Birrmetrics

China’s imports of Ethiopian coffee have grown tenfold over the past few years, placing China among Ethiopia’s top five coffee export destinations. Read More: birrmetrics.com/chinas-coffee-…

Ethiopia and Italy signed a new cooperation framework during the UN Food Systems Summit in Addis Ababa, building on previous €180mn commitments for development, agriculture, and climate resilience. Read More: birrmetrics.com/ethiopia-and-i…

Data Digest: Ethiopia’s goods exports more than doubled to a record 8.6bn US dollars in 2024/25, driven by a floating exchange rate and rising global prices for gold and coffee—marking a sharp break from years of stagnation.

Ethiopia’s central bank flags governance concerns at Bank of Abyssinia — even as the bank launches the country’s first fully paperless banking system across 928 branches. Read More: birrmetrics.com/ethiopias-cent…

AU launches $50mn call under Africa Think Tank Platform, inviting African research consortia to apply for grants up to $10mn each to support evidence-based policymaking aligned with Agenda 2063. Read More: birrmetrics.com/au-launches-af…

Safaricom Ethiopia has launched e-SIM services as its active user base surpasses 10 million. The digital rollout targets premium smartphone users and marks a key step in its effort to expand reach and reduce reliance on physical SIM cards. Read More: birrmetrics.com/safaricom-adds…

Ethiopia’s Supreme Court upheld convictions in a $6.05M AU bank fraud case, reducing sentences for three defendants, including a church official. CBE flagged the fraud before funds were transferred Read More: birrmetrics.com/supreme-court-…

Ethiopia’s Telebirr is set to link with Sudan and Djibouti as part of a regional push to enable local currency payments under PAPSS. The goal is to cut dollar reliance, and ease remittances. Read More: birrmetrics.com/telebirr-eyes-…

Ethio Telecom has doubled its revenue to 331.5 billion birr over the past three years, posting 162 billion birr in the latest fiscal year while expanding its customer base to 83.2 million. Read More: birrmetrics.com/ethio-telecom-…

Safaricom adds PayPal withdrawals to its M-PESA app in Kenya, enabling direct transfers without third-party logins. The feature is not yet available in Ethiopia, where integration remains limited. Read More: birrmetrics.com/safaricom-adds…

MIDROC will begin reconstruction of Millennium Hall in December 2025. Originally built in 2006, the Addis Ababa venue was damaged by fire and has since resumed operations pending full rebuild. Read More: birrmetrics.com/midroc-to-comm…

Rubio and Abiy spoke on trade and peace. No mention of Trump’s claim the U.S. funded GERD. Ethiopia: “Built 100% by Ethiopians.” Read More: birrmetrics.com/rubio-abiy-tal…

Oromia launches a sovereign wealth fund to centralise state assets and guide investment. The Oromia Sovereign Fund takes over Tumsa Development Group and will follow a cluster-based strategy inspired by Ethiopia’s federal wealth fund. Read More: birrmetrics.com/oromia-forms-s…

Ethiopia's sovereign wealth fund, EIH, has dismissed claims it is crowding out private sector. Deputy CEO says EIH "crowds in" investors by de-risking markets and injecting equity. Argues EIH model supports, not substitutes, private initiative. Read More: birrmetrics.com/ethiopias-sove…

Investors criticize Ethiopia’s tax system as complex and unclear. Despite reform efforts, businesses call for greater predictability and stability to support private sector growth and advance broader economic transformation goals. Read More: birrmetrics.com/private-sector…

SanuPay, in partnership with global payments provider OpenWay, will soon launch a domestic credit card in Ethiopia. This includes the issuance of 5,000 Visa and Mastercard credit cards alongside four million debit and prepaid cards. Read more: birrmetrics.com/5598-2/

Buyers will be required to deduct 3% tax on payments above 20,000 birr for goods and 10,000 birr for services, under new rules taking effect next week. The change replaces the previous 2% flat rate. Read More: birrmetrics.com/revised-withho…

Canada seeks a bilateral investment treaty with Ethiopia amid major market reforms. Talks led by Secretary Randeep Sarai focused on investor protections as Ethiopia opens sectors under its IMF programme. FDI rose 21.9% to $3.98bn in 2024. Read More: birrmetrics.com/canada-moves-t…

Ethiopia eyes new coffee markets in Asia and MENA after US imposes 10% tariff on processed coffee. Officials plan to boost value-added exports and reduce market dependence. Read More: birrmetrics.com/us-tariff-on-c…

Ethiopia is looking to cash in on a rally in global coffee and gold prices, aiming to boost record export revenues from the two commodities to support a recovery in foreign currency inflows amidst shrinking traditional aid. Read More: birrmetrics.com/authorities-fo…