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CONFLICTS DEEPEN TRANSPORT CRISIS


In the misty break of dawn, the usually scuttling Lamberet Bus Terminal in Addis Abeba stood comparatively quiet. This terminal serves as a primary gateway to the conflict-prone regions of Amhara and Tigray. Recent unrest and safety concerns have dra...

Sep 23 , 2023


Fortune News

SUR Construction's Post-War Reckoning

In the wake of a devastating two-year war, SUR Construction Plc, one of Ethiopia's premier contracting firms, is turning its gaze inward. As its executives grapple with significant losses, including t...

Sep 23 , 2023

Fortune News

Sudden Halt on Forward Trading Rattles Ethiopia's Commodity Exchange

The Ethiopian Commodity Exchange (ECX) executives were taken aback by an unexpected decision from the State Minister for Trade & Regional Integration, Kassahun Goffe, who placed a hold on the four...

News Analysis

Hijra Bank Navigates Early Turbulence in Budding Financial Frontier

The nascent Islamic banking sector is facing a steep uphill climb as its newest entrants grapple with substantial first-year operating losses. Among these, Hijra Bank, one of the country's first fully...

Jul 1 , 2023


Latest Updates

Electric Utility Gears Up to Power Addis Abeba Grids

Troubled Addis Abeba's electric grid system is set for significant rehabilitation with 57 million do...

Sep 23 , 2023


Printed ID Backlogs Prompt Agency to Home Delivery

An unprecedented pile-up of identification cards (IDs) at the city wereda bureaus has prompted the C...

Sep 23 , 2023








Agenda

Wheeling and Dealing Amidst Conflicts

Amidst the frosty and foggy crack of dawn, Habtam Kassaun made her way to the Lamberet Bus Terminal located on the outskirts of Addis Abeba. With a jerrycan of soap and a giant backpack, the 21-year-old arrived at the northeastern terminal hoping...

Sep 23 , 2023


Uncertainty Clouds Back-to-School Hypes

The beginning of the school year has become a source of anxiety for parents such as Tsige Bedada, a 39-year-old single mother befuddled on how to pay for items...

Sep 16 , 2023


Holiday Market Hangs on a Thread Amidst Inflation, Conflict

The gloomy weather on the last Friday of the year barely bothered Alemshet Mulgeta, who had been frantically moving from one vendor to the next for three hours...

Sep 9 , 2023







Editorial

Seeking Solvency for a Battered Economy in a Sea of Uncertainty

Ethiopia's contemporary political leaders and the policy wonks under their command have been in an unfortunate spotlight. Two weeks ago, Moody's, the global credit-rating agency, downgraded its foreign currency rating for Ethiopia from 'Caa2' to 'Caa...

Sep 23 , 2023


Where Fiscal Prudence Meets Unbridled Optimism in a High-Stake Debt Saga

The Ethiopian economic narrative oscillates between pockets of resilience and significant challenges. While sectors like services comprising 38pc of the economy and agriculture, nearly 40pc, demonstrated adaptability and moderate growth, underlying vulnerabili...

Sep 16 , 2023

Conflict, Contraction, the Yearning for a New Dawn

Earlier this Ethiopian fiscal year, the heralding of a peace deal became synonymous with the cessation of hostilities from brutal and bloody conflicts that have torn apart the northern part of the country, mainly the Tigray Region State. November ushered in a...

Sep 10 , 2023







Exclusive Interview

TRADITION TALENT TRANSITION

At the forefront is Jemberu Demeke, a name that echoes local music evolution's rhythmic and lyrical potency. Yididya Wondwossen, fondly known by this artistic pseudonym, bridges the rich musical legacy of his homeland with the modern dynamism of contemporary genres. Jemberu shares with a light-heart...

Sep 9 , 2023


The Untamed Spirit: Living Young, Wild and Free

Q: If we went through your car right now, what three things would we find? Aziz Ahmed: Glass case. Breaking too many eyeglasses is a perennial headache for a traveller. This one holds it tight, so I always carry it around. Another item might be a tyre chang...

