<h1 style="text-align:center;">10 Years of Changes in Ethiopia. What Do the Numbers Tell Us?</h1>&nbsp;RENEW is celebrating our 10th year of operating in Ethiopia. Read our March blog here: <a href="https://www.renewcapital.com/resources/blogs/Photo%20Journey%20%20Ethiopia%20Then%20%20%20Now%20%20A%20Tribute%20to%20a%20Cooking%20Pot">Photo Journey: Ethiopia Then &amp; Now. A Tribute to a Cooking Pot</a><figure class="image image_resized" style="width:100%;"><img src="/uploads/IMG_6706_7aa2e8c866.jpg"></figure>In the spirit of continuing our celebration of RENEW’s 10th year in Ethiopia, we have compiled the economic developments of the country when we opened in 2012 (or the year just prior) and the current year (or the most recent reported). The following information is based on data provided by the National Bank of Ethiopia. Figures may vary slightly from other publically reported sources.<figure class="image image_resized" style="width:100%;"><img src="/uploads/Screen_Shot_2022_04_07_at_2_23_44_PM_ca851c6db6.png"></figure>Ethiopia is currently home to the second largest population in Africa (next to Nigeria) and the 12th largest population in the world. The natural rate of population increase is 2.1%, which makes the country one of the fastest-growing populations in the world. Ethiopia is also one of the youngest countries in the world with a median age of 18 years old. As a result, the government has positioned Ethiopia to be a destination for labor-intensive manufacturing sectors like textile. However, the textile sector’s future is uncertain due to the recent suspension of Ethiopia’s status as an AGOA country and other factors. Because of the suspension, Ethiopia currently does not have duty-free access to the U.S. market for certain goods and services manufactured in Ethiopia, such as textiles. The government is putting all its efforts into finding alternative markets, one of which is the African Continental Free Trade Area.<figure class="image image_resized" style="width:100%;"><img src="/uploads/Screen_Shot_2022_04_07_at_2_26_34_PM_b16d114be6.png"></figure>During the past decade, Ethiopia has recorded one of the fastest rates of economic growth in the world. Although the country’s development has slowed down during the past couple of years due to the outbreak of COVID-19 and internal conflicts, the country still managed to grow at the rate of 6.3% in 2021 according to reports from the country’s central bank.The main drivers of GDP growth for the past 10 years have been public capital investments and population growth. In 2020/21 alone, the construction industry registered 6.6% expansion with a 72.2% share in industrial output of which construction of roads, railways, dams and residential houses played a significant role.&nbsp;<figure class="image image_resized" style="width:100%;"><img src="/uploads/Screen_Shot_2022_04_07_at_2_27_06_PM_ece572d4a6.png"></figure>The overall economic growth in Ethiopia is highly associated with the performance of the agriculture and service sectors. However, the Ethiopian economy, which previously was highly dominated by the agricultural and service sectors, is showing progress towards industrialization. The share of agriculture in the GDP is specifically declining, whereas, the share of the industrial sector almost tripled within the past 10 years.<figure class="image image_resized" style="width:100%;"><img src="/uploads/Screen_Shot_2022_04_07_at_2_27_47_PM_76038c0337.png"></figure>The GDP per capita, which is a proxy to measure wealth, has tripled in the last 10 years. However, due to recent sanctions and the war in Ukraine, food inflation has recently spiked, a factor which is putting significant economic strain on the poor.&nbsp;<figure class="image image_resized" style="width:100%;"><img src="/uploads/Screen_Shot_2022_04_07_at_2_28_20_PM_eb59b436e7.png"></figure>Ethiopia’s balance of trade shows consistent deficits mainly attributed to the imbalance in merchandise trade. Small production and quality of exportable goods and logistic difficulties are major contributors to this issue.&nbsp;Focusing on merchandise trade, the main export items from Ethiopia are coffee, gold, flower and oilseeds, although the share of oilseed exports is expected to decline significantly as a result of the war in the northern part of the country which is the agricultural center for oilseeds. The major destination for Ethiopian products is Europe with 41.3% of Ethiopia's total export of goods, with Switzerland being the major destination with 45.4% of the total export to Europe. Asia is the second largest destination with 31% of the total export of goods, of which Saudi Arabia holds the major share with 18.7% of the total exports to Asia, followed by U.A.E, India and Japan. Exports of goods to Africa currently represent only 17.4% of the total export. This, however, is expected to increase following the operationalization of the African Continental Free Trade Area. Ethiopia’s exports to the Americas constitute 9.4% of total exports of which 7.6% is destined for the U.S., which is expected to be significantly impacted as a result of Ethiopia’s suspension from AGOA.&nbsp;&nbsp;The main import items to Ethiopia on the other hand are consumer goods, accounting for 38.5% of the total imports, capital goods accounting for 27.2%, and fuel, which accounted for 13.6%. The imports mainly originate from Asia with 61.3% of the total imports originating from the continent. China and India are the major contributors with 22.86% and 12.32%, respectively. European-originated items represent 22% of the total imports, of which 2.8% is from Ukraine, which is expected to be affected by the recent Russia-Ukraine war.&nbsp;<figure class="image image_resized" style="width:100%;"><img src="/uploads/Screen_Shot_2022_04_07_at_2_29_19_PM_d633a10583.png"></figure>Inflation in Ethiopia has soared during the second half of 2021. This is mainly attributed to the war in the northern part of the country and the widening difference in the foreign exchange market between the official exchange rate and the parallel market. <a href="https://www.renewcapital.com/resources/blogs/What%E2%80%99s%20Behind%20the%20Soaring%20Inflation%20in%20Ethiopia%3F">Read RENEW’s blog </a>about the different measures taken by the government during the past nine months in order to control inflation.<figure class="image image_resized" style="width:100%;"><img src="/uploads/Screen_Shot_2022_04_07_at_2_30_12_PM_049b6bdde8.png"></figure>In 2017, the central bank raised the minimum interest rate on savings and time deposits from 5% to 7%, leaving the lending interest rate on loans and advances to be determined by commercial banks freely. However, the skyrocketing inflation has kept the real rate of interest at -16.6% on savings and -10.35% on lending.&nbsp;&nbsp;<figure class="image image_resized" style="width:100%;"><img src="/uploads/Screen_Shot_2022_04_07_at_2_30_58_PM_06c3a3ca91.png"></figure>The ETB has largely been controlled by the Ethiopian central bank. While the exchange rate has generally devalued, the parallel/black market rate, which often represents a more accurate real rate, is much higher today, near a 25% difference from the formal market. This is largely due to a weak manufacturing base and export market for the country. The government has also drained foreign reserves to pay for the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam. As a result, the country has only 2.2 months of foreign currency reserve.&nbsp;

As we celebrate our 10th year operating in Ethiopia, we plan to take time each month to bring your attention to interesting data, stories, partnerships or other analysis of the changes and journey of RENEW. 

