May 17-23, 2025
NEBE & NDC urged to be "cost effective"; NBE introduces new rules; Oromia's officials flee military training; Mekelle's courts suspend operations; TIP urges civil disobedience; Assela catches wind.
Business & Finance
Australia’s Askari Metals Limited completed its legal & technical due diligence for acquiring the Adola Greenstone Belt Gold Project in southern Ethiopia.
China’s Guangzhou Automobile Group Co (GAC Group) introduced 2 of its electric vehicle (EV) models to the Ethiopian market during a May 17 event.
Indian manufacturer Allied Chemicals PLC finalized preparations to produce 75,000 metric tons of fertilizer annually in Adama city, Oromia region.
Kenya’s KCB Group revealed plans to enter Ethiopia’s banking sector through the acquisition of a local bank rather than through opening a branch office.
Ethiopian Airlines Group signed a May 17 agreement with GE Aerospace to power 11 new Boeing 787 aircraft with GEnx engines.
Wegagen Bank signed a cooperative agreement with the International Finance Corporation (IFC) during the May 12-13 African CEO Forum 2025.
Ethiopia decided against acquiring equity in the African Finance Corporation (AFC) despite ratifying its membership last week after lobbying from KEFI Gold, sparking discussion in Parliament.
The National ID Program (NIDP) introduced the FaydaPass wallet to improve financial inclusion & streamline digital transactions.
An Ethio-Engineering Group (EEG) audit revealed financial mismanagement & operational failures since 2020. EEG’s CEO blamed this on “previous leadership failures" by “former METEC leaders”. METEC was disbanded in 2018.
The leather industry is facing challenges as outdated regulations; livestock diseases & poor slaughtering practices lead to low-quality exports & reduced earnings.
Economy & Development
The National Bank of Ethiopia (NBE) conducted a forex auction on May 22, offering $50 million to 14 commercial banks at a weighted average rate of ETB 133.17 per dollar. Meanwhile, the black market rate averaged at ETB 158 per dollar this week. Find different banks’ forex rates here and here.
NBE raised importers’ forex advance payment limit from $5,000 to $50,000, doubled travelers’ maximum forex allowance to $10,000 for leisure & 15,000 for business travelers, & capped all forex-related bank fees & charges at 4%. Forex account holders can now access up to 20% of their balance using cards.
NBE announced plans to lift the mandatory bond purchase requirement for banks by June 2025 and fully remove the credit cap by September 2025 during the Ethiopia Finance Forum on May 16.
Ethiopian Investment Holdings (EIH) has invested nearly ETB 7 billion into the Treasury Bill (T-bill) market.
The Assela Wind Farm has begun feeding electricity to the national grid, with its first turbines now operational. The farm is expected to meet the needs of 140,000 households by the end of 2025.
Social Movements
Health workers continued a nationwide strike for the second week amidst continued intimidation and mass arrests by government forces. Several major hospitals remained largely non-operational, while some health institutions issued vacancies to employ new staff.
The Ethiopian Medical Association (EMA) called for the immediate release of detained health workers & urged the Ministry of Health (MOH) to promptly address their demands in a May 18 statement. The Tigray Medical Association echoed this in a May 18 letter while the Oromia Physician Association stressed the importance of “depoliticizing the healthcare system” in a May 19 statement.
State Minister of Health Dereje Duguma threatened to revoke the professional licenses of health workers who continued the “illegal strike” in a May 21 interview. Learn more about the legality of the strike here.
9 detained health workers, including Dr. Mahlet Guush, were charged with “inciting riot and unrest” & ‘collaborating with anti-peace forces”on May 21. Meanwhile, the President of the Ethiopian Health Professionals Movement was released on May 19.
Federal Police announced the arrest of 47 healthcare workers accused of coordinating “illegal strikes” in collaboration with “anti-peace forces” on May 23. At least 96 health professionals are currently detained. Find a full list here.
Society & Human Rights
An all-female debate team from Dire Dawa university was disqualified for violating a gender composition rule during the May 16-18 Moot Court Competition, sparking discussions about gender equity and affirmative action.
The African Commission on Human & Peoples’ Rights (ACHPR) held a May 14 oral hearing on human rights violations committed by government forces during & after the 2020-22 war.
A new Action Aid report revealed that 91% of teachers & 65% of health workers intend to abandon their professions due to low pay & poor working conditions.
Amnesty International urged the government to “urgently negotiate” with striking health professionals, “unconditionally release those detained”, & “end the harassment & intimidation of medics” in a May 23 statement.
Opposition parties & local human rights organizations, including the Ethiopian Human Rights Commission (EHRC), confirmed multiple rights violations against striking health professionals & urged the government to address their demands.
