Adanech Abiebie, mayor of Addis Abeba, argued before city residents last week that the feeding centres provide “hot, clean and nutritious” meals for those without regular incomes. There are at least 26 feeding centres across the city, serving over 45,000 people daily.
Month: May 2026
22,030,000,000
The value in Birr of an overspent budget for fixed assets and construction by the federal government in fiscal year 2023/24. Capital expenditure normally faces procurement delays and implementation bottlenecks, but the revised budget (152.08 billion Br) exceeded the target by a large margin.
SHINE VS GRIND
In the place where once stood a building owned by the Ethiopian Shipping & Logistics, echoes of nostalgia linger yet, the company’s symbolic, elevated, glass-fronted tower topped with a distinctive circular crown reaches toward a blue sky. Yet at its base, hidden behind a bright green metal fence painted with scenes of trees and wildlife, lies the gritty reality of transformation.This captures a capital caught mid-stride, where the polished promise of future expansion stands in immediate contrast to the raw, disruptive process of clearing away the old to make way for the new.
SPLIT REALITY
On a sunlit Addis Abeba sidewalk, pedestrians move with practiced urgency while a minibus carries passengers to their next destination, engines humming impatiently hinting there is a somewhere else better to be. Just a few steps away, the scene takes a quieter turn. Draped over carefully trimmed shrubs in the median, washed sheets and cloths sit on the outdoor plants in the hot sun to dry. It is a city doing two things at once: accelerating into modern infrastructure and innovation, while also carrying the visible reminders that not everyone gets to ride in the same lane. The greenery is neatly maintained. The reality layered over it is not. Addis, in this frame, looks like it is trying very hard to impress the future, while the present quietly asks for a bit more room on the sidewalk.
TALES EN-ROUTE
On a wide stretch of asphalt that looks like it has seen better days, two women that do not use the “light travel” memo, rest by the roadside beside oversized bundles of cabbage meant to be sold out but didn’t. One sits forward, face buried in her hands, performing what can only be described as a full-body reset. The other leans into the stacked sacks, fast asleep in a posture that suggests she gave up negotiations with fatigue a while ago. Their clothing, bright green, pink, and deep blue, cuts through the dull concrete like a quiet act of defiance, turning the roadside into an unplanned splash of color in an otherwise exhausted scene. The contrast is striking: life insisting on brightness while the environment sticks stubbornly to grey.
Land Bureau Collects Billions in Revenue, Penalties From Developers
The Addis Abeba Land Development & Administration Bureau has collected 13.1 billion Br in revenue over the past ten months from lease payments and related charges.
Berhane Kebede, team leader for Lease Income Collection and Monitoring, said efforts are also focused on ensuring developers comply with lease regulations, commence construction on time, and meet payment obligations.
During citywide construction monitoring across all sub-cities, the Bureau collected 13.16 billion Br, including 1.14 billion Br in penalties from developers who violated lease terms. It also issued written warnings to more than 40,000 developers for construction delays and moved to reclaim land from nine owners for alternative development.
Afar Drought Resilience Programme Receives German Finance
German’s Economic Cooperation and Development ministry, through the Development Bank, has allocated 17 million euro to support a drought resilience project, with 15 million euro provided by the German government. The initiative is being implemented by Ethiopia’s Ministry of Agriculture.
The Drought Resilience Building Project aims to strengthen food security and climate resilience for pastoral communities in the Afar lowlands. It focuses on expanding water infrastructure, including irrigation systems and deep wells, alongside pasture restoration through invasive species control and mechanised reseeding, supported by maintenance works and essential social infrastructure development.
Signed in September 2021 and launched in May 2023, the project is scheduled to run until April 2027 next year.
Ministry of Education, Huawei Introduce Offline AI Support System
The Ministry of Education has partnered with Huawei to launch a pilot AI teacher assistant system integrated directly into the national curriculum. Designed to provide instructional support, the initiative leverages Huawei’s ICT infrastructure to bridge the educational resource gap across the country.
The launch was done in May 14,2026 at Sheraton Hotel which is found in Taitu St. on the launch event a representative from the ministry of education, Muluneh Atinaf(PhD), the e-SHE program coordinator in the ministry of education, emphasized that the initiative enhances the teaching-learning process by boosting digital literacy for both students and educators. He noted that the system is particularly vital for lightening the workload in schools that face limited digital infrastructure.
Currently being piloted for grades 9 to 12, the AI assistant operates entirely offline to remain accessible despite connectivity constraints. It is fully tailored to the curriculum, allowing teachers to efficiently prepare exams and lesson plans, with future plans to integrate the AI support into university Learning Management Systems (LMS).
River Restoration Plan in Addis Abeba Receives Support
Ethiopia and Italy have signed a €5 million grant agreement to finance the Qebena Tributaries Riverside Development Project in Addis Abeba.
Signed on May 14, 2026, the project will be implemented over 24 months under the Addis Abeba Urban Beautification and Greenery Development Bureau.
The initiative focuses on restoring two heavily polluted tributaries of the Qebena River in Yeka Sub-city through sewer line construction, stormwater drainage systems, and riverbank protection works.
It also includes the creation of a riparian buffer zone with native vegetation and community spaces, aimed at reducing pollution, controlling erosion, and improving urban environmental resilience.
Awash Bank Launches First Round of Seed Sector Grant Initiative
Awash Bank has disbursed over 137 million Br under its Guarantee to Grant (G2G) Facility, supporting 12 private seed companies to expand access to agricultural finance.
The initiative, implemented under the Ethiopian Seed Partnership, involves Wageningen University & Research, the Embassy of the Netherlands, the Ministry of Agriculture, and RSLNC Consultancy plc.
The facility provides collateral support to help firms overcome traditional lending barriers and improve production capacity for certified, high-yield seeds aimed at smallholder farmers.
Agriculture contributes 32pc of GDP, 64pc of employment, and 79pc of exports, yet it continues to receive less than 10pc of national credit, with limited financial access in rural areas.
The programme is designed to reduce investment risk in the seed sector while promoting financial inclusion, productivity, and long-term food security.
Chinese Renewable Energy Giant Secures Ethiopia Investment Licence
The Ethiopian Investment Commission (EIC) has issued an investment licence to China’s Ming Yang Smart Energy Group, formalising a revised 14.17 billion dollar renewable energy project.
The company, which initially signed a 10 billion dollar memorandum at the 4th “Invest in Ethiopia” Forum, increased its commitment by 4.1 billion dollar, expanding the multi-phase investment.
The project will be implemented in two phases. The first phase allocates 7.47 billion dollar to develop 8.4GW of renewable energy capacity, including 5.4GW of wind and 2.8GW of solar power across South Omo, Afar, and Somali regional states. The second phase directs 7.3 billion dollar toward local manufacturing of green ammonia, transmission equipment, and wind turbine components. EIC officials said the licensing reflects efforts to accelerate the conversion of investment pledges into operational projects through regulatory reforms and a streamlined digital licensing system.
Commission Reports Strong Revenue Growth, Contraband Seizures
The Ethiopian Customs Commission has collected 600.23 billion Br in revenue over the past ten months, slightly exceeding its target of 598.8 billion Br and achieving 100.22pc performance.
Commissioner Debele Kabeta (PhD) said the result reflects a 75.3pc year-on-year increase, equivalent to an additional 258 billion Br compared to the same period last year. He attributed the growth to ongoing macroeconomic reforms and strengthened tax compliance measures.
The Commission also reported intercepting contraband goods worth 23.1 billion Br, preventing losses linked to illegal trade.
Officials said the performance reflects improved revenue collection and a stronger contribution to national income.
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