Solomon Yimer
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Freelance journalist based in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, covering politics, economy, technonogy, environment and health.
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Articles by Solomon Yimer
Conduct problems and associated factors among governmental secondary school students in Dessie City, Northeast Ethiopia: a cross-sectional study
Abstract Conduct problems are behavioral and mental health disorders typically emerging in childhood or adolescence, characterized by persistent violations of others’ rights or societal norms, such as aggression, destruction, deceit, or theft. Despite significant impact, their prevalence among government secondary school students in Dessie City, Ethiopia, remains understudied.
New study suggests Ethiopia’s protected areas may be impacting local wellbeing
A Nature study finds Ethiopia’s protected areas significantly reduced deforestation and agricultural expansion between 2000–2020, showing stronger-than-expected conservation performance. The study also identifies clear “trade-offs,” with households near many protected areas reporting lower food security and wellbeing, while a smaller share of sites achieved “win-win” outcomes for both people and nature.
Q&A: Lessons from 30 years of wildlife conservation in Ethiopia
Kumara Wakjira has been protecting Ethiopia’s wildlife for over 30 years. The director general of Ethiopia’s wildlife authority has slashed bycatch of Nile crocodiles and overseen the establishment of national parks to protect elephants and monkeys. Last year, in recognition of these and other achievements, he received the Prince William Award for Conservation in Africa, which is the highest honour bestowed under the Tusk Conservation Awards.
Ethiopian youth groups restore Rift valley lake & livelihoods
Youth groups are restoring the ecosystem in and around Ethiopia’s Abijata-Shalla National Park, once covered with acacia woodlands but stripped bare in recent years as water has been lost to irrigation and a soda-ash factory. Spanning 887 square kilometers, the park is a vital refuge for biodiversity, hosting migratory birds and a range of species, making it one of the region’s most important wildlife strongholds.
Ethiopian initiatives try to mainstream traditional and resilient enset crop in diets
Enset, a drought-tolerant crop native to Ethiopia and known as the “tree against hunger,” feeds more than 25 million people and is seen as a key to building climate-resilient food systems. Despite its importance, enset has long been neglected by both local agricultural policies and international partners, limiting its potential to improve food security on a broader scale.
Ethiopia: Invasive Lake Weed Turned to Clean Energy in Ethiopia
Addis Ababa — For years, Fentie Wabi worked as a fisherman on Ethiopia's Lake Tana, until an aggressive green invader changed everything. Water hyacinth, a fast-spreading aquatic weed, began choking the lake that had sustained his community. "As the weed expanded, we couldn't ride our boats. It damaged our nets, and we couldn't fish in the areas we used to," he said.
Invasive lake weed turned to clean energy in Ethiopia
For years, Fentie Wabi worked as a fisherman on Ethiopia's Lake Tana, until an aggressive green invader changed everything. Water hyacinth, a fast-spreading aquatic weed, began choking the lake that had sustained his community. "As the weed expanded, we couldn't ride our boats. It damaged our nets, and we couldn't fish in the areas we used to," he said. Desperate to reclaim their waters, the fishermen of Shehagomngie village, in the Gondar Zuriya district, tried removing the hyacinth by hand.
After USAID cut, Ethiopia's largest community conservation area aims for self-sufficiency
The abrupt end of USAID funding has disrupted conservation progress in Ethiopia’s Tama Community Conservation Area (TCCA), where community-led efforts had curbed illegal hunting and led to an increase in elephant and giraffe populations. In response, local leaders and communities are working to become financially self-sufficient by establishing income-generating initiatives. But progress is hindered by the lack of a functioning office, expert staff, and basic operational resources.
Invasive lake weed turned to clean energy in Ethiopia
[ADDIS ABABA, SciDevNet] For years, Fentie Wabi worked as a fisherman on Ethiopia‚Äôs Lake Tana, until an aggressive green invader changed everything. Water hyacinth, a fast-spreading aquatic weed, began choking the lake that had sustained his community. ‚ÄúAs the weed expanded, we couldn’t ride our boats. It damaged our nets, and we couldn’t fish in the areas we used to,‚ÄĚ he said.
