The Ethiopia Commodity Exchange (ECX) has launched a new digital service portal aimed at eliminating bureaucratic hurdles and streamlining access to key services for traders and clients across the country. Built entirely using internal IT capabilities, the system marks a major milestone in the exchange’s efforts to modernise operations and strengthen its role in Ethiopia’s agricultural markets.
For years, traders were required to visit ECX offices in person for routine tasks such as opening accounts, renewing licences, obtaining reference prices, submitting official letters and checking market data for commodities including coffee and sesame. During peak trading seasons, the exchange reportedly hosted more than 150 visitors a day, with many making repeated trips and enduring lengthy administrative processes.
Behailu Girma, IT Services Department Manager at the ECX, told Capital that the new portal removes the need for physical presence, allowing users to access services directly from their offices or homes.
“We have reduced this to zero; we have provided the platform for them to use without any intermediary interference and to access their own data seamlessly,” Behailu said. Because the platform is integrated with daily e-commerce data, users can view market statistics and verify commodity prices without manual adjustments.
When users submit standard requests or apply for official documents — such as letters addressed to tax authorities — they receive a unique tracking PIN. To ensure accountability and high-quality service delivery, the digital platform enforces a strict Service Level Agreement (SLA). ECX staff are required to process and respond to any customer inquiry or document request within 30 minutes. Completed documents can be downloaded directly from the portal, replacing the previous requirement to collect paper files in person.
The ECX said the portal’s official launch ceremony will be held within a month, after which the system will become fully operational. The online trade system forms part of the “Digital Ethiopia 2025” strategy, designed to expand e-commerce across the country. It was developed through collaboration between the Ministry of Trade and Regional Integration and the Ethiopian Artificial Intelligence Institute.
The rollout comes as the ECX reports strong performance. Seventeen years after its establishment as a core market reform for agricultural modernisation, the exchange said it achieved 167.8 percent of its target for the 2025/26 fiscal year, executing trades worth 48.83 billion birr.
Initially, the ECX had planned to trade export commodities valued at 29.1 billion birr during the past fiscal year. Instead, it traded 2,145.91 metric tons of produce worth 50.27 billion birr. Data obtained by Capital shows this represents an increase of 21.63 billion birr, or 79 percent, compared with the same period in 2024/25.
Through its warehouse receipt financing system, the ECX facilitated 1.79 billion birr in bank loans for farmers, cooperatives and processors. Over the past 12 months, the exchange issued quality certification samples for 14,327 lots, including 8,499 for coffee and 5,828 for oilseeds and pulses. It also provided weighing services for 17,648 vehicles carrying 695,073 tons of produce and finalised quality grading contracts to integrate three new commodities — opal, cotton, and hides and skins — into its trading system.