IMG_6706.jpg

10 Years of Changes in Ethiopia. What Do the Numbers Tell Us?

<h1 style="text-align:center;">Women’s History Month 2022</h1>To finish Women's History Month this year, we're highlighting notable female figures from Ethiopia, Rwanda and Uganda that have done or are doing historical things.<figure class="image image_resized" style="width:100%;"><img src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/53E5hUxm9MMwFV39X8eHHT_9tc8SsfdY8qfNIO8k0ssunKfIX_6BqAcu1hytG-l5dYBAHjNISLMjkvmW1HO0bm2xb00ubwRaT47W_1BeG9oU2HFDcgb29sgYekyhkjGnHJ8Vcvaa"></figure>ETHIOPIAMulumebet Emeru - Africa’s First Female PilotEthiopian Mulumebet Emeru became Africa's first female pilot in1934.&nbsp;“I was overwhelmed. It was a tremendous thrill though I did not realize at the time… that I was Africa’s first woman pilot. But with the war, I gave up flying. Indeed I got married…I would fly several times a week – always over Addis. It was an unusual experience and my friends all envied me.” (Quoted from Selamta, the in-flight magazine). (1)Although her piloting career was cut short by the Italian invasion of May 1936, she remains historic in the hearts of millions. She is also the grandmother of Aman Adinew, owner of METAD Coffee, one of RENEW’s first portfolio companies. After World War II, she was given farmland in Disamo and Harar where wild coffee was growing. She built the Harar farmland into a coffee estate, solidifying the family’s connection to the land and coffee cultivation.<figure class="image image-style-align-center image_resized" style="width:100%;"><img src="/uploads/Wro_Mulumebet_b4bd82fae6.png"></figure>RWANDAChristelle Kwizera - Founder of Water Access RwandaChristelle Kwizera founded Water Access Rwanda in 2014 to address water scarcity and youth unemployment in Rwanda one year before she graduated magna cum laude in mechanical engineering.Under her leadership, Water Access Rwanda is recognized as an innovator in the water sector. It was the first from Rwanda to win the Africa Entrepreneurship Award and the EDF Pulse Africa Award. She leads by example. Christelle was selected as a 2014 MILEAD fellow, recognizing her as an emerging African woman leader among more than 1,200 applicants. (2) Her story and journey continues to be a source of inspiration.&nbsp;<figure class="image image_resized image-style-align-center" style="width:75%;"><img src="/uploads/Christelle_Kwizera_8a77c52dfb.jpeg"></figure>&nbsp;UGANDAWinnie Byanyima - Executive Director of UNAIDS&nbsp;Winnie Byanyima is an aeronautical engineer, politician, human rights activist, feminist, and diplomat.She is a passionate and longstanding champion of social justice and gender equality and she currently leads the United Nations’ efforts to end the AIDS epidemic by 2030. Previously Winnie led the establishment of the African Union Commission’s Directorate of Gender and Development and also served as Director of Gender and Development at the United Nations Development Programme. She founded the Forum for Women in Democracy, an influential Ugandan nongovernmental organization, and has been deeply involved in building global and African coalitions on social justice issues. Winnie has seven given names, one of which is Kyegiragire, which means “I can make myself whatever I want to be”, a name which she says has shaped her attitude to life! She co-founded a 60-member Global Gender and Climate Alliance of civil society, bilateral and multilateral organizations and chaired an UN-wide task force on gender aspects of the Millennium Development Goals, and on climate change. (3)<figure class="image image-style-align-center image_resized" style="width:75%;"><img src="/uploads/winnie_new2_1440x350_bd814c7e90.png"></figure> &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<hr>(1) <a href="http://www.planetethiopia.com/gallery/image/CQ">http://www.planetethiopia.com/gallery/image/CQ</a>(2) <a href="https://svai.africa/our-people/christelle-kwizera/">https://svai.africa/our-people/christelle-kwizera/</a>(3) <a href="https://www.unaids.org/en/aboutunaids/unaidsleadership/bios/winnie-byanyima">https://www.unaids.org/en/aboutunaids/unaidsleadership/bios/winnie-byanyima</a>&nbsp;

