Berhan Bank Cuts Lending Interest Rates

May 23 , 2020


Berhan Bank has cut interest rates ranging between 0.5 to four percentage points as of May 18, 2020, to mitigate the financial impact of the Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19). The adjustment of the interest rates is for the agriculture, manufacturing, export, building and construction sectors. The most impacted industries have received the largest cuts. Accordingly, the horticulture industry and exporters of fruits and vegetables have received a four-percentage-point cut, while the hotel and tourism sector will get a 3.5-percentage-point cut. In addition to this, the sectors will also have a grace period on principal and interest loan payments for a period of six months starting May 18, 2020. The industries are also eligible for loan rescheduling privileges. The Bank is expected to lose 100 million Br as a result of the cuts it has made. Previously, Berhan Bank waived commission fees for loan extensions, letters of credit (LC) and additional interest rates, while also preparing 35 water tanks for washing stations across Addis Abeba and other regions.


Radar

Yirgalem Hospital Inaugurates New Oxygen Production Plant

A new oxygen production plant has been inaugurated at Yirgalem Hospital Medical College in Sidama Regional State. The launch was attended by the regional state's chief administrator Desta Ledamo and Health Minister Mekdes Daba (PhD). Desta noted that a new kidney dialysis centre will soon be opened as well. Mekdes stated that the Ministry is working to increase the number of oxygen production facilities from the current 10 to 34 nationwide. The Yirgalem plant cost 86 million Br to build and h...


Radar

Corridor Develops with Parking, Recklessness Concerns, Research Finds

Research involving 400 respondents across four first-round corridor development routes revealed major challenges to the initiative. The study, conducted by Shaka Analytics and ETC Institute in collaboration with the Addis Abeba City Transport Bureau, examined the impact of the program on transportation patterns, transit accessibility, and parking availability. The routes—Arat Kilo to Bole Deldey, Embassy of England to Arat Kilo, Mexico roundabout to Wello Sefer, and Piassa to Arat Kilo—we...


Radar

Digitalisation Spreads to the Court System

Ethio telecom and the Amhara Regional State Supreme Court have agreed to implement a Smart Court project in Bahir Dar to modernize court operations using digital technology. This agreement includes building a modern network infrastructure, implementing cloud services, creating a modular data centre, establishing a network operations control centre, and connecting the region's courts with a secure digital network. The project is designed to facilitate secure digital information exchange betwee...