PIVOT OF ETHIO JAZZ

Mulatu Astatike, the 74-year-old father of Ethio-Jazz, is a musician, composer and arranger of a unique fusion of traditional Ethiopian beat with jazz and Latin music. Born and raised in…

Finance is the underpinning of a modern economy and a strong banking industry is critical to economic growth especially in a developing country like Ethiopia that has 17 commercial banks in total, including the Commercial Bank of Ethiopia (CBE) and 16 private banks. Those who head these banks, the presidents, have much weight on their shoulders being the custodians of the financial assets of the country. This year, for the banking industry, has been a profitable one with commercial banks registering an aggregate net profit of 22 billion Br, of which eight billion Birr came from the private banks, under the leadership of its presidents.
How such prominent figures of the economy could manage all the pressure and how their lives could differ from others?

Fortune gives a glimpse of the lives of the of these bankers and how they celebrate the holiday.

Abebe Aemro Selassie, director of International Monetary Fund IMF African Department, presented IMF’s findings and answered questions at the “Launch of the sub-Saharan Africa Regional Economic Outlook: Fiscal Adjustment and…

A new labour bill introduced by the Ministry of Labour & Social Affairs (MoLSA) revised 53 articles in the labour proclamation which was last amended in 2008. But the envisioned revisions have not been without their controversies, with the Confederation of Ethiopian Trade Unions (CETU) deeming 18 of the amendments unfair to employees. CETU, headed by Kassahun Follo, in its general assembly, has warned that they would be forced to call a strike if these specific points remain unaddressed. The Union stresses that labour laws should equally favour the employee and employer, and the bill would not only hurt labourers but also hamper investment. SAMSON BERHANE, FORTUNE’S EDITOR-IN-CHIEF, sat down with Kassahun to discuss the possible way forward

Stellar pianist Girma Yifrashew, a world-renowned performer and composer has been honing his craft and fine tuning his sound for over 20 years. Girma has been playing the piano with…

The notable Businesswoman and Entrepreneur Elleni Gebre-Medhin, (PhD) sat down with Fortune at her new office to discuss what she is working on. She had just unveiled a new project to the world that focuses on young people. It was a sunny afternoon and she was excited about her new venture. She spoke about the opportunities her innovative project will give upcoming entrepreneurs and how it can support start-ups. The project “Blue Moon” was launched a few months ago with much promise.

Michael Hailu has been in the music industry for a decade. A fan of Jennifer Batten, guitarist for Michael Jackson, he has worked with a slew of known local artists, including Teddy Afro, Michael Belayneh and Dawit Tsige. With a unique sound, unmatched ability to play the guitar and his membership in Jano Band, he has become a household name. Jano Band is known to have been discovered by Bill Laswell, the producer behind world famous stars, including the Irish band U2 and Ethiopia’s own, Gigi. Michael reflects with FORTUNE WRITER, SAMSON BERHANE, on his music, on the music industry, on Jano Band, his family and looks ahead.

Timely and significant reforms are needed for Ethiopians to feel heard and that their government is meaningfully addressing issues around good governance, corruption, land management, public consultations, the right to free speech, and other human rights, . Canada stands ready to support Ethiopia in these efforts. We continue to encourage the Ethiopian government to release the report prepared by the Ethiopian Human Rights Commission on the situation of unrest, and any similar future reports. This would send a constructive and encouraging signal to the Ethiopian people according to Canada’s Foreign Minister, Stéphane Dion, who spoke to Fortune reporter, Samuel Getachew, during his recent visit to Ethiopia.

The night Americans were wrapping up their votes in the polling stations across the United States, a group of journalists from many countries met Daniel Serwer, a professor and director of Conflict Management at Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies, inside Washington’s National Press Club to discuss the foreign policy implications of the election, which he described was “ugly.” Little was known one of the candidates, the one on the Republican ticket, would triumph to the shock of America and the world.
Serwer appeared to have little doubt on the eventual raise to power of Clinton, a candidate he voted for. He was reluctant to say much about Donald Trump’s world view and possible policies towards many countries and particularly Africa. Tamrat G. Giorgis, managing editor for Addis Fortune, was one of these journalists who discussed the making of foreign policy under a new administration. The interview has been edited and condensed for clarity and length.

Girma Birru, Ethiopia’s Ambassador to the United States, talks about the historic relationship between the two countries, the current American presidential election, the civil unrest at-home and his hope for Ethiopia’s Diaspora in the United States to be more engaged and integrated in their adopted country. Fortune staff Writer Tamrat G.Giorgis, also picks on issues of legacy the former Industry Minister wants to leave behind, as his ambassadorship approaches its decade-long anniversary.

The unlikely path to the top of the Economic Commission for Africa started under the most unlikely circumstances for Carlos Lopes (PhD). Born in Canchungo, Guinea-Bissau, in a small village…

A seasoned politician with several years’ of experience in peaceful political struggle, Mushe Semu has retired from active politics and is now a career banker, working as a branch manager at one of Ethiopia’s private banks. Having contributed in the establishment of the Ethiopian Democratic Party (EDP), Mushe served under several different roles at the party until his retirement. He served an important role during the preparation of the party’s manifesto, detailing the political and moral ideologies of the party. Fortune talked to Mushe because he is well-read, articulate and up to date with current issues. And also, since his retirement from politics, he represents a relatively independent voice to make sense of the current situations in our country. Mikiyas Tesfaye Fortune Staff Writer talk to Mushe in this Exclusive Interview.

Procuring medical devices to carry out HIV tests across the country has seen a series of back and forth turns in the process since 2012. On the Ministry of Health’s…

Procuring medical devices to carry out HIV tests across the country has seen a series of back and forth turns in the process since 2012. On the Ministry of Health’s…

Abebe Dinku (Prof.) is Construction Materials & Management Chair at the Addis Abeba Institute of Technology’s School of Civil and Environmental Engineering. He is responsible for undergraduate and postgraduate programmes…

They have music and the arts in their genes and their spiritual values as well as family bonds seem to have put them on a solid foundation. They know they…