Fed Launches €2 million Project for Job Creation

Jan 27 , 2024


A 10 million euro loan and two million euro grant to finance a skill park for fashion and design in Addis Abeba and an enterprise incubator hub in Jimma town, Oromia Regional State was lauched. Financed by the Italian government, the project targets job creation for women and youth, according to officials. State Minister for Finance Semereta Sewasew, and Italian Ambassador to Ethiopia Agostino Palese, signed the agreement to fund the project last week. The International Labor Organization (ILO) projects a rise of 2.2 million unemployed individuals and a decline in real wages due to high inflation. Ethiopia, in particular, has been grappling with a working poverty rate of around 18.3pc two years ago, with the latest labour standards pegging it slightly above two dollars. The Ministry of Labor & Skills in Ethiopia has been expanding its Technical & Vocational Education & Training (TVET) programs. This expansion aims to accommodate the increasing number of individuals transitioning from the formal education route to address the annual influx of freshly unemployed individuals into the workforce.


Radar

Amendment Expands Access for Foreign Traders

Foreign participation in Ethiopia's wholesale, retail, import, and export trade sectors has come under renewed focus as the Ethiopian Investment Board(EIB) approved a significant amendment to Directive No. 1001/2016  in its meeting on May 23, 2025. The amendment, proposed by the Ethiopian Investment Commission(EIC), focuses on refining the legal framework governing foreign investment in these sectors. The decision is part of a broader strategy to enhance the country's appeal as an investment...


Radar

NBE Sets Four Percent Ceiling on Foreign Exchange Fees

The National Bank of Ethiopia (NBE) issued a new foreign exchange market directive on May 20, 2025, that caps commercial banks' forex service fees at a maximum of four percent. Banks are instructed to adapt competitive, transparent, and streamlined pricing for all forex-related services. Effective May 26, 2025, total charges for purchasing foreign exchange whether for imports, service payments, or cash note purchases must not exceed the newly set limit. The directive also prohibits banks f...


Radar

SantimPay Launches Zero-fee Digital Remittance Platform

SantimPay has rolled out FrankRemit, first fully integrated, zero-fee digital remittance platform, in partnership with Bank of Abyssinia(BOA). The service smoothly connects all commercial banks and major mobile money providers, including Telebirr, M-Pesa, and CBE Birr which is a first of its kind in the country. FrankRemit is expected to revolutionise how the Ethiopian diaspora sends money home. Developed locally and tested over the past two weeks with successful transfers from multiple count...