Issue 171: Shifting the Status Quo

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From government hesitation over minimum wage enforcement to Ethiopia’s ambitious digital agriculture roadmap, this week's newsletter explores pivotal discussions across multiple sectors.

On the tech front, Yonas Beshawred, founder of StackShare, reflects on his journey, and the Ethiopian Commodity Exchange takes trading online. Digital ID requirement is also increasing with Fayda IDs becoming mandatory for school registration in Addis Ababa and booking train travel on Ethio Djibouti Railway.

Discover these stories and more, including insights from Project Akofada, a startup betting on fractional real estate ownership, as well as engaging visuals on trending topics.

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Less than two months since the federal government aired its doubt about the introduction of a minimum wage citing concerns about triggering mass unemployment, officials at the Ministry of Industry now say they do not possess the leverage required to enforce a minimum wage. Read More.

As the Habeshas in Tech tour wrapped up its eight-city expedition in Addis Ababa, Yonas Beshwared founder of the group and former CEO of Stackshare sat down for an exclusive interview with Shega. Read More.

Check out the latest outputs from Project AKOFADA (Advancing Knowledge on Financial Accessibility and DFS Adoption), our initiative that focuses on bolstering the accessibility of information on DFS (digital financial services) in Ethiopia.

Deep Dive- What Ethiopian Banks Can Do to Increase Digital Financial Adoption

There are numerous untapped opportunities—both quick wins and ambitious strategic initiatives—that commercial banks can pursue to increase DFS adoption at their respective institutions. Read More.

Visual- Non-Collateralized Digital Financing Options in Ethiopia

Phoenix Group, a cryptocurrency firm listed on the Abu Dhabi Stock Exchange (ADX). has signed an 80-megawatt power purchase agreement with Ethiopia, marking its strategic entry into the African market. Read More.

Ethiopost, the national postal service, signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Ethiopian Space Science & Geospatial Institute (SSGI) to modernize its delivery services, aiming to integrate advanced mapping and satellite technology into Ethiopost's logistics framework. Read More.

Kircha, an innovative undertaking by three entrepreneurs looks to introduce fractionalized ownership of real estate into Ethiopia’s credit-squeezed property market. Read More.

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Digital ID (Fayda) registrations are poised to become a mandatory precondition for school registration in the coming academic year. Read More.

The Ethiopian Commodity Exchange (ECX) has launched an advanced online trading platform. Read More.

Experts from the Ministry of Industry are finalizing a resource map designed to strategically position manufacturing industries in locations where they can easily access the inputs they need for production. Read More.

According to a recent Ethiopian Customs Commission (ECC) ordinance, powdered infant formula is subjected to value-added tax (VAT) levies. Read More.

Ethio Djibouti Railway (EDR) announced the online booking platform starting in February for public passenger transport services. The EDR also announced that all travel bookings are mandated to provide Fayda, the national ID for booking and traveling. Read More.

Ethiopia is embarking on an ambitious digital agriculture journey through a draft roadmap stretching across seven years. Read More.

Ethiopia, facing mounting climate challenges and a limited early warning system, has set an ambitious target of mobilizing $2 billion in green financing by 2030. Read More.