"Protest-Hit Ethiopia Region Plans Oil Company to Calm Unrest"

A central Ethiopian region that’s seen almost two years of sporadic anti-government protests is planning a new private oil company...[as] part of an economic initiative authorities say will address some of the roots of the unrest. Oromia Petroleum Share Co., the planned venture, will import the oil via Djibouti, process it at a new large-scale refinery and distribute it to gas stations owned and operated by local youths, Tekele Uma, head of the region’s transport authority, said in an interview. Potentially creating more than 50,000 jobs, it will build a transportation network initially benefiting farmers and manufacturers in the Oromia region who send their products to the capital, Addis Ababa, and other cities, he said...

Ethiopia is ranked Africa’s fastest-growing economy by the International Monetary Fund, but unrest has threatened to derail the boom. The protests that began in Oromia in 2015 over alleged land grabs and political neglect later spread to the Amhara region, with security forces accused of killing at least 600 demonstrators, according to the Association for Human Rights in Ethiopia. The government has acknowledged there were casualties and said they included security personnel. Foreign investment slumped after protesters targeted businesses, including those owned by Nigerian billionaire Aliko Dangote.