African travelers are among the most satisfied with air travel globally, but they are also the most likely to be discouraged from visiting a destination because of immigration requirements, according to the International Air Transport Association’s (IATA) 2026 Global Passenger Survey.

The survey, released on October 28 in Macao, found that 89 per cent of African travelers reported overall satisfaction with air travel, unchanged from 2025. However, 52 per cent said immigration requirements had discouraged them from visiting a particular destination, the highest proportion of any region.

Complexity was the leading concern among African travelers deterred by entry requirements, followed by cost.

“Passengers are embracing technology to make travel easier. AI is becoming a mainstream travel planning tool, while biometrics and digital identity are creating a faster and more seamless airport experience,” said Nick Careen, IATA’s Senior Vice President for Operations, Safety and Security.

“Yet many travelers continue to face barriers from complex immigration and visa processes.”

Although biometric adoption in Africa remains among the lowest globally, interest in digital travel solutions is among the strongest.

The survey found that 49 per cent of African travelers had experienced biometrics at an airport in the past 12 months, up four percentage points from 2025. This compares with a global average of 58 per cent.

Despite lower use, 82 per cent of African travelers said they would be willing to share biometric information if it allowed them to skip showing a passport or boarding pass at airport checkpoints. This is above the global average of 78 per cent.

Interest in digital passports is also strong. Some 87 per cent of African travelers said they would be interested in using a digital passport for online check-in, compared with 84 per cent globally.

In addition, 52 per cent of African travelers reported using artificial intelligence (AI) for travel planning, above the global average of 49 per cent.

Globally, nearly half of travelers—49 per cent—have used AI to plan travel.

The most common use is searching for flights to a specific destination, reported by 21 per cent of passengers. Another 19 per cent have used AI to find the cheapest flights, while 17 per cent have used it for destination inspiration.

IATA said airlines need to ensure their offerings are visible in AI tools and provide convenient links that allow travelers to move from an AI conversation to an actual booking.

“People are using AI to plan their travel. It’s important for airlines not only to ensure their offerings show up in AI, but also to develop convenient links to convert an AI conversation into a real booking,” Careen said.

Nearly six in 10 passengers globally reported experiencing biometrics at least once in the past 12 months, up from 50 per cent in 2025 and 24 percentage points higher than in 2022.

Satisfaction among users has also reached its highest level, with 87 per cent saying they were happy with the experience.

Some 78 per cent of travelers globally said they would be willing to share biometric information if it meant they could avoid showing a passport or boarding pass at airport checkpoints.

Of these, 75 per cent prefer to register once in advance so they can be recognised automatically throughout the airport journey.

However, trust remains a major issue. Globally, 59 per cent of passengers cited data breaches as their main concern, while 49 per cent worried about information being shared with other organisations. A further 41 per cent said there was insufficient clarity on how their personal information is handled.

The survey found that entry requirements are an increasing barrier to travel. Globally, 43 per cent of passengers said immigration requirements had discouraged them from visiting a destination, up from 33 per cent in 2025.

Among travelers discouraged by immigration requirements, 53 per cent said the process was too complex. Privacy and cost were each cited by 17 per cent.

Passengers increasingly want visa processes to be digital, faster and completed before they reach the airport.

Globally, 86 per cent said they would be willing to share immigration information digitally before departure to speed up processes, up from 83 per cent in 2025.

Some 45 per cent would prefer to complete immigration procedures before arriving at the airport, while 60 per cent prefer applying for a visa online rather than in person at a consulate or embassy.

IATA said more than 100 countries issue eVisas, but there is little consistency in how they are checked. It urged governments to adopt common standards to allow airlines to verify digital travel documents efficiently.

“eVisas can deliver that, but airlines can only verify them efficiently if governments use common standards,” Careen said.

Asia-Pacific travelers reported the highest overall satisfaction at 90 per cent, followed by the Middle East, also at 90 per cent, and Africa at 89 per cent.

Europe recorded the lowest overall satisfaction at 84 per cent, down one percentage point from 2025. European travelers were also the most cautious about adopting digital travel technology, with below-average use of AI and biometrics.

North American travelers reported the highest use of biometrics at 63 per cent, but also the strongest concerns about data breaches.

Travelers from Latin America and the Caribbean reported the largest improvement in satisfaction, rising five percentage points to 85 per cent.

Middle East travelers were the most likely to use AI for travel planning, at 72 per cent, and showed the strongest interest in digital passports and biometric identification.

IATA said governments can support travel growth by simplifying entry requirements, eliminating duplicate checks and accelerating the issuance and acceptance of secure digital travel credentials.

For Africa, where interest in digital solutions is high but biometric use remains comparatively low, the findings suggest a major opportunity to modernise airport processes and visa systems.

