Standard Bank Group hosts a conference for Ethiopian Corporates on accessing capital markets

As part of Ethiopia’s ambitious Homegrown Economic Reform Plan, the Standard Bank Group was honoured to offer about 100 Ethiopian executives an in-depth conference on accessing capital markets.
From 6-7 April, Standard Bank offered the Ethiopian Capital Market Conference at the Hilton Hotel in Addis Ababa, overseen by the National Bank of Ethiopia.
Ethiopia’s Homegrown Economic Reform Plan was launched by the Government of Ethiopia in 2019 and was subsequently endorsed by the IMF with a financial assistance of US$3 billion, in a bid to ensure macroeconomic stability and transform the Ethiopian economy. The reform program has three pillars, including macroeconomic, structural and sectoral reforms.
Ultimately, the plan seeks to protect social spending and reduce poverty, promote public-private sector partnerships, and create a vibrant Ethiopian financial sector.
During the conference’s opening speech, Governor Yinager Dessie acknowledged the importance of the private sector in developing capital markets.
“We need and expect the private sector to participate in the capital market actively as issuers, investors, service providers, and market infrastructure providers. On our end, we are launching training and awareness creation campaigns in collaboration with our partners so that the local private sector understands the opportunities and challenges of participating in the capital market,” says Governor Dessie.
“The Ethiopian Capital Market Conference is part of the various capacity building initiatives ensuring that local corporates can fully tap into the opportunities presented by Ethiopia’s capital markets,” says Melesse Tashu, Senior Macroeconomic Advisor to Governor of National Bank of Ethiopia.