Content: Features

  • ATM Availabilitiy : Cardholders Face Disproportional ATM Concentration

    ATMs are fickle machines. When walking through the city they seem to be clustered together in banks of six or eight, but as soon as you need to withdraw money or conduct a transaction, there are none to be found. Or you find one but it isn’t for your bank. Fortune Staff Writers LUCY KASA and JEMAL ABDU investigate advances in the banking sector that will help bring banks closer to customers and put an end to ATM resource wastage.

  • Africa in Images:The Third Addis Foto Fest

    Realising that education was not all that was needed, but that an event which creates opportunities to exchange ideas, resources and approaches on photography was also necessary, Aida Muluneh set out to create a platform for photographers and filmmakers across Africa. In its third edition, Addis Foto Fest has proven to be that platform and more, writes Fortune staff writer TSADENNA GEBRU.

  • Ethiopian Entrepreneurs Face Insurmountable Odds

    According to Bethlehem Tilahun, entrepreneurs are natural problem solvers. They see problems as opportunities and they set out to solve them. An entrepreneurship conference held in Addis Abeba looks into this, the challenges faced and how to solve them. Fortune staff writer, TSADENNA GEBRU reports.

  • Rise of Kichen Demand

    With rising the numbers of condominiums and home owners, there is increasing demand for kitchen appliances and kitchen cabinets. Bereket Getaneh, Fortune Staff Writer, speaks to buyers and producers of kitchen cabinets to understand the rising trend

  • Nostalgic Addis Abebans Hungry for Second Hand News

    With the sale of old magazines and newspapers being a common sight on the streets of the capital, why are Ethiopians so keen to read old news? Could it be the quality of the news? Could it be due to the declining number of publications? Esrael Yohannes, Fortune Staff Writer, investigates.

  • City’s Housing Construction Projects Booms, Gravel Suppliers Struggle to Meet Demand

    With the construction industry booming, gravel production is more important than ever. But gravel producers prefer private customers to Agency projects. Suppliers say late payment and lower prices are to blame, yet the Agency claims it provides all necessary direct assistance to help producers. Fortune staff writers DAWIT ENDESHAW AND ESRAEL YOHANNES spoke to industry members to unravel the issue.

  • Breaking Up Taxi Terminals to Resolve City Transport

    With Addis Abeba city officials changing the location of taxi stops and pick up points in order to help the flow of traffic, many drivers and passengers are left confused and frustrated, write SNETSEHAY ASSEFA and BEREKET GETANEH, FORTUNE STAFF WRITERS.

  • Coffee Conference Aims to Boost Quality, Produce

    The third International Ethiopian Coffee Conference has brought the different players of the coffee market from all over the world together and tried to discuss the major hindrances of the Ethiopian coffee production and export performance hoping to see a better future where both the revenue from export and production would increase. The conference has also tried to address the major questions in the coffee market that the exporters were seeking answers to and new initiatives like traceability are the points dealt with in a rather “successful” conference, reports JEMAL ABDU, FORTUNE STAFF WRITER.

  • Construction Boom Boosts Use of Cranes, Lifts

    Most contractors prefer to use tower cranes and lifts, to transport construction inputs to the upper floors while they are working on multi-storey buildings, which are becoming common in the Country following the construction boom in the last 10 years. Contractors mention two main reason for the use of these machines, accelerating the construction process and avoiding wastes while transporting inputs to the upper floors. In order to get such machines the contractors have two alternatives; importing tower cranes with close to a million Br or purchasing lifts from local manufacturers with 130,000 Br, reports Fasika Tadesse and Tsadenna Gebru, Fortune Staff Writers.

  • Career Fair Fever In Addis Abeba

    Catching up with the global trend, Ethiopia’s capital city hosted three career fair events in one week. Devex, LonAdd and Society of Human Resource Management in Ethiopia (SHRME) brought together diverse career professionals and employers. The career fairs provided a platform for a face-to-face human interaction; a CV or an online communication would not have captured otherwise reports, DANIEL BENJAMIN, FORTUNE STAFF WRITER.

  • Hub of Africa’s Bumpy Fashion Week

    The biennial Hub of Africa Fashion Week took place in Addis Abeba from October 23 to October 25, in the industrial chic Galani Coffee House located near jakross villas. The event which entertained designers from Ethiopia and other African countries is the third of its kind. Dubbed the Editorial edition, International fashion editors and buyers were among the many invited guests. reports, Tsadenna Gebru FORTUNE STAFF WRITER.

  • Low-Rate Car Rentals in Full Swing Despite the Law

    The regulatory bodies find it really difficult to contain; the legal operators are feeling the punch; but the underground car rental service is burgeoning unaccounted and unabated, reports DAWIT ENDESHAW, FORTUNE STAFF WRITER.

