Ethiopia is one of the few African countries to achieve a strong and broad economic growth in the past decade. But keeping up with this momentum has not been easy. The construction industry, one of the main engines to the economy, has come to a standstill. As many have become unemployed as a result of the slowdown, construction firms are experiencing loss and some are shifting to other sectors seeking better returns. EBR’s Kiya Ali reports.

Wildlife loss accelerating in Ethiopia

Globally, the decline of biodiversity is now recognized as one of today’s most serious environmental problems. The extinction of species is increasing, meaning they have disappeared forever. It is no different in Ethiopia. Wildlife biodiversity has shown a dramatic decline in recent years both in terms of type and size. The problem has been accelerating due to the expansion of agriculture, grazing land encroachment, illegal hunting, fishing, and natural catastrophes. The rapidly growing infrastructural expansion such as roads, government projects, and trans-boundary trade are also contributing to the loss of wildlife. EBR’s Kiya Ali explores the issue in depth.

In Ethiopia, some regional states are more developed than others while the rest remain behind in terms of economy, investment and trade as well as social and infrastructural development. The wealth distribution among the regions is not also fair. Despite the substantial regional inequality, tackling the wide gap still remains a big challenge. In the past, there were different policy prescriptions put forward to manage the inequality, but none of them were able to bring a solution to the growing inequality among regional states, largely because of the politicization of the matter. EBR’s Ashenafi Endle explores.