USAID cut curbs hopes at Ethiopia's largest community conservation area
A sudden USAID funding cut has stalled conservation efforts in Ethiopia’s Tama Community Conservation Area (TCCA), a 197,000-hectare (486,000-acre) corridor home to elephants, giraffes and other threatened species. The project, launched in 2022 with $8.5 million in USAID support, had helped reduce illegal hunting, create local jobs and improve community-led biodiversity management.
In Ethiopia, EV ambitions are hitting bumps in rural areas
As Ethiopia’s rising fuel prices eat into his daily earnings, motorcycle taxi rider Teshale Natnael says an electric scooter would be the “perfect solution”. But there’s a hitch. “We don’t have electricity in our village,” Teshale, 25, said as he sipped from a steaming cup during his coffee break in Dubancho village near Yirba, a small town in the Sidama region about 350 km (220 miles) south of Addis Ababa.
Photos: Ethiopian farmers blend tradition, innovation to sustain centuries-old agriculture
For more than 400 years, the people of the Konso highlands in Ethiopia have used terracing and traditional farming methods to adapting to their harsh environment, building a globally recognize agricultural system on steep, erosion-prone land. However, in recent decades, climate change has altered once-predictable weather patterns, making it harder for small-scale farmers to maintain their traditional farming practices and secure their livelihoods.
Sustaining a 400-year-old Ethiopian farming tradition: Interview with elder Gehano Guchoir
In southern Ethiopia, the Konso people have maintained a 400-year-old stone terracing system, essential for farming in the region’s semiarid environment. This UNESCO-listed practice helps prevent soil erosion, conserve water and enhance agricultural productivity, and at the heart of it are the Konso elders who play a crucial role in passing down the knowledge of terracing to younger generations.
As climate change upends Ethiopia’s pastoral wisdom, adaptations can help
In the face of climate change, pastoral and agropastoral communities in eastern Ethiopia remain at the receiving end of worsening droughts and climate shocks that have taken a toll on animal rearing and traditional livelihoods. For generations, pastoralists and agropastoralists across the country have used traditional knowledge and weather forecasting for preparedness and drought conditions.
Determinants of an unfavorable treatment outcome among tuberculosis patients in the Jimma Zone, Southwest Ethiopia - Scientific Reports
Abstract Tuberculosis (TB) is a major public health challenge in Ethiopia. TB treatment outcomes were suboptimal compared to the expected target of the national TB control Program. The provision of standard anti-TB treatment is the primary component of the directly observed treatment, short-course strategy. The aim of this study was to assess the TB treatment outcomes and the determinants of an unfavorable treatment outcome.
Saving Lake Hawassa from Distress
By Solomon Yimer On a foggy morning, Ethiopia’s Lake Hawassa looks hidden and gloomy. Once clear and beautiful, the water is now murky and filled with trash. Plastic bags, bottles, and even shoes float around, along with some tangled weeds. The shoreline is messy with branches, cut wood, and garbage from the city. As a result, traditional fishermen desperately navigate small wooden boats, struggling to balance while fishing. The lake’s poor condition makes their work increasingly difficult each day.
Drought & climate change force Ethiopia pastoralists to go job hunting
A severe drought, worsened by climate change, is driving pastoralists in Ethiopia’s Somali region to abandon traditional herding lifestyles in favor of urban labor, leading to significant shifts in their livelihoods. Many pastoralists are forced to seek alternative livelihoods in farming, construction and trade, which require new skills and adaptation to urban life.
Holistic care for an Ethiopian lake system: Interview with Redwan Mohammed
Redwan Mohammed leads a project to restore Ethiopia’s Ziway-Shalla river basin, which is under pressure due to deforestation and erosion. Abijata-Shalla Lakes National Park lies at the basin’s heart, centered on a pair of saline lakes that provide vital habitat to migratory waterbirds. The river basin is also home to around 60,000 farmers and herders as well as commercial flower farms and other light industry.
Guardians of the sacred: Ethiopian Orthodox monks on spiritual forest conservation
Church forests, patches of forested land surrounding churches as protected areas, started out as a tradition in the early days of Christianity in Ethiopia and still endure today. Many of these forests protect some of the country’s last standing forests, brimming in biodiversity and a tranquil sense of harmony on Earth.
