Ethiopian Business ReviewNovember 24, 2020
Foreign currency generated from export of Gold exceeded coffee, for the first time. Gold generated USD265.3 million during the first quarter of 2020/21, while coffee USD230.5 million, followed by cut flower and khat, at USD138.2 million and USD129.5 million, respectively.
Ethiopian Business ReviewNovember 19, 2020
The National Bank of Ethiopia (NBE) announced there are only 12 days left to transact with the old currency notes. After the 12 days, people can bring the old notes to banks and change it with the new ones, but cannot transact with it.
Ethiopian Business ReviewNovember 19, 2020
The Addis Ababa city administration has discovered over 1,000-hectare plots of land whose owners are unknown and held illegally. The administration also found 100 houses unidentified with legal owners.
The informal land and housing market mushroomed in the capital, is under reform, according to Adanech Abebe, deputy mayor, while disclosing findings of undergoing land and housing audit assessment.
Ethiopian Business ReviewNovember 17, 2020
Number of Ethiopian asylum seekers crossed into Sudan has surpassed 25,300, according to United Nations for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA). “the UN is alarmed by the escalating conflict in north Ethiopia, increasing insecurity in western and southern Oromia, as well as eastern Benishangul Gumuz region,” stated the organization, on November 16, 2020.
Ethiopian Business ReviewNovember 17, 2020
Ethiopia’s new commercial code, which is currently at draft stage at the House of People’s Representative (HPR), allows establishment of One Person PLC, a provision not included in the existing code, which was ratified in 1960.
Ethiopian Business ReviewAugust 15, 2020The Blue Nile is an everlasting bond between riparian countries. For millennia, the river amassed water from upper riparian countries and provided Sudan and Egypt a life line. It has, however, been the Egyptians who relied heavily on the longest river in the world. The Greeks even called Egypt “the Gift of the Nile.” Considering Ethiopia contributes 85Pct of the Nile waters, it would be logical to say that ‘Egypt is the gift of Ethiopia.’ Despite its tremendous share of the Nile waters, Ethiopia has never used the river. On the other hand, Egypt does not contribute a drop to the river; however, it claims to have historic use rights that should not been questioned.
Ethiopian Business ReviewAugust 15, 2020According to the AfDB report released in June 2020, only 15 African countries have foreign currency reserves that cover their import for over five months. These countries either have oil resource or they have small import proportion. The African average is 3.2 months. ‘Countries with low foreign currency reserve will have less room to import medical equipment under the covid19 era’, according to the report.
Ethiopian Business ReviewJuly 30, 2020
Buying houses from real estate developers incur 15Pct Value Added Tax and six percent title deed transfer fee of an actual price tag. Additionally, real estate developers take more time to deliver housing units which further escalate cost of construction that ultimately push price tag further.
This makes houses built by real estate companies more expensive for the vast majority of Addis Ababans. As a result, house buyers have been looking for affordable options.
Ethiopian Business ReviewJuly 30, 2020Ethiopia is currently undertaking a partial privatization of ethio telecom. The plan of the government is to maintain 55Pct of the stake while selling 40Pct of the company to a global telecom operator. It aims to sell the remaining 5Pct to the general public. The government has also expressed its intention to license two private telecom operators. Accordingly, 12 foreign multinational telecom operators have expressed interest for both opportunities.
Ethiopian Business ReviewJuly 30, 2020Source: UNCTAD, 2020
Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) flow to developed economies shrank by six percent to an estimated USD643 billion from their revised USD683 billion in 2018, according to UNCTAD. FDI remained at a historically low-level, at half of their peak in 2007.
