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Kudu Ventures Launches $1m Investment Fund

Sep 28 , 2019

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Kudu Ventures, a United States-based venture capital firm, announced a female-focused investment fund. Kudu Ventures will invest one million dollars for Kudu Women, which will be led by Betelhem Dessie, project manager for iCog Anyone Can Code. The project is dedicated to investing the one million dollars in over 100 homegrown female startups within the next two years in East Africa. There are only a few female tech entrepreneurs in Ethiopia, which has population of over 50 million women, according to Noel Daniel, co-founder and managing director of Kudu Ventures. Recently, Kudu Ventures allocated 100 million Br for startups, of which five million Birr will go to iCog Labs to support the acceleration programme.

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Somali Region Advances Budget Independence as Revenues Rise

Somali Regional State is moving closer to fiscal independence, with nearly half its budget now funded locally. Officials point to rising agricultural output and stronger tax enforcement as key drivers behind growing revenues. The region plans to cover 32.5 billion Br from its own resources in the upcoming fiscal year. Communication Head Mohammed Abdi credited last year's tax collection of 18 billion Br, exceeding the 17 billion Br target, to agriculture, khat, and other taxable goods. The reg...

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Environmental Protection Authority Shuts Down Polluters

Addis Abeba's Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) has taken enforcement action against 3,249 manufacturers and service providers found violating environmental standards in the 2024/25 fiscal year. The violations, ranging from air and noise pollution to improper waste disposal, were identified during inspections of 14,872 businesses citywide. Penalties included warnings and closures, with shutdown orders issued to six plastic factories, 23 block factories, a soft paper plant, 102 nightclu...

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Ministry Mandates Full Electronic Clearance for Top Taxpayers

Taxpayers under the Ministry of Revenues' Medium No. 1 branch will have to ditch paper filings and switch entirely to the e-Clearance system for non-audited services starting August 1, 2025. The mandate, routed through the Ministry's e-filing portal, is pitched as part of a broader push to modernise tax administration and advance the government's digital agenda. Officials say the platform lets users process clearance requests remotely via the Fayda national ID, cutting out manual paperwork. A...

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