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May 17 , 2026 . By HELINA HADGU

Betrothal Ritual Falls Prey to the Event Economy

When Abigiya Tewodros sat for her traditional bethrothal intercession, locally known as "Shimgilina", her mind moved between the lifelong promise before her and the video that had shaped the day. The ceremony, hosted by her mother and mostly paid for by her groom, drew 300 guests and cost 600,00...

Apr 26 , 2026 . By MASTEWAL ZEMENE and BEZAWIT HULUAGER

CAKE Takes the Place of Wine in Addis Abeba’s Social Visits

Weeks after the Easter holiday, Addis Abeba has slipped back into its ordinary pace. The holiday crowds have dissipated, shopfronts are quieter, and families have returned to work, school and routine. Yet one habit from the season has lingered in living rooms and across dining tables. Visitors who once arrived with wine, soft drinks, fruit or neatly wrapped goods increasingly came with boxed cakes, decorated and ready to share. Repeated across neighbourhoods, it unveiled a shift in the city's language of hospitality. Cake is becoming a visiting gift, less formal than wine and more immediate...

Apr 10 , 2026 . By KETURAH CAMPBELL

Addis Dances to a Global Pulse as Salsa Scene Swirls Across the City

Throughout the week, from Monday to Sunday, people from across Addis Abeba, cutting across backgrounds and routines, gather to dance Salsa, Bachata, Kizomba, and Kompa, styles shaped by Afro-Caribbean rhythms and African roots. On Tuesdays, at Gatsby Bar & Restaurant, Latin music spills into the room, loud and insistent, while the lights dim just enough for dancers to recognize friends by their movement, and for women to read the intent of a lead from their partner. Regular patrons linger along the sidelines, watching with curiosity as one song folds into the next. Most dancers, newcome...

Apr 10 , 2026 . By DAGIM SEIFE

EASTER BAZAARS Feel the Squeeze as Rents Rise, Shoppers Fade

Ye'absira Ayele, a businessman from Merkato, sat behind a rack of women's clothes last week, waiting for a rush that never came. The garments around him were neatly arranged inside the Addis Abeba Exhibition Centre, near to Mesqel Square. Every so often, he looked up from a conversation with a friend to watch the walkway for customers. Only a few visitors passed. None stayed long. For six years, Ye'absira has made his living by moving from one bazaar to another, learning the rhythms of seasonal trade in Addis Abeba. He knows when crowds usually thicken, which holidays lift sales, and how...

Feature

Apr 5 , 2026

The Hospital They Dreamed to Build Reclaimed Before It Could Rise

Girma Tefera, a professor and vascular surgeon, once harboured a quiet dream of retirement that involved more than an ordinary rest. He imagined finishing his career in a state-of-the-art medical cent...

Feb 21 , 2026

A REGISTERED SHELTER. A NOISE COMPLAINT. HUNDREDS DEAD DOGS

On Friday, February 6, city officials and security personnel entered a dog shelter in Aqaqi Qality after a relocation order triggered by noise complaints, according to shelter managers. Within hours,...

Feb 15 , 2026

When Love Gets Pricier in the Land of Roses

At 28, Kaleab Fekade thought he understood the cost of romance in Addis Abeba. He has been buying Valentine's flowers for years, watching the city fold the imported ritual of February 14 into its own...

Jan 24 , 2026

Handmade Dreams Meet Imported Realities in Jewellery Trade

Armed with 12,000 Br and a flair for the unconventional, Addishiywet Ermiyas, 28, embodies a new breed of jewellery makers. Her medium, epoxy resin, glitter, and paint, requires little beyond craft an...

Jan 17 , 2026

Medical Plazas Signal a New Era for Health Tourism, Local Care

In the first week of January, Habari Medical Plaza opened its doors in Addis Abeba, staking its place at the centre of the new push into medical tourism. The facility, established by Akeza Teame (M...

Jan 10 , 2026

A Digital Awakening Faces an Uneven Road

Over the past years, Ethiopia's artificial intelligence (AI) ecosystem has quietly emerged from obscurity into the public spotlight, led by pioneers such as iCog Labs and newcomers like Addis AI and H...

