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Dangote Industries Limited and the Chinese group GCL have signed a $4.2 billion agreement over 25 years to supply natural gas to Dangote’s future urea fertilizer complex in Ethiopia.

The plant, valued at $2.5 billion and owned 60% by Dangote and 40% by Ethiopian Investment Holdings (EIH), will produce 3 million tons of urea per year and is expected to start operations in 2029. The gas will be extracted from the Calub field in the Ogaden basin and transported via a 108 km pipeline to the Somali region. Read more.

Seqela Technologies has introduced a new digital platform designed to streamline loan processing across the financial sector. The system, known as HK LAMS, was unveiled this week in Addis Ababa, with the company saying it aims to reduce loan approval times and eliminate paper-based workflows significantly. Seqela claims the platform can cut processing time by up to 70pc. Read more.

Commercial Bank of Ethiopia’s (CBE) market share is rising again, reversing recent declines and strengthening its grip on assets and lending. But the shift is coming at a cost, as medium and small banks are losing ground across most key indicators.

The central bank says the risk to the banking sector from CBE, given its status as a systemically important bank, is now assessed as low, following a series of reforms in recent years. However, its rebound introduces a different concern for regulators, increasing concentration in the financial system. Read more.

The World Bank Group has debarred three African subsidiaries of global consulting giant PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) in connection with “collusive and fraudulent practices” tied to a billion-dollar power infrastructure program in Ethiopia.

On Thursday, the World Bank announced a 21-month debarment on Mauritius-based PricewaterhouseCoopers Associates Africa Ltd, PwC Kenya, and PwC Rwanda for manipulating procurement and contract procedures involved in a $1.2 billion project to integrate the Ethiopian and Kenyan power grids. Read more.

Ethiopian Investment Holdings has requested a 10-hectare plot of land in Djibouti to develop a large-scale fuel storage facility, according to the Djibouti Ports and Free Zones Authority.

The request was made during a visit by Meleket Sahlu, Deputy CEO of Ethiopian Investment Holdings, who met with the Chairman of DPFZA at the Djibouti International Exhibition Center. According to the Authority, EIH “requested a 10-hectare plot of land at the Damerjog Industrial Park to build a 150,000 cbm fuel storage depot at its first phase,” noting that the site is “strategically located close to the manifold and the railway to ensure efficient logistics connectivity.” Read more.

In its latest quarterly economic profile, the UN Development Programme (UNDP) warns that a sharp decline in gross national savings and investment over the past several years could spell trouble ahead despite record growth in export revenue.

Gross national savings have fallen from nearly 30 percent of GDP in 2018 to around 20 percent in 2025, while the investment rate has dropped even more steeply, from 35.3 percent to 20.1 percent over the same period, according to UNDP. Read more.

Ethiopia is in discussions with the Export-Import Bank of China (China Exim Bank) to secure financing for the proposed Bishoftu International Airport, as the government moves closer to concluding its debt restructuring under the G20 Common Framework.

Finance Minister Ahmed Shide held talks in Addis Ababa with Chinese Ambassador Chen Hai and a delegation from China Exim Bank, focusing on advancing infrastructure financing alongside finalizing outstanding debt treatment arrangements. Read more.

Rwanda has ranked first in the latest edition of the Baseline Profitability Index (BPI), highlighting its position as the most attractive destination for foreign direct investment based on expected returns. Read more.

President Donald Trump's administration will require citizens from 50 countries to post bonds of $15,000 to apply for U.S. entry, a State Department official said last week. The official ‌said 12 countries are being added to a list that already includes 38 other nations, largely in Africa.

The expanded visa bond program, which requires those foreign nationals to pay $15,000 for a B1 or B2 visa for business and tourism, goes into effect on April 2. The new nations included in the visa bond program are Ethiopia, Cambodia, Georgia, Grenada, Lesotho, Mauritius, Mongolia, Mozambique, Nicaragua, Papua New Guinea, Seychelles, and Tunisia. Read more.