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October 1 , 2022 . By BERSABEH GEBRE

Forex Troubles Dip to New Lows

The irony could not have been lost on Abel, in his late 20s, whenever he goes around the National Theater, on Gambia St., searching for forex dealers. Less than a kilometre is the headquarters of the central bank, a federal institution with a firm and historic grip on the allocations of foreign exch...

September 24 , 2022 . By RUTH TAYE

Less than Sweet: Sugar Troubles Far from Over

On a hot, sunny morning last week, three saleswomen inside a narrow container in Addis Abeba's Aqaqi-Qality District were in a rush to serve a long queue formed outside. The stuffy metal container had been converted into a consumer-cooperative outlet that sells household commodities at discounted prices. On offer that day was sugar. Buyers had been lined up outside, standing for a while - some of them for hours. As their patience grew thin, a few resorted to attempts to sneak to the front while others tried to force their way through the queue. The commotion was nothing new to the sales...


September 18 , 2022 . By TSION HAILEMICHAEL

Back to School. At What Cost?

The vast, green lawn inside the premises of Ghion Hotel was crammed with parents and children last week. A bazaar targeted these families with little time to run around Addis Abeba looking for school supplies for the new academic year. Meron Gizaw and her two daughters were caught in the bustle. Wearing bright white shirts, blue sweaters, and matching skirts, the girls looked excited to be there. Their mother did not seem to share their enthusiasm. Meron is one of many parents in Addis Abeba jumping through hoops to send her children to school. She sends her daughters - a second- and fourth...


September 10 , 2022 . By BERSABEH GEBRE

Consumers Hang on Despite Turbulent Holiday Market

The narrow streets of Shola, one of the largest trading hubs in Addis Abeba, were crowded with shoppers. Packed with hundreds, if not thousands, of traders selling food and non-food items, the market near the Megenagna area was already buzzing. It was a testament that the holiday vibe remains unflinching even amid the highest inflation rates the country has seen in over a decade. The markets were upbeat last week. Although it was still morning, Shola's chicken vendors were busy last Thursday, a few days before the New Year. This market section was alive with the sound of haggling and chicke...

Agenda

September 10 , 2022

Inflation Overshadows Holiday Fair Comebacks

It has been a year since Mesqel Square reclaimed its place as the capital's favourite site for public gatherings and popular functions. It reopened after a lengthy facelift cost taxpayers a whopping ...

August 27 , 2022

Banking Industry Battles Festering Fraud as Clients Swindled Savings

A three-storey building on Mozambique Street, around Mexico Square, was packed with appeared aggrieved. A taller man was navigating through the congested hallway on the first floor, appearing nervous...

August 20 , 2022

Digitalization Disappoints in Drawn-out Trade License Procedures

It was thought to be less of the usual hustle and bustle as Gebremeskel Chala, minister of Trade & Regional Integration (MoTRI), pledged transformed services when the online trade registration and...

August 14 , 2022

Agenda: Domestic Smartphone Assemblers Dial it In

The roads leading to Megenagna were crowded and hectic as ever. Street vendors selling a flurry of consumer goods such as clothes and shoes were an inconvenience for the innumerable pedestrians attemp...

August 6 , 2022

Deluge & Disaster

It is one of the seven rivers that flow across Addis Ababa, snaking its way down from the hills of Yeka to a new neighbourhood on the outskirts of the capital - Goro. The narrow streets along the rive...

July 30 , 2022

Electric Cars Turn Heads as Fuel Costs Climb

The seats and ambience inside are expectedly comfortable, with typically clean minimalist touches. The cabin feels eerily silent, free from the roaring sounds of an engine and the whistling of a turbo...

July 23 , 2022

The Eternal Public Housing Saga

The Bole Bulbula area depicted a typical rural scene not so long ago. It was flush with open swathes of farmland dotted with a few modest homes sparsely inhabited. The rustic setting has changed drama...

July 17 , 2022

The Great Scramble for Skilled Labour

It barely resembles a conventional bank that clients in Ethiopia are accustomed to. The place is as plush as a hotel lobby, framed by large windows and adorned with luminous lights casting white and y...

July 9 , 2022

Authorities in Disarray, Desperate Operators Exacerbate Public Transport Ordeal

Addis Abeba's taxi terminals are up and going long before most of the city's residents awake from their slumber. At 6:00am on a drizzly, cold morning last week, a terminal near the Adey Abeba area...

July 2 , 2022

Is the Coffee Bonanza Here to Stay?

On a rainy afternoon last week, a coffee processing facility in the capital's Akaki-Qality District was abuzz with activities. The three-storey processing plant lies in an expansive compound not fa...

June 25 , 2022

Sunday Markets Fleeting Success Battling Inflation

It was a cloudy Sunday two weeks ago, not ideal for outdoor events. The grey sky quickly engrossed Addis Abeba as the rainy days set in. Yet, the dreary weather did little to deter thousands of people...

June 18 , 2022

Metal Industries Plighted Despite Prospects in Domestic Reserve, Demand

Half a dozen workers were lounging on a bench outside a factory shed on the outskirts of Addis Abeba during working hours last week. The company's expansive compound on 10hct of land does little to re...

June 11 , 2022

Crime on the Rise in Addis Abeba

The Addis Abeba Police Commission headquarters on Dejazmach Belay Zeleke St., appear rather serene from the outside. Located near Siemen Hotel, the facility comprises two marble white, interconnected...

June 7 , 2022

Dairy Industry in Troubled Waters

On the road to Debre Berhan lies the small town of Chacha. Bordering the Oromia Regional State with the Amhara Regional States, Chacha is home to a couple of relatively large factories. One of them...

May 28 , 2022

Anything But Numb

Scenes inside the emergency room of Addis Abeba's Menelik II Referral Hospital were nothing short of chaotic last week. Frantic staff members were rushing about, struggling to care for a crowd of pati...

May 21 , 2022

Education and Safety: Parents' Dilemma, Students' Anxiety

Hundreds of thousands of high school students prepare for matriculation exams, as Nahom Taye, 19, did. A native of Shashemene town, 260Km south of Addis Abeba, he has gone through the stress and...


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Gated Community But Not at the Heart

Agenda | Oct 01,2022

Forex Troubles Dip to New Lows

Editorial | Oct 01,2022

Rip the Band-Aid Off. Float the Birr. Liberalize Capital Account


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Rip the Band-Aid Off. Float the Birr. Liberalize Capital Account

The foreign exchange market is seeing a war of attrition, with the Dollar gradually taking...

Editorial | October 1 , 2022

TikTok: More than a Distraction

For most of human history, fame was a rare phenomenon reserved for royalty, war heroes, re...

Featured | September 13 , 2022

Forex Troubles Dip to New Lows

The irony could not have been lost on Abel, in his late 20s, whenever he goes around the N...

Agenda | October 1 , 2022 . By BERSABEH GEBRE

TWICE THE FESTIVITY

Over the past week people gathered in the heart of Addis Abeba at Mesqel Square to celebra...

Fortune News | October 1 , 2022