Ethiopia

Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia
Flag
Location  Africa
Capital  Addis Ababa
Area  1,104,300 sq km
Population  108,386,391

"There's one law for the rich and another law for the poor"
(Proverb/Quote of the Week)

Daily Positive (D+) is a non-profit media initiative and it heavily relies on the generous support from everyone. Please consider a donation today. For more information send us email at info@dailypositive.org

January

January 1 A 756-km electrified railway connecting landlocked Ethiopia to Djibouti officially started commercial operations on 1 January 2018 with a ceremony held in Ethiopia's capital Addis Ababa. January 2 January 3 January 4 Pope Francis named Berhaneyesus Demerew Souraphiel of Ethiopia as a cardinal among a new batch of cardinals selected by Pope on 4 January 2015. January 5 January 6 Emperor of Ethiopia Haile Selassie was named Time magazine's Person of the Year for 1935 for his global views and leadership which many ways shaped Ethiopian and African history. January 7 January 8 January 9 January 10 Ethiopia's parliament banned the adoption of Ethiopian children by foreigners amid concerns they face abuse and neglect abroad, as revealed on 10 January 2018. January 11 January 12 January 13 January 14 January 15 Ethiopia and Italy on 15 January 2015 signed cooperation agreements in the field of food security, socio-economic support to women, development of health systems and cultural cooperation. January 16 January 17 January 18 January 19 January 20 January 21 January 22 January 23 January 24 Ethiopia on 24 January 2017 was named as the world’s third least toxic nation by renewable energy firm Eco Experts, securing a position to a list that takes account of air pollution, renewable energy production and energy consumption. January 25 Ethiopian film Difret won the prestigious Audience Award at the 2014 Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah. January 26 January 27 Ethiopian Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn took over the post of African Union chairman for the next one year on 27 January 2013. January 28 January 29 January 30 January 31

February

February 1 February 2 February 3 February 4 February 5 February 6 February 7 February 8 February 9 February 10 February 11 February 12 February 13 February 14 February 15 Ethiopian runner Lamecha Girma broke a 25-year-old indoor world record in the 3,000 meters on 15 February 2023 at the Meeting Hauts-de-France Pas-de-Calais, covering the distance in 7 minutes, 23.81 seconds. February 16 February 17 February 18 February 19 February 20 The Dutch government on 20 February 2020 returned a stolen 18th-century ceremonial crown to the Ethiopian government. The 18th-century crown, which has great religious significance, went missing from a church in Ethiopia 21 years ago. February 21 February 22 February 23 February 24 February 25 Ethiopia’s first air ambulance transport service was officially inaugurated on 25 February 2016 in the capital Addis Ababa by a private company East African Aviation. The company has become the first aviation company in East African region to provide air ambulance transportation. February 26 February 27 Ethiopia on 27 February 2020 signed a $100 million agreement with the Khalifa Fund for Enterprise Development (KFED) from the UAE to support and finance micro, small, and medium-sized projects in Ethiopia. February 28 February 29

March

March 1 Ethiopia’s Genzebe Dibaba stormed to her fourth successive world indoor title, and third successive in the women’s 3000m at the 2018 IAAF World Indoor Championships in Birmingham. March 2 March 3 March 4 March 5 March 6 March 7 March 8 March 9 March 10 March 11 March 12 March 13 March 14 March 15 March 16 March 17 March 18 African Union Commission on 18 March 2014 pledged a donation of 5,000 Dollars to the Ethiopian Fistula Hospital in Addis Ababa as part of an extended celebration of the 103rd International Women’s Day. Ethiopian long-distance runner Fatuma Sado won the 27th annual Los Angeles Women Marathon on 18 March 2012 in 2 hours, 25 minutes and 39 seconds. March 19 March 20 March 21 March 22 March 23 Ethiopia, Egypt and Sudan on 23 March 2015 signed an initial agreement to end a long-running dispute over the sharing of water from the Nile River that runs through the three countries. March 24 Ethiopia's Netsanet Gudeta smashed the women's only race world record at the world half marathon championships in Valencia, Spain on 24 March 2018 finishing the race in one hour, six minutes and 11 seconds. March 25 March 26 Ethiopia was named as the seventh most attractive investment destination in Africa, according to the Africa Investment Index 2018 published by Quantum Global Research Lab. March 27 According to Ethiopian Ministry of Trade data showed on 27 March 2012, Ethiopia's export earnings rose 16.6 percent in the eight months to February 2012 compared with the same period a year earlier, helped by rising revenue from gold and oilseed sales, while earnings from coffee dropped. March 28 March 29 March 30 March 31

