Shega Media

01/06/2026

If you invest, operate, or advise in Ethiopia, May 2026 was not incremental; it was structural.

Shega has just published the second edition of Policy Monitor, our monthly intelligence brief tracking the legislative and regulatory shifts shaping the country’s operating environment. This month spans eight distinct fronts, each pointing to a system under active redesign:

• Tax administration is set to enter a new phase: voluntary mediation, a 10-year fraud look-back, and conditional clearance that allows firms to operate while disputes are unresolved

• A first-ever critical infrastructure cybersecurity regime introduces 48-hour breach reporting, INSA-led oversight, and criminal liability for failures with real-world consequences

• Customs rules are set to tighten and evolve simultaneously, software valuation clarified, related-party scrutiny increased, and a 50% prepayment threshold imposed on appeals are being floated in a new draft.

• A draft Freedom of Information law proposes a statutory right to access public data, backed by Ombudsman oversight and proactive disclosure obligations

• Capital markets deepen as banks and pension funds are admitted directly into the OTC debt market, expanding the institutional investor base

• Aviation security is centralized under a single authority, reflecting Ethiopia’s role as a continental hub and the scale of its future airport infrastructure

• Alongside reforms in cooperatives and health regulation, the cumulative signal is unmistakable: governance architecture is being retooled in real time

What emerges is not a series of isolated reforms, but a coordinated, if uneven, attempt to close institutional gaps: compliance, transparency, enforcement capacity, and market depth.

Policy Monitor is built for this moment. Each edition distils what changed, why it matters in practice, and what to watch next.

Because in environments like this, the question is no longer what happened; it is how quickly you can interpret the direction of travel.

Full document:

If you invest, operate, or advise in Ethiopia, May 2026 was not incremental; it was structural. Shega has just published the second edition of Policy Monitor, our monthly intelligence brief tracking the legislative and regulatory shifts shaping the country’s operating environment. This month spans...

19/05/2026

𝗧𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗘𝗱𝗧𝗲𝗰𝗵 𝗪𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝗜𝘁’𝘀 𝗛𝗮𝗿𝗱𝗲𝘀𝘁: 𝗘𝘁𝗲𝗺𝗮𝗿𝗶 𝗣𝗶𝗹𝗼𝘁𝘀 𝗜𝘁𝘀 𝗦𝗼𝗹𝘂𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗶𝗻 𝗔𝗱𝗱𝗶𝘀 𝗔𝗯𝗮𝗯𝗮’𝘀 𝗢𝗹𝗱𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗣𝘂𝗯𝗹𝗶𝗰 𝗕𝗼𝗮𝗿𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗦𝗰𝗵𝗼𝗼𝗹

At Etege Menen Girls’ Boarding School in Addis Ababa, students are using E-Temari to access interactive lessons, practice university entrance exam questions, and monitor their academic progress.

The platform is already showing measurable results. But scaling EdTech in Ethiopia’s public school system remains difficult. Public schools, unlike private institutions, operate under tightly controlled financial and administrative systems.

Read the full story.

Partner Content

A partnership between E-Temari and Etege Menen Girls’ School offers a glimpse into how locally built EdTech solutions could transform Ethiopia’s education system.

15/05/2026

Climate shocks aren't a widespread problem for MSMEs across Addis Ababa. But in the neighborhoods where they hit, they can be devastating, especially for women entrepreneurs. The damage rarely makes headlines or triggers humanitarian responses.

But a new study by the Center for Financial Inclusion (CFI), an independent think tank housed at Accion, documents how repeated, localized climate shocks are quietly eroding the livelihoods of women running small businesses in the most exposed corners of Ethiopia's cities.

Climate shocks aren't a widespread MSME problem across Addis Ababa. But in the neighborhoods where they hit, they can be devastating, especially for women entrepreneurs.

