“The major thing that initiated us come back to Ethiopia is love for our country,” said Professor Eyasu Woldesenbet, inventor of Zera medicine that destroys cockroach and kills rats which are enemy of human being in various ways. He told this when approached by The Ethiopian Herald on behalf of himself and his wife Dr. Adey Abeba Abera.
He was born and brought up in Addis Ababa, attended primary and secondary school at St. Josef School.
He also attended his higher education in Ethiopia for two years and went to America for further study as a result of scholarship he was offered. There he continued with his study up to PhD level in the field of engineering focusing on Nanotechnology. He has served for more than 16 years in different American States as a professor.
After these all years, he came back to his motherland with the belief of injecting his share to solving problems of his fellow citizens and transforming the country to developed and civilized level leaving behind luxury life he was earning along with his family.
Professor Eyasu said that he has conducted the research realizing the harm cockroaches bring about against human health and the damage rats cause on property.
“Cockroaches contaminate serving dishes that are washed and made ready to use for next time by walking on them with dirty legs. Using these dishes assuming as clean can cause disease. We the adults may counter the disease but children cannot stand the hardship.
“Therefore, my wife and I come up with this invention to protect children before they are affected by disease and provided to Ethiopian mothers to use the medicine proactively instead of grumbling regarding repeated illness of their children. We have always been asking that why children of our country could not grow healthy like those in developed countries and initiated to
carryout tiresome research in American scientific laboratories. We have come up with the result first cockroach eliminator and then rat killer that takes in to account safety of our society.”
He also added that the cockroach destroyer is odorless, non-pollutant of environment, no side effect on people as it is made scientifically in such a way but it kills the cockroach and makes their eggs infertile. No need of evacuating children and elderly from house while applying the product.
The other product the rat killer, as to the inventor, is made differently from existing similar inventions since it is produced through extensive scientific research. The existing products kill not only rats but also people. This threat is avoided because their product does not kill people.
As a result of this amazing outcome, as to professor Eyasu, many parents are grateful after realizing that their children knowingly or unknowingly eating the product but stayed alive.
As to professor Eyasu, they are thankful for God helped them to come back to their country with the invention six years ago since sometimes researches could not be successful even after exerting heaps of effort. His wife, Dr. Adey Abeba Abera is also a partner and owner of the invention, he noted.
“The research work has taken five years for each,” said Professor Eyasu “and 99.9 percent of the inputs is local in which only 0.1 percent is imported raw material. The technology is in use since 40 years ago in foreign countries and our product is better than product of any country in quality and price because we made a technology transfer but with extra research to make it harmless to people.”
In general, as to the professor, the two products are serving the public in protecting some diseases like typhoid and typhus proactively and nurturing healthy children and family. Regarding the accessibility, he said that the products are available throughout Ethiopia. The benefit of the product is very high especially in the rural areas. Farmers lose 25 percent of their products because of rats every year which means one out of four quintals is destroyed by them. The capability of protecting rats in this way enables increase the country’s production by 32 percent, he added.
They made agreement of exporting the product to six East African countries as to him but the process is delayed because of anchoring bureaucracy and this ill-mannered action made the country lose up to 10 million Dollars per year. As a result, their agent in the region gave up losing trust, he noted.
But lately, after going long steps up to minister level, Ministry of Agriculture and Investment Commission, the license is gained and the process is underway so that they are planning to reach the entire Africa in the coming two years.
On the other hand, as to Professor Eyasu, government has supported them by allowing importing different machineries duty- free and facilitating gross purchasing of local inputs like sugar and oil. And also, his wife received a trophy in acknowledgment of an invention from the hand of Dr. Abiy Ahmed the then Minister, Ministry of Science and Technology, he added.
At the moment, they are manufacturing adequate amount ofproducts in their rented place which is also used as a laboratory. They are intending to expand at the factory level and a proposal for expansion area will be handed over to concerned bodies in the near future, he further explained.
Currently, as to Professor Eyasu, they have created job for 45 to 50 people at the manufacturing area and for many others those are selling the product throughout the country. In the forthcomingtime, when exporting is real, they are hopeful to create job for more than double of already inaction.
Amoraw Reda, who is selling Zera products around Arat Kilo, is one of the beneficiaries of the job created. He said that he is supporting his family financially from the income he gains selling Zera. Adding, he said that there are many people he personally knows earn their life based on this product.
Regarding other innovations, Professor Eyasu said that they are carrying out different problem solving researches. For instance, they have conducted thorough research on bedbug and are expected to be successful in one year time. In addition, water purification technology which is tested by Pasture Institute is getting ready for manufacturing process. They are intending to provide the product with fair price especially for the rural people where there is high demand.
Professor Eyasu’s suggestion for fellow Ethiopians who reside abroad is that Ethiopia is demanding any kind of aid and ready to work with everyone who is willing to invest his/her financial and cognizance capital. As of him, the opportunity to engage in the chores of developing the country and aid for fellow Ethiopians is highly limited residing abroad.
While sharing his own experience, he said that in the 16 years of stay in America, he helped about 36 students get education opportunity in second and third degree in which Ethiopians are only eight though he is happy by doing that but here in Ethiopia he helped 30 students at the Masters and PhD level within only six years.
In conclusion, he said that their successunder despairing condition indicates if more Ethiopians come to homeland and contribute their share; the outcome will be unpredictable.
Herald March 26/2019
BY BACHA ZEWDIE