April

April 1 April 2 April 3 Ethiopian runners Shura Kitala Tola and Rahma Chota Tusa won the 23rd Men’s and Women’s Marathon of Rome respectively on 3 April 2017. April 4 April 5 April 6 April 7 April 8 April 9 April 10 Ethiopia launched its first science academy, Ethiopia Academy of Science (EAS), in the capital city of Addis Ababa on 10 April 2010 with the aim of developing scientific research and education in the country. April 11 Ethiopian Airlines won the Best Airline of the Year Award at MICE Magazine’s 7th Annual Award Ceremony held in Beijing, China on 11 April 2014. The award was given by Chinese travel professionals and passengers in recognition of exceptional Ethiopian service to the Chinese market. April 12 April 13 April 14 April 15 Worknesh Degefa of Ethiopia won the women's race at the 123rd Boston Marathon in the USA in 2 hours 23 minutes 31 seconds on 15 April 2019. Ethiopian athlete Genzebe Dibaba was named as the 2015 Laureus Sportswoman of the Year for her inspiring runs including three world records. Lelisa Desisa of Ethiopia took the men’s title in the 117th edition of the Boston Marathon on 15 April 2013 finishing in 2 hours, 10 minutes, 22 seconds. April 16 April 17 Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed was named on Time magazine's 100 most influential people list on 17 April 2019. April 18 April 19 April 20 April 21 Ethiopian long-distance runner Tsegaye Kebede won the men's title at the 33rd London Marathon on 21 April 2013 in 2 hours, 6 minutes and 4 seconds. Dr. Tewolde Behran Gebre Egziabher from Ethiopia was awarded the prestigious Champions of the Earth Award by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) on 21 April 2006. Egziabher was awarded for his versatile environmentally-friendly roles in academia and government both locally and internationally. April 22 Tena Kebena, a youth-empowering Ethiopian organization, received the Champions of the Earth award by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) on April 22, 2009 in the Next-Generation Champions category. Tena Kebena was motivated to address all of the problems regarding pollution and rubbish in the local area. April 23 April 24 April 25 Ethiopia's Tsegaye Kebede won the 2010 London Men’s Marathon on 25 April 2010 in two hours five minutes and 19 seconds, the third fastest time in the event's 30-year history. April 26 Ethiopian Airlines won the 2019 Best Cargo Airline-Africa Award at the Air Cargo News Awards held in London, UK. Ethiopia's Tigist Tufa won the 2015 London Marathon women's race with a time of 2 hours, 23 minutes 23 seconds. April 27 April 28 April 29 April 30

May

May 1 May 2 May 3 May 4 May 5 May 6 May 7 May 8 May 9 A study of the dromedary camel by researchers from Ethiopia and their international colleagues has shown how long-distance and back-and-forth movements in ancient caravan routes shaped the species’ genetic diversity. Their findings, based on a global sample set and ancient mitochondrial DNA analyses, were revealed on 9 May 2016 in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. May 10 May 11 May 12 May 13 Ethiopia on 13 May 2017 was accepted as the third African country to join Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB), which primarily aims to support development of infrastructure in the Asia-Pacific region, a good opportunity for the country's infrastructure development. May 14 May 15 May 16 May 17 May 18 May 19 May 20 May 21 May 22 May 23 Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus of Ethiopia was elected as the first African Director General of the World Health Organization (WHO) on 23 May 2017. May 24 Ethiopian public health researcher Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus on 24 May 2022 was re-elected for a second five-year term as head of the World Health Organization (WHO). May 25 The 21st African Union Summit of African head of states was formally inaugurated in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia on 25 May 2013, to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Organisation of African Unity (OAU) now the African Union (AU), established on May 25, 1963, in the same city. May 26 May 27 The United Nations awarded six fallen peacekeepers from Ethiopia posthumously with the Dag Hammarskjöld Medal on 27 May 2021. A team of international researchers from Ethiopia, Spain and the USA have unearthed fossilized remains of a new species of ancient human in the Afar region of Ethiopia, dating to between 3.3 million and 3.5 million years old. The new species was named Australopithecus deyiremeda and reported in the journal Nature on 27 May 2015. May 28 May 29 May 30 May 31