The association said a common framework for issuing and accepting digital passports—or Digital Travel Credentials—would be essential to making biometrics the norm for international travel.

Hibret Insurance S.C. is preparing for a new phase of expansion, with plans to diversify its revenue sources, strengthen its market presence, accelerate digital transformation and pursue a potential listing on the Ethiopian Securities Exchange (ESX).

The plans follow a strong financial performance in the 2025/26 fiscal year, during which net profit increased by 14.5 per cent to 965.32 million birr. Gross written premiums across its non-life and life insurance businesses, together with General Takaful contributions, rose by 24.18 per cent to 3.42 billion birr.

According to its 2025/26 annual report, Hibret is preparing a five-year strategic plan covering the 2027/28–2031/32 financial years while implementing its 2026/27 annual business plan. The plans will guide its next stage of development, focusing on financial resilience, operational efficiency, business diversification and long-term value creation.

One of the company’s most significant strategic developments is its preparation to enter Ethiopia’s emerging capital market.

On June 29, 2026, the Ethiopian Capital Market Authority (ECMA) approved Hibret Insurance’s share registration statement, making it the first insurance company in Ethiopia to receive such approval under the country’s capital market regulatory framework.

The share registration approval is distinct from a listing on the ESX, which remains a potential next step in the company’s expansion plans.

Hibret has also strengthened its financial foundation through a substantial capital increase. Following a shareholder decision in December 2025 to raise its capital to two billion birr, paid-up capital increased by nearly 40 per cent, from 1.34 billion birr in 2024/25 to 1.88 billion birr by June 30, 2026.

The increase is expected to support business expansion, reinforce the company’s ability to meet policyholder obligations and provide greater financial capacity to pursue its strategic priorities.

Wondwossen Teshome, chairman of the Board of Directors, said expanding the customer base and reducing dependence on non-life insurance are among Hibret’s major priorities.

The annual report identifies life insurance and General Takaful as important growth areas. The company plans to target high-potential market segments and strengthen distribution partnerships with insurance brokers, banks, microfinance institutions and other financial service providers.

During the 2025/26 financial year, non-life insurance generated 3.17 billion birr in gross written premiums, accounting for approximately 93 per cent of the company’s combined premium and contribution income. Life insurance contributed 196.8 million birr, while General Takaful generated 54.34 million birr.

Despite their smaller contributions, both segments recorded strong growth. Life insurance premiums increased by 38.69 per cent, while General Takaful contributions rose by 70.07 per cent.

The results indicate opportunities to expand in less-developed insurance segments and build a more balanced business structure. However, the company still faces challenges in making its emerging businesses financially sustainable.

General Takaful recorded a loss of 7.31 million birr during the year, although this represented a 37.4 per cent improvement compared with the previous financial year.

Hibret’s planned partnerships with banks and microfinance institutions could help it reach customers through established financial networks and introduce insurance services to individuals and businesses with limited access to formal insurance products.

Digital transformation is another central pillar of Hibret’s strategy as it seeks to improve service delivery, reduce operating costs and respond to changing customer expectations.

The company plans to accelerate implementation of its new core insurance system, upgrade digital platforms and customer service channels, expand self-service capabilities, and automate key operational and reporting processes.

According to Wondwossen, the Information Systems Management Department completed nearly all its core-platform readiness and departmental automation projects during 2025/26.

The company also upgraded software and hardware across its branches to improve connectivity and strengthen data centre capacity.

However, the transition to the new core insurance system experienced delays, while the acquisition of a separate life insurance system was postponed to the following financial year. Completing these projects has consequently become a priority for 2026/27.

Hibret also intends to strengthen cybersecurity, information governance and business continuity systems to support secure and reliable operations.

The company is seeking to increase income from rental properties, recoveries, salvage disposals and other sustainable sources.

During the reporting period, Hibret acquired the Alpaulo Building, a commercial property comprising a basement, a ground floor and five additional floors in the Beklo Bet area of Addis Ababa.

It also acquired office space at Kazanchis Real Estate, to which its Kazanchis Branch Office relocated and began operating.

The properties are expected to strengthen the company’s asset base, support its operational requirements and generate additional income over time.

Hibret also plans to manage excess liquidity through short-term investments and, where commercially viable, income-generating real estate investments.

Investment activities already make a significant contribution to its financial performance. Net investment income increased by 32.64 per cent to 722.12 million birr during 2025/26, supporting growth in profit before tax.

Despite its expansion ambitions, Hibret faces financial and operational pressures that could affect the sustainability of its growth.

Insurance service expenses, before net reinsurance expenses, rose by 41.84 per cent to 1.74 billion birr during the reporting year. This exceeded the 24.18 per cent growth in combined gross written premiums and General Takaful contributions.

The increase was particularly pronounced in non-life insurance, where service expenses rose by 51.74 per cent to 1.61 billion birr.

