The International Finance Corporation (IFC), a part of the World Bank Group, has bestowed the award of outstanding global trade finance program issuing bank upon Dashen Bank.

In a recent announcement following its 8th meeting held in Barcelona, Spain, the IFC unveiled Dashen Bank as the recipient of this accolade.

Simultaneously, Dashen Bank has solidified its partnership with the IFC through a newly inked agreement, aimed at bolstering the bank’s capacity to provide financing to micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) in Ethiopia.

The agreement, signed by Dashen Bank’s Chief Executive Officer, Asfaw Alemu, in Kigali, Rwanda, is anticipated to catalyse support for women-owned MSMEs  and agri-businesses across various regions of Ethiopia, thereby advancing financial inclusion initiatives in the nation.

Ethiopia has set a target of two million international visitors for this fiscal year (2024), the Ministry of Tourism (MoT) disclosed.

MoT Minster Ambassador Nasise Chali said that the tourism sector has the top priority for the government. The country has a favorable policy for private sector to expand their business and invest in tourism sector.

“In some areas, we are building destinations and tourist facilities. So, these things can make us competitive and help us bring new products to market 2024.”

The country has seen close to 1.2 million international tourists or visitors in 2023. (Ethiopian Herald)

Operation of the Addis Ababa, Ethiopia – Djibouti, Djibouti railway has been officially handed over to a local company after being run by the two Chinese companies that built the project since it launched in 2018.

The planned handover saw the China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation (CCECC) and China Railway Engineering Corporation (China Railway) pass management of the 752km line to Ethiopia-Djibouti Railway Share Company (EDR) after years of training its staff.

Ethiopia and Pakistan on Thursday agreed to collaborate in diverse sectors of education including science and technology, agriculture, health and Information and Communication Technology.

Both sides reached this consensus during a meeting between Special Envoy and Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Ethiopia, Jemal Beker Abdula and Chairman of the Higher Education Commission (HEC), Dr Mukhtar Ahmed. The meeting discussed the modalities to advance mutual cooperation in the education sector to exchange knowledge, skills and expertise.

Ambassador Jemal Beker said the Ethiopian government was keen to strengthen the already flourishing bilateral ties between the two nations through education diplomacy. “Collaboration in the education sector can be instrumental for establishing long-lasting and sustainable relations between the two countries,” he said while recalling the eagerness of the Ethiopian medical experts. (The Nation)