Finishing  Women's History Month this year

WHM.jpg

Women’s History Month 2022

<h1 style="text-align:center;">Photo Journey: Ethiopia Then &amp; Now. A Tribute to a Cooking Pot</h1>I remember moving to Ethiopia. It was the end of February 2012 and my second time to set foot in the country, a beautiful and complex nation of more than 80 ethnicities, the birthplace and home to (in my opinion) the best coffee in the world and the only country on the continent of Africa that has never been colonized, yielding a pride and strength one cannot ignore. &nbsp; &nbsp;I was supposed to arrive, find a place to live and put together a plan for a week-long trip for some of our earliest investors, all in the span of less than a week. We now call those trips “Econ-Tourism Trips”, a phrase coined by one of our earliest members, Dr. Andrew Umhau, who also happened to be on that first trip with four other investors. I have very little recollection of how I pulled this first trip off, other than the day they were scheduled to come to my new apartment for dinner. I spent a good part of the day as we drove from one business appointment to the next, scanning the side of the road as we drove, trying to find a cooking pot to buy so that I would be able to cook the dinner. We had spaghetti that night, and I think it turned out ok, but thankfully my dinner menus have gotten more complex for our investors as the years have gone by.<figure class="image image-style-align-center image_resized" style="width:100%;"><img src="/uploads/pot_ff0cc7448f.jpeg"></figure>Today, no one, not even my housekeeper, sees much value in that beat-up old pot, but I’ll likely keep it forever because it represents so much to me about myself, the world, RENEW and Ethiopia, then and now. A lot has changed, and over the next year, we plan to shed light on and celebrate some of these changes.&nbsp;But first, I am grateful that what we believed 10 years ago is still very true today. The following key factors still motivate the RENEW team today and I believe will for the next decade, plus:<ul><li>That Africa’s future lies in its private sector and that many of the problems that aid and charity are trying to fix will be significantly reduced once the private sector is thriving.&nbsp;&nbsp;</li><li>That SMEs are the core of a healthy private sector - when SMEs are strong, an economy is strong. Globally, SMEs create more jobs and support other businesses better than any other business type.</li><li>That with good management and “smart” capital, SMEs can grow to become market leaders that attract capital, create jobs, and drive impact outcomes and economic growth.&nbsp;</li><li>That we are all responsible for gender equality, inclusiveness and climate action and African SMEs can play a key role.&nbsp;</li></ul>There will be plenty of time over the next 12 months to compare the Ethiopian economy, then and now, to celebrate our development partnerships, portfolio and impact and to tell you of our lessons learned. But in the meantime, I thought I would leave you with some photos from the past 10 years.&nbsp;<hr><h1 style="text-align:center;">2012</h1><figure class="image image_resized" style="width:100%;"><img src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/5R4tG5JksNrrdRpg98uJzcqKSpApHcQMG3RELX2GFgW0g6sfgxBT1xCN-Yadn48AjUj_a__ENnm9_KoWVF9PhxoIcqW3JB_5NvUQco-A5xsgZerZLF5B7rNrOTcqk4qZG_Pe3P-p"></figure><figure class="image image_resized" style="width:100%;"><img src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/Onuu48Zar1mCU3n5JhKB09NCcWAeuN9ud9O7kFco1MdDmEKedPoD1s7Qb1eSTh15e40sU8wQwqo_mJ6cxE2k8T-tz1QZFL1j_zzMw02UcRywhRFQTjEisGTbNxmcrOkZatk94veH"></figure><h1 style="text-align:center;">2013</h1><figure class="image image_resized" style="width:100%;"><img src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/Y03QSolEETMLTdxqlEx5elyilbbCmkY8AGRLqGoITrZGffijUgeP7O_Nw1UrHX-uhJMXYJSR-ldTT7eGSm4LuHGkBF5DyON5C-0C78e9M6Io8M0aXPOGF1j9vJLlL1OmdjcKt28q"></figure><figure class="image image_resized" style="width:100%;"><img src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/mkwYgipM4HiIBeT6TAsLYDZcqDYeVy22wgNukEO_MG2J1X-1koziFylg-h5LuOsJ1KowFekdEidNEzcJq5KZb0Npyq1v7YBXGrHX0CaHpz4O7GS1TQKcFJJHftWO6ukUWxObA2MX"></figure><figure class="image image_resized" style="width:100%;"><img src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/QMmdZHnf_mGGuG6jq3OJXmdmwiOuQ16RFqK2jECddMJF7D2nSTXhCpjphCpFqUiNecqt0q4SzxmH_9anc3yXirU1FrdvMwVNpAMLHAvmMlBA0wJjXfKbARIf2ludvLxoSCfgVGbK"></figure><figure class="image image_resized" style="width:100%;"><img src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/96UIi59wLvWy2YkYzSwGHDtz55OmobgVIwdxY9-vp6nYr8PscXpAqW5VpXVNVl_jc8I6hdzltEZQ3E8OPIaMN3ja35QBlE_oW-ESiBdC9UKp6RzUYlglQ4587wSTHjgZ2WTJ5jyE"></figure><h1 style="text-align:center;">2014</h1><figure class="image image_resized" style="width:100%;"><img src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/Eg4R_dd3WpRLUAgsQQgFijiwnTy8DeD8ar99-DYJ_WMXymTjzbiNzY29W_WJAekVkRBGoL1Yk7tRVEke6aBDQOQMwcN1eXggnPRLi9tcgFddJM_6qh320M5mfcdAqZWMt8CTNil5"></figure><figure class="image image_resized" style="width:100%;"><img src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/ikXkEtws52P-Cs0nWPKeYrMFrFE48Sio7KrRhx5bTxvjkCXNeMICm6NHaX0NIkOFRhE9XC6rerA-wsQ_27g6wIj1cbYweqR8d_1N99ArhPt4YUxkL24BZ_sY0FiOjWp7n3rb592L"></figure><h1 style="text-align:center;">2015</h1><figure class="image image_resized" style="width:100%;"><img src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/EEyX0t_QWTTFtRe4UhL30DTkovSP8qV3wfLdl_YoEdippG9ShVY6tdFMz3KG932wLpvM0Q9TzNi0ZSTzhNT9u4GEQN6Z9oSOWO30WlOzwgLqCwxBy1tkYQL8pzZLxiFzFC0oD_he"></figure><figure class="image image_resized" style="width:100%;"><img src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/IE7_wGjFCwwtjMJ7SM7Mbxn8vqPqCr4zmqPjUbLnBqZX7IAZeiy40WQIteWZYXvKL8p6b1oDTRuX-JdroCI1mqbEumAgkcFrA0dawwKnS9hIYZo1uNnS5GxYYTqIniXHmRe-lZGY"></figure><h1 style="text-align:center;">2016</h1><figure class="image image_resized" style="width:100%;"><img src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/nFnPdduIX3vazhoEeo1wUQvPZfOXLNGNLb7VwMi7QvqmS7Sk0H7IEgspNq7sInWVQI1lpPL1yFHpCsamDUP5ahbQY97Q0_2mK3Nz3c2A7ejxBi5w_bqk9v80JjVtFcOKQrv9PmsS"></figure><figure class="image image_resized" style="width:100%;"><img src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/80R-hFPh1HQJVMF2IdTSOFGKHRKjhoKcbEJSYZZAndskd8w9siV9gxy7enmha87wCjZxINQHbo9mR0Qvc61wSPBDU_BiAqnz3qNn13ggK70ay7b-FLr_1i5wufNHfYEIdhBopIIt"></figure><figure class="image image_resized" style="width:100%;"><img src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/cqhEG_Pn0FgeXdEx3ogCs0gUawZcZAtEeCRi3Jn-vX6q3zitlmWMvv_TdQJD9JVH-DuWzRRd0ToeyEJDGEaDwSRD6o4mAr2k7wQAnJApBAqGC_RpP4ImOa2h4hIY39rlTmycknIM"></figure><figure class="image image_resized" style="width:100%;"><img src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/i5mgBXNn9ghKVWsJcT-7BcadAsSUEGvVztM3wUxIXudJCON048syqxod0mvoEB0yqo-ucXhDZWqHCZmGhgu9MsRbIldTI7QftBUp1gRaPDktbpfqBnX4i6ykA0V-yGPrjLQoVHme"></figure><h1 style="text-align:center;">2017</h1><figure class="image image_resized" style="width:100%;"><img src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/mJjgzslhW2v9uXyWv7x_pWJHpi9BQBke_W4mq7Kfg5DtObMr7kZnR6gdyWkOd0IbHYt5GvmSj_ivZS1ySvqmRuIJ8nygZKorkqZLANzJQJOIhH5jwE6c3QI3NgDWKN_FBc83wz5R"></figure><figure class="image image_resized" style="width:100%;"><img src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/xw6lgKjrK7IZJTMcCkEztf2O-lWCgceK3cIuNkI_LXO-MkgBM1yrEZi26XkG9Z9M9sE-LLcZBfKIKohl8iyuYpMOas_XmUKWV3bosTxfONbVCcBu-78dcgpMkTg1avIveECycZ0w"></figure><h1 style="text-align:center;">2018</h1><figure class="image image_resized" style="width:100%;"><img src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/sR30wmyVMtlbbbyRoms_kagSqdpQxupu1XSh78Fr_8RklaTyUGVGcsnreo2vCFU79WG4Cm9j53SY2UjD-ul2j1uYjbKslx5H3AOzZqNwGB4ErhyJ_N-8Gvdy_X46NR_IB9O3ttR0"></figure><figure class="image image_resized" style="width:100%;"><img src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/KojdJCugd8DjySdJ4f6oq7pd0dJwKH0FC1Ulc79l3FN6ShRMRI8Rjh1NXQUNwtebsA5JUcFLXa8oJP0vrI9QbM_PP4Q9HC68VwYZlvurOBGFvDbfe0yNwrcr92z0YQJ72y4F-EwT"></figure><h1 style="text-align:center;">2019</h1><figure class="image image_resized" style="width:100%;"><img src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/0Niow17IG6ACfuH1DqU6UeoSquuyvqtByutjpJIuGyUrnqTJYGKTkc9Kh317gp_1wspxD997WvusFMGLZ5r5qmJ2rEEw3i3DXXbN-sikFEA8PY1EGEuXqUyo9ZSTp9TvRufIwhHD"></figure><figure class="image image_resized" style="width:100%;"><img src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/snqeoaamzqoMv1MvAgx0ZzReI5Vlp-qmLME5q-NiNLel53_hId0YGMetdBH7pikoLxxuOVBNUC95B2St2mMh7bR3wIthfagV14AEvoUb2RS4lT5VZc7tRkNjoKYCgeXKD2SXeD8q"></figure><figure class="image image_resized" style="width:100%;"><img src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/qffEfsxkizxRUpdZ-oMEh8OcEOb0KwohvrZiUgS-pVfxX8ro2uEJN-Nj246TNi_0jFuem5fiUdrpF_N6GdWIc3Ez4r5U3OBX4FsyluCbTlFYuoFZOOUGjU5uoBmKojtLCr3MhY3D"></figure><figure class="image image_resized" style="width:100%;"><img src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/ESLmF4MBL13UbK2RE_TDODh9ZcN64_TaR9BuvdtIgIJZ2jB5BssIoa32KeUtaJAdmQfBmBAwhgXAxuZ7gQpwPqdgVVR8fFWovEw-RLrN6CZjqnX2rIDLJPlLOXyMmrSWeSoq5ftU"></figure><h1 style="text-align:center;">2020</h1><figure class="image image_resized" style="width:100%;"><img src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/IPGXYcTFrolAXijFGYwWB1u2LiUQB5lq2IHdS1h4SFA7Edurx3clPUaj9AAnHr0cEttqhoSlTFtlHyqFSgwSIZZZRsQQUntv58Gk2AH69yS-eNNKP5GGHPsggwD6VUIBdy6GVca8"></figure><figure class="image image_resized" style="width:100%;"><img src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/pB-JoiN24-jv3dltKojsNYHPcAC3qDILNJj7qtdy_JrnFifyqSU7rgdzUSImFgF4OFUV58SXMLEEiCXaC7UmSGdh8_ww7BENKyvXo_0ciMHdZ_95YzTSdxd1vw5L6FIcihWSWymO"></figure><h1 style="text-align:center;">2021</h1><figure class="image image_resized" style="width:100%;"><img src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/WZHEfuMnq9UYZdtTvSydNCRXq3o5l0jhB0NGBc7IgYmTR6YJ3WpXEz67fD-UEuSrMdoRJ0ZL77HlRkdbYmzpIWi6w7ryPUcoM6izT5F6lQtT3lBFZavbRIRMDS-_8MKceQA4HSS0"></figure><figure class="image image_resized" style="width:100%;"><img src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/wsWSMUxuL7XqWIG3R-WF3zXsJgi82nRLj1K83bimelDeC1PSDLBfpfnN0WoE-U83efIbyG3lTGn8A6tncp1CPDUcZtBhqzjRRPnfpno9iKs1UEq3yorZ1avjEr2tSRFHNW5MO4CV"></figure><h1 style="text-align:center;">2022</h1><figure class="image image_resized" style="width:100%;"><img src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/WVTUjNNmNcyG0s0tTQzZhCtDg-fxjhvxgRSvQJ1qfxDHilvjDOO7zLryYv-RTGe_xNoma1JqqNoyhCEH0t37eZVfNomtFaDNQct4EszxdJKLj3vhADtzDPfiYmvpZMlCJCJevtp1"></figure><figure class="image image_resized" style="width:100%;"><img src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/b7CH7LwU0AUJ8lB8p7U0Qh1NNjURVbWobQYid9syPzLmGGi7gr7wTP_Ei_ubqsGw-6v_miriDt1FpaZDD5xBV0MDGJxRtRbWP1i341em0iKCA6dzbCutGkl9zijbrsWhvmNC5Yi4"></figure>&nbsp;

