future. In terms of crops, having tested on a several thousand acre of land wheat, maze, taffe and other cereals, the region is expanding into a large agro-industry. About 4000 hectares of Sorghum is being cultivated in all the agricultural sites, as well as wheat in Gerset and Fanco Tsimue.

Furthermore, livestock animal

husbandry and fattening is a project that is well under way, with 13,000 sheep and 1000 cattle being nurtured in the region. With the Alebu Animal food production factory providing enough food for the animals, most of all, most of the food like Alpha-Alpha is produced from the farms found in the region.

Given that the National Crop and Livestock Cooperation is at its infant stages, the next step is to expand to the national level. Nonetheless the cooperation has opened tremendous amount of job opportunities in Gash-Barka. The inhabitants of the region have been working in the various agricultural areas. As a result the people have consolidated a work ethic that has been helpful for the cooperation. Now under the new restructure of the cooperation, the inhabitants are yielding positive dividends, in terms of crop production and income.

A 1000 hectare tomato farm in Gerset and Fanco, 6000 hectare of Sorghum in Ketai and 1000 hectares of cultivated vegetables in Gerset have been additions in the 2017 project. The necessary infrastructure of Tessenai Agriculture is also underway, as well as the expansion of vegetable and crop production in Aligdir and Ketai.

In summation, the favorable fertile plains of Gash Barka region for farming and grazing of animals coupled with three large rivers namely Setit, Gash and Barka rivers inconjunction with 8 big dams, 32 reservoirs and 118 micro dams’ that support the Agro-industries with its modern industrial equipment are achieving the desired outcome. For instance onions are down to 10 Nakfa a kilo while tomato is down 5 Nakfa a kilo. These are just small examples of the positive results. The end result of these investments is nothing but definite that self-reliance and development is the way to go.

5Eritrea Profile, Saturday, April 29, 2017 Vol 24 . No 17

Mr. Hailezghi Habte


Name of Country: EritreaName of Project: Global FundGrant No: ERI-T- MOH Date: APRIL 26, 2017IFB Title: GF/TB/NFM- NCB/03/2017 IFB Number: NCB 03/2017

The Ministry of Health of the State of Eritrea has received a grant from the Global Fund towards the cost of HIV/AIDS, Malaria, and TB Project. It is intended that part of the proceeds of this grant will be applied to eligible payments under the contract for production of TV spots and recording in 8 GB flash, in beta cam for TV spots, Production of Radio spots in all nine Eritrean Languages and Recording in 8 GB flash for TV spots with full color stickers and hard cover.

The Project Management Unit of the Ministry of Health now invites sealed bids from eligible bidders for the production and recording of the above mentioned Radio and TV spots .

Bidding will be conducted through the NATIONAL Competitive Bidding (NCB) procedures specified in the Global Fund Guidelines:

Interested bidders may obtain further information from PMU, Ministry of Health and inspect the Bidding Documents at the Procurement Office, PMU, Ministry of Health, Denden Street No.82, Asmara, Eritrea; Tel: 291-1-122978, Fax: 291-1-124357 from 08:00 to 12:00 hours.

A complete set of Bidding Documents in English language may be purchased only by (licensed Audio visual – promotional firms) on the submission of a written application, and upon payment of a nonrefundable fee NAKFA (300.00) or equivalent.

Bids must be delivered to the Procurement Office, PMU/MOH, Denden Street # 82, Asmara, and Tel: 291-1-124360/122978, Fax. 291-1-124357, on or before 15:00 hrs on May 29, 2017. All bids must be accompanied by a bid security not less than two (2) percent of the bid amount in a freely convertible currency which should be submitted separately sealed within the bid offer envelop.

Late bids will be rejected. Bids will be opened in the presence of the bidders’ or legal representatives who choose to attend at 15:00 hrs. On May 29, 2017, at PMU (MOH), Conference Room.

Invitation for Bids (IfB)Name of Country: EritreaName of Project: Global FundGrant No: ERI-T- MOH Date: APRIL 26, 2017IFB Title: GF/TB/NFM- NCB/04/2017 IFB Number: NCB 04/2017

The Ministry of Health of the State of Eritrea has received a grant from the Global Fund towards the cost of HIV/AIDS, Malaria, and TB Project. It is intended that part of the proceeds of this grant will be applied to eligible payments under the contract for Re Erecting and Renewal of Health Bill boards with update messages and pictures.

