Issue 165: Night Life, Data Hub & GMO

Hello

The Addis Ababa City Administration has introduced new regulations aimed at giving life to the capital’s nocturnal economy. These include a mandate for buildings along major streets to maintain full nighttime light and an extension of public transportation services. Meanwhile, Ethiopia has launched an open-access startup data hub to support its growing entrepreneurial ecosystem.

Our round-up also includes calls for improved safety in the taxi-hailing industry, efforts to bridge educational gaps with culturally inclusive EdTech tools, and Ethiopian investors seeking exemptions from a pending property tax as discussions around the new property tax proclamation continue and more.

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The Addis Ababa City Administration has approved new policies extending public transit hours to 10:00 PM and requiring full nighttime lighting for all buildings and institutions along major roads. Read more.  

Reports of female passengers experiencing harassment while using taxi-hailing services are becoming all too common in Addis Ababa. Women's rights groups are jointly calling for a zero-tolerance policy. Read more.

A collaborative effort led by Ethiopia's Ministry of Innovation and Technology, along with partners like Systemic Innovation, GrowthAfrica, Dealroom, and funding from the FCDO's RISA Fund, has resulted in a new platform that promises to improve stakeholder engagement with the country's growing startup ecosystem. Read more.

Nearly a week after Ethiopia’s property valuation bill was ratified, parliamentarians spent Wednesday afternoon discussing the country’s first property tax proclamation, which is currently in the draft stage. Read more.

Almost ten years after Ethiopian legislation permitted the use of GMO farming for non-consumable commodities, a domestic firm has successfully completed screening processes in its bid to supply genetically modified cotton seeds to farmers. Read more. 

A local enterprise spearheads solutions to industrial hurdles by assembling Computer Numerical Control (CNC) machines, computer-controlled devices that automate the production of parts and products. Read more.  

The Ministry of Finance, in collaboration with the Lexis Nexis Rule of Law Foundation, has launched a new online platform aimed at providing easy access to Ethiopian tax laws and regulations. Read more.  

With nearly 80 ethnic nationalities and nearly the same number of languages, Ethiopia presents a unique challenge in the development of inclusive Ed-tech tools. Read more.