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Harvesting Finance


Harvesting Finance

From left: Agriculture Minister Girma Amente (PhD), Finance Minister Ahmed Shide, and National Bank Governor Mamo Mihretu during the second Ethiopia Finance Forum on July 22, 2025, at Commercial Bank of Ethiopia’s HQ located around Ras Abebe Aregay St. Officials unpacked the National Agri-Finance Implementation Roadmap (NAFIR), a push to widen credit access for inputs like irrigation, livestock, and mechanisation. Despite making up 32pc of GDP and 64pc of employment, agriculture secured just 8pc of total bank loans in 2023/24, falling well short by 2pc of demand.

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In-Picture

BOTTLE MOUNTAIN

A mountain of plastic takes a pit stop. As the sweeps during the day in Addis Abeba, an Isuzu truck loaded with tightly bundled sacks of discarded plastic bottles rolls through a fuel station, carrying the leftovers of a city's daily consumption on its back. The towering cargo, tied together like an oversized puzzle of waste, pauses between pumps and traffic as commuters move around it. In a scene where fuel powers journeys and plastic tells a story of what those journeys leave behind, the truck...


In-Picture

DANCING COLOURS

Under the bright Addis Abeba sun, a burst of colour, rhythm and tradition takes centre stage. Dressed in vibrant cultural attire, performers bring movement and music together at the new Addis Abeba City Administration Theatre Houses Enterprise Children and Youth Theatre in Flamingo, on Africa Avenue, transforming an ordinary public space into a lively showcase of heritage. With shields raised, feathers swaying and traditional steps echoing through the crowd, the scene feels like a conversation b...


In-Picture

SCULPTED MEMORY

Under grey skies, in front of the Economic Commission for Africa (ECA), inside Addis Abeba Park along Menelik II Avenue, stands a striking tribute to the late Hachalu Hundessa. Mounted on horseback, the statue captures the singer and activist in a symbolic pose, holding a microphone, shield and spear, a blend of artistry, courage and memory. Surrounded by lush greenery and quiet pathways, the monument feels less like a silent figure of stone and more like a storyteller, carrying melodies, strugg...