Ride Hailing Providers Plead for Looser Oversight

Aug 6 , 2022


[ssba-buttons]

Ride-hailing companies are calling on authorities to relax restrictions on the industry by allowing them to recruit drivers of vehicles with private "Code-2" license plates. An industry lobby group, which thus far has only two members (ZayRide and Wez), tabled the request during a discussion with officials from the Ministry of Innovation & Technology and other government agencies held at the Sheraton Addis last week. The Addis Abeba Transport Bureau, under Dawit Yeshitla, has recently begun stepping up its exertions to bring the capital's ride-hailing fleets under oversight three years after a failed attempt by municipal authorities. Thus far, no entity has been mandated to regulate the application-based taxi-hailing industry due to the lack of a legal framework. This began to change this year after the City Council legislated a proclamation granting the Transport Bureau the mandate. The new rules come as the number of ride-hailing platforms has doubled to nearly 40 over the past two years.


Radar

New Directive Tightens Rules for Foreign Employment Agencies

The Ministry of Labour & Skills has issued a directive under the Ethiopian foreign employment framework, setting clear standards for agency size, capital, and operations. Depending on their level, newly established agencies can serve between 10 and over 100 workers a day. Office space requirements range from 100sqm to 700sqm, tied to operational scale. Level-one agencies must hold a paid-up capital of 20 million Br and place a security deposit of 250,000 dollars or its birr equivalent...


Radar

Audit Findings Expose Deepening Gaps in Accountability

A new study reveals that audit irregularities in Ethiopia have continued to rise year after year, driven by weak enforcement and unresolved legacy problems. The finding, commissioned by the Office of the Federal Auditor General (OFAG) and conducted by independent researchers from Addis Abeba University, examined audit reports covering 2009–2023. The study attributes the persistent irregularities to limited accountability, poor follow-up, and reduced audit coverage during political transitio...


Radar

Africa Maritime Conference Sets Sights on Seafaring Innovation

The Ministry of Transport & Logistics has launched the first-ever Africa Maritime Conference, marking a bold move to position landlocked Ethiopia as a continental hub for seafaring innovation at a time of global talent shortages. At a pre-conference briefing, Frans Joubert, CEO of YCF Manning Ltd, underscored Africa's untapped potential in the maritime sector. Of the 1.9 million seafarers worldwide, only four percent are African—despite the continent hosting around 150 maritime academie...