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MALARIA SURGE, HEALTH SYSTEMS BUCKLE


Malaria, a persistent threat in rural areas, is resurging with alarming intensity in 2024, exposing deep-rooted systemic issues aggravated by climate change and inadequate health infrastructure. In the past three months alone, the Ministry of Health...

Nov 16 , 2024


Fortune News

Land Auction Sets High as Speculation Fuels Property Boom

A bidder stunned land auction participants by offering a record-breaking offer for a plot in the Nifas Silk Lafto District. Her bid, about 744pc higher than the next highest offer, could come with an...

Nov 16 , 2024

Money Market Watch

Banks Tiptoe Around the Forex Tightrope, but Dashen Dances to Its Own Tune

The foreign exchange market remained notably stable last week, with only subtle fluctuations in the value of the Brewed Buck against the Green Buck. Banks maintained a uniform spread over the six days...

Nov 16 , 2024

News Analysis

Wegagen Bank Rises from the Brim as It Sails Economic Crosswinds

Wegagen Bank has staged a remarkable turnaround by nearly doubling its net profit and boosting earnings per share (EPS) in the fiscal year 2023/24. The resurgence proved the Bank's resilience after ar...

Nov 16 , 2024


Latest Updates

Central Bank Seeks Greater Autonomy

The establishment of a monetary policy committee within the National Bank of Ethiopia (NBE) was adde...

Nov 16 , 2024


Capital Market Vision Takes Shape with Securities Exchange on the Horizon

A three-day summit last week set the stage to launch the long-awaited Ethiopian Securities Exchange...

Nov 16 , 2024


Commercial Banks Commit to Sustainability Guidelines

A new set of guidelines to help commercial banks integrate environmental, social, and governance (E...

Nov 20 , 2024








Agenda

Perfect Storm of Climate, Health, Supply Chain Issues Trigger Resurgent Malaria

Malaria is no stranger to Ethiopia. Every year, the disease poses a public health issue, especially in rural regions where the majority of the population lives in areas conducive to mosquito breeding. However, as the country wrestles with a sharp upt...

Nov 16 , 2024


Blackouts Plague Residents as Aging Grid Fails to Deliver

Dagmawit Yilma, a mother of three young boys, knows the struggle of Ethiopia's energy crisis all too well. Simple tasks like making breakfast and preparing scho...

Nov 9 , 2024


Schools Disrupted, Dams at Risk

A calm Monday morning on October 7, 2024, took a turn for residents of southern Afar Regional State. An earthquake that rattled the campus caused widespread cha...

Nov 3 , 2024







Editorial

Bound by Debt, Government's Costly Love Affair with State Bloat

In the realm of public finance, balance sheets speak louder than rhetoric. In such domain, public enterprises are colossal monuments to misplaced confidence, harbouring debts that tower like unscalable peaks with implications rippling across generati...

Nov 16 , 2024


Policy Bargain in Franco Valuta a Double-Edged Sword in the Forex Debacle

Ethiopia's foreign exchange debacle resembles a tangled web of contradictions and constraints. The country's trade financing state remains besieged by systemic bottlenecks, escalating costs, and a widening chasm between emerging economic elites and struggling...

Nov 9 , 2024

Addis Abeba Withering as Noise, Air Pollutions Choke the 'New Flower'

Addis Abeba, fondly dubbed a 'New Flower,' is wilting under the weight of unchecked urban growth. While the capital's main thoroughfares gleam with new infrastructure — separate lanes for pedestrians, cyclists, and motorists — the city's growing air and no...

Nov 2 , 2024







Exclusive Interview

Patience - Consistency - Respect

France's Ambassador to Ethiopia up until last week, Remi Marechaux, arrived in Addis Abeba four years ago with a dual mandate of representing his country and engaging with the African Union (AU). He dove into familiar waters from his previous role as Director General for Africa, using Ethiopia's anc...

Aug 4 , 2024


Weeding Out Debt, Seeding a Greener Economy

Jennifer Lee Morgan, inaugural state secretary of Germany and special envoy for International Climate Action, is spearheading a  shift in global financial structures to facilitate a sustainable transition towards a green economy. As a leading advocate for mee...

