Election Board Request 541m Br for Latest Southern Referendum

Sep 24 , 2022


The National Electoral Board of Ethiopia (NEBE) has submitted a budget request of over half a billion Birr to Parliament to organise a referendum scheduled to be held in the Southern Regional State. The House of Federation approved a resolution to grant the referendum during an extraordinary session last month. The residents of six zones, including Gedeo, Wolaita, and Konso, as well as five special weredas are set to go to the polls to decide on the creation of what could be the country's 13th regional state. It will be the second referendum held in the Southern Regional State since last year, when over one million people in six zones voted in favour of forming the Southwestern Regional State.


Radar

Ethiopias Capital Market Sets Sights on Talent Strategy

A new strategy to strengthen the human capital foundation of Ethiopia's emerging capital market is taking shape. Led by FSD Ethiopia in partnership with iCapital Africa Institute and the Nairobi Securities Exchange, the initiative is focused on building the skills, expertise, and institutional capacity needed to support the Ethiopian Capital Market Authority (ECMA). The second round of consultations took place on April 23 at Best Western Hotel, drawing key stakeholders including ECMA Director...


Radar

National Bank Upgrades Core Financial System to Global Standard

The National Bank of Ethiopia (NBE) has officially upgraded the Ethiopian Automated Transfer System (EATS), the country's Real-Time Gross Settlement (RTGS) platform, to align with the ISO 20022 messaging standard, effective March 29, 2025. Handling more than 3.5 million transactions a year worth over five trillion Br, EATS is a critical component of the country's financial ecosystem. It enables real-time, high-value settlements among 35 financial institutions, including commercial banks and m...


Radar

Spice Supply Hits 41,000tns in Nine Months

The South West Ethiopia Coffee, Tea, and Spices Authority has announced that over 41,000tns of spices were supplied to the central market in the first nine months of the current fiscal year, reflecting the region's growing role in the country's spice economy. The region is cultivating spices on more than 90,000 hectares of land, with major contributions coming from turmeric, cardamom, ginger, and black pepper. For the full fiscal year, the authority aims to supply more than 56,000tns of spice...