Wondwossen said the company would maintain strict cost discipline across operational, administrative and capital expenditure while strengthening underwriting standards, claims management and risk assessment.

Hibret had 614 employees at the end of the reporting year, compared with 584 a year earlier. During the period, 523 employees participated in training programmes designed to strengthen their professional and operational capabilities.

The company plans to continue recruiting experienced insurance professionals, improving technical skills, developing leadership capabilities and expanding succession planning.

It also identifies a shortage of experienced professionals in Ethiopia’s insurance industry as a challenge affecting operational efficiency and service delivery.

Customer retention, timely claims settlement, complaint resolution and insurance awareness campaigns will remain important components of its efforts to strengthen customer relationships and market confidence.

Ethiopia has abundant, affordable clean electricity, but limited energy access and underdeveloped networks are holding back electrification across its economy, according to new global analysis.

The findings come as Ethiopia prepares to host COP32 in Addis Ababa in 2027 and as parliament approves a US$145.8 million concessional loan from the International Development Association to modernise electricity infrastructure and expand access to reliable power.

The analysis finds that Ethiopia generates almost all its electricity from clean sources, primarily hydropower, and has achieved rapid electric vehicle adoption. Electric cars accounted for 60 per cent of new passenger car purchases in 2024.

However, around 40 per cent of the population still lacks electricity access, while inadequate grid infrastructure, limited industrial electrification and low household electricity use are constraining wider progress.

The Electrification Competitiveness Index assesses how far electrification has progressed in different countries, examining both developments on the ground and the conditions needed for further progress.

Ethiopia scores 45 per cent for deployment and 38 per cent for enabling conditions, making it the only country in the Index where progress on the ground outpaces the policies and other conditions supporting further growth.

It falls within the Index’s “risk of stalling” group, alongside Australia, Brazil, South Korea and the United States.

The Index says Ethiopia’s abundant clean electricity and progress in electric transport provide a foundation for growth. However, extending electricity access and improving infrastructure will be essential to unlocking wider economic benefits.

Electrification combined with clean power can reduce reliance on fossil fuels, strengthen energy security, reduce exposure to volatile fuel prices, support growth and productivity, cut emissions and improve health through cleaner air.

Ethiopia scores 19 out of 30 for deployment in grids and power markets, but 12 out of 30 for enabling conditions.

The country generates almost all its electricity from clean sources, mainly hydropower, providing relatively affordable power. Yet only 55 per cent of the population had electricity access in 2023.

The Index says electricity network development remains limited despite major expansion in generation capacity. It identifies faster delivery of the National Electrification Programme and greater investment in grid and off-grid electricity systems as priorities.

Ethiopia scores 8 out of 20 for both deployment and enabling conditions in industry.

Abundant low-cost electricity offers opportunities to reduce reliance on imported fossil fuels, but industrial electrification remains limited and much of the sector continues to use oil and coal.

The Index identifies grid reliability, greater investment and stronger equipment-efficiency standards as priorities.

In buildings, Ethiopia scores 7 out of 20 for deployment and 5 out of 20 for enabling conditions.

Electricity accounts for only 2 per cent of residential energy consumption, with biomass remaining the main fuel for cooking. Limited electricity access and insufficient appliance standards are restricting progress, despite the potential for affordable clean electricity to support a shift to electric cooking and other technologies.

Road transport is Ethiopia’s strongest area in the Index, scoring 9 out of 20 for deployment and 11 out of 20 for enabling conditions.

Electric vehicles accounted for 60 per cent of new passenger car purchases in 2024, following a ban on imports of combustion-engine vehicles alongside tax and tariff incentives.

The country is also expanding charging infrastructure, although nationwide coverage remains at an early stage.

The Index identifies several priorities for Ethiopia, including accelerating the National Electrification Programme, expanding grid connections and off-grid electricity access, and attracting investment through electricity market reforms.

It also recommends strengthening industrial and appliance efficiency standards, increasing training for electrical workers, extending transport electrification success to industry and buildings, and continuing reform of fossil fuel subsidies.

Molly Walton, Director of Energy at We Mean Business Coalition, said Ethiopia has a major advantage in its abundant, affordable clean electricity.

“Ethiopia has a major advantage in its abundant, affordable clean electricity, providing an opportunity to strengthen industry, reduce dependence on imported fuels and support economic growth,” she said.

“But much of that potential remains untapped because electricity networks are not reaching enough businesses and households.”

She said the priority now is expanding access to reliable electricity and building the infrastructure needed to support wider electrification.

“Accelerating grid development, investing in rural electricity access and attracting more private investment would help Ethiopia make greater use of its clean power resources,” Walton said.

“Stronger industrial policies, efficiency standards and workforce development would also help extend the benefits of electrification beyond transport into businesses and homes.”

