The borked AoA vane also meant the computer was not calculating airspeed correctly. They were in an Airspeed Unreliable situation, which warrants being generous with power based on the stage of flight.

Climb-out from Adis Ababa (a hot and high airport) means you've got precious little excess in terms of sacrificial power to begin with. The MAX 8 could only take-off at all due to an unusually long runway as I recall.