Sep 10 , 2023

Audacious Blueprint: Partnership in Tackling Planetary Upheaval Caused by Climate Change

FORTUNE: What outcome do you hope for from the African Ministerial Conference on the Environment? Rose Mwebaza: This particular African Ministerial Conference hopes to examine three critical issues for the African member states. The top priority on the agen...

Aug 19 , 2023







Viewpoint

Redefining Green Investments Ahead of COP28

As we move from UN Climate Week to COP28 in Dubai later this year, we must stop the "greenwishing" and "greenwashing" and start thinking about the instruments that will enable the private sector and private investors to channel more capital toward climate resilience and sustainable development. While the public sector has an important role to play in this respect, scalable solutions require signif...

Sep 24 , 2023


Cancer's Rising Toll Urges a Quest for Universal Health Inclusion

The world's governments were expected to adopt a new set of commitments focused on accelerating the implementation of Universal Health Coverage (UHC) at the second United Nations High-Level Meeting in New York. No resolution would be complete without the expli...

Sep 23 , 2023

The G20 Wins the Group Battle

Following the recent summit of the BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa), where the group agreed to add six new members, I argued that neither it nor the G7 (Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom, and the United States –...

Sep 16 , 2023


My Opinion

Protectionism Started the Geopolitical Fire

Seeing many prominent economists decry the Trump Administration's tariffs as welfare-reducing protectionism has been puzzling, while approving of the Biden Administration's even more drastic steps to reshore, friend-shore, and decouple from China. In a March 2018 Chicago Booth poll of economists, 100pc of respondents opposed new US tariffs; but then a largely overlapping set of respondents were...

Sep 23 , 2023


Ethiopia Steers a Delicate Course in Hydro-Diplomacy

The evolving geopolitics of the Nile River Basin, a region with a rich history steeped in cooperation and contention, mirrors Ethiopia's fluid and dynamic history. A tale that began in the Imperial era and continued during the military-Marxist regime - under t...

Sep 16 , 2023

Aligning with BRICS, Ethiopia Tests the Bounds of Traditional Western Alliances

In the shifting sands of geopolitics, countries must often recalibrate their strategies and alliances. This seems to be at play in the Horn of Africa, where Ethiopia appears to be altering its posture, drawing keen attention from world powers. Its leaders have...

Sep 10 , 2023






Featured

Evolving Dynamics of Domestic Travels

Fikresilassie Tsegaye, 34, is an architect by profession, who has seen his favourite holiday pastime grow into a lucrative side hustle over the past couple of years. He organises trips to different parts of the country, compelled by the authentic experience during his trip to celebrate Epiphany in Gonder, Amhara Regional State. "I wanted others to feel what I experienced," Fikresilassie told Fortune. What started as a moment of inspiration has now grown to become a frequent escape from...

Sep 23 , 2023


Commentaries

The Double-Edged Sword of External Debt

The exponential growth of international capital flows, predominantly in the form of debt, has been one of the great development successes of the past 50 years. But while foreign lending has played a pivotal role in developing economies, loans are a two-edged sword. When used judiciously, they can generate high returns, boost GDP growth, and improve the well-being of borrower countries. But if debts accumulate and the debt-servicing burden increases without a commensurate increase in repayment...

Sep 23 , 2023


News Analysis

Hijra Bank Navigates Early Turbulence in Budding Financial Frontier

The nascent Islamic banking sector is facing a steep uphill climb as its newest entrants grapple with substantial first-year operating losses. Among these, Hijra Bank, one of the country's first fully-fledged Islamic banks, incurred a loss of 143 million Br in its inaugural year, generating palpable shareholder discontent during its median annual general assembly. A glance at the Bank's balance sheet may portray a concerning forecast. However, Dawit Keno, Hijra's founding president, believes...