June

June 1 The Ethiopian immigration authorities in collaboration with Ethiopian Airlines on 1 June 2018 launched an e-visa service for all international visitors to Ethiopia. June 2 June 3 June 4 June 5 June 6 Ethiopian journalist Selam Gebrekidan was named International Journalist of the Year by One World Media at its annual media awards in London on 6 June 2017. June 7 June 8 June 9 June 10 Ethiopia and 25 other nations from Africa on 10 June 2015 signed a historic free trade pact, Tripartite Free Trade Area (TFTA), that will ease the movement of goods across member countries in next five years. Once fully implemented, the 26-nation TFTA will be the continent's largest free-trade zone. June 11 June 12 June 13 June 14 June 15 June 16 Archaeologists have uncovered an ancient city, thought to date back as far as the 10th century AD, in eastern Ethiopia. The discovery reveals important new information about the origins of international trade and Islam in the country between the 10th and early 15th centuries, as revealed on 16 June 2017. June 17 June 18 June 19 June 20 June 21 June 22 June 23 June 24 June 25 June 26 June 27 Ethiopia has signed two deals worth $3.2 billion with Chinese and Turkish companies to construct a railway to link the land-locked Horn of Africa nation to Djibouti's Tadjourah port to export potash. Following the Chinese agreement the Turkish deal was signed on 27 June 2012. Konso Cultural Landscape in Ethiopia was listed in the UNESCO world heritage list on June 27, 2011. Konso Cultural Landscape is a 55km2 arid property of stone walled terraces and fortified settlements in the Konso highlands of Ethiopia. It constitutes a spectacular example of a living cultural tradition stretching back 21 generations (more than 400 years) adapted to its dry hostile environment. June 28 Ethiopia on 28 June 2016 was elected as a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council for two-year terms starting on 1 January 2017. June 29 June 30

July

July 1 July 2 July 3 July 4 July 5 July 6 July 7 July 8 July 9 Ethiopia and Eritrea on 9 July 2018 signed an agreement to officially end the war between the countries that first broke out in 1998. The declaration came at a landmark meeting between the two countries' leaders in Eritrea's capital, Asmara. July 10 July 11 July 12 July 13 July 14 July 15 On 15 July 2012, the world’s first SOLARKIOSK, a highly optimized kiosk with solar panels on top, was officially opened near Lake Langano, Ethiopia. The SOLARKIOSK is designed in Germany for “off-grid areas” – those parts of developing countries which are not connected to an electricity grid. July 16 July 17 Tamirat Tola of Ethiopia won the men's marathon at the 2022 World Athletics Championships in Eugene, Oregon on 17 July 2022. Ethiopian long-distance runner Genzebe Dibaba set a new world record in the women's 1500m with a time of 3:50.07 at the IAAF Diamond League meeting in Monaco on 17 July 2015. July 18 July 19 July 20 July 21 July 22 July 23 July 24 July 25 July 26 July 27 July 28 July 29 Ethiopians planted more than 350 million trees in a single day as part of a campaign to fight deforestation and climate change on 29 July 2019, which officials believe is a world record. July 30 July 31

August

August 1 August 2 August 3 Ethiopian long distance runner Tirunesh Dibaba defended her Olympic 10,000m title with a dominant display on 3 August 2012 at the London Olympics. August 4 August 5 The World Bank Group on 5 August 2014 committed $5 billion in new technical and financial support for energy projects in six African countries-- Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Liberia, Nigeria and Tanzania. August 6 August 7 August 8 August 9 August 10 August 11 August 12 Ethiopia's Almaz Ayana smashed the world record by over 14 seconds to win Olympic gold in the women's 10,000m race at the 2016 Rio Olympic Games in Brazil. August 13 August 14 Ethiopian Airlines became the first airline operator on the African continent to acquire Boeing 787 Dreamliner range of aircraft. It took delivery of the Boeing on 14 August 2012, in Seattle, Washington. August 15 August 16 August 17 August 18 August 19 Ethiopia on 19 August 2018 inaugurated Named Reppie power plant, the facility is the first of its kind in Africa, in Addis Ababa which converts waste into energy. August 20 August 21 August 22 August 23 August 24 August 25 August 26 August 27 August 28 August 29 August 30 Yalemzerf Yehualaw of Ethiopia won the Women's half marathon gold at the 12th African Games on 30 August 2019. Ethiopian Mare Dibaba won the women's marathon gold at 2015 IAAF World Championships and became Ethiopia's first women's world marathon champion. August 31

