New data from Worldpanel by Numerator suggests that oral hygiene products are not part of the regular shopping habits of many Ethiopian households, with around seven in ten households not purchasing toothpaste in the past year.

The findings point to a significant gap in the adoption of one of the most widely recommended preventive oral health practices: regular toothbrushing with fluoride toothpaste.

Across much of Africa, toothpaste is a staple household product and category penetration typically exceeds 95%. Ethiopia stands apart, with the majority of households not participating in the category at all. The data suggests that the challenge is not simply one of low consumption, but of limited adoption. Many households continue to rely on traditional oral care methods such as chewing sticks and miswak, while factors including affordability pressures, limited product availability in some areas and lower awareness of preventive oral healthcare may also contribute to low toothpaste usage.

The Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) is scheduled to hold its Second Quarter Accountability and Programme Performance Review Meeting (APPRM) at the United Nations Conference Centre in Addis Ababa from June 17 to 19.

The event, themed “Enhancing Joint Delivery for Improved Results after UN@80 Reforms: A Mid-Year Review,” will bring together ECA’s leadership, programme managers, and partners to evaluate progress toward the Commission’s 2026 Annual Business Plan targets.

During the APPRM, participants will focus on advancements in ECA’s subprogrammes and support divisions, with particular emphasis on collaborative efforts across four key thematic areas: the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), Regional Value Chains, Technology and Digital Transformation, and Macroeconomic Policy and Planning. The meeting will also examine resource mobilization and implementation challenges to pinpoint areas that need acceleration or modification.

At the Africa Energy Forum in Cape Town, South Africa, Inspired Evolution announced the USD 176 million commercial launch of Zafiri, a blended permanent-capital vehicle focused on expanding access to electricity for tens of millions of people across sub-Saharan Africa.

Inspired Evolution, a leading African climate investment firm, was mandated by the investors to be the investment manager of Zafiri. Founding shareholders include IFC, a member of the World Bank Group; the African Development Bank Group (AfDB), including its Sustainable Energy Fund for Africa (SEFA); The Rockefeller Foundation; Trade and Development Bank Group (TDB Group); Nordic Development Fund (NDF); the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation; and FirstRand Limited.

This launch underscores Zafiri’s role of investing in and supporting the private sector as part of Mission 300, a joint initiative co-led by the World Bank Group and the African Development Bank Group, with support from The Rockefeller Foundation, Global Energy Alliance for People and Planet, and Sustainable Energy for All, to expand electricity access to 300 million people in sub-Saharan Africa by 2030. Zafiri will spur job creation, help connect more businesses to power, and put electricity to productive use that drives local economic activity.

A new report reveals that 2025 was a strong year for the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD)’s sustainable bond programme, which issued an additional US$340 million in bonds that are channeling private investments into long-term rural transformation around the world. Strong investor demand for IFAD bonds enabled the Fund to meet its 2025 borrowing targets ahead of schedule.

Between 2022 and 2025, IFAD has issued a total of US$985 million in sustainable bonds that are financing projects expected to reach more than 26 million rural people across 29 countries within the next decade, according to the Fund’s 2025 Impact Report released today.

The projects funded by IFAD sustainable bonds span a wide range of investments that are strengthening rural populations’ access to markets, restoring and maintaining natural resources, developing inclusive rural finance, creating an enabling environment for rural development through policy and institutional support, improving agricultural production and mitigating post-harvest losses.