The negative impact on African economies of the COVID-19 pandemic was easily evidenced by the shrinking real GDP of all countries, according to reports released from international organizations. Reports further demonstrated that the extent of the economic slowdown in most countries is linked to the level of integration to the global value-chain, particularly to trade and tourism. A drop in world demand leads to a decline in prices for many of the primary commodities. Specifically, the economic contraction is bigger for exporters of fuel and horticultures. This hugely affected production and export of all economies. African countries through the African Union (AU) are calling to the world’s creditors to reduce or cancel debt. The demand for debt reduction is mainly due to the pandemic that has a devastating effect on the continent’s economy.

Over the past decade-and-half, the drive for industrialization through infrastructural expansion and mega industrial projects called for significant resource requirements. Ethiopia has little mineral exports to take advantage of a commodity price boom, so it must mobilize resources from local and foreign sources.

Major global threats—including the COVID-19 pandemic, climate change, and rising inequality—call for large-scale concerted action. The challenge facing policymakers today is to support big structural transformations that can make economies simultaneously more productive, more inclusive, and less carbon-intensive. Public development banks (PDBs)—at the local, national, subregional, regional, or interregional level—are key to helping governments finance a rapid recovery from the COVID-19 crisis, and to ensure that economies serve people and the planet far better in the long run.

Ethiopia’s financial system is characterised by a high degree of regulation, protection and poor use of technologies. The underdevelopment and traditional practices in the sector is even worse than the standard of neighbouring countries such as Kenya. For instance, the sector to GDP ratio (a measure of financial sector development) is half, and the number of banks is also less than half of Kenya’s. This difference becomes more notable when we consider Kenya’s 54 million population size as compared to Ethiopia’s 115 million in 2020.

In the creation of the modern state, governments in Africa have tended to impose authority on local people. In this, they have been supported by organisations which have, until not too long ago, shared the view that only through central control can sustainable development be achieved. This has resulted in policies that take little account of local needs and interests.

A strong export performance and stable balance of payment stance are the main sources of growth and prosperity. In the last decade, the government has been claiming Ethiopia achieved double-digit economic growth. Ironically however, the past ten years can be labeled as ‘the lost decade’ in relation to Ethiopia’s export performance.

The Missing Gap at NBE

For more than a decade, inflation has been a serious problem owing to expansive monetary policy. In recent years, political instability, food supply shortages, and the persistent depreciation of the Ethiopian Birr has exacerbated the inflationary phenomenon, peaking in excess of 20Pct recently. This problem is severely hitting the urban poor and the unemployed. Despite monetary tightening using reserve money as the operational target to control broad money growth, the nation’s inflation is unyielding. It has been persistently high over the past couple of years, and it seems there is no hope in sight of bringing it down to an acceptable level. Another serious trouble with the financial sector is the concentration and increased credit exposure of state banks. Unbridled lending to state-owned enterprises has increased their credit risks. Implicit and explicit debt guarantees by the government has increased the moral hazard where many state-owned enterprises have failed to service their debts according to the terms of their loan agreements, leading to the formation of a new state enterprise to take over their debts.

Contracting on the sale and transfer of immovable properties in the acts and documents registration office has recently been suspended for unknown period of time for reasons related to land corruption. Land grabbing through illegal fencing of green areas and other open public spaces, pocket pieces of land, annexation and illegal documentation to the extent of issuing title deeds are believed to be the reasons as they were becoming day to day illegal experiences in Addis. These issues are also amidst the causes that further complicated our metropolitan politics and led to the substitution of former deputy Mayor Takele Uma by Adanech Abiebie. Assessment based disclosure of the land corruption facts by EZEMA has also changed the political landscape the mayor has been manipulating.

Despite academic recommendations of integrated water management and sustainable development among countries sharing trans boundary rivers to achieve social equity, economic growth, environmental and ecological protection, there is always misunderstanding and sometimes conflict among upper and lower riparian countries. There have been such problems in the Nile basin in Africa, Tigris and Euphrates in the Middle East, Aral Sea basin in Central Asia, Parana basin in South America and Ganges basin in Asia. The fact remains that a uniform mechanism/convention to manage trans boundary water resources does not exist. Some water related customary and general principles of international law have, however, become the basis of major international conventions, treaties and agreements for trans boundary water resources cooperative management.