Ethiopia recently hosted the Finance Forum 2025, a two-day event organized by the National Bank of Ethiopia from May 15 to 16 in Addis Ababa. The forum brought together a diverse group of participants, including policymakers, financial institutions, private sector leaders, development partners, academics, civil society representatives, and members of the Ethiopian diaspora, to discuss the future of the country’s financial sector.

The Forum provided an important platform for aligning on the future of Ethiopia’s financial system, promoting collaboration, and exploring investment opportunities. Discussions focused on how Ethiopia can further strengthen its financial infrastructure to foster inclusive growth and expand access to finance.

Among the participating organizations was the Mastercard Foundation, which shared insights from its ongoing efforts to support youth- and women-led micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) across Ethiopia. Through partnerships with financial institutions and fintech companies, the Foundation works to increase access to finance through the development of digital lending models and tailored financial products.

Representatives from programs supported by the Foundation took part in the Forum to share their experiences. These programs aim to reach underserved groups—particularly women, youth, people with disabilities, and rural populations—with financial tools and business development services.

One such initiative is SAFEE (Sustainable Access to Finance to Enable Entrepreneurship), a partnership between Mastercard Foundation and Kifiya Financial Technologies. SAFEE is designed to reach 2.18 million young people with digital financial services, complemented by financial literacy training and credit access mechanisms.

Woyneshet Niguse Mekonen, a 33-year-old entrepreneur from Majete, was among the beneficiaries who shared their story. Supported by SAFEE and a Michu loan, she established Nitsuh Pyjama and Comfort, transitioning from informal food sales to a formal sleepwear business. She now operates a small boutique sourcing materials from Merkato and earning a stable income.

Another program participant, Yordanos Hailmaryam, who has run a poultry business since 2017, spoke about her involvement in the MESMER program—a result of the partnership between the Mastercard Foundation and First Consult. MESMER supports MSMEs through access to finance, business development services, and psychosocial support, with a focus on youth employment and inclusive growth.
After completing digital business development training, Yordanos secured a loan that enabled her to expand her operations, hire additional staff, and enhance her service delivery. Her team grew from 11 to 14 employees, her monthly revenue increased from ETB 70,000 to ETB 100,000, and her personal savings through Equb rose from ETB 5,000 to ETB 8,000.

These examples were part of broader discussions at the Forum, which emphasized the importance of inclusive financial systems in supporting small businesses and entrepreneurship. Many speakers noted that tailored financial services—especially those that incorporate digital tools—can play a role in improving economic participation and resilience.

As Finance Forum 2025 concluded, it reaffirmed the importance of building an inclusive financial system that supports the aspirations of young people, women, and people with disabilities. The Mastercard Foundation remains committed to working with a range of stakeholders to create an enabling environment for meaningful, sustained change in Ethiopia’s financial sector.

YouCan, a digital waste management platform, has gained momentum across African communities by supporting more efficient waste segregation and recycling practices. The platform is helping to address critical challenges facing countries like Ethiopia, where infrastructure gaps, inconsistent waste sorting, and limited public engagement have long hindered effective waste management.

Waste management remains a significant environmental challenge in Africa, where rapid urbanization and population growth have strained existing systems. Many cities struggle with poor collection services, illegal dumping, and contamination of recyclable materials, which undermines recycling efforts and increases environmental and public health risks.

Effective segregation of waste at the source is vital for improving recycling outcomes, yet it remains inconsistent or absent in many regions. Contaminated waste hampers recycling plants’ ability to recover valuable materials, leading to increased costs and reduced effectiveness.

YouCan aims to tackle these problems by offering a simple, user-friendly mobile platform that guides households, businesses, and communities on proper waste segregation. The app provides real-time advice and instructions, making it easier for users to separate recyclable materials correctly.

By digitizing the segregation process, YouCan helps reduce contamination rates and supports recycling facilities in receiving cleaner, more valuable materials. This efficiency improvement is crucial as many recycling plants in African cities face challenges due to mixed and improperly sorted waste streams.

The platform also integrates data analytics, allowing governments and waste management companies to monitor recycling rates, community participation, and waste patterns. This information helps local authorities optimize resource allocation and improve service delivery, which can strengthen waste management systems over time.

In many African countries, poor waste management contributes to growing environmental problems such as landfill overflow, illegal dumping, and pollution. YouCan’s approach promotes a circular economy mindset, encouraging communities to view waste as a resource rather than a burden.

The environmental benefits of improved recycling include reduced pollution, conservation of natural resources, and lower greenhouse gas emissions. Economically, effective recycling creates jobs in collection, sorting, and processing, while supporting local businesses seeking sustainable waste solutions.

YouCan’s digital platform is scalable and adaptable, enabling it to be introduced in various communities and cities with different levels of infrastructure. Its ability to connect waste producers with collectors through technology improves transparency and operational efficiency within the waste management sector.

As urban populations continue to grow across Africa, the demand for modern, data-driven solutions to waste management is becoming more urgent. Platforms like YouCan offer practical tools for transforming the sector and promoting long-term sustainability.

While the challenges of waste management in Africa are complex, initiatives like YouCan demonstrate the potential of technology to improve practices and foster environmental stewardship at the community level. As more communities adopt digital solutions, they contribute to broader efforts to reduce waste, conserve resources, and promote sustainable urban development.