Ministry Calls for Partial Privatization of Ethiotelecom


Ministry Calls for Partial Privatization of Ethiotelecom

The partial privatization of Ethiotelecom is reinstated as the Ministry of Finance announced for Request for Proposal (RFP) last week. The Ministry announced a 45pc stake in the public enterprise would be availed to private investors, and a five percent stake to be floated to the general public. The Ministry floated a bid to call for expression of interest last November. According to officials, the call is open to interested parties, and not limited to companies that have already submitted an expression of interest. In 2019, Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed’s (PhD) administration decided to partially privatize state-owned enterprises. A year later, Deloitte was hired as an advisor for the denationalisation of the state-owned telecom at a cost of 3.78 million dollars sourced from the World Bank. Ethiotelecom bagged 33.8 billion Br in revenues, showing a 20pc increase compared to the same period of the previous year. The net profit has reached 8.18 billion Br in the first half year of 2022/23. It has garnered 31.3 million internet users from a 70 million total customer base, showing a growth rate of 15.1pc from last year.


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Parliament Overhauls Three Key Sectors

Parliament approved two key proclamations last week seeking to strengthen the justice system and civil registration processes. The first re-establishes the Federal Justice & Legal Institute under the Federal Supreme Court. The Institute will provide mandatory training for law graduates and professional development for judges, aiming to improve the competence and efficiency of legal professionals. Parliamentarians emphasized the importance of centralized pre-service training for all justice p...


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CBE Hits Deposits Record

The Commercial Bank of Ethiopia (CBE) achieved a record 303 billion Br in deposits in the first seven months of the budget year—the largest deposit amount in the Bank's history. Total deposits now sit at over 1.4 trillion Br. The CBE attained 147.6pc of forecasts and now accounts for 58.3pc of the sector's total. The total amount of loans provided by the Bank has reached over 1.3 trillion Br, with 88pc of the 153.32 billion Br in loans disbursed by the mid-budget year going to the private s...


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Revenue Bureau Cracks Down on Alleged Tax Evaders

Addis Abeba Revenue Bureau introduced a debt tracking system that would trace tax evaders. As a result, five vehicles were seized and sold to recover tax debts, generating 10.9 million Br. Currently, 13 additional vehicles and one residential property are in the process of being auctioned. In collaboration with the Financial Intelligence Service (FIS), the Bureau has been tracking taxpayers who try to escape the tax net. The Bureau has also announced that the deadline for submitting req...