Germany Pledges 10m Grant in Leap of Faith

Jun 1 , 2024


Germany has pledged a 10 million euro grant to the Horn of Africa Initiative (HoAI) to promote development and integration in the region. The grant is designed to enhance the Initiative's aspirations in improving infrastructure, promoting trade, and building social cohesion. The HoAI was chaired by Ethiopia's Finance Minister Ahmed Shedie, figures including Djibouti's Finance Minister Ilyas Moussa Dawaleh; Somalia's Finance Minister Bihi Iman Egeh; Kenya's Treasury Cabinet Secretary, Njuguna Ndung’u (PhD); and IGAD’s Chairperson Workneh Gebeyehu (PhD), as well as representatives from Germany, the UK, and the EU attended. "This gathering shows the full strength and convening power of this Initiative," said the German representative, speaking during a ministerial meeting of the countries, which took place on the sidelines of the AfDB annual meetings opened in Nairobi, Kenya, last week.


Radar

Central Bank's Auction Sends Dollar Soaring to 135 Br

A dollar value against the Birr exceeds 135 during an auction the Central Bank held last week, offering 60 million dollars. Close to 27 banks made their bid where the weighted average was 135.61 Br for a dollar. The National Bank of Ethiopia (NBE) announced the results of the special foreign exchange auction, the second since monetary authorities floated the forex regime in early August last year. Last week's result reflects a weaker Birr than in the first when the average rate was 107.9 Br....


Radar

Ethio Telecom Bids to Dominate Ethiopia's Digital Future

An array of services from digital livestock tracking, push-to-talk/video communications to cloud-based banking, an education management system (EMS), and enterprise resource Planning (ERP) are available from the state-owned Ethio telecom. Ethio telecom has introduced seven new cloud-based digital services last week at the Skylight Hotel, on Africa Avenue (Bole Road), pledging to transform business operations, financial services, and education management. The company said that these solutions...


Radar

Addis International Convention Centre Inaugurates

The much-anticipated Addis International Convention Centre, spanning 40 hectares, was officially inaugurated last week. It is set to become the country's largest conference venue, designed to host both national and international events. The centre features two large halls, each accommodating 3,000 to 4,000 people. It also includes eight smaller meeting rooms, bringing its total capacity to 10,000 attendees. Two hotels, with a combined 1,000-bed capacity, will serve both local and internationa...