# Ethiopia

News in and about Ethiopia: politics and security, the economy, banks and fintech, and AI in the country, read from ministries and from state and independent media in Amharic and English.

The publications:

- Ethiopia daily brief (Sun–Fri): Current news in and about Ethiopia: politics, business and society.
- Ethiopian banking and fintech (Friday): Ethiopian banks, fintech companies, digital payments and financial regulation.
- Ethiopia AI weekly (Wednesday): Everything about AI in Ethiopia or about Ethiopia.

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## The latest: [Ethiopia daily brief, 14-Oct-26](https://observatory.mgorsky.net/archive/109/)

- **[Mekelle flights resume as federal officials travel to Tigray](https://www.bbc.co.uk/amharic/live/cvglwk8525wxt?at_medium=RSS&at_campaign=rss)**
  Ethiopian Airlines resumed its Mekelle flight on Sunday after suspending it for weeks following the renewed fighting. On the first trip, senior federal officials including Getachew Reda, along with leaders of the Tigray peace forces, entered Mekelle, according to reports. Separately, Ethiopian National Defense Force and Tigray peace force units are advancing toward Aksum, Sheraro, Zalambessa and Irob, spokesperson Colonel Solomon Haylemariam says. The force has taken full control of Adwa, where AFP, citing residents, reports no fighting, no looting at Adwa Hospital and empty roads.
  _BBC News Amharic; also Addis Admass · translated from Amharic_
- **[Tigray disarmament and reintegration process resumes](https://www.ebc.et/English/Home/NewsDetails?NewsId=8811)**
  Former combatants in Tigray are handing in weapons as a suspended disarmament, demobilization and reintegration programme restarts. Fighters report to a registration centre at the Tigray Police Commission in Mekelle after surrendering arms to nearby Ethiopian National Defense Force units. Officials at the National Rehabilitation Commission urge Tigrayan youth to seize the chance to rebuild their lives.
  _EBC (English)_
- **[Ethiopian troops enter border town with Eritrea, raising war fears](https://news.google.com/rss/articles/CBMitAFBVV95cUxQaEN5VVVFVlVuRmZOcVFieDNvREhpOV9fRDRZa0ROZU1XcGhPb0RYcUJ3cG1oRjNuenh2NXFIaERFbmV3MVVmU3dOMkJmcXRnVTZ3aFY0Z1ZJZW1CQ1pveHZCa3loUFpZcHQ4T0I5bE51Z2tqVk5oV25mTnBWczlaV2o2d0pjQ29Na29MejRTSVZoclBHdWVGSUhOSmhqZmhUTWNvZFllbDk1WGdtY09hMDNQVC0?oc=5)**
  Reuters reports that Ethiopian troops have entered a town on the border with Eritrea, heightening fears of war. The report gives no further details on the number of troops, the town's name or the date of the movement, and links the incursion to concerns about renewed conflict between the two countries.
  _Reuters (Ethiopia, via Google News)_
- **[Ethiopian Parliament Ratifies $145.8m World Bank Loan for Addis Ababa Grid](https://birrmetrics.com/parliament-approves-145-8-mln-world-bank-loan-to-upgrade-addis-ababa-power-grid/)**
  Ethiopia's House of Peoples' Representatives unanimously ratified a $145.8 million loan from the World Bank's International Development Association on October 13, 2026, under Proclamation No. 1441/2019. The financing covers the first phase of the Power Sector Reform, Investment and Modernisation Project in Addis Ababa, funding new substations, rehabilitation of existing facilities and underground transmission lines. Government Chief Whip Fikadu Tesema said the loan fits Ethiopia's debt management strategy and would strengthen the power sector. Terms and cost breakdown were not disclosed.
  _Birr Metrics; also Fana (English)_
- **[Abiy Appoints State Ministers](https://t.me/MoREthiopiaOfficial/10610)**
  PM Abiy Ahmed appointed new state ministers, the Ministry of Revenues announced.
  _Ministry of Revenues (Telegram); also Fana (English) · translated from Amharic_