  • Spring Water Rush Prior to Quality Deadline

    It was only 15 years ago that the first bottled water was introduced to Ethiopia, and today there are a total of 32 companies operating in the sector nationwide. The Ethiopian Standards Agency set a compulsory standard for bottled drinking water in 2013, which has so far been met by 10 companies. With the deadline fast approaching, the remaining bottlers are now facing a rush to be assessed in time, reports DAWIT ENDESHAW, FORTUNE STAFF WRITER

  • Tenth Round Land Auction Again Sees Bole Attract Highest Bids

    The tenth round of land lease auctions by the Addis Abeba City Administration (AACA) saw a 10,000 Br price reduction a square metre compared to the previous round, with 55,597 Br for a plot in Bole. The bidder making the largest offer will have 30 years to pay in full for the land. The announcement […]

  • A Season of Extreme Reshuffles at Private Banks

    This Ethiopian New Year saw four of the nation’s private banks wave goodbye to their presidents, in an unprecedented reshuffle. The first resignation, from the Debub Global Bank in July , seemed to spark a sequence of similar activity throughout the sector. Although extensive details as to the reasons behind the departures have not been released, many cite potential tensions with the boards of the various institutes, reports FASIKA TADESSE, FORTUNE STAFF WRITER.

  • Location, Location, Location

    The Film and TV industry is growing rapidly in Ethiopia, and this is leading to enhanced job creation. One such role gaining traction in the industry is that of the location manager. Not only are such professionals responsible for sourcing locations to shoot, but too take up various other responsibilities within the production of films and TV series, reports DAWIT ENDESHAW, FORTUNE STAFF WRITER.

  • Adika’s Metre Taxis Come for Trial with a Challenge

    Metre taxis are hardly an innovation, but new for Ethiopia. They have come as players with a yellow colour and a flying horse (Pegasus) logo, daring to share the business of the tourist transport business so far largely handled by five associations of yellow taxis. The Culture & Tourism Bureau has stopped short of licensing them for tourist business, while the Transport Bureau has helped them launch service with a trial license, reports JEMAL ABDU, FORTUNE STAFF WRITER.

  • Twigs,Grass,Flower

    Meskel, along  with other Ethiopian holidays, brings about a high demand for chibo – a bundle of twigs uses for bonfires – as well as grass and flowers. This market brings a great seasonal business opportunity for many, who are keen to take advantage, reports Aster Mengesha, Fortune Staff Writer.

  • As Good as Gold

    The ever rising price of the world’s most popular precious metal, alongside the increasing prevalence of fake alternatives, is having a detrimental impact on Ethiopia’s gold traders. With such a huge price difference, and little to note in terms of aesthetics, many are opting for the cheaper alternative, reports DAWIT ENDESHAW, FORTUNE STAFF WRITER.

  • Capital’s Cooking Classes Growing in Popularity

    Cooking classes in Addis Abeba are becoming increasingly popular. Previously, the majority of students were hoping to seek employment opportunities as a result of the training, but these days many are simply looking to  improve the quality of cuisine in their own homes. Many engaged in the sector also believe that the training will help to promote healthy eating habits in the capital, reports JEMAL ABDU, FORTUNE STAFF WRITER.

  • Construction Exhibition Brings Local, Global Industry Leaders Together

    A total of 205 companies participated at this year’s exhibition, including sixty international companies, from Kenya, Tanzania, Zambia, Turkey, Pakistan, China, Italy and Germany. Attracting approximately 3,000 visitors each day, the prevalence of locally made equipment was a pleasant surprise for many in attendance, reports FASIKA TADESSE, FORTUNE STAFF WRITER.

  • Quality Issues Getting Under Their Skin

    It is tradition for families or communities to slaughter animals at holiday time, and this creates a bumper trade for hide collectors. The sector is a complex one, however, with a convoluted value chain leading to issues of quality and cost. The issue of quality leads to massive losses each year, with a large percentage of the hides that make it to leather factory floors being wasted. Such issues are usually down to poor cutting techniques or scabies. Measures are in place to improve these issues and the sector is hoping for a new enactment of regulation to improve the process and remove the middlemen, reports JEMAL ABDU, FORTUNE STAFF WRITER.

  • Lax Copyright Laws Crippling Musicians

    Musicians are no longer profiting from CD sales, with the rise of technologies, such as flash disks and memory cards, as well as some mobile phones, taking over. Rather, it is through live shows that they are able to make a living. One of the major issues impacting this in Ethiopia is the lax copyright law, which some describe as being virtually non-existent. With a new bill having been forward to Parliament, however, they may be a more profitable future on the horizon, reports JEMAL ABDU, FORTUNE STAFF WRITER.

  • Drinking in the New Year

    It is customary to see long queues outside the major liquor factory outlets in Addis Abeba during holiday season. Indeed, alcohol is as key an ingredient as the traditional foods for many across the nation. Both individual buyers and grocery owners visit the factory outlets to purchase their liquors of choice, with prices having remained pretty similar to last year. Generally, the importation of alcohol to Ethiopia has increased, as more seem to be getting a taste for expensive liquor, reports ASTER MENGESHA, FORTUNE STAFF WRITER.

  • Back to School Items Market Stays calm

    It is that time of year when parents head to Bomb Terra in Merkato to purchase school items for their children. Exercise books, bags and pens top the list of items they seek, with lunch boxes also popular. Prices this year are similar to that of last year, with certain imported brands of exercise books and pens dominating the market. With prices pretty much the same from place to place, consumers are wasting little time in their shopping missions, reports ABDI TSEGAYE, FORTUNE STAFF WRITER.