IMF Projects 3.8pc GDP Growth


IMF Projects 3.8pc GDP Growth

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has projected that Ethiopia's economy will grow by 3.8pc this year. The figure was published in its revised macroeconomic outlook released last week. The revision was made to factor in the impacts of the Russia-Ukraine war, which began in February this year. The report underlines that the war will set back economic recovery. In its previous projections, Ethiopia was among a few countries omitted due to "an unusually high degree of uncertainty." Various forecasts done by different institutions say the country's GDP would grow by one to eight percent. On its part, the federal government forecasts an eight percent growth this year. Last year, the IMF projected Ethiopia's GDP would grow by two percent, however, the government reported a 6.3pc growth was registered. The IMF report also projects a slightly higher 5.7pc growth for 2022.


Radar

Electricity Bills Get the VAT Jolt

The new Value Added Tax (VAT) has begun implementation on electricity consumption and various service fees affecting customers who use more than 200 kilowatt hours of electricity per month. Based on a directive from the Ministry of Finance, the tax will be applied to the excess amount of electricity consumption above 200 kilowatt hours. The Ethiopian Electric Utility (EEU) began implementing the VAT on bills starting from November though both prepaid and postpaid customers will have to pay V...


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Gadaa Bank Expands Reach, Faces Lending Constraints

Gadaa Bank closed its first full fiscal year of operations with a net profit of 90.2 million Br. The 18-month-old Bank held its annual general assembly at Millenium Hall on Africa Avenue last week where the board announced that during the year, the Bank opened 15 branches and now has 85 operational branches. “Due to recently enacted policy measures on credit by NBE and unmet resource mobilization during the fiscal year, the Bank was unable to make loan disbursements,” stated Wolde...


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Oromia Bank's Branch Expansion Weighs on Profits

Oromia Bank reported a 47pc decline in net profit to take in 840.9 million Br for the past fiscal year. Interest income grew by 21pc to reach 7.19 billion Br while personnel expense grew by 36pc to hit 3.16 billion Br. The opening of 72 new branches, bringing the total to 575, led to a four percent growth of deposits to 56.4 billion Br. The profits are “unsatisfactory against our ambitious moves,” said Assefa Seme (PhD), board chairperson. “The deviation is primarily attributed to our aggr...