## The latest: [Ethiopian banking and fintech, 9-Oct-26](https://observatory.mgorsky.net/archive/68/)

- **[Ethiopia's Movable Collateral Registry Passes 312,000 Assets](https://t.me/ebr_news/4828)**
  At the Ethiopia Finance Forum 2026 in Addis Ababa, National Bank of Ethiopia Governor Eyob Tekalign said the Movable Collateral Registry holds over 312,000 assets, up from about 285,000 in February 2026; motor vehicles are roughly 61%.
  _Release · Ethiopian Business Review (Telegram) · not yet available_
- **[Awash Bank Deposits Top Half a Trillion Birr](https://t.me/ebr_news/4820)**
  Awash Bank said total deposits passed half a trillion birr, from 467.8 billion birr at end-June 2026. Board Chairman Gure Kumsa and CEO Tsehay Shiferaw credited customers at a headquarters event.
  _Fact · Ethiopian Business Review (Telegram) · Awash Bank's own announcement, announced not measured_
- **[Ethiopia's central bank raises Q2 FX auction allocation to $840 million](https://t.me/ebr_news/4842)**
  The National Bank of Ethiopia will offer $840 million across six bi-weekly FX auctions from October 13 to December 22, 2026, up 68% from $500 million in the first quarter; each auction offers $140 million.
  _Fact · Ethiopian Business Review (Telegram) · announced, not measured_
- **[Ethiopian regulator registers shares of four more companies](https://t.me/ebr_news/4814)**
  Ethiopia's Capital Market Authority registered securities of Oromia Insurance, Oromia Bank, Goh Betoch Bank and Yetebaberut Beherawi Petroleum on 30 September 2026 under the Capital Market Proclamation and the Public Offer Directive.
  _Fact · Ethiopian Business Review (Telegram) · official figure: Ethiopian Capital Market Authority_
- **[Abay Bank Posts Birr 6.22 Billion Pre-Tax Profit](https://t.me/ebr_news/4878)**
  Abay Bank reported profit before tax of Birr 6.22 billion for the year ended 30 June 2026, up from Birr 4.22 billion, and after-tax profit of Birr 4.55 billion after a Birr 1.68 billion tax charge.
  _Fact · Ethiopian Business Review (Telegram) · reported by EBR; not on Abay Bank's own channels_

## The latest: [Ethiopia AI weekly, 14-Oct-26](https://observatory.mgorsky.net/archive/110/)

- **[Ethiopia opens Fayda digital ID sandbox to local developers](https://www.kanatelevision.com/news/instant-id-no-fraud-ethiopia-opens-its-massive-identity-network-fayda-to-local-tech-builders/)**
  Ethiopia's re-established Faydaverse Digital Solutions has launched a public sandbox for the Fayda digital ID, letting developers and startups test apps against government authentication platforms before release. Since scaling in 2023, Fayda has enrolled over 52 million Ethiopians, integrated with 150 institutional partners and processed more than 208 million eKYC verifications. Tools include OpenID Connect flows and the VeriFayda system via the Fayda Partner Portal.
  _Kana TV (news)_
- **[Ethiopian engineers urge BIM and AI adoption at EACE convention](https://capitalethiopia.com/2026/10/11/engineers-call-for-ai-bim-adoption-to-address-skill-gaps/)**
  At the 27th Ethiopian Association of Civil Engineers convention in Addis Ababa, under the theme "Building Africa 2050," engineering leaders call for wider use of BIM, AI and geospatial systems to tackle skills shortages and project-delivery bottlenecks. They cite an annual African infrastructure-financing gap of US$68–100 billion and warn finance alone cannot fix structural weaknesses. EACE President Amanuel Mekonnen Hailemariam says a new construction policy framework has been endorsed.
  _Capital Ethiopia_
- **[WTO raises global trade forecast as Ethiopia faces higher fuel and fertiliser costs](https://addisfortune.news/world-trade-picks-up-as-ethiopia-pays-more-for-fuel-fertiliser)**
  The World Trade Organisation raises its forecast for global merchandise trade volume growth to 3.9pc in 2026, up from the 1.9pc projected in March, with demand for AI infrastructure goods exceeding expectations. Growth is forecast at 4.1pc in 2027. Commercial services trade growth is expected to slow to 3.3pc this year from 4.8pc. The WTO warns that higher oil and fertiliser prices, driven by Middle East conflict, hit energy importers like Ethiopia hardest.
  _Addis Fortune_
- **[Ethiopian outlet uses Harar marble game to frame AI discussion](https://t.me/Ethiopianbusinessdaily/16470)**
  Ethiopian Business Daily shares an analysis asking what the Harari children's marble game gheero has to do with artificial intelligence. The post describes the game as involving a marble, a patch of ground and a circle drawn in the dirt, rewarding a steady hand, a good eye and a sense of where to make the next move.
  _Ethiopian Business Daily (Telegram) · author has a stake: Shega Media's own analysis · translated from Amharic_
- **[Ethiopia Promotes AI-Driven Digital State Under Medemer Blueprint](https://www.ameco.et/english/the-medemer-blueprint-how-ethiopia-is-building-an-ai-driven-digital-state/)**
  Amhara Media Corporation reports that Ethiopia is building an AI-driven digital state under Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed Ali. The Ethiopian Artificial Intelligence Institute is an autonomous state body for AI research, data governance and technological development, aligned with the Digital Ethiopia 2025 strategy. Abiy is cited on AI's role in sectors including law enforcement, agriculture, health and trade.
  _Amhara Media Corporation_

