EU's Grant of 10m Euros Offers Ethiopia a Fiscal Lifeline

Aug 5 , 2023


As the country walks on a fiscal tightrope, the European Union has pledged a 10 million euros grant to improve the fiscal management of the Ministry of Finance in the next four years. The project aims to increase the Ministry's managerial capacity, budget allocation, procurement procedures and sedimentation of prudent financial management in lower echelons of government. State Minister Semereta Sewasew signed the agreement with the EU delegation at the Ministry's headquarters last week. Transparency, competition and accountability in public procurements, which account for 65pc of the state's expenditure, have been cited as shortcomings in budget administration by a Public Expenditure and Financial Accountability (PEFA) conducted by the IMF and World Bank. The Minister of Finance Ahmed Shide had indicated that fiscal austerity not limited to massive restructuring in the civil service, will commence in the budget year as prudent financial management has been recognised as critical. Payroll audits, follow-up on timeline changes in personnel, along with a meticulous recording of cash balances, debt and guarantees have all been recommended by international organisations.


Radar

Coffee Exports Bring in $1.5B in Third Quarter

Ethiopia has earned 1.5 billion dollars from coffee exports over the nine months of the fiscal year. The country had set a target to earn a little over a billion dollars by exporting 201,959tns of coffee during the same period. According to Adugna Debella (PhD), director general of the Ethiopian Coffee & Tea Authority, the export strategy continues to focus on major international markets, with the top 10 destinations, including Saudi Arabia, Germany, and the United States (SU), accounting...


Radar

Central Bank Holds Fourth Exchange Auction

The National Bank of Ethiopia(NBE) sold one dollar for 131.4961 birr in its recent auction. It was reported that 26 banks participated in this auction, which took place last week on Thursday. In a statement issued by the National Bank  following the auction, it was indicated that 70 million dollars was offered for the event. Subsequently, it was reported that 96 pc of the foreign exchange needs of the participating banks were met. In the previous auction, held 15 days ago, the bank had of...


Radar

City Registers 64,075 Births in Fiscal Year

The city has exceeded its birth registration target for the first nine months of the fiscal year, registering 64,075 children—71.15pc more than the set goal of 58,342. This success, with a registration coverage rate of 109.63pc, is largely attributed to the efficiency of the one-centre birth registration service system, which has been rolled out across health centres and courts. The total number of vital events registered, including births, adoptions, marriages, divorces, and deaths, reache...