Lately, more and more people have been waking up to the fact that YouTube can be considered a serious channel for making a living. Many are seizing the opportunities in the digital media industry, inspired by the growing interest of a large audience to video content. The growth of internet users and smartphone ownership in the country, has also led to a considerable growth in the number of people who use YouTube as a source of news and information. This, in turn, enables many YouTubers with content focused on Ethiopia to earn revenues from views, subscriptions and Advertisments. EBR’s Samson Berhane probes into the matter.

Construction has boomed in Addis Ababa over the past decade. Shiny new high-rise blocks and shopping centers mushroomed all over the city, and the cranes dotting the skyline hint that more are on the way. Meanwhile, parks and green spaces became victim to urbanization, as private landowners and the state continuously look for space to build. Now, there are only 20 parks in the capital, which has more than four million residents and additional hundreds of thousands who go in and out of the city every day. Only 0.18Pct of Addis Ababa’s land mass is covered by parks and gardens. To improve the situation, the city administration embarked on various projects that targeted building of parks and green spaces. EBR’s Kiya Ali reports.

Excise tax contribution to the total tax revenues has been decreasing in the past decade, but this will be reversed very soon. The government is planning to increase excise tax levied on items including tobacco, alcoholic products, and vehicles. Many worry that this would bring unintended consequences, including paving a way for the illegal market to thrive, on top of exposing consumers to higher prices. EBR’s Kiya Ali delves into the subject to offer this report.