The Index was developed by We Mean Business Coalition with support from RMI. It assesses 16 countries: Australia, Brazil, China, Ethiopia, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, the Philippines, Poland, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, the United Kingdom and the United States.

China leads the Index on electrification deployment, while the United States risks losing momentum amid federal policy reversals and grid bottlenecks.

France and Spain combine strong policies with progress on the ground, while other major European economies, including the UK, Germany, Italy and Poland, have yet to translate their policy frameworks into comparable results.

The research finds a sizeable global implementation gap. The median Enablers score across the 16 countries is 67 per cent, compared with 45 per cent for Deployment. Fourteen of the 16 countries score higher on Enablers than Deployment.

The gap reflects different challenges across countries, including the recent introduction of some policies, policy uncertainty, grid-connection delays and incentives that remain misaligned between fossil fuels and clean electricity.

María Mendiluce, Chief Executive Officer of We Mean Business Coalition, said electrification is becoming a test of economic competitiveness and energy security.

“Those countries like China, France and Spain with strong deployment and enablers show what can happen when investment, infrastructure, industrial strategy and demand move together,” she said.

“Elsewhere, governments have put many of the right policies in place, but businesses still need affordable clean electricity, grid connections and the confidence to invest. The competitive advantage now comes from turning policy into delivery.”

The findings are released after the COP31 Presidency’s call for electricity to supply 35 per cent of global final energy demand by 2035, up from just over 20 per cent today.

They also follow the first six months of the Hormuz crisis, during which fossil-fuel importing countries paid an additional US$330 billion for seaborne oil and LNG.

According to the International Energy Agency, faster electrification could cut fossil import costs by around US$400 billion a year by 2035.

The Index assesses 52 indicators covering grids and power markets, road transport, industry, buildings and cross-cutting readiness. It measures Deployment and Enablers separately to show not only how electrified countries are today, but whether they are creating the conditions for further investment.

Ethiopia is stepping up efforts to join international intellectual property agreements, seeking to help local businesses protect their products, technologies and brands abroad and strengthen their competitiveness in export markets.

The Ethiopian Intellectual Property Authority (EIPA) is coordinating with international organisations on participation in frameworks covering patents, trademarks, industrial designs and copyright, alongside reforms to the country’s domestic intellectual property system.

EIPA Director General Woldu Yemessel told Capital that the initiative was progressing alongside Ethiopia’s efforts to join the World Trade Organization (WTO).

“Intellectual property is fundamentally territorial,” Woldu said. “Without participating in the international framework, a country cannot fully realize or capture the commercial value of its domestic innovation.”

The plans were outlined following a three-day Cross-Regional African-Arab Forum hosted in Addis Ababa in collaboration with the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO).

Held under the title Intellectual Property and Export Competitiveness: Leveraging the PCT, Madrid and Hague Systems for Market Access, the forum examined mechanisms for helping businesses and individuals seek protection for intellectual property across borders.

In his opening address, Woldu highlighted three WIPO-administered frameworks: the Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT), the Madrid System for trademarks and the Hague System for industrial designs.

Officials presented the systems as tools for streamlining applications across multiple jurisdictions and supporting businesses seeking to commercialise their products internationally.

EIPA said stronger cross-border protection would help Ethiopian exporters safeguard the intellectual property associated with their products as they pursue new markets.

Alongside the treaty initiatives, the authority is pursuing institutional and regulatory reforms intended to support innovation and the development of a knowledge-based economy.

According to figures presented by EIPA, Ethiopia recorded approximately 230 patent filings during the latest reporting period. Trademark registrations reached about 6,000, compared with 2,500 three years earlier.

The figures indicate increased use of intellectual property protection, although officials say further work is needed to expand participation by local innovators and businesses.

The authority’s priorities include raising the commercial value of locally developed technologies, brands and creative work through stronger legal protection.

EIPA is also prioritising Geographical Indications (GIs), which link a product’s quality or reputation to its geographical origin.

According to the authority, Ethiopia currently has no registered GIs, despite opportunities associated with its agricultural diversity and regional products.

EIPA plans to register between 10 and 15 GIs annually during an initial pilot phase. Its longer-term ambition is to increase registrations to between 1,000 and 2,000.

Officials said achieving those targets would require participation from producer cooperatives and regional trade associations, together with a supporting regulatory framework.

The initiative forms part of the authority’s effort to help producers protect the identity and commercial value of products associated with particular locations.

EIPA officials said aligning domestic rules with international intellectual property frameworks would strengthen legal safeguards for Ethiopian businesses as the country expands trade under the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).

The proposed treaty participation and domestic reforms are intended to give exporters stronger tools to protect their products and brands while helping local innovators pursue commercial opportunities beyond Ethiopia.