Major news items in leading Ethiopian media outlets

The following are news highlights of Ethiopia's major media outlets on Wednesday.

--Ethiopian Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn has urged intellectuals to do their parts in the efforts underway to create national consensus in Ethiopia.

Scholars are required to play an irreplaceable role to accelerate Ethiopia's renaissance through conducting all-round studies and researches, he said. (Fana Broadcasting Corporate)

--Omani Products Exhibition (OPEX-2016) will be held in Addis Ababa, the first venue outside of the Middle East to host OPEX, in the middle of next month.

About 100 Omani business companies engaged in agro industry, food, building materials and others will exhibit their products. (Ethiopian News Agency)

--The Development Bank of Ethiopia said it will quit offering a low interest rate loan as incentives for exporters and investors engaged in import substitution until they become successful.

With a view to boosting and saving foreign currency, the bank gives loans with low interest rate to clients who want to engage in export and import substitution.

Most of the time, commercial banks in Ethiopia give loans at an interest rate of 12 percent. However, DBE offers loans at an interest rate of 9 and 8 percent for priority projects such as textile and leather as well as for exporters.

Despite government's continued incentives, the amount of foreign exchange generated over the past five years has been declining in a row. (Fana Broadcasting Corporat