Policy Bank Freezes Loans by Ex-President

Sep 19 , 2020


[ssba-buttons]

The board of directors of the Development Bank of Ethiopia (DBE) has designated Yohannes Ayalew (PhD), former vice governor and chief economist of the National Bank of Ethiopia (NBE), as the new president replacing Haileyesus Bekele. The board has also frozen the loans approved by the outgoing president. Yohannes, who is also a board member of DBE, was an executive director at the Ethiopian Development Research Institute. Prior to assuming the presidential position, Yohannes left the board of the state policy Bank. The board of the Bank, following the resignation of Haileyesus, froze all the loans he approved, according to sources close to the case. Haileyesus, who tendered his resignation citing personal reasons on September 10, 2020, had served as the vice president of the Bank in charge of credit management until he was promoted to president on July 4, replacing Getahun Nana. Before moving to DBE in 2016, Haileyesus was president of the then Construction & Business Bank (CBB), which has since dissolved into the Commercial Bank of Ethiopia (CBE). Over the past two years, the Bank, well-known for amassing a high rate of non-performing loans, has been preparing a Five-Year Reform document to address its structural drawbacks.


Radar

Deposit Insurance Fund Grows to 15.1B Br, Signals Readiness for Crisis Response

Two years into its operations, the Ethiopian Deposit Insurance Fund (EDIF) has grown its asset base to 15.1B Br, reinforcing its role as a critical backstop for depositors and financial institutions alike. The Fund, established under a proclamation by the Council of Ministers, was designed to shield depositors in the event of bank or microfinance collapses. Since its inception, EDIF has focused on collecting premiums from member institutions, investing the funds, and building a system robust...


Radar

Rockefellers 100m Dollars Leap into Regenerative Lunches

As part of the UNFSS+4 High-Level Convening, a thematic session titled "Nourishing the Future through Regenerative School Meals" was held on July 26, 2025, at the Sheraton Addis on Taitu St. It brought together prominent figures including Ethiopia's former Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn, former First Lady Roman Tesfaye, and Kenya's First Lady Rachel Ruto. Organised by the Rockefeller Foundation, the event focused on overhauling child nutrition through regenerative agriculture. Sarah Farl...


Radar

Hijra Bank Backs Young Innovators with Awards, Loans

Hijra Bank has awarded five young Ethiopian innovators in the final round of its “Sirara” Creative Spark Awards, selected from over 27,000 applicants. The programme targets practical innovations in agriculture, sustainability, and appropriate technology. Top winner Milkias Ahmed (PhD) received a 300,000 Br prize and a 3 million Br interest-free loan for developing an organic soil conditioner from animal bones. Second and third prizes went to Yusuf Ali and Muhammad Juhar for a crop-harvest...