Climate Financing Garners Little Attention

Apr 3 , 2023


Ethiopia has 14 times less climate finance than it requires, according to research conducted by FSD Africa partnering with Climate Policy Initiative (CPI). An average of 1.7 billion dollars, which translates to seven percent of the 25.3 billion dollars Ethiopia's estimated needs were committed towards climate change-related activities three years ago. The figure is less than two percent of the country's GDP. This was disclosed at a knowledge series event hosted by FSD Ethiopia at Sheraton Addis Hotel two weeks ago. About 92pc of the climate finance landscape in Ethiopia is funded by international public financiers of which 70pc is gained through grants while the rest is covered by domestic and international private investors. Based on the findings, the paper made policy and regulatory recommendations for the National Bank of Ethiopia to support the development of capital markets, address forex shortages, establish a favourable collateral policy for smallholder farmers and small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), offer favourable lending terms to microfinance institutions, and expand mobile banking services. Established in 2021, FSD Ethiopia is a market facilitator that supports and works with the government, the private sector and civil society organizations in the areas of financial inclusion, access to capital, and climate finance, to address the root causes of financial system failures.


Radar

New Unit to Oversee City Tax Audits

The Addis Abeba City Administration Revenues Bureau has launched a new work unit to ensure the quality of tax audit decisions through a re[1]auditing procedure. According to Adane Sule, the head of the bureau's office, the new audit quality assurance unit will seek to address gaps and malpractices that previously existed due to the absence of a similar body to verify tax audit decisions. He asserts that the unit's main goal is to re-audit decisions, verify their quality and relevance, and correc...


Radar

Shipping Behemoth Beats Profit Target Despite Cargo Dip

Ethiopian Shipping & Logistics (ESL) announced its six-month performance report for the fiscal year, revealing a mixed outcome. While it achieved 95pc of its operational service target, handling 2,880,187tn of cargo, this represents a slight decrease compared to the same period in the previous fiscal year. The ESL attributed this dip primarily to global difficulties, notably Red Sea shipping disruptions. Despite these hurdles, the company reported exceeding its profit targets. Projecting...


Radar

Customs Hits Revenue Target, Cracks Down on Smuggling

The Ethiopian Customs Commission announced that it has exceeded its revenue collection target for the first six months of the fiscal year. The Commission collected 203.75 billion Br, surpassing the planned 190.9 billion birr by 106.73pc, representing a 106.7 billion Br increase compared to the same period in the previous fiscal year. Commissioner Debele Kabeta noted that coordinated efforts with other institutions to prevent contraband contributed to the successful outcome, resulting in the seiz...