ObjectiveMultidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) case finding progressively increased in Ethiopia mainly as a result of the utilization of World Health Organization (WHO)-endorsed rapid technologies including MTBDRplus assay. However, there is inadequate data on routine testing performance of the MTBDRplus assay. Consequently, the aim of the study was to assess the routine performance of the MTBDRplus assay in detecting MDR-TB at St. Peter’s TB Specialized Hospital.ResultsThe sensitivity and specificity of MTBDRplus in detecting isoniazid (INH) resistance were 96.3 and 100%, respectively. While for rifampicin (RIF) 100% was recorded for both. Similarly, a sensitivity of 97.96% and a specificity of 100% was measured for detecting MDR-TB. Among 49 MTBDRplus RIF resistant isolates, 46 (93.9%) strains had rpoB mutation. S531L was the most common rpoB mutant (81.6% of RIF resistant cases). All MTBDRplus INH resistant isolates (n = 52) had S315T1 katG mutation.

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In recent decades the activities of multinational corporations have increased across the globe substantially having a massive flows of foreign direct investment. This paper empirically examines the role of FDI on structural transformation among Sub-Saharan African and EAP Countries Using a Panel Data Approach. To achieve the objective the study took 31 years panel data . The study used descriptive analysis and empirical methods of analysis. The panel Autoregressive Distributed Lag model with error correction models of Pooled Mean Group technique were employed after checking the possible assumptions of our economic series. The results of Im-Pesaran-Shin test confirms our economic series are stationary at level and first difference forms. Pedroni’s cointegration tests suggests the existence of co-integration between the variables. According to the descriptive analysis, on average structural transformation index (STI) is the highest for China (30.52%) followed by South Korea (25.86), while Ethiopia (4.85) is having the lowest. On other hand, the East Asian and Pacific (EAP) countries in the higher income category are performing better than Sub-Saharan African countries. In addition,Sub-Saharan Africa countries are by far having low level of FDI inflows as compared to EAP countries. Particularly, the FDI inflows for EAP countries in the higher income category is around USD 52 Billion, and while for low and middle income category SSA countries it accounts around USD 2.2 Billion and USD 85 million, respectively. More specifically, across countries in the panel the FDI inflow is the highest for China while on average Kenya is having the lowest FDI inflows. On the other hand, according to the ARDL model of Pooled Mean Group estimation technique in the long-run financial development indicator and FDI have positive impact on the structural transformation index of nations at 1percent level of significance for the full sample in the panel. Moreover, pooled mean group regression result among the Sub-Saharan African and EAP countries FDI has a significant but having different sign for the two group in predicting structural transformation. Particularly, for EAP countries FDI has a negative effect in the long run and a positive effect in the short-run on structural transformation index which are also statistically significant. While for Sub-Saharan African countries FDI has a positive and statistically significant effect on structural transformation both in the long run and short-run. Finally, the government of developing countries like SSAs should provide different incentive packages to attract FDI inflows, among others.

External public debt and foreign exchange reserve (FER) are performing a crucial role in the growth and development of countries. To examine the short-run and long-run dynamics among external public debt (EPD) and FER in Ethiopia, the study used 39 years data (1981 to 2019) from National bank of Ethiopia (NBE) and World Bank data sets. The Autoregressive Distributed Lag (ARDL) model with error correction model (ECM) was employed after checking the possible assumptions of economic series. The results of ADF test statistics confirms our economic series are stationary with a mixture of level form and first difference form. Bounds co-integration test suggests the existence of co-integration among the variables. According to the descriptive method of data analysis, on average, in Ethiopia the trend for service sector indicated that an ever improvement of the sector throughout the periods and supplementing the notion of change from agriculture base to service sector. On the other hand, according to ARDL model in the short -run on average trade tariff rate, share of manufacturing sector from the GDP, and lagged value of EPD itself predicts the EPD significantly at least at less than 10% level of significance . Moreover, the ECM revealed that in the long-run, financial development indicator, debt service payment, and average trade tariff rate were predicting the stock of FER for Ethiopian economy. Finally, the concerned body, the government of Ethiopia, should limit or reduce the amount of external debt (ED) inflows, and recheck the budget sources for financing different projects especially manufacturing industries rather than highly basing on external sources in the form of EPD, among others.

This paper empirically examined the short-run and long-run dynamics among external public debt and foreign exchange reserve of Ethiopia. The two variables are playing a pivotal role in the growth and development of nations economy. To achieve the objective the study took 39 years data from the year 1981 to 2019 from National bank of Ethiopia and World Bank data sets. The study used descriptive analysis and empirical methods of analysis. The Autoregressive Distributed Lag model with error correction models were employed after checking the possible assumptions of our economic series. The results of ADF test statistics confirms our economic series are stationary at level and first difference forms. Bounds co-integration test suggests one co-integrating relationship between the variables taking foreign exchange reserve as the outcome variable. According to the descriptive method of analysis, on average, in Ethiopia the trend for service sector indicated that an ever improvement of the sector throughout the periods and supplementing the notion of change from agriculture base to service sector. In addition, the trade tariff rate of Ethiopian economy is indicating a downward movement and this in turn justifies the relative openness of the economy to the globe. In the same manner the financial development indicator of the nation is rising, which assures relative improvement in the financial sector. On the other hand, according to the Autoregressive Distributed Lag model in the short -run average trade tariff rate, share of manufacturing sector from the GDP, and lagged value of EPD itself predicts the external public debt significant at least at less than 10 percent level of significance. Moreover, the error correction model revealed that in the long-run, financial development indicator, debt service payment, and average trade tariff rate were predicting the stock of foreign exchange reserve for Ethiopian economy. The result also indicates that in the short-run, only the share of agriculture and service sectors are significantly predicting the variations of the stock of foreign exchange reserve, ceteris paribus. Finally, the concerned body specially the government of Ethiopia should limit or reduce the amount of external debt inflows that has an adverse effect on debt service payment, and recheck the budget sources for financing different projects especially manufacturing industries rather than highly basing on external sources in the form of external public debt . More importantly, the government should enhance the value of export potential, among others.