September

September 1 September 2 September 3 September 4 September 5 September 6 September 7 September 8 September 9 September 10 September 11 The Ethiopian authorities marked the end of their Ethiopian calendar year 2000 celebrations, held on 11 September 2008, by inaugurating the Aksum Obelisk - a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It is over 1700 years old and stands as a symbol of Ethiopian Heritage. September 12 September 13 September 14 September 15 September 16 September 17 Ethiopian runner Gudaf Tsegay electrified the crowd with her spectacular 5,000m win in 14min 00.21sec at the Diamond League finals on 17 September 2023. September 18 The BBC World Service on 18 September 2017 launched three websites for Ethiopia and Eritrea as part of its biggest expansion since the 1940s. September 19 September 20 September 21 September 22 September 23 September 24 September 25 Ethiopian long-distance runner Kenenisa Bekele established himself as the second fastest marathon runner ever, winning the BMW Berlin-Marathon with a time of 2:03:03 on 25 September 2016. Brilliant Haile Gebrselassie, the legendary long-distance runner, won many prestigious prizes for Ethiopia. On this day he own Olympic Gold Medal in the 10,000 m at the 2000 Sydney Olympic. September 26 September 27 September 28 Ethiopian Airlines won the Best Airlines in Africa award 2021 at the Skytrax World Airline Awards. Ethiopian Tirfi Tsegaye won the women's Berlin marathon on 28 September 2014 in two hours, 20 minutes and 18 seconds, seven seconds ahead of fellow Ethiopian Feyse Tadese. September 29 September 30 Aberu Kebede of Ethiopia won the 39th Berlin Marathon women's race in two hours twenty minutes and 30 seconds on 30 September 2012.

October

October 1 October 2 Ethiopia and Uruguay on 2 October 2014 signed a cooperation agreement that enables the countries to collaborate in trade, finance, industry, agriculture, science and social spheres. October 3 October 4 October 5 October 6 October 7 Ethiopian Airlines was recognised as the Leading Airline in Africa at the 2018 World Travel Awards. October 8 October 9 October 10 October 11 The Nobel Peace Prize 2019 was awarded to Ethiopian President Abiy Ahmed Ali for his efforts to achieve peace and international cooperation, and in particular for his decisive initiative to resolve the border conflict with neighbouring Eritrea. October 12 October 13 An Ethiopian airline on 13 October 2018 made the first commercial flight between Addis Ababa and Mogadishu in Somalia in 41 years, in yet another sign of warming ties between neighbouring nations. October 14 October 15 October 16 Ethiopia’s Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed announced a new cabinet that is half female, in an unprecedented push for gender parity in Africa’s second-most-populous nation, on 16 October 2018. October 17 October 18 Ethiopia on 18 October 2013 unveiled the first phase of a space exploration programme, which includes East Africa's largest observatory to date designed to promote astronomy research in the region. The observatory, run by the Ethiopian Space Science Society (ESSS), has received one of the two scientific Telescopes form ASTELCO, a professional Astronomical Telescopes manufacturing company based in Germany. October 19 Ethiopia and Belarus signed a protocol of cooperation on 19 October 2012. The cooperation protocol lays down the practical foundation for creating the legal base of the bilateral relations for stepping up cooperation in all areas, primarily in economy. October 20 October 21 October 22 October 23 Ethiopia on 23 October 2013 signed a preliminary agreement with a U.S.-Icelandic firm Reykjavik Geothermal for a $4 billion private sector investment intended to tap its vast geothermal power resources and help it become a major exporter of energy for East Africa. October 24 October 25 Ethiopian members of parliament on 25 October 2018 elected Sahle-Work Zewde as the country's first female president. Ms Sahle-Work is an experienced diplomat who has now become Africa's only female head of state. Ethiopian Airlines won the prestigious 2008 "Best Airline in Africa Award" at the African Travel Award gala in Lagos, Nigeria on October 25, 2008. Ethiopian Airlines was awarded for its excellent network and convenient connections in Africa. October 26 October 27 Tegegne Wondowossen of Ethiopia was awarded the 2016 Green Talent prize by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research for his research focus on understanding climate change and tourism nexus by investigating the possibility of tourism as a driver of climate compatible development using Ethiopia as a case study. October 28 October 29 Ethiopian journalist Reeyot Alemu was honored for winning the 2012 Courage in Journalism Award for her commitment to work for independent media when the prospect of doing so became increasingly dangerous. October 30 October 31