pot.jpeg

Photo Journey: Ethiopia Then & Now. A Tribute to a Cooking Pot

<h1 style="text-align:center;">&nbsp;Press Release: Roadrunner Technology Solutions to Expand in Ethiopia</h1>&nbsp;<a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/1zHV1Spbj3_uXgJvTQyL0-2yt-VKhLeES/view?usp=sharing">Download the Full Press Release</a><hr>Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, March 8, 2022 -- Roadrunner Technology Solutions LLC (Roadrunner), a partner of <a href="https://deliveraddis.com/">Deliver Addis</a> (the d/b/a name of Universal Courier Services PLC), continues to see rising demand for its services and has attracted capital in its endeavor to be Ethiopia’s premier e-commerce and food delivery platform. The company has recently secured an investment from a blended finance vehicle that invests in Ethiopia, Uganda and Rwanda. The investment will help the company expand its delivery fleet, enhance its technology platform, and implement measures and systems to become a leading business in climate- and gender-smart practices.&nbsp;Deliver Addis is a pioneer in the e-commerce space and has been making deliveries in Ethiopia since 2015. Over the past three years, the company has expanded significantly, delivering food to tens of thousands of consumers around Addis. The company also proudly supports more than 130 restaurants and was one of the reasons hundreds of employees in the restaurant industry were able to stay employed during the pandemic. Through its online marketplace, Deliver Addis is now selling groceries, flowers and other consumer goods.&nbsp;<figure class="image"><img src="/uploads/DSC_0080_9599e166a0.JPG"></figure>“We're proud to bring on new partners that share our perspectives on sustainable growth and usher in a new era of service enhancements while continuing to build a forward-thinking workplace,” said Deliver Addis founder, Feleg Tsegaye, recently.&nbsp;“This investment will not only introduce new technology and an expanded fleet to increase Deliver Addis’s capacity, but will also introduce an expanded platform to improve the customer experience and lower delivery times, support women’s entrepreneurship through a new GIG model, and encourage a green economy through the use of E-bikes,” noted JC Oelofse, RENEW’s Group COO, Shared Growth Services. “We are excited about the opportunities this investment will bring and look forward to opportunities to better serve Deliver Addis’s customers.”About&nbsp; RENEW - RENEW is an impact investment firm with offices and teams across East Africa. RENEW specializes in small and medium enterprise (SME) investing and private sector development in Africa. RENEW believes that targeting employment through SMEs is, dollar-for-dollar, the most effective and sustainable way to reduce poverty. The investments made by <a href="https://www.renewcapital.com/what-we-do/investing">The Impact Angel Network</a> and other blended finance vehicles that RENEW manages have been made possible because of RENEW’s partnership with Global Affairs Canada (GAC), USAID and other development partners. RENEW’s blended finance partnerships aim to support high potential, responsible SMEs across East Africa, providing them with the tools, resources and training they need to attract and efficiently use finance to grow, thereby enabling them to play a stronger role in the economy.&nbsp; To find out more, please visit<a href="http://www.renewcapital.com"> www.renewcapital.com</a>.###&nbsp;

deliveraddis.com

Renew Capital Angels invested in Roadrunner Technology Solutions LLC, which partners with Universal Courier Services PLC (Deliver Addis) to expand the burgeoning logistics and e-commerce industries in Ethiopia. Deliver Addis is a technology-enabled, online delivery company.