In Ethiopia’s Afar region, a change of messenger boosts immunisation uptake
When vaccinators visited Hawa Behaba's village in Dulessa district, part of Ethiopia's north-eastern Afar region, the mother of five used to hide her children. "I thought the vaccines would make my children sick, and that [vaccination] went against my faith," Hawa recalls. Her children frequently fell sick. She tried to ease their symptoms using traditional remedies, and on occasion, was compelled to visit the health centre for treatment.
After measles, a life in the dark
Thirty years ago, an outbreak of measles hit a small farming village on the outskirts of Gondar town, in Ethiopia's Amhara region. Locals say many children fell ill. Guade Demeke, then aged twelve, and his brother, aged eight, were among them. Demeke's little brother died. Demeke survived. Neither of them recovered. Demeke is in his forties now – tall, tranquil in manner, prone to cracking an understated joke and a mild smile. He wears dark glasses and moves with the aid of a white cane.
Hope from the sky: drones deliver vaccines to remote regions of Ethiopia
Etalemahu Geletu of Hirko village in Ethiopia's Hadiya zone had intended to keep her four children on schedule for their routine immunisations. But Hirko is remote, and Hirko Health Center, the only medical facility in the vicinity, frequently faced stock-outs of supplies, including vaccines. "I would often bring my children to the health centre according to their vaccination schedules, but it wasn't always successful," Geletu told VaccinesWork.
World Heritage Site listing for Ethiopian park leads to eviction of farming community
The new designation of a UNESCO World Heritage Site in Ethiopia will also come with the relocation of the more than 20,000 people living inside Bale Mountains National Park, say park officials. Home to a wealth of biodiversity, the park has experienced a dramatic increase in illegal human settlements, which park officials and conservationists say threatens its natural resources, forest cover, and habitat for rare and endemic species.
Balancing elephant conservation and community needs: Q&A with award-winning ranger Fetiya Ousman
The harsh environment of Ethiopia’s Babile Elephant Sanctuary is characterized by intense competition for resources, particularly water and land, between elephants and people. Expanding human settlements and poaching are fragmenting areas where endangered elephants range, while elephants at times destroy community crops in search of food or space.
Caregivers in an Ethiopian orphanage strive to tackle immunisation barriers
Caregivers at Injibara Children's Home in Ethiopia begin each day ensuring the little ones under their care are well-fed, groomed, and ready for school. But their duties don't stop there: keeping the children healthy and safe from preventable diseases is a vital part of their job. That's not always easy. Caregivers face multiple challenges to get the kids in the orphanage the vaccinations they need. Serkalem Berihun, 28, has been working at the Home for four years now.
Frontiers | Delayed treatment seeking and its associated factors among people with schizophrenia spectrum disorders who are on follow-up at Dilla University referral hospital in Southern region, Ethiopia, 2022: a cross-sectional study
Misrak S. Negash1* Bethel Temesgen1, 2 Chalachew Kassaw1 Lulu Abebe1 Yohannis Sime1 Solomon Moges3 Solomon Y.
Ethiopia’s severe drought forces kids to quit schools
SOLOMON YIMER THE severe and worsening drought in Ethiopia’s Oromia region has impacted school retention as pupils are forced to drop out of school to support their parents in the search for food, pasture, and water. More than 5,000 students from different zones of the region have been forced to drop out of school due to the devastating drought, the regional education office announced on 13 March.
Food taboos causing malnutrition in pregnant women in Ethiopia, find public health researchers
One in five pregnant women in Ethiopia are deliberating staying under nourished for fear of fetal deformities and giving birth to big babies, public health researchers say. Many pregnant mothers in Ethiopia are suffering from nutritional deficiencies during pregnancies due to harmful myths and cultural beliefs, even though their nutritional needs increase during this period.
Food taboos causing malnutrition in pregnant women
[ADDIS ABABA] One in five pregnant women in Ethiopia is deliberating staying under nourished for fear of fetal deformities and giving birth to big babies, public health researchers say. Many pregnant mothers in Ethiopia are suffering from nutritional deficiencies during pregnancies due to harmful myths and cultural beliefs, even though their nutritional needs increase during this period.