08/05/2026

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗗𝗶𝗴𝗶𝘁𝗮𝗹 𝗘𝗻𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗲 𝗕𝗲𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗱 𝗘𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗼𝗽𝗶𝗮’𝘀 𝗜𝗻𝗳𝗿𝗮𝘀𝘁𝗿𝘂𝗰𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝘀𝘁𝗿𝘂𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗥𝗲𝗻𝗮𝗶𝘀𝘀𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲

As Ethiopia marks Infrastructure and Construction Week 2026, the national dialogue has evolved from traditional brick-and-mortar development towards a more sophisticated blueprint known as the Construction Industry Transformation of Ethiopia 2025–2050.

While physical structures define the horizon, their operational intelligence now relies on silicon and fiber. At the heart of this transformation is Ethio telecom.

Discover how Ethio telecom driving Ethiopia’s digital infrastructure transformation with 5G, AI, cloud services, smart city tools, and green innovation.

Partner Content
https://shega.co/news/the-digital-engine-behind-ethiopia-s-infrastructure-and-construction-renaissance

08/05/2026

𝗜𝗻𝘀𝗶𝗱𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗥𝗼𝗼𝗺: 𝗕𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲'𝘀 𝗔𝗳𝗿𝗶𝗰𝗮 𝗟𝗲𝗴𝗮𝗹 𝗛𝗲𝗮𝗱 𝗼𝗻 𝗧𝗮𝗹𝗸𝘀 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗘𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗼𝗽𝗶𝗮'𝘀 𝗖𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗹 𝗕𝗮𝗻𝗸

When Binance announced in late April that it would disable Ethiopian Birr trading on its peer-to-peer (P2P) platform effective May 15, 2026, it marked a consequential step in a months-long squeeze on crypto P2P activity in Ethiopia.

Shega's Kaleab Girma sat down with Larry Cooke, Binance Africa Legal Head, during his visit to Addis Ababa as part of ongoing consultations with Ethiopian regulators.

Larry spoke on a wide range of issues, from what led to the delisting and what Binance told the central bank to what comes next.

"The parallel market is something that existed before Binance," Larry says, pushing back against the narrative that crypto platforms are destabilizing the Birr.

Furthermore, the discussion alluded to broader questions around IMF recommendations on P2P, currency sovereignty, and regional comparisons.

Binance's Africa Legal Head Larry Cooke speaks to Shega on the Ethiopian Birr P2P delisting, regulatory negotiations in Addis Ababa, the parallel market debate, and what comes next for crypto users in Ethiopia.

30/04/2026

𝗗𝗿𝗶𝘃𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗘𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗼𝗽𝗶𝗮’𝘀 𝗘-𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗺𝗲𝗿𝗰𝗲 𝗙𝗼𝗿𝘄𝗮𝗿𝗱 𝗮𝘁 𝗜𝗖𝗘 𝗖𝗢𝗡𝗡𝗘𝗖𝗧 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟲

Ethiopia’s digital economy is at a critical point, with online commerce emerging as a key driver of growth.

Rising internet access, increased smartphone use, and the expansion of digital payment solutions are changing how consumers and businesses interact.

ICE CONNECT 2026 E-commerce Summit, scheduled on the 7th of May, is designed to bring this momentum together by creating a platform for stakeholders to align, collaborate, and move the ecosystem forward.

The summit brings together entrepreneurs, investors, corporates, and policymakers to explore solutions across the full e-commerce value chain.

Read more about ICE CONNECT 2026: https://shorturl.at/xcLIp

Register to attend the Summit: https://nuel.ink/GL3ENF

Partner Content

ICE CONNECT 2026, happening May 7, brings together startups, investors, and policymakers to explore solutions, initiate collaboration, and accelerate the country’s e-commerce ecosystem.

29/04/2026

𝗕𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗗𝗶𝘀𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲 𝗘𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗼𝗽𝗶𝗮𝗻 𝗕𝗶𝗿𝗿 𝗧𝗿𝗮𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗶𝗻 𝗠𝗶𝗱-𝗠𝗮𝘆 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟲

Binance has announced that it will disable trading in the Ethiopian Birr starting May 15, 2026.

Binance Africa shared the update on its X (formerly Twitter) page, stating that it is “working closely with regulators to support Ethiopia’s goals” and hopes to resume trading soon.