roadrunner_logo_b396ad2764.jpg

Deliver Addis.avif

Roadrunner Technology Solutions to Expand in Ethiopia

DSC_0080.JPG

 Press Release: Roadrunner Technology Solutions to Expand in Ethiopia

<h1 style="text-align:center;">RENEW’s Legal Corner: March 2022</h1>Our take on the legal developments related to the investment landscape in Ethiopia, Rwanda and Uganda.<figure class="image image-style-align-center"><img src="/uploads/097_A2814_f27fb82728.jpg"></figure><hr>ETHIOPIAParliament Approves the Proclamation Lifting the State of Emergency &nbsp;Following the push several months ago from the Tigray People Liberation Front (“TPLF”) southwards to the capital, Addis Ababa, the federal government of Ethiopia declared a nationwide state of emergency, which later was enacted by the House of Peoples Representative (“Parliament”) as <a href="http://unidoseoul.org/en/?p=7249&amp;ckattempt=1">Proclamation No. 5/2021</a>. The main aim of the proclamation was to avert the threat posed by the TPLF, which is declared a ‘terrorist group’ by the federal government. Accordingly, a command post was established under the state of emergency proclamation, which was empowered to impose curfews, cause the termination of any means of communication and public transportation, and oversee activities of civil society organizations and activities of mass media and journalists, with the authority to revoke their license, among others. When enacted, the state of emergency had an expiry period of six months effective from the date of enactment, November 2, 2021.However, following the successful push back of the TPLF group to Tigray by the federal government, the Council of Ministers proposed for the state of emergency to be lifted as the threat from TPLF is no longer prevalent. As a result, the Parliament approved the recommendation and lifted the state of emergency on February 15, 2022, before the expiry date. According to the statement from the Prime Minister’s Office, the threat has reached a stage where law enforcement could be implemented by regular operation. The approval came after three weeks from the proposal by the Council of Ministers.The lifting of the state of emergency is seen as a positive development for the business community. Perhaps one of the most significant impacts of the lifting of the emergency is seen on the performance of the Ethiopian sovereign bonds. Following the expression of intention to lift the state of emergency by the government, the Ethiopian bonds witnessed a swing from near-worst to best performing. According to Bloomberg, “Ethiopia’s bonds are the best-performing sovereign debt in emerging markets this year.” The bonds have rallied 6 cents on the dollar following the announcement by the Prime Minister’s Office that the security threat had diminished. That brings returns this year to 13%, the best performance out of 80 developing nations tracked by Bloomberg. As a result of the war, the securities lost 28% last year alone, which was the worst performance after El Salvador.Executive Organs Proclamation Published&nbsp;One of the first tasks undertaken by the newly formed government when it took office on October 4, 2021 was restructuring the executive branch of the Federal Government. During its first session, the newly formed Parliament enacted a proclamation that defines the powers and responsibilities of the executive organs of the government. This has created a number of changes in the structure, from their nomenclature to restructuring their responsibilities and accountabilities. However, despite this being the first act of the Parliament, we had to wait for four months until the final proclamation defining their powers and accountabilities was published in the Federal Negarit Gazette. This month, the printouts of the Proclamation have been made available to the public, which is called the Definition of Powers and Duties of the Executive Organs Proclamation No. 1263/2021.&nbsp;One of the major reasons for the restructuring, per the preambles of the proclamation, is the need to establish an organizational structure that allows coordinated work that is efficient and cost-effective, helps reduce wastage and ensures accountability. Previous laws have not been able to establish an accountable organizational structure and designation of institutions and, as a result, it was impossible to ensure the continuity of institutions and uniformity of designation.&nbsp;Accordingly, the organizational structure has tried to classify government bodies into seven major categories, which are:Ministry - A ministry is led by a minister. It is mainly responsible for formulating sectoral policies, strategies and programs, and related matters and oversees and coordinates its implementation. Accordingly, 22 ministries are established per the proclamation. Major changes in this category are: the Ministry of Trade and Industry is divided into two different ministries, which are the Ministry of Trade and Regional Integration and the Ministry of Industry. In addition, the Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs changed its name to the Ministry of Labour and Skills, which under the new structure overtook the roles and responsibilities of the Jobs Creation Commission.&nbsp;&nbsp;Commission - A commission can be accountable to a Ministry, the Prime Minister’s Office or the Parliament. It coordinates the activities of different executive organs, formulates policies and strategies and oversees its implementation. The Ethiopian Investment Commission and the Customs Commission are the noteworthy organs in this category.&nbsp;Authority - An authority performs a regulatory function, issues standards and ensures their compliance with the same. It could be accountable to a Ministry, however, if there is a potential conflict with the activities of an institution to which it is accountable, it could be made accountable to the Prime Minister or other government organs. The Ethiopian Food and Drug Authority is a regulatory organ to note in this category.&nbsp;Administration or Development - An administration or development organ mainly conducts regular development and infrastructure development activities and oversees the same. One major introduction in this category is the introduction of Ethiopian Investment Holdings as a sovereign wealth fund that is independent of the Public Enterprise Holding and Administration and reporting to the Prime Minister. The Ethiopian Entrepreneurship Development is another organ established, which took over the roles and responsibilities of the Federal Small and Medium Manufacturing Industry Development Agency.&nbsp;&nbsp;Service - This is a new designation for government organs. It is used for institutions that are mainly established to provide centralized services necessary for government organs or provide services mainly to citizens. One of the major introductions under this category is the Documents Authentication and Registration Services, which used to be an agency in the past.&nbsp;Office - An office is an institution established for temporary or permanent purposes under special circumstances to conduct mainly activities that require special attention and institutional arrangement by uniformly coordinating different institutions.&nbsp;Institute - An institute is accountable to the relevant Ministry or another government organ that mainly focuses on training, study, research and consulting services. One of the major introductions in this category is the establishment of the Innovation and Technology Gifted and Talented Development Institute, whose powers are to be defined by regulation.&nbsp;&nbsp;Furthermore, one may notice that the number of executive organs that are accountable to the Prime Minister has increased. There are now seventeen executive organs that directly report to the Prime Minister.English Version of Commercial Code PublishedAs part of the economic reform program and to improve the country’s ranking in the World Bank's Ease of Doing Business ranking, the government started the process of updating the <a href="https://www.wipo.int/edocs/lexdocs/laws/en/et/et014en.pdf">six-decade old commercial code</a>. Accordingly, the Parliament adopted the new Commercial Code under Proclamation No. 1243/2021 (“<a href="https://chilot.me/2021/10/25/proclamation-no-1243-2021-commercial-code-english-version/">New Commercial Code</a>”), which came into effect in March 2021. However, the business community, especially foreign investors, has been waiting to get the printouts of the English version of the code. The wait has come to an end this month. The printouts of the English version of the New Commercial Code were made available to the business community.&nbsp;The New Commercial Code has made several changes to the old one, which principally is associated with its incompatibility with the current state of doing business. Many things have changed during the past six decades which made the repealed code outdated and inadequate to regulate current trade developments. Learn more about the changes <a href="https://www.renewcapital.com/resources/blogs/The%20Commercial%20Code%20of%20Ethiopia%20is%20Changing%20How%20the%20Country%20Does%20Business">here</a>.Parliament Approves the Enactment of the Private Employees Pension Proclamation&nbsp;The Parliament enacted a new <a href="https://chilot.me/2021/12/22/private-employees-pension-_draft_-proclamation/">Private Employees Pension Proclamation</a>. This will repeal the decade-old <a href="https://www.ilo.org/dyn/natlex/natlex4.detail?p_lang=en&amp;p_isn=89585&amp;p_country=ETH&amp;p_count=141">Private Employees Proclamation No. 715/2011</a> as amended by Proclamation<a href="https://chilot.files.wordpress.com/2017/04/proclamation-no-908-2015-private-organization-employees-pension-amendment.pdf"> No. 908/2015.</a> Adopting the new proclamation is required to strengthen and improve private organization employees' pension schemes and funds to ensure sustainability and reliability, benefit citizens better, and finally expand and consolidate to contribute to social justice, industrial peace, poverty reduction and development.&nbsp;As we understood from the final draft of the new proclamation, it has made some changes associated with the compliance requirements of employers and employees, manner of payment of retirement pension and gratuity. Now the new private employees pension proclamation is adopted, it will come into full effect once published in the Federal Negarit Gazette. We will be providing a detailed analysis of the changes introduced in the future.<hr>UGANDAUganda Declines to Renew Membership with the International Coffee Organization&nbsp;Uganda recently announced a two-year suspension of its membership from the International Coffee Organization (ICO), noting that the country needed to put pressure on the organization to address unreasonable terms in the International Coffee Agreement drawn up for member states, such as the unfair tariffs and restrictions imposed on imports of value-added coffee. According to an article in the East African, Uganda’s other concerns are the coffee price volatility, which it says is threatening the incomes of local farmers and sustainability of the coffee sector, unfair membership votes and contributions, and the increasing role of the private sector in the decision making of ICO, among other issues.The International Coffee Organization is the principal body in charge of fostering cooperation between international coffee exporters and importers. The surprising decision Uganda made to suspend its membership with the international body has left coffee farmers disgruntled especially considering Uganda is currently the second largest exporter of coffee in Africa with coffee comprising 22% of the country’s total exports and has a goal to be the world’s third-largest exporter of coffee by 2025 behind Brazil and Vietnam. The Uganda Coffee Development Authority has maintained that Uganda’s withdrawal from the International Coffee Agreement will not hamper coffee trade and export. Uganda can continue to export, but there are concerns that the withdrawal might limit market opportunities.&nbsp;<hr>RWANDAEALA Receives Key Bills Paving Way for Regional Monetary Union&nbsp;The completion of the discussion of three pertinent laws by the legislative arm of the East African Community (EAC) finally came to an end on March 1, 2022 with a plenary session to discuss the inception of the long awaited East African Monetary Institute (EAMI). The EAMI is charged with establishing the East African Monetary Union (EAMU) to create regional economic integration among the six member states of the EAC (Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, South Sudan, Tanzania and Uganda). According to a Rwanda Times article, the bills under discussion are:&nbsp;<ul><li style="text-align:justify;">The EAC Standardization, Accreditation and Conformity Assessment Bill, which will provide for standardization, accreditation and conformity assessment of products traded in the EAC to facilitate industrialization development and trade to make provision for ensuring protection of health and safety of society and environment in the community;</li><li style="text-align:justify;">The EAC Financial Services Commission Bill, which will promote integration of financial systems in the EAC and harmonize regulation and supervisory practices in the non-banking financial sector; and</li><li style="text-align:justify;">The EAC Surveillance Compliance and Enforcement Bill, which will have the function of assessing the attainment of macroeconomic convergence by EAC partner states and to regularly monitor and enforce adherence to the macroeconomic convergence criteria by the participating partner states.</li></ul>These bills are critical to finally establishing the EAMI. The EAMI aims to pick up from where the East African Central Bank left off by issuing a single currency by 2024 as a means of achieving the ultimate goal of regional economic integration. These efforts were stifled last month when members of the Council of Ministers failed to attend or send representatives to the sitting, consequently leading to the postponement of the discussion on major business. The delay in decision making has been a recurrent obstacle in finally realizing all the EAC pillars of regional integration.&nbsp;Photo by Imran Mazar