Jun 1 , 2024

BGI Ethiopia Stirs the Pot with Bold Moves, Sour Realities

Herve Milhade, the CEO of BGI Ethiopia, believes he is steering the company toward a more consumer-centric focus. He emphasises that his goal is not to be a leader in paying taxes but to “become the leader in the heart” of consumers. His tenure began as Et...

May 11 , 2024







Viewpoint

Economic Reforms Promise Much but Deliver Little Without Security, Mobility

Aliko Dangote, Africa's wealthiest businessman, lambasted the continent's convoluted visa systems, criticising the need for 35 different visas  which stifles intra-African trade. His critique was not only about red tape. It exposed more profound structural flaws that hinder Africa from tapping into its collective economic prowess. Ethiopia is a prime example of these flaws, besieged by internal b...

Nov 17 , 2024


Climate Reparations in a Cash-Strapped West Futile Pursuit

The UN climate summit in Azerbaijan is happening in the shadow of Donald Trump's election, and many key leaders will not even show up. With low expectations set before it even began, the summit will, nonetheless, see grandiose speeches on the need for a vast f...

Nov 16 , 2024

What Remote Work Can Do for Global Development

A revolutionary opportunity for human development and economic growth has been emerging over the past 30 years. Modern information technology has the potential to enable large-scale remote work anywhere on the planet, and also to help countries gradually creat...

Nov 9 , 2024


My Opinion

What Donald Trump's Return Means for the World

Donald Trump's resounding victory should not have come as a shock to anyone. The 45th and 47th President rode an unprecedentedly strong anti-incumbency wave that has severely punished almost every governing party around the world at the ballot box this year. Vice President Kamala Harris was among the "best" performers of all “incumbents” who faced elections in rich countries this year – a te...

Nov 16 , 2024


Why Most Firms Fail to Capitalize on New Technologies

We are in a golden age of innovation, from artificial intelligence (AI) and electric vehicles to blockchain and composites. To unlock value from these technologies, though, businesses should transform themselves. According to a McKinsey & Company study, ov...

Nov 9 , 2024

How Will US Election Impact Africa?

Americans are set to cast their votes on Tuesday, November 5, in a presidential race that has gripped the country — and the world — with its razor-thin margins. According to the latest polls, Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic nominee, holds a sl...

Nov 2 , 2024






Featured

Independent Forex Bureaus Offer Valued Choice

Waktole Abdulahi, a long-time resident of Norway, was relieved when he was able to secure 260 dollars at one of Addis Abeba's newly opened independent forex bureaus. For his travels and securing a yellow card, the timing was urgent. "Such small amount was hard to come by previously," he said. While the transaction was smooth, he noted the highly volatile exchange rates—a consequence of the recently liberalised forex system that has introduced more private players into the market. "It...

Nov 16 , 2024


Commentaries

Flower Exports Contested Despite UKs Tariff Break, as Rivals Thrive

When the United Kingdom (UK) exited the European Union (EU), it introduced tariffs on imported goods, including flowers. While many countries were exempt due to existing trade deals, flowers from Kenya, Ethiopia, Tanzania, and Uganda, when bought through third countries like the Netherlands, were slapped with an eight percent tariff. A specific rule of origin agreed upon between the EU and the UK at the time of Brexit was to blame. In April this year, the UK government suspended import duties...

Nov 16 , 2024


News Analysis

Wegagen Bank Rises from the Brim as It Sails Economic Crosswinds

Wegagen Bank has staged a remarkable turnaround by nearly doubling its net profit and boosting earnings per share (EPS) in the fiscal year 2023/24. The resurgence proved the Bank's resilience after arduous years of political instability, as well as foreign currency shortages and commodity price volatility. It posted a net profit of 1.6 billion Br, rewarding shareholders with 36.9pc EPS, an impressive 14.2 percentage points increase from the previous year, while the industry average hovered ar...

Nov 16 , 2024


Delicate Number

3

Ethiopia's foreign currency reserve in dollars in November 2024, up by 142.8pc prior to liberalising the foreign currency regime.

Nov 16 , 2024


Fineline

Leaders of the National . . .