The crypto trading platform added that users’ funds are safe and that they can still access their accounts.

The suspension comes two months after the National Bank of Ethiopia issued a public notice stating that Birr-paired P2P transactions are prohibited and illegal in the country.

However, the central bank noted that it is working to establish a comprehensive regulatory framework to enable safe and orderly participation in emerging digital asset technologies.

This effort includes ongoing consultations with international peer regulators and domestic stakeholders to ensure alignment with global best practices, while preserving financial stability and the integrity of the national payment system.

Until such a framework is formally introduced, Birr-paired P2P cryptocurrency transactions remain prohibited, the National Bank emphasized.

29/04/2026

𝗙𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝗠𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘂𝗺 𝘁𝗼 𝗠𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁: 𝗦𝗰𝗮𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗘𝗱𝗧𝗲𝗰𝗵 𝗶𝗻 𝗘𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗼𝗽𝗶𝗮 𝗔𝗺𝗶𝗱 𝗗𝗲𝗯𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗦𝘆𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗺 𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗹𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗲𝘀

The second EdTech Week, held a month ago, highlighted an ecosystem gaining structure.

Organized by Reach for Change, in partnership with Mastercard Foundation and in collaboration with the Ministry of Education, the event brought together nearly 300 key voices from government, investment, and entrepreneurship.

It also marked the launch of Cohort III of the Mastercard Foundation EdTech Fellowship and the transition of Cohort II into its post-acceleration phase.

From panels to exhibitions and discussions, a consistent focus has emerged from the event: EdTech needs to shift beyond pilots toward system integration, backed by policy and long-term investment.

Partner Content

Leaders, investors, and innovators gathered at Ethiopia Science Museum to explore how EdTech can move beyond pilots into scalable, inclusive solutions that transform learning across Ethiopia.

28/04/2026

𝗗𝗼𝗱𝗮𝗶 𝗟𝗮𝗻𝗱𝘀 $𝟭𝟯 𝗠𝗶𝗹𝗹𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝘁𝗼 𝗘𝘅𝗽𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗘-𝗠𝗼𝘁𝗼𝗿𝗯𝗶𝗸𝗲 𝗡𝗲𝘁𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸 𝗶𝗻 𝗘𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗼𝗽𝗶𝗮

Dodai raised $13 million to scale its electric motorbike fleet and battery-swapping network.

The Series A round blends $8 million in equity with $5 million in debt, attracting a mix of international backers, including British International Investment, alongside investors such as the Value Chain Innovation Fund, UTokyo Innovation Platform, Nagase & Co., Persistent ACV Fund, For Seasons, CBC Co., and Inclusion Japan.

The Addis Ababa-based company has already rolled out more than 2,000 locally assembled bikes. Dodai aims to grow its footprint to 3,000 active users and 30 swapping stations within a year.

Over the longer term, the company is targeting 30,000 users and 1,000 stations in the capital, with plans to expand into other African cities, including Abidjan, Kinshasa, and Accra.

27/04/2026

𝗘𝗱𝗧𝗲𝗰𝗵 𝗠𝗼𝗻𝗱𝗮𝘆𝘀 𝗘𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗼𝗽𝗶𝗮 𝘁𝗼 𝗘𝘅𝗽𝗹𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗦𝗰𝗮𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝗻𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗔𝗰𝗿𝗼𝘀𝘀 𝗔𝗹𝗹 𝗦𝗰𝗵𝗼𝗼𝗹𝘀

April's EdTech Mondays Ethiopia episode explores what it takes to build a sustainable, nationwide framework for educational connectivity, one that aligns infrastructure, financing, and innovation.

The discussion will dive into practical challenges such as limited infrastructure, unreliable electricity, and investor hesitation.

It will also examine how governments, EdTech providers, and investors can collaborate to move beyond fragmented pilots toward scalable, impactful systems that reach learners across both urban and rural communities.

📻 Tune in tonight, 8:10 PM EAT on Fana FM 98.1 and ten affiliated stations.

𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗱 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲.
https://nuel.ink/tMG2J6