The Finance Forward Ethiopia Conference opened in Addis Ababa on Thursday (January 15) in the presence of Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, bringing together key institutions shaping the country’s financial and revenue systems.
The “Finance Forward Ethiopia” conference was convened to review and evaluate Ethiopia’s recent achievements in macro-financial management, structural reforms, and major sectoral transformations. The event brought together key economic and regulatory institutions to present progress, assess reform outcomes, and highlight cross-sectoral linkages that support inclusive growth, financial deepening, and private-sector-led development.
Speaking at the conference, Prime Minister Abiy emphasized that sustainable development requires clearly defined and mutually respected roles between the government and the private sector. He announced that Ethiopia has attracted approximately 1.3 trillion Birr in private investment as a result of ongoing economic reforms aimed at creating a more enabling environment for private-sector growth.
He stressed that the government’s primary responsibility is to create the right conditions for businesses to thrive, adding that long-term economic progress depends on empowering private actors to innovate and expand. The Prime Minister noted that the government is taking decisive steps to strengthen the private sector, with particular attention to supporting emerging entrepreneurs and startups.
He further stated that efforts are underway to elevate public–private cooperation to a higher level, alongside reforms of public development institutions to improve efficiency and performance. As evidence of successful reform, he cited Ethio Telecom and Ethiopian Airlines, describing them as clear examples of the positive outcomes of effective institutional transformation.
Minister of Finance Ahmed Shide, during the conference, said Ethiopia faced severe macroeconomic pressures seven years ago, including deep imbalances, a heavy debt burden, foreign-exchange shortages, and market instability. He noted that the government’s Home-Grown Economic Reform programs were introduced to address these challenges and have since delivered tangible results.
As a result of these efforts, Ethiopia has emerged as one of the fastest-growing economies in Africa, supported by stronger and more modern public institutions. Among the key outcomes of the reforms, Minister Ahmed said government revenue, including external inflows, has increased fivefold, while tax revenue has risen by 400 percent. Overall government revenue has grown by 446 percent compared to its 2010 level.
Presentations were delivered by the Ministry of Finance (MoF), Ministry of Revenue (MoR), National Bank of Ethiopia (NBE), Ethiopian Capital Market Authority (ECMA), Ethiopian Investment Holdings (EIH), and the Ethiopian Communications Authority (ECA). Collectively, the institutions showcased reforms aimed at strengthening macroeconomic stability, enhancing domestic revenue mobilization, deepening financial and capital markets, improving state-owned enterprise governance, and fostering a more competitive investment environment.
The six major institutions presented assessments of their performance to date and outlined strategic priorities for the next five years, with discussions centered on aligning future plans with Ethiopia’s broader economic reform agenda.