Amnesty International issued a May 19 press release calling for an investigation into an April 28 US airstrike in Yemen that killed dozens of Ethiopian migrants.
Governance & Corruption
The Federal Tax Appeals Commission (FTAC) is preparing to open regional branch offices in the Amhara, Oromia & Sidama regions next year.
The FTAC accused the Ministry of Revenue (MOR) of failing to adhere with a federal court ruling & take corrective action, leading to criticism from taxpayers.
A draft law allowing foreigners to lease land & immovable properties in Ethiopia was tabled to Parliament on May 20, sparking criticism from various stakeholders.
A new Addis Ababa Revenue Bureau policy proposes to make commercial landlords partly accountable for their tenants’ unpaid taxes.
Courts in Mekelle city, Tigray region have suspended operations since May 20, citing safety concerns after a riot disrupted a May 16 murder case hearing. Judges have refused to return to work until their safety can be guaranteed. The TIA pledged to investigate the incident.
The federal government has imposed new national pharmacy standards, evoking mixed reactions from different stakeholders.
A PSI study presented on May 15 shed light on key operational, financial, and institutional problems undermining irrigation efforts in key sugar factories.
Milk prices have spiked by 20% due to rising feed costs, loss of tax exemptions, and environmental regulations pushing farms out of urban areas.
The 9th Annual General Meeting (AGM) of ID4Africa took place in Addis Ababa from May 20-23. Learn more here about Ethiopia's digital ID process.
The National Dialogue Commission (NDC) held a May 17 panel discussion titled "Ethiopian National Dialogue and Teachers’ Participation" .
Humanitarian Needs
MSF relocated its medical services from the border town of Burbeiye to Mattar town further inside the Gambella region, citing intensified violence across the Ethio-South Sudanese border. Learn more here.
Frustrated residents of Woliso city & its surroundings in the Southwest Shewa zone, Oromia region reported a complete electricity & water blackout for the last 3 consecutive weeks.
Politics
A committee formed by PM Abiy Ahmed to nominate new board members for the National Election Board of Ethiopia (NEBE) has selected 6 candidates, including 3 High Court judges and 3 women.
The NDC will launch a National Dialogue Agenda-Shaping Platform attended by 38 stakeholder groups, including opposition, CSOs, and the ENDF from May 29.
NEBE and the NDC presented their budget requests to Parliament on May 19. MPs urged both to ensure cost-effective budget management for the upcoming election & national dialogue.
NDC raised concerns over NEBE’s revocation of TPLF’s legal status & how this could complicate the planned national dialogue process in the Tigray region.
The US Envoy to Ethiopia met with the TPLF Chairman & the TIA Deputy President to discuss the implementation of the Pretoria Peace Agreement.
The Tigray Interim Administration (TIA) accused former TIA President Getachew Reda of leaking a regional investigative report on human trafficking, claiming the leak could endanger the safety of those involved in the investigation.
Former TIA President Getachew Reda criticized the TPLF as “stagnant & incorrigible” and dismissed TPLF’s claims of maintaining an army in a new May 21 interview with current NISS Director Redwan Hussin on state-owned EBC.
Opposition TIP urged calculated neutrality in Tigray in the event of a future Ethio-Eritrea conflict & called for civil disobedience to challenge the TPLF’s dominance in Tigray, condemning its alleged collaboration with Eritrea.
Conflict & Security
A May 21 cross-border attack by OLA militants crossing over from Oromia’s East Wollega zone reportedly resulted in 16 deaths, 10 injuries & several abductions in the Kemashi zone, Benishangul Gumuz region.
Several local officials from the Oromia region reportedly died during mandatory military & political training at the ENDF Awash military camp, while over 200 fled.
Military officials from Ethiopia & South Sudan agreed to enhance joint operations targeting active “illegal elements” along the Ethio-South Sudanese border.
Geopolitics
The US Embassy in Ethiopia revised a May 23 statement in which it had urged the government to stop “using drones against its own people”. It instead urges the government to “continue seeking peaceful resolutions” in the revised version.
The European Chamber in Ethiopia hosted a discussion on the shifting geopolitical dynamics of the Horn of Africa (HOA) & Red Sea Corridor. Learn more about geopolitical dynamics in the HOA here, here and here.
PM Abiy met with French President Macron on May 22 as part of a broader European diplomatic trip. France co-chairs the Creditors Committee for Ethiopia.
Ethiopian & Indonesian officials discussed intensifying cooperation between the 2 countries & other BRICS nations during a May 22 meeting.
India reaffirmed its commitment to supporting Ethiopia’s economic development by leveraging its influence within the BRICS New Development Bank (NDB).