Dashen Aligns Lending Rate with Deposit Rate for Selected Sectors

May 16 , 2020


[ssba-buttons]

Dashen Bank has joined the blitz and cut its lending interest rate to be equal to its seven percent deposit rate for businesses in the horticulture, hospitality and export sectors beginning in June.  The Bank also gave its blessing for borrowers from the hospitality and horticulture sectors to reschedule their loan repayment periods for up to five years with a six-month grace period. In the case of exporters, they have been privileged with a three-month grace period and three years of loan repayment extensions. Borrowers will not pay commission charges when they reschedule their loans. Borrowers from the transport, manufacturing and education sectors are incentivised with a three-month grace period and three years of loan rescheduling. Customers who had been paying a 17.7pc to 18pc interest rate attained a 1.5 percentage point cut, whereas businesses originally charged 14pc to 17pc will get a one percentage point relief. These changes won't be applicable for loans that were classified as non-performing before the Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. Dashen has also taken a progressive step by cutting rental fees by 50pc for tenants in its 19 buildings for three months. Zemen, Enat, Wegagen, United, Abay, Awash and Debub Global banks have all fully or partially reduced interest rates on lending.


Radar

US Renews National Emergency, Sanctions on Ethiopia

The United States has extended the national emergency and sanctions on Ethiopia for another year under the African Growth & Opportunity Act (AGOA). Signed by President Donald J. Trump, the measure was first declared on September 17, 2021, through an executive order citing the conflict in northern region of the country as an "unusual and extraordinary" threat to U.S. national security and foreign policy. The extension, effective until September 17, 2026, keeps in place restrictions targeti...


Radar

Rockefeller Pitches Clean Cooking to Curb School Meal Emissions

A recent study has revealed the staggering environmental toll of school feeding programs. A single school serving 400 students can burn through the equivalent of 56 hectares of forest each year to fuel cooking. The Rockefeller Foundation flagged the health risks too, with most cooks, predominantly women, breathing smoke levels ten times higher than the World Health Organisation's safe limit. "If every school meal transitioned to clean cooking with electricity and solar, the emissions saved wo...


Radar

Sun-Powered Grid Brings Light to Qunbi District

A new 600KW solar mini-grid in East Hararge'sQunbi district has connected 2,200 households to electricity, marking a milestone in the recent rural electrification push. Ethiopian Electric Utility (EEU) laid seven kilometres of medium-voltage and 10 kilometres of low-voltage lines, installing four transformers to reach communities long cut off from power. Customers cover only meter and installation costs before accessing the service. The project is part of the national strategy to expand energ...