Without Anchor Firms, Small Businesses Stay Small. So Do Economies

When anchors are in place, SMEs have somewhere to sell, banks have confidence to lend, and investors can see an industry rather than a collection of pilots.

AI Promises in Ethiopia Shadowed by Deepfakes and Restricted Internet Freedoms, says New Report

Deepfake videos of athletes Haile Gebrselassie and Kenenisa Bekele claiming they had launched a mobile app were circulated on TikTok and Facebook in January 2025.

Can Blockchain Brew a Fairer Coffee Trade? An Ethiopian Startup Thinks So

Waga Token, an Ethiopian blockchain startup, has launched its MVP on Coinbase’s Base Sepolia testnet. Coffee tokens represent real, verified coffee and are minted only when there’s actual demand.

Agri-Tech Partnership Introduces Pay-As-You-Go Tractor Model to Ethiopia’s Farmers

A new pay-as-you-go financing model by Heifer Ethiopia and Hello Tractor lets smallholders rent or own agricultural machinery without upfront costs.

Young Ethiopians Are Falling Victim to Fake Immigration Consultants

From TikTok ads to fake letters, Ethiopia’s new migration fraud industry preys on hope. Young people are losing life savings chasing overseas jobs that don’t exist.

Ethiopia Ranks Among Africa’s Lowest for Demand Sophistication, AECI Report Finds

Ethiopia ranks among Africa’s lowest for demand sophistication with limited purchasing power and narrow exports, despite relatively strong infrastructure.

How Ethiopia Can Weaponize AI Against Financial Exclusion

Ethiopia does not necessarily have an insurmountable shortage in data sets, but rather faces challenges around data quality. AI can be a game changer in Ethiopia's DFS story.

Wegagen Bank Reports Record Profits but Faces Shareholder Scrutiny Over All-Male Board

Wegagen Bank posts a 73% profit surge to 3.85B birr, surpasses NBE’s paid capital target ahead of schedule. Shareholders call for gender diversity on its all-male board.