Jan 3 , 2026

Disenchanted, Overcharged Holiday Bazaars Lose Their Spark

Among the rows of decorated stalls at the Christmas holiday bazaar held at the Addis Abeba Exhibition Centre near Mesqel Square, newlywed Ekram Sofian sits behind her booth, carefully arranging jars o...

Nov 2 , 2025

They Melt Batteries to Make a Living, Inhale Poison Without Knowing

On a sun-dappled stretch of Swaziland St., near St. Paul Hospital, north of Addis Abeba, where the clang of spanners competes with the chorus of children playing, a quiet threat brews inside open gara...

Oct 5 , 2025

TRADITION THRIVES AS COSTS CLIMB

As dawn broke over Addis Abeba last week, the city's arteries pulsed not with the usual weekday urgency but with a slower and surer rhythm. A tide of people draped in black, red, and white shawls conv...

Sep 27 , 2025

THE PRICE OF PLAY Football, privatisation, and the battle for turf in Addis Abeba

On a crisp weekday morning at Friendship Park, nestled along Taitu Street, Awel Hamza stood hunched over, hands resting on his knees after a spirited two-hour football match. A school-bus driver by pr...

Sep 27 , 2025

Knives Out in Markets as Ritual Meets Retail

On the eve of the Ethiopian New Year, Shola Market in Addis Abeba turns into a vortex of commerce and tradition. The pungent mix of hay, eucalyptus smoke, and blood signals not only the season's frenz...

Sep 14 , 2025

Digital Payments Reshape Economy While Service Workers Lose Out

The way the Birr moves is changing, and with it, habits that have shaped daily life for generations. Digital payments are sweeping across the country, reaching millions of people and reshaping how the...

Sep 7 , 2025

Holiday Bazzars Reveal a City Split by Price, Policy, and Public Mood

At the heart of the city, the Zemen Gebeya New Year bazaar inside the Exhibition Hall behind Meskel Square was ready for the season. From the outside, strings of bright lights wrapped the venue, music...

Sep 7 , 2025

In the High-Octane Racing Scene, Passion Outpaces Policy, Investment

The sharp shriek of a well-timed gear change slices through the calm outskirts of Addis Abeba, followed by the low, but urgent growl of an engine pushed to its limits. For 23-year-old Ezra Eshetu, it...

Sep 7 , 2025

HOLIDAY MAKEOVERS Bring Little Cheer as Prices Soar

In her tiny one-bedroom condominium flat in the Qilinto neighbourhood, on the southern fringes of Addis Abeba, Mimi Alemu was listening to the far-off sound of construction work, thinking of her h...

Sep 7 , 2025

TWO WORLDS OF DOGS From Streets to Luxury Grooming in Addis

On the rain-soaked streets of Addis Abeba, packs of stray dogs weave through alleys and puddles, their paws worn down on uneven stones. They cluster beneath tin awnings or the shade of parked cars, ke...

Columns

Commentaries | May 23,2026

Tax Push Tests How Much Pain Taxpayers Can Bear

An International Monetary Fund (IMF) team has spent weeks in Addis Abeba conducting the fi...

Editorial | May 23 , 2026

Betrothal Ritual Falls Prey to the Event Economy

When Abigiya Tewodros sat for her traditional bethrothal intercession, locally known as "S...

Featured | May 17 , 2026 . By HELINA HADGU

When Bread Becomes Too Costly for Breakfast

For Helen Mekonnen, 45, bread has become the measure of how far a household income can str...

Agenda | May 23 , 2026 . By HELINA HADGU

ADDIS ABEBA Tries to Redraw Its Future Without Awakening Old Ghosts

Addis Abeba's most contested planning document is entering its final year, carrying the le...