Leaders of the National Election Board are in a charm offensive mood, of a sort. Last week, they organised a rare tour for members of the media, showcasing what polling stations will look like during the upcoming national elections; and they took the...

Oct 3 , 2020


Verbatim

"Good move."

Aboubaker O. Hadi, chairman of Djibouti Ports & Free Zones Authority (DPFZA), praised the National Bank of Ethiopia's (NBE) decision last week to allow exporters to retain 50pc of their export earnings indefinitely.



View From Arada

The Parallel Universe of Comics

In a world where knowledge grows at an unprecedented pace, imagination remains the limitless frontier pushing humanity forward. While knowledge informs us, imagination is what propels us tow...

Nov 16 , 2024




Fortune Video




Sunday With Eden

Finding My Body Back, A Year Later

For many women, becoming a mother is a transformative experience that reshapes our priorities, self-perception, and connection to our bodies. As I celebrated my daughter's first birthday this weekend, I felt immense gratitude for the blessings of motherhood. However, family and friends seemed most captivated by a particular transformation I have undergone over the past year: shedding the 30kg I ga...

Nov 16 , 2024


Mud-slinging Supermarkets Time for a Wash-up

At least four days a week, my family and I visit supermarkets in the capital to buy groceries. We frequent supermarkets where the staff are usually friendly and helpful. But the same cannot be said for the vegetables, which are usually coated in thick layers o...

Nov 9 , 2024

Crushing Weight of Unemployment

A few years ago, I met a couple deeply in love. The woman was multilingual, holding a post-graduate degree from the United States, while the man had completed his bachelor's at a state university in Ethiopia. They were eager to start a life together. But li...

Nov 2 , 2024


Life Matters

Human Face of Public Service

There are certain promises we make to ourselves—things we swear never to do again. I had made such a promise about taking the city bus. Anyone familiar with Addis Abeba's public transport knows the experience: buses are frequently packed beyond capacity, with what seems like the entire city funnelling onto every single vehicle. Passengers cram themselves into every available inch, each person sh...

Nov 16 , 2024


Spinning Hope of Digital Services

Digital services have become integral to our daily lives, offering unparalleled convenience and efficiency. From mobile banking to online shopping, these platforms have revolutionised the way we manage our finances, access services, and interact with businesse...

Nov 9 , 2024

Power of a Simple Ask

I found myself in a desperate situation last week, completely out of water at home. With a growing thirst that could not be quenched, I turned to my neighbours for help. As I approached a shopkeeper outside our compound, a woman living in the same block overhe...

Nov 2 , 2024





Radar

Telco Introduces Sheger Smart Parking System

Ethio Telecom has implemented a modern smart parking system in Sheger city, aiming to enhance urban mobility and efficiency. The smart parking system, launched in collaboration with the Oromia Regional State government and Sheger city administration, allows users to locate parking spaces, identify available spots, and pay for services via TeleBirr. It also aims to reduce the time and effort spent...

Nov 16 , 2024


Abyssinia Bank Strategic Moves Pay Off, Driving Profit Growth

The Bank of Abyssinia (BoA) enjoyed another profitable year, amassing 4.23 billion Br net profits, an increase of 10.5pc from last year. The Bank announced total assets of 222.3 billion Br, surging by 17.3pc. Total deposits mobilised through the year climbed by 33.97 billion Br to 192.51 billion Br, while loans and advances reached 167.7 billion Br. However, the bank exhibited a nominal decline...

Nov 16 , 2024

In Picture

CRANE CITY

A variety of construction activity around Mexico Roundabout pays testament to the city's urban renewal. In the frame are under-construction financial institutions, public transport terminals, and high-rise residence blocks. The city administration is in the midst of auctioning plots of land with a total of 282 plots up for grabs—many arising from corridor and local development projects...

Nov 16 , 2024


URBAN OASIS

The sidewalk scene adjacent to the School of Commerce mixes greenery and modern infrastructure. The tree-lined pathway offers shade to pedestrians, though one tree has been reduced to a stump. Dubbed Addis Abeba's financial district, Ras Abebe Aregai St hosts numerous banks headquarter buildings just across the road from where many in the banking sector took up their tertiary education. ...

Nov 16 , 2024




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