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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

DIGITAL DETOUR

A sign advertising the Telebirr mobile payment service hangs inside a taxi, promising passengers a seamless, cashless fare experience. QR codes, Merchant IDs, and Operator IDs offer multiple ways to pay if only the network held up. In a city racing toward "cashless" status, many can't help but chuckle at the idea of tapping phones in beat-up, overcrowded taxis where connectivity is as wobbly as the suspension. Modern finance meets old-school transport, with results that are, at best, aspirationa...

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In-Picture

COMMUNITY LIFT

From left: Fekadu Beshah, Heineken Ethiopia Sustainability & CSR Manager; Shewit Kebede, Social Impact Ambassador; Tolawak Feyissa, Koye Feche District Mayor's Office; and William Mills, Heineken Ethiopia Corporate Affairs Director, cut the inaugural ribbon at the launch of new homes. Heineken Ethiopia built houses for over 45 households in Koye Feche Sub-district, Sheger City, Oromia, empowering communities through dairy, cattle, and poultry farming initiatives...

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In-Picture

PIPE LIFE

A pipe around Filwuha offers a refuge. Among a towering stack of Reinforced Concrete Drainage Pipes, a small space has been claimed as a home. The makeshift shelter inside one of the pipes contains a simple bed of blankets on a wooden board and a pair of worn-out sneakers, providing a glimpse into a life of resilience and illustrating a powerful image of survival in a harsh setting. A few scattered belongings hint at the daily struggle to meet basic needs. The contrast between the cold concrete...

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