## Every issue

- [Ethiopia AI weekly, 14-Oct-26](https://observatory.mgorsky.net/archive/110/): Ethiopia opens Fayda digital ID sandbox to local developers
- [Ethiopia daily brief, 14-Oct-26](https://observatory.mgorsky.net/archive/109/): Mekelle flights resume as federal officials travel to Tigray
- [Ethiopia daily brief, 13-Oct-26](https://observatory.mgorsky.net/archive/100/): Ethiopian forces enter Adwa as flights resume to Mekelle
- [Ethiopia daily brief, 12-Oct-26](https://observatory.mgorsky.net/archive/91/): Getachew Reda says Tigray will be run by a command post and elections held in six months
- [Ethiopia daily brief, 11-Oct-26](https://observatory.mgorsky.net/archive/81/): Ethiopia says it must defend itself against Eritrea's 'all-out invasion'
- [Ethiopian banking and fintech, 9-Oct-26](https://observatory.mgorsky.net/archive/68/): Ethiopia's Movable Collateral Registry Passes 312,000 Assets
- [Ethiopia daily brief, 9-Oct-26](https://observatory.mgorsky.net/archive/67/): Ethiopia's neighbours watch Tigray war escalation
- [Ethiopia daily brief, 8-Oct-26](https://observatory.mgorsky.net/archive/61/): Witnesses report Eritrean troops in northern Ethiopia
- [Ethiopia daily brief, 7-Oct-26](https://observatory.mgorsky.net/archive/55/): Ethiopian Parliament Approves Reconfiguration of Four Federal Ministries
- [Ethiopia daily brief, 6-Oct-26](https://observatory.mgorsky.net/archive/49/): Ethiopia's Abiy presses Red Sea access demand as he is sworn in
- [Ethiopia daily brief, 5-Oct-26](https://observatory.mgorsky.net/archive/43/): Ethiopian forces retake Mekelle as Tigray fighting resumes
- [Ethiopia daily brief, 4-Oct-26](https://observatory.mgorsky.net/archive/35/): Ethiopian forces take Mekelle from Tigray fighters
- [Observatory: ET banks/fintech, 2 October 2026](https://observatory.mgorsky.net/archive/24/): Ethiopian Banks Face Fayda ID Bill as Costs Outpace Income
- [Observatory: ET daily brief, 2 October 2026](https://observatory.mgorsky.net/archive/23/): Ethiopia to close its embassy in Asmara
- [Observatory: ET daily brief, 1 October 2026](https://observatory.mgorsky.net/archive/16/): MSF says renewed fighting in northern Ethiopia overwhelms hospitals