Our take on the legal developments related to the investment landscape in Ethiopia, Rwanda and Uganda

097A2814.jpg

RENEW’s Legal Corner: March 2022

<h1 style="text-align:center;">Creating a Gender-Smart Workspace&nbsp;</h1>An Interview with Yemsrach Chanyalew, Deliver Addis’s HR and Admin Manager&nbsp; In celebration of International Women’s Day and RENEW’s commitment to gender equality in our organization and throughout the work we do, we recently spent time with Yemsrach Chanyalew, who works for Deliver Addis, one of our portfolio companies. Yemsrach is the company’s HR and administration manager, and she spoke to us about her journey to become an executive and the gender biases she’s encountered along the way.<figure class="image image_resized image-style-align-center" style="width:624px;"><img src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/gJgERPhWYPY6dAJX0XKAFN2W9AvnRIyxVqrCH4kvZMZHGfGddXT2HHblejfT0iGOjBuQvZDlQ_ap22vQaRKuFPaLqxAg9vYcqEKazC6yFIAT0c_qfOVP8wcgWyMPnaqcdbyEpET3"></figure>This is what Yemsrach shared about her journey.&nbsp;“I graduated with a degree in theatrical art from Addis Ababa University, and though I had an interest in theatrical art, I did not pursue it professionally. To survive, I pledged to myself I would enroll in different sectors to survive and get a job that pays well. I was a full-time sales representative for 11 months at a trade and advertisement company. As time passed I wasn’t able to continue due to health issues. In that role, I spent the day outside in the sun and I found the tasks to be difficult as a female. After that, I joined other companies and worked as a secretary and office manager and then as an office coordinator and HR coordinator at a restaurant.&nbsp;I then decided to become self-employed and to start my own business. I opened a mini-market. I took a risk starting a business when neither I nor my family had any background in the business world. I invested my all. I didn't have a plan B and in the end, I was left empty-handed two years later. But I didn't give up. After closing my business, I joined a new company as an HR assistant and administrator and worked there for almost a year. This was around the time when the pandemic hit. While I was doing market research I landed at Deliver Addis.”Moving deeper in the interview Yemsrach shared what she enjoys the most in her work and her inspirations to work harder. She also shared her future plans and visions for the ecosystem. “I enjoy tasks that are challenging. I love how challenging my work is at Deliver Addis. I'm strict by nature and in a way that makes me enjoy what I do, and I know I can execute it well. I always had an interest in art when I was younger but as I grew throughout my journey in many different work environments I grew more interested in HR. It matched really well with my personality, and it inspired me to pursue it more at greater heights. I'm now doing my second degree in business management and I will graduate this year and then I plan to do my MBA in HR. I have a big vision to open my own training center, where people can practically learn and practice the skills that can help them become professionals in a gender-smart ecosystem.”<figure class="image"><img src="/uploads/097_A2791_970ace6fc4.jpg"></figure>She shared her perspective on why gender equality issues are often overlooked in the workspace.&nbsp;“I think we don’t openly discuss gender equality and its underlying issues openly as a community, and I believe the reason is often culture. The way we were raised or the culture we were raised in has a major contribution to how gender biases are handled in the community. We need to have open and honest discussions on the issues. It would be great if there were associations or specific departments in companies or organizations that mainly focus on issues surrounding gender biases in the workspace.”Stay tuned in the next few months to learn more about resources RENEW has been developing to help companies like Deliver Addis on the journey to becoming gender-smart. Photo by Imran Mazar | <a href="https://www.pexels.com/@timmossholder?utm_content=attributionCopyText&amp;utm_medium=referral&amp;utm_source=pexels">Tim Mossholder</a> from <a href="https://www.pexels.com/photo/male-and-female-signage-on-wall-1722196/?utm_content=attributionCopyText&amp;utm_medium=referral&amp;utm_source=pexels">Pexels</a>

An Interview with Yemsrach Chanyalew, Deliver Addis’ HR and Admin Manager.

