After a number of back and forth and negotiations between Ethiopia, Egypt and Sudan, that included a tripartite negotiation on technical level circulating among Addis Ababa, Cairo and Khartoum; and one previous mediated talks sponsored by US Treasury Department and World Bank, concrete accord seems to have been reached regarding the filling of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD), this week.

Ethio Telecom, the sole telecom service provider in Ethiopia, this week expressed its concern over the ongoing telecom liberalization process.

New and controversial Excise Tax Amendment bill which has been forwarded to the Budget Affairs Standing Committee of the House of Peoples’ Representatives (HPR) is said to see further changes this week, especially regarding new imported vehicles, cigarettes and bottled water, The Reporter has learnt.

Following the invitation made by the Ethiopian government on the first week of January to the European Union (EU) to observe the upcoming general election, which is tentatively scheduled to be conducted in August 2020, a team from the EU has arrived in Ethiopia to assess the possibilities of invitation and the conditions, The Reporter has learnt.

The National Bank of Ethiopia (NBE) has approved the appointment of Melaku Kebede, who was serving United Bank as a senior Deputy CEO –Strategy &Technology, as the new Acting Chief Executive Officer (CEO) replacing Taye Debekulu, who has led the bank for six years.

The newly drafted Code of Conduct for the Mass Media and Journalists on the Manner of Reporting about Elections, a daft regulation put together by the National Electoral Board of Ethiopia (NEBE), appears to be more comprehensive and strict, maintaining the ban on Election Day prediction and pre-election polling by the media houses, while allowing the publishing of pre-election polls with proper citing of polling organization and other details.

A persistent issue in many parts of Ethiopia, the Ethiopian Customs Commission is partnering with Spotlight Communication and Marketing to look at the impact and end contraband to end illegal trade within the eastern part of  Ethiopia where the issue has had more impact.

The sole telecom provider in Ethiopia, Ethio Telecom, on Wednesday disclosed that its revenue has increased by a whopping 32 percent.