Issue 227: Seeds, Servers & Capital

Digital Financial Services (DFS) are rapidly expanding in Ethiopia, but language barriers and cultural nuance still limit understanding and adoption. Shega, as part of the AKOFADA Project, has been working on the localization and translation of Digital Financial Services (DFS) terminology into Amharic and Afaan Oromoo.

This work is about turning complex finance and tech terms into clear, culturally relevant language that helps improve financial literacy and makes DFS more accessible for everyone.

We are sharing some of these translated Afan Oromo terms to get your feedback. We would appreciate it if you could give them a review and tell us what works, what feels off, and what you would say instead.

The commercialization of genetically modified maize in Ethiopia is slated to begin this year, marking the nation’s first step towards a genetically engineered consumable food crop.

According to The Reporter, which obtained documents from the Ethiopian Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) and the Ethiopian Institute of Agricultural Research (EIAR), the government has authorized a 10-year permit for environmental release, starting with a trial batch of around 80 kilograms of seed from Bayer, the German biotech and pharmaceutical giant. Read more.

Ethiopia has launched a new artificial intelligence innovation hub in Addis Ababa. Deputy Prime Minister Temesgen Tiruneh announced the opening of the “AI UniPod,” a joint initiative of the Ethiopian Artificial Intelligence Institute, Addis Ababa University, and the United Nations Development Programme, in partnership with the Timbuktoo Initiative.

The hub is intended to support AI research, innovation, and skills development, although details about its capacity have not been made public.

Two weeks ago, Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, PhD, said Ethiopia would open an “AI University” within a year. It is not clear whether the newly launched center is associated with that announcement. Read more.

If you’re a decision maker at your company, you need to be on the bleeding edge of, well, everything. But before you go signing up for seminars, conferences, lunch ‘n learns, and all that jazz, just know there’s a far better (and simpler) way: Subscribing to The Deep View.

This daily newsletter condenses everything you need to know about the latest and greatest AI developments into a 5-minute read. Squeeze it into your morning coffee break and before you know it, you’ll be an expert too.

Subscribe right here. It’s totally free, wildly informative, and trusted by 600,000+ readers at Google, Meta, Microsoft, and beyond.

Ethio telecom, a 99% state-owned enterprise, unveiled a new internet-based television service, teleStream, betting that the future of Ethiopian entertainment will travel through fiber cables rather than satellite dishes.

The platform offers 60+ live channels and more than 350 on-demand titles, integrated with telecloud hosting and telebirr payments. With 49 million mobile data users and rising smartphone penetration, the move further reflects a clear shift from voice-driven revenues toward bundled digital services. Read more.

The National Bank of Ethiopia held its second special foreign exchange auction of 500 million dollars in less than a month last week.

Banks submitted bids totaling $455.29 million, which did not fully cover the amount on offer. This is the first time in recent auctions that the full amount was not taken up. In the previous auction, all 30 participating banks received their full allocations, even though demand was higher than what was offered. Read more.

Rwanda has signed a memorandum of understanding with US artificial intelligence company Anthropic to collaborate on AI applications across health, education and public administration. The agreement aims to support the development and implementation of AI-driven solutions in government services, improve access to digital tools in key sectors, and build local capacity in emerging technologies. Read more.

In his commentary, Yigermal Meshesha contends that interoperability, while essential, is not synonymous with maturity. Technical connectivity enables transactions across institutions. It does not automatically guarantee predictable settlement, consistent reversals, or clear accountability when failures occur.

As merchants increasingly maintain multiple wallets and terminals as insurance against uncertainty, behavior reveals what infrastructure metrics often conceal: trust is built through lived reliability. Read more.

Some hotels in Addis Ababa are being converted into medical facilities as private healthcare providers seek to expand inpatient capacity in a system long strained by shortages of hospital beds and specialized services. Properties once designed for short-term stays are being retrofitted to accommodate operating rooms, diagnostic centers and long-term care units.

The shift follows years of financial pressure on the hospitality sector after the COVID-19 downturn, prompting some owners to repurpose underperforming assets. The conversions reflect both the capital-intensive nature of hospital construction and the growing demand for private healthcare in the capital. Read more.

Awash Insurance has won the bid to provide health insurance coverage to passengers of Ethiopian Airlines, formalizing the partnership at a signing ceremony held last week at the Skylight Hotel.

Travellers will be able to purchase coverage directly through the Ethiopian Airlines mobile application, with protection valid during flight time. The agreement marks the second collaboration between the two companies, following their COVID-19 insurance partnership during the pandemic. Read more.