“Our economy has continued to grow amid natural and man-made problems,” the planning and development minister, Fitsum Assefa, said earlier this month. But the war in the northern Tigray region, which began in late 2020, has caused immense disruption. The finance ministry has declined to approve the financing of three industrial parks, symbols of Ethiopia’s China-like development, citing “budgetary pressure.”Instead, the economy has shifted to a war focus. The finance ministry now pleads with the public and Ethiopia’s large diaspora to contribute to a “national cause” for war reconstruction and aid. Some state-run sectors of Ethiopia’s economy continue to open to investors, as Abiy promised after taking office.

Source: Ethiopian News September 13, 2022 09:54 UTC