The Project Management Unit of the Ministry of Health now invites sealed bids from eligible bidders for the Re Erecting and Renewal of Health Bill boards with update messages and pictures.

Bidding will be conducted through the NATIONAL Competitive Bidding (NCB) procedures specified in the Global Fund Guidelines:

Interested bidders may obtain further information from PMU, Ministry of Health and inspect the Bidding Documents at the Procurement Office, PMU, Ministry of Health, Denden Street No.82, Asmara, Eritrea; Tel: 291-1-122978, Fax: 291-1-124357 from 08:00 to 12:00 hours.

A complete set of Bidding Documents in English language may be purchased only by licensed bidders with previous bill board production experience on the submission of a written application, and upon payment of a nonrefundable fee NAKFA (300.00) or equivalent.

Bids must be delivered to the Procurement Office, PMU/MOH, Denden Street # 82, Asmara, and Tel: 291-1-124360/122978, Fax. 291-1-124357, on or before 15:00 hrs on May 28, 2017. All bids must be accompanied by a bid security not less than two (2) percent of the bid amount in a freely convertible currency which should be submitted separately sealed within the bid offer envelop.

Late bids will be rejected. Bids will be opened in the presence of the bidders’ or legal representatives who choose to attend at 15:00 hrs. On May 28, 2017, at PMU (MOH), Conference Room.

Invitation for Bids (IfB)

while peace is right. And so war will only spawn small wars.

And should the rich wish to invest in the land of the poor, let them do it in the spirit of partnership; let them act with foresight, for at the end of the day, it is money spent wisely that will make them more prosperous and more at peace with other nations and with themselves, a sort of sustainable prosperity and tranquility.

The third question is related to global warming. The smoke of greed, alas, is wafting from every side, emitted from millions of factories that keep on producing for the sake of producing, ready to burn anything for energy, including the Earth, if it were possible, just to keep churning out merchandize that have no immediate benefit for the poor and the needy.

Now, as nations enter the race of producing trash by all means and at all cost, the earth will be covered with toxic

smoke blocking the sun and ushering in the Ice Age or the Furnace Age before the appointed time.

The remedy is simple and easy to administer. Let the nations and governments of the world assemble and agree to put more attention to the question of the existence of humankind as a species rather than centering their energies and deliberations on short-term profits based on greed, for there may come a time when neither their industries nor their economic prowess nor

even their armaments will save them from the oncoming doom.

However, there are countries which can be categorized as misfits. These always wanted to have their own way, at all cost. Others are voracious and insatiable. Still others are too scared to live without the Bomb; it is a sort of Teddy Bear for them, especially at night when they sleep with one eye open. We must keep a sharp eye on which are before they could do something stupid.

continued from page 4

A Perverse


Pedaling for FriendshipBillion temesghen

The Tour of eriTrea is now over. iT has been conducTed almosT all over The counTry sTimulaTing The people’s avid passion. here are some of The boys who rode along.

Clint Hendricks, the rider who enjoyed stirring a commotion within the peloton; he’d breakaway and do the same there too. He is one of the riders who earned tons of support from the public. I spoke to him at the end of the second stage. He rode the climbs from Keren to Asmara going back and forth from the leading group and the group of chasers. His sprint towards the finish line in Asmara was memorable. That day Clint thought he had made it 4th or 5th until, after Meron Teshome’s claims, the UCI commissioner changed the classification and put

Meron Teshome is Eritrea’s darling when it comes to cycling. He rides for Bike Aid of Germany. Meron Teshome, the sprinter. He has the hearts of many Eritrean fans but also that of UCI’s commissioner Isabelle Fernandes. He is one of her favorites, I think. In fact when in the second stage Meron’s luck got tarnished, first by being blocked and second by getting a flat tire in the finish line, he ran to the commissioner. He firstly threw his bike on the ground. There comes the commissioner to the rescue. The committed commissioner went to great length in a James Bond mission to Meron’s case. She went to the Media HQs and re-watched the footage our cameramen had to ‘sneak’ to take as they were not allowed to get close to the race. She published the results hours later at 4 pm. I spoke to Meron the day after in the third stage of Tour of Eritrea, in the route from Dekemhare to Mendefera. He came in first. Job well done. He got to keep the green shirt he and Ms Commissioner fought hard to

