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Feature

Mar 27 , 2021

Growing But Little Understood Business Afoot

An application developer who has recently taken up hiking to get some exercise, Mignot Tariku's first experience with her new hobby came in November of last year. After the COVID-19-induced national s...

Feb 27 , 2021

COVID-19 Uncertainty Leaves Wedding Industry in Limbo

Leul Gebrue and Eskedar Nigussie are co-owners of Romi Vello & Makeup, a shop in the Kotebe area that rents out bridal dresses and suits and provides makeup services. From April 2020 until Septemb...

Feb 20 , 2021

In Wake of Delivery Delays, Taxi Buyers Grow Weary

To say that the rise in popularity of meter-taxi and ride-hailing services in recent years has disrupted the traditional cab-hailing industry is an understatement. Drivers of the long-serving Lada tax...

Jan 30 , 2021

Bitter Fruit: Vendors Sour on Storied Vegetable Market Relocation

It has been over two years since Abaynesh Rega, a small-time vegetable seller, began struggling to make ends meet. She works day and night selling onions, tomatoes, potatoes and kale to passersby on t...

Jan 16 , 2021

Small-Scale Importers Ditch Dubai for Turkey

The chaotic traffic and crowded walkways in the Gurd Shola neighbourhood can be difficult to manoeuvre for shoppers. The bustle also makes it tough to get a good look at any of the many shops located...

Jan 2 , 2021

The Different Shades of an Economy

A kaleidoscopic butterfly on a large white flag had adorned the Bira Biro Festival venue at Ghion Hotel for three consecutive years since 2017. The music event, named after the Amharic word for "butt...

Jan 2 , 2021

Amidst Pandemic, Christmas Bazaar Reappears

Latecomer vendors are running around trying to set up their shops before working hours come to an end and shoppers begin to flood in. Others are eagerly calling on passersby, enticing them to buy thei...

Jan 3 , 2021

CHRISTMAS TREES: A Tale of Two Markets

Women wearing netela, a white cotton garment with woven coloured borders, and men in all-white traditional clothes can be spotted all across Addis Abeba, especially when holidays approach. The bleatin...

Jan 3 , 2021

Despite Dubious Credentials, Hair Transplant Business Flourishes

The morning of December 10, 2020, saw the usual flurry of activity at Très Bien Dermatology Speciality Clinic, one of the pioneers of hair transplant services in Ethiopia. Men of different ages were...

Nov 21 , 2020

Pandemic Pushes Activate Button for Innovation

Abel Hailu was a second-year student when the Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic set foot in Ethiopia in early 2020. He was studying at the machine department at Misrak Polytechnic College, one of...

Nov 14 , 2020

Ride Hailers Contend for Ascendancy

Survival and overcoming challenges in life very often translate to early mornings and late nights behind the wheel for taxi drivers. While others are fast asleep, drivers like 40-year-old Tsegaye Tesf...

Oct 31 , 2020

Attempt to Address Transportation Problems Throws Everyone Off

Before Addis Abeba woke up on a morning two weeks ago, one of the capital's largest bus terminals, Autobus Tera, was already bustling. Starting from 5:00am, the terminal located on Fit. Habte Giorgis...

Oct 25 , 2020

Local E-Commerce Industry Making up for Lost Time

After moving to Addis Abeba a year and a half ago, Abiy Selassie was genuinely surprised at the lack of foot traffic while visiting shopping malls in the capital. He was in Century Mall and saw few...

Oct 17 , 2020

Small Local Business Perseveres, Rain or Shine

Jennet Lemma, who is among the 50 African innovators highlighted in the September online edition of UNDP Regional Bureau for Africa's magazine, was born and raised in the capital. The second eldest of...

Oct 11 , 2020

Cotton Growers in Awash Valley Bet the Farm

Mohammed Ahmed's parents possess 75ha in Lower Awash Valley, an area that is known to be fertile and suitable for cotton plantations. His family of pastoralists rented out the entire farm to investors...

Oct 3 , 2020

It's Time for African Prints

Aida Tadesse, 38 years old and founder of Aidesho's Design, has loved drawing pictures and painting since her childhood. She sketches, draws and paints creative designs on every possible surface, cons...

Columns

Commentaries | Apr 13, 2025

Officials Bank on Student Service to Patch a Fractured Country

The federal government will soon require one year of national service from university stud...

Editorial | Apr 13 , 2025

When the Lift Lets Users Down

Key Takeaways: Human stories, like Hiwot's and Mekdes', reveal dire safety lapses i...

Featured | Apr 6 , 2025 . By YITBAREK GETACHEW

Trenches of Tax Turmoil

Key Takeaways: Merkato's bustling trade shows signs of a slowdown, manifesting deep...

Agenda | Apr 13 , 2025 . By BEZAWIT HULUAGER

MERCATO TAXED TO SILENCE

Some parts of Merkato have fallen uncharacteristically silent, contrary to its typical bus...

Fortune News | Apr 13 , 2025