January 2014 – Page 2 – Ethiopian Business Review

The Continent’s Biennial Football Showdown Returns

The 2014 African Nations Championship (Sometimes referred to as CHAN) is underway in South Africa, a country that overtook the right to host the event from Libya because of the previous turmoil in the country. The football championship, which was officially opened on January 11, 2014, is now being fought between 16 teams in three cities: Cape Town, Bloemfontein and Polokwane. The 65,000-seater Cape Town Stadium will host the championship on February 1, 2014.

The WTO Multilateral Trade Negotiations in Bali almost failed. By negotiating for one day beyond the scheduled conference time, 159 exhausted nations finally concluded an agreement.
What’s at stake are the rules which govern trade among member nations in goods, services and intellectual property. They are the foundation of the present world economic order. Indeed, these negotiations are the most important to be held in any area of multilateral negotiations among the nations of the world for at least 30 years.

In the name of liberalization, and because of relatively easy entry barriers, financial institutions have sprouted up all over the country. With just not more than two decades almost seventeen insurers, seventeen banks and thirty one micro financial institutions, of varying capabilities have joined the sector. Among these, state financial institutions most of which emerged from the old planned economy maintain a massive physical presence and top-heavy market share.

The 2014 African Nations Championship (CHAN)

The Continent’s Biennial Football Showdown Returns

The WTO Deal in Bali: Has it really delivered?

Too Big to Fail: How Mergers Can Protect Financial Institutions