Our cheerleader! He likes celebrating. In fact, in the first race at the Fenkil Challenge, he threw his hands few meters away from the finishing line. He was in a rush to celebrate. He thought he had made it at four meters away from the line when he threw his hands in the air in response to the cheers of the public. A hasty decision of few microseconds which cost Zemenfes and his team the trophy, as Pierpaolo Ficara stormed to the finish line a couple of seconds ahead pushing Zemenfes back to second place.

Oh, by the way, Zemenfes threw his hands 100 meters away from the finish line again. But this time he was alone. In fact it was funny to see him turn his head back just to watch out for another Ficara. He got 3 jerseys. He is really something.

Zemenfes Selomun of tEAM ERItREA: Today’s 5th stage, the

“The worst I have ever felt” said Zemenfes after the race when asked about his early celebration which cost him first place. Pierpaolo, instead, assured his certainty about Amore Vita inevitable wins in the coming challenges and the tour in general. I spoke to him at the end of the Fenkil Challenge.

Pierpaolo Ficara AMORE VItA: It is amazing that I am the first winner of the Tour. I don’t know what the Tour has for us in the coming stages but I think that my team will definitely be able to accumulate points and perform well. The climb and sprints were important to me. The Tour is equally important to me. It is my first time in Africa, and only two years in my professional carrier.

Clint in 3rd.Clint trevino Hendricks

tEAM SOUtH AFRICA: My name is Clint Hendricks and I come from South Africa. I am 25 years old. Surprisingly I am doing very well in the tour. I play for the general classification and, well, it’s going so far so well. Prior to my arrival I had to make all required preparation to compete with Eritrean riders. Today’s race was very challenging. From the start it was all uphill. I did my best to stay ahead of the game. Eritrean riders are excellent in climbing so it was very hard. My chance to advance was the sprint. And that went well, I think I came in 4th or 5th place.

I think I will still aim for the general classification even in the coming stages. I will try to do my best and accumulate points for sprints. I expect to do well in the circuit race in Asmara. I also see myself doing well in the descent from Asmara to Massawa. It is a long descent so I will need to strongly secure my spot. You know, the race gets to be fast in descents. But I think these two races will be good for me.

Generally I think the Tour of Eritrea is a great race. It is nice to be in Eritrea. And I would want to be back often.

keep. Meron teshome BIKE AID:

This tour is something in which my team mates and I accelerate in. The tour is not easy and so for one rider to score well it requires the whole team’s devotion. And this is what our team regards mostly; working together.

Today’s third stage was relatively easier. It was mostly composed of plains and some effortless climbs. So we knew from the beginning that this one could have been our race. We definitely wanted to accumulate points for this one. And we did. The race was interesting as it had no peculiar climbs, so the last sprint to the finish line was overly thrilling. It was obvious that incredible attacks were to happen towards the end. I think this race was a good one.

As for me, I learned from my mistake yesterday. While sprinting, certain blocks are inevitable as riders would want to naturally secure their place and attack while sprinting.

Yesterday, while I was sprinting I got blocked by a South African rider. My bike was damaged, but I still pedaled ahead. To worsen that my tires got flat few meters from the finish line.

I decided not to be part of such plans anymore. Meaning, it was my first time attempting such a strategy; to sprint with the group while still in the group, at their pace. I normally sprint on my own, but yesterday I tried to sprint out with the rest of the group, and I was attacked badly. I didn’t know how to counterattack.

climb from Massawa to Asmara was really hard. Especially towards the end I had to constantly remind myself to ride ahead even if riders from team Rwanda rode stronger. Towards the end, it was just me and two riders of team Rwanda. I was so close to just stay back. But looking at how strong and determined they were I realized I wouldn’t be able

to keep up if I took some rest.Therefore, I clenched my teeth till the end. And well, made it to first place!

I wore the Polkadot jersey for most of the Tour. This makes me especially happy. It gives me a sense of achievement. My main aim in the tour was to accumulate points for climbs.