Ethiopia was one of Africa’s fastest-growing economies, with average annual growth of around 11 percent, until 2020, when a two-year civil war broke out in its northern Tigray region. The decision to let the market—rather than the state—determine the birr’s exchange rate severely devalued Ethiopia’s currency, leading to higher inflation rates and cost of living. Ethiopia secured this export growth despite its longtime suspension from the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA), the trade agreement that gives many African countries duty-free access to the U.S. market. Ethiopia’s economic performance is also being driven by surging gold exports, though this may be a temporary boon. Analysts suggest that by backing RSF fighters, Ethiopia is seeking to counter Egypt, a close ally of the Sudanese military.

Sri Lanka’s Department of Immigration and Emigration is currently experiencing a temporary disruption in the transmission of approval notices for Electronic Travel Authorizations (ETA). “Travellers who have already applied for an ETA may still proceed with their travel to Sri Lanka even if they have not received the ETA approval notice,” Sri Lankan embassies confirmed. Authorities explain that airlines have been officially informed and instructed to facilitate boarding for affected passengers, even in the absence of an approval notification. A new episode in a shifting regulatory environmentThis disruption comes amid recent changes to Sri Lanka’s entry policy. On October 15, authorities made it mandatory to obtain an ETA prior to departure, ending certain previously available conveniences.

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On the sidelines of African heads of states, Kenya announced the launch of BiasharaLink and Deal House, two interconnected digital trade platforms designed to empower African embassies as transaction-enabling hubs for trade and investment, marking a new phase of digitally driven economic diplomacy across the continent. The digital platforms, developed by Real Sources Africa – a pan-African trade-infrastructure institution which serves as Kenya’s AfCFTA Trading Company, were designed to close the continent’s trade execution gap. Leveraging technology, the platforms seek to harness the commercial potential of more than 1000 diplomatic missions across the continent – transforming traditional embassies into proactive originators and facilitators of commercially viable deals. The initiative places particular emphasis on empowering SMEs and women-led businesses to access new markets, execute cross-border transactions and scale their participation in intra-African commerce. The event in Addis Ababa comes on the eve of a pre-AU Summit committee convened to review progress and assess key milestones in the implementation of the AfCFTA, with trade execution a priority.

By Africa Risk Control – Over the past decade, Morocco has undergone one of the most significant economic transformations on the African continent. Most vehicles produced are shipped to European markets, effectively making Morocco part of Europe’s industrial ecosystem rather than just an export platform. Rather than replacing Asian manufacturing, Morocco complements it, handling time-sensitive and regionally distributed production. Read the full analysis on Africa Risk Control website. EDITOR’S NOTE– Africa Risk Control (ARC) is a due diligence and risk advisory service provider operating in dozens of African countries.

The call came from Libya: pay $4,000 immediately, or the boy dies at sea. For Youssef Ibrahim, whose 18-year-old brother Hamdy had vanished after contacting smugglers online, there was no choice. Fifteen remain missing—among them Hamdy and Mohamed Gouda, whose brother Abed pleads: "All we want to know where they are." Why they risk everythingWith Egypt's currency losing two-thirds of its value since 2022, young men see no future. Last year, over 17,000 Egyptians crossed the Mediterranean, while 1,328 perished on the world's deadliest route.

In doing so, Ankara appears to be shifting from its customary quiet diplomacy and aligning more openly with Saudi Arabia and Egypt in countering what they view as potential moves by the United Arab Emirates and Ethiopia toward recognizing Somaliland. Mr. Erdogan’s trip came only days after Saudi Arabia’s foreign minister, Prince Faisal bin Farhan, visited Addis Ababa to discuss the same issue with Mr. Abiy. Whether Turkey’s more assertive posture will alter calculations in Addis Ababa remains uncertain. There are persistent concerns in Mogadishu that the United Arab Emirates and Ethiopia could still proceed with plans to recognize Somaliland. Somalia’s federal government has recently severed all diplomatic relations with the United Arab Emirates, including defense and security partnerships, citing infringements on its sovereignty.

For over a decade, Egypt treated the dam as a technical dispute, seeking international mediation and legal frameworks. The most significant development of 2026 is Egypt’s strategic linking of the Nile to the Red Sea. The deployment of Egyptian forces under the African Union Support and Stabilization Mission in Somalia is a clear signal that the "Red Line" has moved. This is a classic realist maneuver: if Ethiopia controls Egypt’s water, Egypt will control Ethiopia’s access to the world. The Trump administration’s mediation efforts must move beyond the "predictable water releases" framework and address the underlying security fears of the Egyptian establishment.

