Addis Abeba Relaxes Procurement Restrictions to Prevent Health Crisis

May 23 , 2026

The Addis Abeba Finance Bureau has partially lifted its city-wide procurement freeze, exempting life-saving medical supplies from a fourth-quarter spending ban. The bureau had earlier imposed a sweeping restriction on municipal expenditure to enforce fiscal discipline and curb end-of-year budget pressures across public institutions. However, the blanket freeze raised concerns within the health sector, with hospitals warning of shortages in essential supplies. Officials acknowledged that restricting procurement of medicines, laboratory chemicals, and reagents could pose risks to public health, prompting a policy adjustment. Under the revised directive, public hospitals and health centres are now allowed to resume procurement of critical supplies through open and competitive bidding, provided funds are already allocated within approved budgets.