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Ethiopia, Korea EXIM Bank Sign $70m Loan

Ethiopia and the EXIM Bank of Korea have signed a 70-million-dollar loan agreement that will be used to cover costs related to Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19). The loan agreement was signed between Ahmed Shide, minister of Finance, and Bang Moon, president of EXIM Bank of Korea. From the total value, 40 million dollars will be used to fill the budget deficit Ethiopia may encounter due to the expenses the government has accumulated in fighting the virus. The remaining funds will be used for the procurement of medical equipment that will be used for the prevention and treatment of COVID-19. The concessional loan the two countries have signed will be paid over a longer period of time, according to a statement from the Ministry of Finance.

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HEFTY GREEN

Street vendors around the Shola area take a rest in the shades of the capital's newly planted trees. Upon reporting on its 10-month performance before Parliament, the Agriculture Minister, Girma Amentie indicated that up to 43pc of the arable land in the country has been rendered acidic. This requires large amounts of limestone to be imported from abroad; the tight forex crunch has not allowed the Ministry of Finance to fund the endeavour easily. Following the rallying call of the Prime Minister...

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DAMP DENIMS

Residents of communal houses around the Weji area hang their clothes on the fences outside. Textile manufacturing accounts for 87pc of Ethiopia's products from industrial parks. Expulsion from the African Growth & Opportunity Act (AGOA) due to the war in the North resulted in Ethiopia being expelled from the preferential trade act. Most companies choosing to rent sheds within the industrial parks do so out of a desire to access the duty-free privileges provided for African countries. Ethiopi...

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PRICY PLEASURES

Vendors put traditional beauty products from the Somali Regional State for sale around Mexico area. In November of last year, the Ministry of Finance banned imported goods under 38 categories, including cosmetics, packed foods, and furniture, from accessing letters of credit. The move resulted in the tripling of costs for cosmetic items like lipstick and nail polish. As Ethiopia ran a 14 billion dollar merchandise trade deficit last year due to import bills hiking by 26pc , a tight clampdown on...

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