Gender Equality

097A2791.jpg

Creating a Gender-Smart Workspace 

<h1 style="text-align:center;">From Enterprising Adventurer to Adventurous Enterprises</h1>I come from a family of adventurers. They gave me both a passion for new experiences and, from an early age, the privilege and opportunity to travel broadly. It was these adventures to distant lands that brought me close to people.At five years old, I played with joyful Shuar children on the banks of the Rio Upano in Ecuador and, at eight, sat in a field overnight through an earthquake with frightened families in Turkey. It was experiences like these that showed me that no matter where we are from or what our situation, we have more in common with each other than not. I also came to realize the power of connecting with another human being, of trying to understand each other, and the gift of shared laughter.<figure class="image"><img src="/uploads/Screen_Shot_2022_03_07_at_12_26_35_PM_1e774fe22f.png"></figure>Through these adventures, I have learned what it means to be a global citizen and the responsibility that entails. While we are more alike than different, we are not all born into equitable circumstances and provided with the same share of opportunities. These experiences also showed me that we can learn the most when we are willing to step into the unknown, when we are prepared to listen rather than speak, to learn with humility, and laugh at ourselves when we fall down.&nbsp;This passion and curiosity has fueled my journey. It has led me down many delightful paths I could never have imagined, and ultimately, brought me here, to RENEW. With all that the world and its people have given me so far, it is my hope to lead a life of empowering others to chase their own adventures and reach for their own dreams, and maybe even fall into a puddle or two and roll out with a smile on their face.A persistent theme throughout my endeavors to address inequities is the limitations imposed by lack of capital, whether that be monetary or human. We can dream as big as we want and work as hard as we can, but without the right resources and support, only a fortunate fraction of us will succeed, no matter our brilliance or drive. Recognizing this led me to the field of impact investing, to put capitalism to work for good.While in graduate school, I developed a regional expertise and focused my research on Ethiopia and the greater Horn of Africa. Looking beyond the great coffee, phenomenal food, and wonderful people, which is reason enough, I chose this concentration because I truly believe in the country’s potential to be a driving force for economic and political development in the region.Graduating in the onslaught of the pandemic, I was fortunate to be offered a position at a Europe-based impact investment firm focused on agricultural SMEs in the most underdeveloped countries. This gave me the hands-on impact investing experience I sought but left me yearning to put boots on the ground -&nbsp; and ideally, breathing in the mountain air of Addis Ababa every morning.&nbsp; On a crisp October morning in 2021, this became a reality as I stepped off Ethiopian Flight 575 and took the first deep breath of my next adventure. I haven’t missed a morning buna since.

Screen Shot 2022-03-07 at 12.26.35 PM.png

From Enterprising Adventurer to Adventurous Enterprises

<h1 style="text-align:center;">RENEW’s Legal Corner: February 2022</h1>RENEW’s Legal Corner is designed to keep you updated with the regulatory progress and changes&nbsp;happening throughout the different jurisdictions in which RENEW operates. This month has seen several regulatory changes in Ethiopia, Rwanda and Uganda. Below are the highlights:<figure class="image"><img src="/uploads/097_A9519_bd9d899233.jpg"></figure><hr>ETHIOPIA<h3>The Regulation that Defines the Activities and Structure of the Ethiopian Holding Company Comes into Effect</h3>The Ethiopian Holding Company (EIH) was formed as a sovereign wealth fund by Proclamation No. 1263/2021. On January 31, 2022, the regulation that defines its activities and structure was issued in the Federal Negarit Gazette, which in effect brings the EIH to life. The regulation is cited as “The Definition of Objectives and Function of the Ethiopian Investment Holding Council of Ministers Regulation No. 487/2022.” Below are a few things we learned about the EIH:<ul><li>What is EIH? - EIH is a sovereign wealth fund that holds state-owned enterprises under an umbrella. It is structured as a holding company that holds shares, debentures, bonds and securities in enterprises that are in its ownership. In addition to structuring currently existing state-owned enterprises, EIH will also invest in businesses and investment opportunities as it sees profitable.&nbsp;&nbsp;</li><li>Accountability - The EIH will be accountable to the Prime Minister of the country.</li><li>Legal Status - EIH and its subsidiaries will be considered as private business organizations disregarding the shareholding percentage of the government.</li><li>Objectives - EIH is mainly established for the following reasons:<ul><li>To serve as a strategic investment arm of the government;</li><li>To introduce professional management and best corporate governance practices to maximize the value of government assets; and</li><li>Provide a strategic vehicle to attract foreign investment.</li></ul></li><li>Capital - EIH is established with an authorized capital of 100B ETB (approximately $2B USD).</li><li>Source of Funds - EIH sources its funds from:<ul><li>A pool of state-owned assets administered by EIH;</li><li>Returns and revenues of the investment of its assets;</li><li>Proceeds from the sale of its assets;</li><li>Loans and issuance of transferable securities; and</li><li>Other resources allocated to it and approved by the Board.</li></ul></li><li>Governance - EIH will be managed by a Board of Directors consisting of six members appointed by the Prime Minister of the country. The Prime Minister will chair the Board. Each board member will be appointed for a term of three years, which could be renewed. The Board will have a regular meeting every month.&nbsp; Decisions of the board will be made with a simple majority vote, however, in case of a tie, the chairperson shall have a casting vote. EIH will have a CEO reporting to the Board of Directors, who will have an ex-officio non-voting seat on the Board.&nbsp;</li></ul><h3>AfCFTA Hit an Important Milestone to Enhance Intra-African Free Trade</h3>African intra-regional trade accounted for just 17% of Africa’s exports in 2017 (1). This compares with 59% in Asia and 69% in Europe. However, the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), which Ethiopia signed along with 53 other African members and subsequently ratified in April 2019, is projected to increase this figure with a potential to lift 30M people out of extreme poverty (2).&nbsp;The agreement’s purpose is to boost trade, economic growth and integration among African countries. It establishes a free trade area that provides member countries with free access to the markets of other members. For that effect, member states are obliged to progressively eliminate tariffs and similar charges on goods and services originating from member states. This month has seen the member states concluding their negotiation on the ‘rules of origin’. The adopted rules could cover 87.7% of goods on the tariff lines of the AU member states.&nbsp;Although trading under the AfCFTA had started officially on January 1, 2021, the problems regarding rules of origin remained unresolved, making it difficult to identify products that could enjoy the preferential tariff regime under the agreement (3). Now the member states have agreed on 87.7% of rules of origin and once member states publicize these rules at the national level, the free trade area is expected to be active.Once fully implemented, AfCFTA will create the largest free trade area in the world measured by the number of countries participating. The agreement connects 1.3B people across 55 countries with a combined GDP valued at $3.4T (4).&nbsp;<hr>UGANDA<h3 style="text-align:justify;">Uganda and Tanzania Ink Final Oil Drilling and Pipeline Deal</h3>Uganda and Tanzania have agreed on the “final investment decision” in a landmark $10B deal for crude oil production in East Africa. TotalEnergies EP Uganda, CNOOC Uganda Limited, the Uganda National Oil Company (UNOC) and the Tanzania Petroleum Development Corporation (TPDC) will all be working together to develop the East African Crude Oil Pipeline (EACOP) that will cross the ten districts in Uganda. The major oil project that is on Lake Albert is expected to yield significant results that boost the energy and mineral development sector. It will mainly involve setting up oil fields, developing the pipeline network in Uganda and exporting the rest of the oil through Tanzania to the coastal ports. The government has also made several infrastructural improvements to the Albertine region where the oil project is based by constructing an airport in Hoima district and completing more than 700km of the road network. According to an article in FurtherAfrica, government geologists estimate Uganda’s gross reserves at 6B barrels, while recoverable oil is seen at 1.4B barrels (5).<hr>RWANDAIMF says Rwanda’s Economic Outlook is Positive in a January 2022 ReportRwanda entered into a three-year Policy Coordination Instrument (PCI) with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) in June 2019. The PCI is a non-financial instrument that any member of the IMF can utilize. It’s designed to help support member countries implement macroeconomic policies and receive IMF advice and guidance, in an effort to facilitate policy reforms and catalyze financing from other, non-IMF sources. As part of the PCI, the IMF visits Rwanda on an annual basis, holds discussions, collects data and prepares a report on the outlook for Rwanda and progress under the PCI.The IMF released its most recent report in January 2022 following its fifth review of the PCI (6). In the report, the IMF states that Rwanda’s medium-term outlook is positive with GDP growth projected at 10.2% for 2021. The economy had strong improvements in 2021 coming out of the COVID-19 pandemic due in large part to the country’s vaccination efforts, continued government support programs and reopening of economic activities. In the medium term, GDP growth is predicted to gradually slow back to 7.5% (similar to pre-COVID levels). That said, the IMF cautioned that Rwanda must still address several issues stemming from the pandemic - namely protracted unemployment and rising poverty, particularly for women - to ensure the country’s economic recovery continues and that the social and economic progress Rwanda has made over the past twenty years is not lost.&nbsp;Under the PCI, policy recommendations from the IMF included a continued focus on fiscal spending to support social policies and recovery from the pandemic, balanced with advancing growth-friendly policies and safeguarding financial stability. In addition, the IMF noted that continued focus on advancing the Sustainable Development Goals, particularly by supporting human capital and climate change-readiness and adaptation, will be key to enabling a sustainable and inclusive recovery from COVID.&nbsp;&nbsp;<h3 style="text-align:justify;"> Rwanda’s National Budget Increased by 16%</h3>The Government of Rwanda has proposed a 16% increase to the national budget in a revised proposal presented to parliament last week. The approximate $610M increase will be geared towards offering support to public institutions and helping them successfully execute their projects in key sectors such as agriculture, health and education. The government’s expenditure policies in fiscal year 2021/22 are guided by the National Strategy for Transformation priorities and objectives (7) with 58.7% of the resources allocated to economic transformation which includes most of the priority private sector areas such as agriculture, energy, hospitality and financial services.&nbsp; Social transformation takes up 27.2%, catering for access to electricity and clean water. The Minister of Finance and Economic Planning mentioned that he is very confident the increase in national spending from the original $366M to $428M will be beneficial to the economy after carrying out numerous surveys on how Rwanda can mitigate the financial loss suffered during the COVID pandemic. The recovery of the different economic activities across the country will ensure a steady and gradual rise to the country’s domestic revenues.<hr>Footnotes:<ol><li style="text-align:justify;">&nbsp;<a href="https://www.brookings.edu/blog/africa-in-focus/2019/02/22/figures-of-the-week-increasing-intra-regional-trade-in-africa/">https://www.brookings.edu/blog/africa-in-focus/2019/02/22/figures-of-the-week-increasing-intra-regional-trade-in-africa/</a></li><li style="text-align:justify;">&nbsp;<a href="https://www.worldbank.org/en/topic/trade/publication/the-african-continental-free-trade-area">https://www.worldbank.org/en/topic/trade/publication/the-african-continental-free-trade-area</a></li><li style="text-align:justify;"><a href="http://www.xinhuanet.com/english/africa/20220130/fc286d5fb2dd405980a48f06ca489019/c.html">http://www.xinhuanet.com/english/africa/20220130/fc286d5fb2dd405980a48f06ca489019/c.html</a></li><li style="text-align:justify;">&nbsp;<a href="https://www.worldbank.org/en/topic/trade/publication/the-african-continental-free-trade-area">https://www.worldbank.org/en/topic/trade/publication/the-african-continental-free-trade-area</a></li><li style="text-align:justify;"><a href="https://furtherafrica.com/2022/02/02/totalenergies-cnooc-make-final-decision-on-10-bln-uganda-tanzania-oil-project/">https://furtherafrica.com/2022/02/02/totalenergies-cnooc-make-final-decision-on-10-bln-uganda-tanzania-oil-project/</a></li><li style="text-align:justify;"><a href="https://www.imf.org/en/Publications/CR/Issues/2022/01/13/Rwanda-2021-Article-IV-Consultation-and-Fifth-Review-Under-the-Policy-Coordination-511923">https://www.imf.org/en/Publications/CR/Issues/2022/01/13/Rwanda-2021-Article-IV-Consultation-and-Fifth-Review-Under-the-Policy-Coordination-511923</a></li><li style="text-align:justify;">&nbsp;https://www.minecofin.gov.rw/news-detail/government-to-spend-frw-38-trillion-in-2021-22-fiscal-year</li></ol>Photo by Imran Mazar