November

November 1 Ethiopia was named as the most positive country from Africa at the World’s Most Positive Countries 2019. Ethiopia was named as the most positive country from Africa at the World’s Most Positive Countries 2018. The two-time Olympic Champion Ethiopian Derartu Tulu made a spectacular finish to win the 2009 New York City Marathon on 1 November 2009 in 2 hours 28 minutes and 52 seconds. November 2 November 3 November 4 November 5 Tamirat Tola of Ethiopia set a course record to win the New York City Marathon men's race on 5 November 2023, finishing in 2 hours, 4 minutes, 58 seconds, topping the 2:05:06 set by Geoffrey Mutai in 2011. November 6 Ethiopian long distance runner Firehiwot Dado won the 2011 New York City Marathon womens event on November 6, 2011. Over 45,000 runners competed at the 26.2-mile marathon. November 7 November 8 November 9 November 10 November 11 November 12 Ethiopia was elected on the United Nations Human Rights Council on 12 November 2012 for a three-year term. The council was created by the UN General Assembly in 2006 as the main human rights body of the UN. November 13 Ethiopia was admitted as a member of the United Nations (UN) on 13 November 1945. November 14 November 15 November 16 November 17 Ethiopian Airlines received Africa's first Boeing 777-200LR on 17 November 2010 - first of five orders it placed in 2009. November 18 November 19 November 20 November 21 November 22 November 23 Dawit Kebede, managing editor of the Awramba Times in Ethiopia, was one of the recipients of the Committee to Protect Journalists' 20th Annual International Press Freedom Awards. Dawit was awarded at a ceremony on 23 November 2010 for his courageous journalism amid government's crackdown on the press. November 24 Ethiopian footballer Loza Abera Geinore on 24 November 2020 was included in BBC's annual list of 100 inspiring and influential women from around the world for her inspirational sports journey. November 25 Ethiopia and the Chinese e-commerce giant, Alibaba Group, on 25 November 2019 signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) for the creation of Electronic World Trade Platform (eWTP), which will help Ethiopia become the gateway for Africa to join globalization by e-commerce platforms. November 26 November 27 November 28 November 29 November 30

December

December 1 December 2 Ethiopia’s Almaz Ayana was named the female World Athletes of the Year at the IAAF Athletics Awards 2016. Fichee-Chambalaalla is a New Year festival celebrated by the Sidama people in Ethiopia was added to the 2015 UNESCO Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. December 3 December 4 December 5 December 6 December 7 December 8 December 9 December 10 December 11 December 12 December 13 Scientists have discovered pieces of an extinct species of horse that was about the size of a small zebra and lived about 4.4 million years ago, as reported on 13 December 2013. Fossilized traces of the horse, which was named Eurygnathohippus woldegabrieli, were uncovered in the archaeologically rich sites of Aramis and Gona in Ethiopia's Middle Awash valley. December 14 December 15 December 16 December 17 Ethiopia on 17 December 2016 inaugurated the Gibe III hydroelectric dam on River Omo. At its full capacity, the Gibe III is expected to produce 1,870 megawatts of power, enough to sell energy abroad including to neighbouring countries. December 18 December 19 December 20 Ethiopia launched its first satellite ETRSS-1 into space on a Long March-4B carrier rocket from the Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center in China on 20 December 2019 to advance their footprint in scientific innovation. December 21 December 22 December 23 December 24 December 25 December 26 December 27 December 28 December 29 December 30 December 31

---