Sharing information at a workshop in Addis Ababa

Did you know ETHIOPIA is one of only a handful of countries in Africa never to have been colonised, along with Liberia, and Lesotho and Botswana, which were British protectorates. The Ethiopian calendar is unique, having twelve 30-day months as well as a 13th month with five or six extra days. It runs about seven years and eight months behind the Western world's Gregorian calendar. And it celebrated its new year, or Enkutatash, on 12 September. This new year marked the 2 000 year millennium. Ethiopian time is also different; in that country, 6am to 6pm is equivalent to the West's 12am to 12pm. RELATED LINKS: Making Joburg an entry point into Africa THE external relations unit establishes and maintains relationships internationally, nationally, provincially and locally. It sets up twinning agreements and even takes care of protocol. Read more Ethiopians 'have a lot to learn' ADDIS Ababa's city manager believes Joburg has many lessons to teach regarding urban management and development, inner city redevelopment, land usage, zoning laws and solid waste management. Read more

Sharing know-how with neighbours Joburg is exchanging experiences with Addis Ababa as part of their twin-city relationship with the aim of building strong, economically thriving African cities. September 19, 2007 By Emily Visser EXCHANGES between the City of Johannesburg and Addis Ababa are heating up and Executive Mayor Amos Masondo and a delegation of key City staff visited the Ethiopian capital from 10 to 12 September, in time to celebrate the Ethiopian new year. During the two-day visit, Masondo and his counterpart, Berhane Deressa, signed an agreement to endorse the next phase of the partners' twin-city relationship, which is now four years old. "Both cities committed to the partnership and mandated [their] city managers to come up with clear time frames for identified projects," says Harvey Phalatse, the director of the Johannesburg innovation and knowledge exchange (Jike). These projects include assisting Addis Ababa with the promotion of local economic development projects as well as operational and environmental structures for waste management. The Ethiopian capital has a poor infrastructure and lacks administrative and economic structure. "It faces serious challenges." City-state A cosmopolitan city of 3,2 million people and 80 nationalities, Addis Ababa is also the capital of the African Union. It has the status of both city and state. Nonetheless, Phalatse says he got the sense that the Ethiopians wanted to move away from the stigma of being a poor, drought-riddled country. "It is a country moving forward," he says. Addis Ababa also has major challenges regarding land administration and urban development. "We will assist [it] to develop a comprehensive development strategy … similar to Johannesburg's growth and development strategies and integrated development plans." HIV and Aids Masondo, in turn, feels strongly that Johannesburg can gain equal benefit from the exchange, especially as far as Addis Ababa's HIV/Aids programmes are concerned. "Addis Ababa's intervention and outreach programmes for HIV/Aids are ahead of [ours]," Phalatse confirms. It is winning the battle against the spread of the deadly virus, with rates of new infections decreasing. Joburg's relationship with Addis Ababa has come a long way. The Ethiopian city initially approached the World Bank for assistance and was told to initiate a twin-city agreement with the City of Johannesburg. In 2003 the first memorandum of undertaking was signed between the two, setting in motion a number of exchanges and study tours over the next few years. A meeting of minds: a Joburg delegation visits Ethiopia's capital The World Bank provided funding for the partnership from then until June this year, worth US$371 864 (about R2,7-million). "The Cities Alliance is speaking to the World Bank right now to extend funding." In 2005, projects set up between the two lapsed because of elections in Addis Ababa, but they picked up strongly in December 2006, when an Ethiopian delegation visited Johannesburg. During this trip, the visitors gained useful insight into Johannesburg's land use systems and geographic information systems, which they have since started setting up in their own city. Jike will continue to play a key role in building and sustaining the relationship through knowledge retention and keeping a record of the partnership, Phalatse says, because "people come and go". But, he adds, the City is excited about taking the process to the next level. "We got a positive sense that at a political level there is real commitment." In the next three months, a report will be tabled before the mayoral committee, with clear timelines on projects. Johannesburg also has a twin-city agreement with Windhoek, in Namibia. The South African delegation to Addis Ababa, led by Masondo, consisted of Ruby Mathang, the member of the mayoral committee for development planning and urban management; Matshidiso Mfikoe, the member for health; Rafik Bismilla, the acting City manager; Jason Ngobeni, the executive director of economic development; Yondela Selemela, the director of strategic support; Gugu Jele, the deputy director of the City's Aids programme; Harvey Phalatse, the director of Jike; Thandi Tshuma, the head of the Office of the Mayor; and the multimedia specialist, Hilario Ngwenya. Permission to use web site material Publishers may use material from this site free of charge, as long as: Credit is given to either the "City of Johannesburg website (www.joburg.org.za)" or to "Johannesburg News Agency (www.joburg.org.za)"; If the article is used online, a link is provided to the original article on this website; The name of the article's author is acknowledged; The webmaster is informed of how and where the material is used (fill in this brief online form). Johannesburg News Agency is operated by BIG Media at 011-484-1400 Print this Page E-mail this article to a friend Help using Joburg.org.za