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Apr 6 , 2025 . By AKSAH ITALO

FLUSHED WITH TROUBLE

Residents gathered anxiously two weeks ago in a parking lot nestled within Noah Real Estate's community, in the rapidly expanding Bole Beshale neighbourhood on the northern outskirts of Addis Abeba. Under a gloomy sky, neighbours murmured nervously, unsettled by the looming threat of substantial fin...

Mar 30 , 2025 . By YITBAREK GETACHEW

CHASED FOR A LIVING

At dusk, Haile Garment Square in the southern outskirts of Addis Abeba transforms from a quiet street into a lively market. Vendors quickly spread their merchandise — clothes, shoes, vegetables, household items — along sidewalks and street corners. Within moments, crowds form, eager for bargains. However, the scene can shift dramatically. At any sign of law enforcement, sellers scramble to run away, often leaving goods behind or facing harsh fines. Andualem Tezera knows the routine well. Selling pineapples from his small, single-tire cart, he makes an average of 1,000 Br a day, carefull...


Mar 23 , 2025 . By BEZAWIT HULUAGER

"No Child Should Die Waiting"

Five neatly arranged children's beds lie in a small, dimly lit room inside Tikur Anbesa Teaching Hospital, on Yared St. Each was occupied by young patients undergoing long-term recovery following complex surgeries. The space buzzes quietly with gentle conversations, parents murmuring comfort, and doctors softly explaining treatment plans. Near the entrance, on the left side, rests a notably small girl with a thin tube running beneath her nose. Her large eyes, stark against her frail frame, seem to say everything her voice cannot. This is Belena Asnake, a 10-year-old second-grader who has sp...


Mar 16 , 2025 . By BEZAWIT HULUAGER

Coffee Bean's Rebellious Price Surge Leaves Local Market Parched

Addis Abeba's coffee culture is under siege as soaring prices ripple through every level of the market, from humble street vendors to bustling market stalls. Fantu Welde, a traditional coffee pot vendor in Mesalemiya, is one example. She is forced to raise her prices by 25pc and now charges 25 Br a cup, a burden for her primary clientele: daily laborers. Where she once sold three liters of coffee on a good day, she now struggles to market two. The price of her coffee beans has jumped from 650 Br to 750 Br in a single week, and the rising costs of her other offerings—water, beverages, a...

Agenda

Mar 9 , 2025

Industries Under Fire from Sheger City's Tax Blitz

A long-standing operator in the water bottling industry, SBG Industry Plc., bottlers of 'Arki' water,has faced operational difficulties recently. A dispute with Sheger City Administration officials, l...

Mar 2 , 2025

False Overseas Job Promises Leave Seekers Bankrupt

Masresha Alebel, 37, hoped to improve his family's circumstances by seeking employment in Romania. He encountered a company that presented an opportunity he found appealing. The initial connection...

Egg Prices Soar, Families Struggle, Bakeries Bleed as Market Swings

Endalk Eshetu stood arguing with a street egg vendor on Russian Street, near Anbessa Gibi Park in Amist Kilo. It was Thursday at 5:30 PM, the peak of rush hour, with long taxi queues as employees left...

Feb 25 , 2025

Farmers Struggle with Fertiliser Price Hikes as Soil Acidity Affects Productivity

In the Southern Gonder Zone of Amhara Regional State, skyrocketing fertiliser prices have thrown farmers into crisis, threatening both their livelihoods and the region's agricultural output. Mulatu...

Feb 9 , 2025

USAID Funding Suspension Triggers Crises, Hits Health Sector, Leaves Thousands Jobless

Demelash Tekesete, a consultant for an NGO, was stunned by the sudden halt of US Agency for International Development (USAID) funding. “It was unexpected and shocking,” he said. His work, fo...

Feb 2 , 2025

Economic Slowdown, Instability, Tax Burden Bang Small Businesses

Tesfaye Hora, a former Bajaj (three-wheeled vehicle) driver from Gebre Guracha in Oromia Regional State, once led a stable life. Earning between 700 Br and 900 Br daily, he provided comfortably for hi...

Jan 25 , 2025

New Traffic Rules Add Financial Strain on Addis Abeba Drivers

Binyam Tesfaye, a 31-year-old father of two, is struggling under the weight of Addis Abeba's new traffic regulations. Earning 7,000 Br a month, he spends 5,000 Br on rent, leaving little for other exp...

Jan 19 , 2025

Traditional Weaving Unravels as Chiffon Takes Over, Demands Dwindle, Costs Rise

Asamenew Arba, a weaver operating from a building housing micro enterprises near Shero Meda in northern Addis Abeba, faces severe difficulties in his trade due to the scarcity of essential imported ma...

Jan 12 , 2025

Leather Industry Falters, Quality Declines, Factories Shutter

Daniel Megersa, a butcher in Addis Abeba's northern Asko area, has watched his in-home slaughtering business decline sharply in recent years. Once overwhelmed by customer calls during holidays like Ge...

Jan 5 , 2025

Depressed Buyers, Burdened Vendors as Stagflation Dulls Christmas Holiday

The blistering sun barely bothered 60-year-old Alemneh Eshetu as he strolls from one vendor to another looking to buy an affordable chicken. With his red coat and hat to cover the inferno, he paces ar...

Dec 29 , 2024

Escaping Underemployment, Facing Low Wages at Home, Scam Factories in Myanmar

Shikur Naser, a 25-year-old civil engineering graduate, left for Bangkok, Thailand, in September 2023, hoping to land a job in digital marketing. Born in Tora, Silte Zone, Central Ethiopia Regional...

Dec 22 , 2024

Fuel Supply Halts as Parallel Market, EV Push Leave Regions, Investors in the Lurch

Africa Oil Plc has five of its stations denied fuel supply by the Ethiopian Petroleum Supply Enterprise (EPSE). The company had requested over a million litres of fuel, but its requests have been unfu...

Dec 15 , 2024

Shackled by Poverty, Employees Battle for Survival

A 23-year-old woman (name withheld to protect identity) has been working at a garment factory at the Adama Industrial Park, for the past six years. She describes her work as feeling more like "slavery...

Dec 8 , 2024

National ID Footprint Stumbles Over Limited Acceptance, Printing Quality

Dawit Arega, a tourist guide for 14 years, has encountered difficulties with his National Identification. Enrolling in the initiative when it launched in September 2022, he hoped it would simplify pro...

Dec 1 , 2024

Government Reforms Battle Market Forces on Cement Industry Control

On the outskirts of Addis Abeba lies the subdued Qaliti cement market with retailers like Tsigereda Eshetu gazing for customers that may be interested in their products. The price for a quintal of cem...

Nov 24 , 2024

Mercato's Taxing Transformation Tests Tax Authorities

Business owners in Mercato, the largest open market, were left stunned by a sudden gridlock following a consequential decision by authorities to tighten tax administration in the economic hub. The mov...


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Key Takeaways: Human stories, like Hiwot's and Mekdes', reveal dire safety lapses i...

Featured | Apr 6 , 2025 . By YITBAREK GETACHEW

FLUSHED WITH TROUBLE

Residents gathered anxiously two weeks ago in a parking lot nestled within Noah Real Estat...

Agenda | Apr 6 , 2025 . By AKSAH ITALO

Ministry Moves to Forge Trade Policy as WTO Push Sparks Hopes, Fears

Federal officials and private sector leaders are finalising the first consolidated trade p...

Fortune News | Apr 6 , 2025 . By RUTH BERHANU