FORTUNE+ VIDEO SPONSORED CONTENTS ADVERTORIALS FORTUNE AUDIO Fortune Careers TRADE AFRICA Election 2026 New TIME REMAINING UNTIL ETHIOPIA’S NATIONAL ELECTION 0Days 0Hours 0Minutes 0Seconds




City Ushers East African Finance Summit

Jun 17 , 2023


[ssba-buttons]

The sixth annual East African Finance Summit took place last week, bringing together several players in the financial sector. Vice Governor of the central bank, Solomon Desta heralded Ethiopia's financial sector as being on a positive trend by indicating that the 109 financial institutions in the country had managed to amass 32 trillion Br in assets. He disclosed that independent regulation of the insurance companies is under development. With the impending entry of foreign investment in the local banking sector, Solomon advised commercial banks in attendance to 'get ready for consolidation'. The directives to govern the entrance modality of foreign banks are currently being worked on. Richard Keller, managing director of Genesis Analytics, cautioned Ethiopian private banks to get ready for intense competition from non-banking companies that provide mobile money operations by comparing the case of M-Pesa, which collects more in transaction fees than Kenyan commercial banks combined. He highlighted the underdevelopment of Ethiopia's insurance sector by indicating its meagre 0.3pc contribution to the country's GDP. Keynote speaker Brook Taye (PhD), Director General of the Ethiopian Capital Market Authority (ECMA), said they would be issuing service provider licenses in two months.


Radar

Federal Prosecutors Accuse Public Officials, Contractors of Corruption, Alleged Illicit Fund Transfers

Federal prosecutors have filed corruption and money laundering charges against 11 defendants, including Nigstu Bogale, Coordinator of the Development Project for Response to the Impact of Refugees in the Horn of Africa at the Ministry of Agriculture, Biniyam Fantaye and Taye Habte, senior irrigation engineers involved in the Development Response to Displacement Impacts Project (DRDIP-II), as well as private individuals and construction company representatives. The case alleges losses and illicit...


Radar

EIH Transitions to New Headquarters as It Oversees Major State-Owned Enterprises

Ethiopian Investment Holdings (EIH) is relocating its headquarters from its current site on General Wingate Street. The former headquarters was located behind the Ministry of Industry and near Abrehot Library. The new office is expected to be on Mozambique Street, along the route from Mexico Square to Bulgaria Road. The building belongs to one of EIH's subsidiaries, and all departments are set to move there as interior design and finishing works continue. Under the leadership of Brook Taye...


Radar

Import Substitution Push Lifts Domestic Manufacturing, Industrial Recovery

A push for import substitution and industrial expansion has prioritised 96 strategic products for local manufacturing. The “Ethiopia Tamirt” initiative reports 4.85 billion dollars in savings, supported by trade fairs linking local producers to domestic and international markets. On average, 700 new projects enter the market annually, contributing to more than 2,800 investments over four years. At the grassroots level, 18,000 SMEs have been established, while 993 dormant factories have...