Fortune News | May 23 , 2026 . By NAHOM AYELE

Betrothal Ritual Falls Prey to the Event Economy

CAKE Takes the Place of Wine in Addis Abeba’s Social Visits

Addis Dances to a Global Pulse as Salsa Scene Swirls Across the City

EASTER BAZAARS Feel the Squeeze as Rents Rise, Shoppers Fade

Feature

The Hospital They Dreamed to Build Reclaimed Before It Could Rise

A REGISTERED SHELTER. A NOISE COMPLAINT. HUNDREDS DEAD DOGS

When Love Gets Pricier in the Land of Roses

Handmade Dreams Meet Imported Realities in Jewellery Trade

Medical Plazas Signal a New Era for Health Tourism, Local Care

A Digital Awakening Faces an Uneven Road

Disenchanted, Overcharged Holiday Bazaars Lose Their Spark

They Melt Batteries to Make a Living, Inhale Poison Without Knowing

TRADITION THRIVES AS COSTS CLIMB

THE PRICE OF PLAY Football, privatisation, and the battle for turf in Addis Abeba

Knives Out in Markets as Ritual Meets Retail

Digital Payments Reshape Economy While Service Workers Lose Out

Holiday Bazzars Reveal a City Split by Price, Policy, and Public Mood

In the High-Octane Racing Scene, Passion Outpaces Policy, Investment

HOLIDAY MAKEOVERS Bring Little Cheer as Prices Soar

TWO WORLDS OF DOGS From Streets to Luxury Grooming in Addis

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Columns

Red Gold Makes the Case for Smarter Agri Business Strategy

When Problem-Solving Fails Because the Shape Looks Different

Global Water Cycle Critical Shared Infrastructure

A Ball, A Father, A Life-time of Memory

When Bread Becomes Too Costly for Breakfast

Tax Push Tests How Much Pain Taxpayers Can Bear

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Tax Push Tests How Much Pain Taxpayers Can Bear

Betrothal Ritual Falls Prey to the Event Economy

When Bread Becomes Too Costly for Breakfast

ADDIS ABEBA Tries to Redraw Its Future Without Awakening Old Ghosts

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COVID UPDATE

Betrothal Ritual Falls Prey to the Event Economy

CAKE Takes the Place of Wine in Addis Abeba’s Social Visits

Addis Dances to a Global Pulse as Salsa Scene Swirls Across the City

EASTER BAZAARS Feel the Squeeze as Rents Rise, Shoppers Fade

The Hospital They Dreamed to Build Reclaimed Before It Could Rise

A REGISTERED SHELTER. A NOISE COMPLAINT. HUNDREDS DEAD DOGS

When Love Gets Pricier in the Land of Roses

Handmade Dreams Meet Imported Realities in Jewellery Trade

Medical Plazas Signal a New Era for Health Tourism, Local Care

A Digital Awakening Faces an Uneven Road

Disenchanted, Overcharged Holiday Bazaars Lose Their Spark

They Melt Batteries to Make a Living, Inhale Poison Without Knowing

TRADITION THRIVES AS COSTS CLIMB

THE PRICE OF PLAY Football, privatisation, and the battle for turf in Addis Abeba

Knives Out in Markets as Ritual Meets Retail

Digital Payments Reshape Economy While Service Workers Lose Out

Holiday Bazzars Reveal a City Split by Price, Policy, and Public Mood

In the High-Octane Racing Scene, Passion Outpaces Policy, Investment

HOLIDAY MAKEOVERS Bring Little Cheer as Prices Soar

TWO WORLDS OF DOGS From Streets to Luxury Grooming in Addis

Red Gold Makes the Case for Smarter Agri Business Strategy

When Problem-Solving Fails Because the Shape Looks Different

Global Water Cycle Critical Shared Infrastructure

A Ball, A Father, A Life-time of Memory

When Bread Becomes Too Costly for Breakfast

Tax Push Tests How Much Pain Taxpayers Can Bear

Tax Push Tests How Much Pain Taxpayers Can Bear

Betrothal Ritual Falls Prey to the Event Economy

When Bread Becomes Too Costly for Breakfast

ADDIS ABEBA Tries to Redraw Its Future Without Awakening Old Ghosts

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COVID UPDATE

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