Updates to regulatory changes in Ethiopia, Uganda and Rwanda: February

097A9519.jpg

RENEW’s Legal Corner: February 2022

<h1 style="text-align:center;">Enabling Rockstars in East Africa!&nbsp;</h1>Though 59 universities produce fresh graduates every year in Ethiopia, a lack of business etiquette and job skills is seen among many of those who aim to enter the workforce. Even if these graduates have the right academic scores, they often lack mentorships and apprenticeships to prepare for the corporate world.&nbsp;One of the focuses of the Government of Ethiopia with regards to its higher education system is to improve the quality and employability of university graduates. RENEW has designed an internship program, launched first in Ethiopia, with the goal of enabling and preparing fresh university graduates for success in their career paths. Our internship program targets fresh graduates from all regions in Ethiopia giving equal opportunity through a diversity conscious and gender smart selection process. Our aim is that interns at RENEW grow as people and professionally through proper guidance in the right career path.&nbsp;“I am proud of how far I have come. I have met talented, easy going, fun, genuine professionals and a great mentor who wants to help me grow at work as well as my life. I am so grateful for my beautiful and new experience here at RENEW.” – Abigael&nbsp;<figure class="image image_resized" style="width:97.32%;"><img src="/uploads/intern_picture_8a9f4ea213.jpg"></figure> Led by a program coordinator, the internship program takes 6 months, shortlisting 10 excellent candidates from marketing, business and economics, legal, and project management studies every year from universities around Ethiopia. Selected interns are provided with onboarding training, business skill development training (communication, negotiation, presentation, work ethic, professional conduct, etc.). This is coupled with technical or project based “on the job training” according to their fields of study and interest, special mentorship sessions with experienced professionals, team outings and CSR activity participation and dynamic research project assignments for different divisions. Other benefits offered to them are appropriate stipends and medical insurances.“When I saw RENEW's flyer for an internship, my gut feeling told me to apply. It has now been more than 4 months since I joined the program, and I have gotten amazing mentorship from senior members of the team and familiarized myself with the professional space.” – Hermela&nbsp;Interns also get a chance to take The Exec’s Program at The Exchange. They are periodically assessed based on KPIs like implementing disciplines, the progress they made in various areas, qualities of their deliverables and the initiative they show to manage up for the team.&nbsp;“For a new graduate, having a chance to get an internship at RENEW has a special meaning. I got the chance to have a practical outlook on the concepts I learned theoretically in my economics studies at the university. It also enabled me to understand more about my strengths and weaknesses that I should keep and improve for my future career.” - SolomonAs RENEW expands to other countries in Africa, we look forward to seeing our internship program enable and empower the youth to be competitive and confident candidates as well as create further job opportunities by collaborating with reputable local universities.&nbsp;&nbsp;

RENEW has designed an internship program, launched first in Ethiopia, with the goal of enabling and preparing fresh university graduates for success in their career paths.