Oral Cholera Vaccines arrive to help quell outbreak in Ethiopia
When a cholera outbreak was reported in Dolo Ado district of Liben Zone, in Ethiopia's Somali region this past February, Amina Mohammed, 35, "panicked". "Most of my people got sick in my neighbourhood. I was too much worried about the health of my kids, and I was always focused on our hygiene and sanitation," she said. Many people here had lost loved ones to cholera in the past. Droughts have limited access to clean water, triggering outbreaks of the explosively epidemic diarrhoeal disease.
No mountain high enough: Ethiopian vaccinators climb to reach missed-out children
Mountainous Ambassel in Ethiopia has limited road access, a spotty electricity supply and, local authorities say, the lowest immunisation rates in Amhara region. Health workers like Meseret Belay are trying to change that - on foot, one five-hour trek at a time.
Battling the cow pox: Ethiopia embarks on an unprecedented livestock vaccine drive
With 60 million cattle, Ethiopia has the largest livestock population in Africa and the fifth largest in the world, according to the World Bank. The livestock sector accounts for around one-fifth of the country's economy and close to 10% of its exports, which means that disease outbreaks like Lumpy skin disease and Peste des Petits Ruminants (Ovine Rinderpest) have a significant impact on the people.
Mobile health teams provide Ethiopia’s nomads with a lifeline
Every month, health professionals from Chifra District, in Afar, Ethiopia, load their vehicle with supplies for the nomadic pastoralist communities who live in the remotest kebeles (smallest administrative unit in Ethiopia), where infrastructure and access to basic services are scarce.
Location, location, location: improvements in Ethiopia’s health facilities draw parents from far and wide
Last October, newly married mother Shashework Tilahun had her first experience of the Injibara health centre when she visited to have her first child vaccinated for the first time. In the vaccination room, Tilahun says that she found the waiting area filled with lots of mothers who had also brought their children for vaccination. She had to wait for close to an hour, an experience she described as “horrible and uncomfortable”. “Besides the long waiting time, the room was too narrow and unhygienic.
COVID-19 vaccine campaigns help find zero-dose children in Ethiopia's remote villages
It is the morning of 15 July and Addise Angulo, a health worker at Kanko health post, starts her walk, carrying the vaccine container on her back. She’s heading to remote villages in her region to give vaccinations to children who have missed out on routine immunisation. Her kebele – the term for a small administrative district – is one of the most remote and underdeveloped areas in the region. As it was raining heavily the day before, Angulois worried about this trip.
Measles vaccines offer hope in conflict-affected parts of Ethiopia
In May this year, Ethiopia conducted a measles vaccination campaign in response to an outbreak in Afar, a conflict-affected region in the northwest of the country. This followed similar campaigns in the Somali, Oromia, and Southern Nations, Nationalities, and Peoples (SNNP) regions between February and March, which saw more than half a million children between the ages of six months and ten years vaccinated.
A new book explores story of exiled Ethiopian musicians in the US
March 29, 2022 The book shows musicians are uniquely positioned to serve this sentinel role as both guardians and challengers of cultural heritage. By Solomon Yimer Solomon is a content editor at Addis Zeybe. He has worked in print and web journalism for six years. A new book that explores a sweeping history of Ethiopian musicians during and following the 1974 Ethiopian revolution and the making of the Ethiopian Diaspora is released.
Ethiopia prepares federal prison hygiene and sanitation national standard
March 24, 2022 City: Addis AbabaHealthNews Experts from the institute, MoH, and other organizations prepared details of health and hygiene requirements to be included in the draft standard By Solomon Yimer Solomon is a content editor at Addis Zeybe. He has worked in print and web journalism for six years.
Sudden surge in local coffee price bewilders Ethiopians
Solomon Yimer•March 1, 2022 Ethiopians love drinking coffee and making money out of it as well. This magical bean which is believed to have originated in the country is an important part of cultural life. Coffee, one of the world's most highly traded commodities, mainly grown and cultivated in the southwestern part of the country, is traded all over the country and consumed in every corner of the nation as a regular daily ritual. Coffee is one of the major export commodities in the country.
Traditional brews attract new fans in Addis Ababa
Solomon Yimer•February 2, 2022 Tebeje Tarekegn, a 35-year-old resident of Addis Ababa, used to love drinking Tella, an Ethiopian traditional fermented alcohol beverage, with his high school friends back in their school days. But over the past few years, finding a place that offers good quality Tella has become difficult. In January, Tebeje seemed to have found the ideal place to enjoy the Tella taste he always cherished.