Jul 1 , 2023


Delicate Number

194

The resale ticket value, in pounds sterling, for a seat to watch a football match of Liverpool F.C., a Premier League club leading the way by offering the most economical match day ticket at just nine sterling, according to SeatPick. However, resale tickets show an increase of 2,060pc.  

Sep 23 , 2023


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

"[It] is not that process."

Mohamed Othman, chairman of the International Commission of Human Rights Experts on Ethiopia, criticised a consultation process for transitional justice under the auspices of the federal government while reporting to the UN Human Rights Council last week. He argued that this process will not ensure a "credible and inclusive process of truth, justice, reconciliation and healing", which he said "has never been more urgent."






Fortune Video




Sunday With Eden

Crack in the Dam: Where Healing Begins

I spent most of my last week with the family of my former colleague who passed away recently. Understandably, her untimely passing devastated everyone who knew her but her husband's grief was a raging storm tearing through his heart and soul. She left behind an infant and a toddler. He was consumed by a maelstrom of fury, sorrow, and bewilderment and vented unstintingly and openly; desiring...

Sep 16 , 2023


The Paradox of Birth Tourism

Upon announcing that my my husband and I were expecting our first child, family and friends expressed their concerns about our birth plan. They urged us to have our child in the United States, where my inlaws reside. Their concerns were not primarily about...

Sep 10 , 2023

Setting Healthy Boundaries

I am taken aback by the unwanted physical contact during pregnancy with people freely touching the bump without consent. From family members to friends to distant acquaintances, they feel entitled to pat my baby bump which is uncomfortable. Personal bounda...

Sep 2 , 2023


Life Matters

Bait and Switch Strategy

Heading to an unfamiliar destination recently, I ordered service from one of the taxi-hailing companies. I had a chance to discuss several aspects of life matters with the driver including inflation and the rise of rental fees. It was a decent conversation. As the dropoff point approached, he turned off the distance meter, counting the fare I was supposed to pay. With some distance left to trav...

Sep 23 , 2023


Challenging the Preconceived Notions

The dilemma between modern and traditional treatment has sparked an ongoing debate for many years. Recent conversations on social media have also prompted the Health Ministry to release a notice last week cautioning people to examine their source of informatio...

Sep 16 , 2023

Banked or Cashed Out?

A recent conversation with a bank teller who inquired about my large withdrawal request struck a chord of thoughts about the mundane and magnificent aspects of their job. I imagined it being like living in a luxurious five-star hotel and returning to a small a...

Sep 10 , 2023





Radar

FESTIVE MEDLEYS

Traditional holiday hymns are sung by a group of men dressed in cultural outfits with decorations made from a horse's mane around the Bole area. The early weeks of September bring with them a panoply of festivities. A soft holiday spirit glistens the streets of Addis Abeba, while roaring hordes of shoppers grappling with inflation rates near 30pc do not grace marketplaces like they used to. The ti...

Sep 23 , 2023


WET MIRAGES

A booming plastic container market around the Saris area bustles with shoppers inspecting the selections. Water supply shortages have plagued the capital as an expanding population size's demand is unmet by the drops moving through the pipes. The Addis Abeba Water & Sewage Authority relies heavily on underground wells and surface water from the Legedadi, Dire and Gefersa dams. With the Authori...

Sep 23 , 2023

In Picture

Coffee Train

Tomoca Coffee has opened another outlet inside the La Gare Train Station and is converting an old train car into a café. Open in 1917, the train station is one of the attractions of the city. It will now be part of the La Gare Eagle Hills Project. The removal of the historical Buffet De La Gare inside the train station following the start of the construction had led to an outcry...

Mar 14 , 2021


NEW MESQEL SQUARE

A construction crew, equipment and materials still obscure the progress of the Mesqel Square project. Nonetheless, the fencing that once enveloped the construction site has largely been removed, and the crescent-shaped steps have been installed. Costing 2.5 billion Br, the project is one of many that attempt to rehabilitate parks, public spaces and rivers of Addis Abeba...

Feb 13 , 2021




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