However, as of 2026, the ETS has significantly tightened regulations for aviation, with free emission allowances being entirely phased out. Photo: stock.adobe.comDue to the removal of these free allowances, airlines say they are facing significantly higher operating costs, with estimates of hundreds of millions of Euros in extra annual costs for many major airlines. How did the European free emission allowance scheme work? However, over the past two years, the free emission allowance has been reduced – first by a quarter in 2024, then by half in 2025, and for 2026, European airlines will receive zero free emission rights. ERA highlights SAF documentation issuesAnother issue that will affect just how much airlines are fined in 2026 has also recently become known.

Türkiye to develop 'concrete' energy projects with Ethiopia: BayraktarANKARATürkiye aims to strengthen the sharing of experience in the energy sector with Ethiopia, produce concrete projects and deepen existing cooperation in various fields, Energy and Natural Resources Minister Alparslan Bayraktar said on Feb. 17. A memorandum of understanding (MoU) on cooperation in energy between the Turkish Energy and Natural Resources Ministry and the Ethiopian Water and Energy Ministry was signed by Bayraktar and Ethiopian Water and Energy Minister Habtamu Itefa on Feb. 17 during President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's official visit to Addis Ababa. Under the agreement, the two countries will develop joint projects in the fields of electricity, renewable energy and energy efficiency, as well as cooperate on the production and installation of hydroelectric power plant equipment and electric turbines. Public and private sector investments in energy infrastructure projects, primarily electricity generation, transmission and distribution, will be supported and information and experience sharing will be ensured between relevant institutions. "We aim to strengthen the sharing of experience and produce concrete projects in a wide range of areas, from electricity generation to grid infrastructure, from renewable energy investments to hydroelectric infrastructure projects," Bayraktar wrote on Turkish social media platform NSosyal.

Cardinal urges spiritual conversion as Lent opens in Ethiopia’s dual ritesThe President of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Ethiopia issues a pastoral message urging Catholics and people of good will to embrace a profound interior conversion through prayer, fasting, and works of charity during the 2026 Lenten season. The Ethiopian Catholic Church, which follows the Ethiopian calendar, celebrates Lent according to both the Eastern (Ge‘ez) and Latin calendars. In 2026, the Eastern Church began the Lenten season on 16 February, while the Latin Church will start the season on 18 February. Fasting beyond foodAccording to Cardinal Berhaneyesus, fasting is not limited to abstaining from food. The Cardinal called Lent a time for interior transformation, a season to cultivate moral vigilance, reconcile with others, and engage in acts of mercy.

Public visibility was often considered secondary — sometimes even unnecessary. The African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) is now changing that environment. It aims to expand intra-African trade, strengthen regional value chains, and facilitate cross-border investment and business movement. Public visibility provides this context indirectly. From Local Reputation to Continental RecognitionAfrican SMEs entering continental trade are transitioning from relationship-based credibility to reference-based credibility.

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Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan has criticised Israel’s move to recognise the breakaway Republic of Somaliland, saying the decision will not benefit Somaliland or the wider region. Erdogan said he had condemned the move in December as illegal and unacceptable and accused Israel of trying to destabilise the Horn of Africa. He urged regional countries to resolve their own disputes and warned against the Horn of Africa becoming a battleground for foreign powers. Turkey has been expanding its influence in Africa by training Somalia’s security forces and deepening ties with countries including Ethiopia. In response to the Somaliland move, Somalia has cut ties with the United Arab Emirates, accusing it of backing Israel’s decision.

The Tigray Defence Forces (TDF) on January 26 entered the disputed Ethiopian territory of Tselemt in the northwestern Tigray region, clashing with federal troops and militias from the neighboring Amhara region. This prompted analysts to warn that continued fighting in Tigray could ignite another war. Tigray, the northernmost region of Ethiopia, has been in a power struggle since 2018, when Tigrayan leaders lost their dominant influence in Ethiopia’s government. When the war broke out in 2020, Amhara militias seized western Tigray, where hundreds of thousands of people were forced to flee. A few thousand people returned to their Tigray homes in 2024, but many faced intimidation and abuse from Amhara militias.