Painting memories with fire
Solomon Yimer•December 18, 2021 City: Addis AbabaLifestyleArtCulture “I saw people enthralled with a feeling of awe, their eyes watering with tears and smile cracking in their face, as they first glance over portraits of their beloved ones drawn by me,” says Dawit Melese, a Pyrography artist, burning a flat wood on his table with a hot iron following the pencil outline sketch of his latest portrait on the wood. On the flat wood is sketched a portrait of couples with pencil outlines.
Professionalism at stake, disinformation loosened in the Ethiopian amateur YouTube journalism
Sitting at a coffee shop around Gerji, Addis Ababa, Taddese Alemu, 34, wears his earphones, to catch up with the latest breaking news. Since the war broke out in northern Ethiopia, YouTube became his main source of daily updates about the war. “When my phone has sufficient balance I usually prefer to watch and listen to the news on YouTube,” he says.
Addis Ababa to introduce new bicycle sharing transportation scheme
Solomon Yimer•October 3, 2021 Addis Ababa plans to introduce a bike-share system to provide low-cost and environmentally friendly mobility alternatives to the city residents. The project will commence after a few months, backed with technical support from the Institute for Transportation and Development Policy (ITDP) and the United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat), and Addis Ababa Transport Bureau (AATB).
Yelekal Kefyale: A new face at the forefront
Solomon Yimer•October 1, 2021 "I am confident that we will liberate our people in a short period of time with the concerted participation of our people in the region and the sacrifice and heroism of our entire security system.” Yilkal Kefyale, (Ph.D.) the new president of the Amhara Regional State expressed his commitment and hope in the speech he made as he was elected to be the Regional State’s president.
The Ethiopian tourism- direct victim of the conflict
Solomon Yimer•September 18, 2021 City: Addis AbabaTourism SocietyCurrent Affairs September is one of the busiest months for Arega Taddese, a tour guide born and raised in the town of Lalibela, one of the famous tourist attraction sites in Ethiopia. But these days Arega can be found sitting on a roadside around Legehar in Addis Ababa. On August 3, 2021, Arega and other residents started fleeing when rebels advanced to Lalibela, home to 13th Century Churches hewn from rock.
Facebook Oversight Board set to hear the first ever case from an Ethiopian user
Solomon Yimer•September 17, 2021 Following an appeal from an Ethiopian user, whose post was removed for violating Hate Speech policy, Facebook's Oversight Board announced yesterday it has selected the case for hearing. The first ever case from an Ethiopian user would be presented for the hearing with a record no. 2021-014-FB-UA.
A tribute to the legendary Alemayehu Eshete
September 8, 2021 Born in Addis Ababa in 1941 Alemayehu Eshete, one of its notable musical icons, died at the age of 79, after battling heart disease for some time. Photo Credit: rockfoto.net Ethiopia has lost Alemayehu Eshete, one of its notable musical icons on Sep 2, 2021. On this unfortunate day, Alemayehu had been showing signs of discomfort.
Prices keep soaring: Inflationary pressure squeezes city residents
Solomon Yimer•August 25, 2021 City: Addis AbabaEconomySociety As prices of food items and other basic commodities mount steadily, residents across the country are facing the onslaught of rising prices and are witnessing a sharp dent in their monthly spending capabilities. Over the past couple of months, the price of food items is rising and we find it hard to afford living costs, says Almaz Arage, a mother of four, who Addis Zeybe met at Shola market in Addis Ababa.
Exchange rate at the official and parallel markets widened rapidly
Solomon Yimer•August 13, 2021 Yosef Taye, whose name has been changed for security reasons, has been involved in Addis Ababa's parallel foreign currency market for about a decade. “Over the past years everything has been changing so fast, exchange rates are rapidly fluctuating due to the political uncertainty in the country,” Yosef told Addis Zeybe.
Does Social media intensify the conflict in Northern Ethiopia?
The country’s chronic internal conflict and political instability have made Ethiopia a fertile ground for the spread of misinformation. The lives of people living in the conflict areas were highly affected by the consequences caused by the misinformation and over flooded propaganda news that is circulated through social media platforms.
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