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May 17 , 2025 . By YITBAREK GETACHEW

Milk Prices Soar as Dairy Chain Buckles Under Strain

Azeb Asamen sat in the modest living room of her small home near Haile Garment Square, in the southern outskirts of Addis Abeba, her brow furrowed as she stared at the empty milk container beside her. At 42, and with four children to feed, she felt reaching a breaking point. Only a fortnight ago, sh...

May 11 , 2025 . By NAHOM AYELE

Debt Deadlines Test the Promise of Addis Abeba's Makeover

Tsiriha Biru, 45, had never imagined that her rhythm of life in Adissu Gebeya, a northern Addis Abeba market hub she had known for three decades, could be broken in a single July afternoon. The mother of four paid less than 100 Br a year for a modest public (Kebele) house and counted on familiar neighbours. Last summer, a city notice told her and 60 other families that the Addis Abeba's riverside development project would "transform" their neighbourhood. Wereda officials offered two pathways. Stay in similar low-rent public housing or move into a government-built condominium with a sizable...


May 4 , 2025 . By BEZAWIT HULUAGER and RUTH BERHANU

They Worked for Decades, Now They Struggle to Survive

In Addis Abeba's crowded southern quarter, the hum of traffic fades behind SarisAboChurch, where a narrow alley leads to a mud-plastered compound. Inside, 68-year-old Welesh Gessese tucks her belongings into a single room her relatives let her use without rent. For 25 years, she filed documents in the record office of the Federal Prison Administration, drawing a wage of 1,800Br, about 14 dollars at last week's NBE's buying rate. Two years ago, Welesh retired and began collecting a pension initially set at 2,000Br and recently raised to 3,000Br, following the state's inflation adjustment for...


Apr 27 , 2025 . By BEZAWIT HULUAGER

In the Shadows of Renewal, a Generation Struggles to Find Its Place

Hana Melaku, a mother of two, had never imagined life outside Cazanchis. One of the historic neighbourhoods of Addis Abeba, it had been her world from birth, a place stitched together by familiar faces and steady rhythms. But a few months ago, she and her family were resettled, carried by the winds of relocation to a condominium unit in a newly established vicinity popularly known as "Ayat 49." The move was supposed to be a step forward, a new beginning. Instead, it has left her disoriented and struggling. Their new home, stark and unfinished, greeted them with missing windows, doors, an...

Agenda

Apr 19 , 2025

A Holiday of Uneasy Choices

As dawn broke over Addis Abeba mid last week, a convoy of rumbling trucks swung into a market in Qera neighbourhood, each vehicle stacked high with restless oxen. Men in bright jackets dart among the...

Apr 13 , 2025

Trenches of Tax Turmoil

In Merkato, a troubling quietness dominated the usually lively market last week. Shoppers stroll slowly, pausing briefly to inquire about prices but rarely making purchases. Merchants, once busy atten...

Apr 6 , 2025

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. U...

Mar 30 , 2025

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, hou...

Mar 23 , 2025

"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 comp...

Mar 16 , 2025

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 v...

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...


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Researchers Churn Out Studies by the Ton. Quality Checks are Causality

Ethiopia pours more than three billion Birr a year into academic research, yet too much of...

Editorial | May 17 , 2025

Curtain Falls on a Capital Stage as Theatre Fights for Its Life

The balcony at the National Theatre, on Churchill Avenue, used to fill up days in advance...

Featured | May 4 , 2025 . By NAHOM AYELE

Milk Prices Soar as Dairy Chain Buckles Under Strain

Azeb Asamen sat in the modest living room of her small home near Haile Garment Square, in...

Agenda | May 17 , 2025 . By YITBAREK GETACHEW

MILK SUPPLY DISRUPTIONS DRIVE PRICE SURGE

The soaring price of milk is becoming increasingly unaffordable, uncovering a deepening cr...

Fortune News | May 17 , 2025