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May 30 , 2026.

The percentage of merchandise trade in Africa intermediated by banks on the continent in the four years beginning 2020, down from 40pc between 2011 and 2019. Ethiopia’s 2024 merchandise imports totalled 16.77 billion dollars, about 4.6 times its exports that year. Exports of goods and services were 6.6pc of GDP and imports at 14pc, revealing how small and imbalanced the external trade base was relative to financing needs.


PUBLISHED ON May 30,2026 [ VOL 27 , NO 1361]

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