Capital Markets Becoming Central Pillar in Financing Ethiopia’s Future: Finance Minister

Addis Ababa, December 2, 2025 (ENA)— Capital markets are becoming a central pillar in financing Ethiopia’s future and strengthening the country's integration into the global financial system, Finance Minister Ahmed Shide said.

Opening the Ethiopian Capital Market Summit 2025 in Addis Ababa today, the Minister noted that Ethiopia has embarked on bold and far-reaching reforms to stabilize the macro economy and lay the foundation for sustained, inclusive and long-term growth.

 

 

Within these wider reforms, capital markets have emerged as one of the most critical instruments for mobilizing long-term financing, he added. 

For the government, they create new pathways to attract investment, strengthen fiscal sustainability, and channel capital towards the most important national priorities.

Capital markets are not merely financial platforms, Ahmed stressed, adding that they are becoming a central pillar in financing Ethiopia’s future and strengthening integration into the global financial system.

He further noted that capital market provides foreign investors with clarity, consistency and confidence through government securities, corporate bonds, equities and infrastructure instruments, international capital gains, and structured access to productive sectors of the economy.

The Minister underscored the need for a strong coordination among institutions, each to play a distinctive role in building a transparent, resilient and credible financial ecosystem.

"When these institutions work in harmony, we create a market environment that attracts investment, supports stability and delivers results. Above all, fiscal transparency and accountability must remain non-negotiable."

The government's task is to build a fiscal and financial ecosystem that channels capital to its best value and empower citizens to participate in the nation's prosperity, he reiterated.

By doing so, "we are not simply financing infrastructure, enterprises or public services; we are financing Ethiopia's future, a future that is stable, dynamic, inclusive and sustainable."

According to him, the foundations have been firmly laid, the direction is clear, and the opportunities are immense.

He, however, emphasized the need to continue to work together with discipline, vision and collaboration.

During the occasion, National Bank of Ethiopia (NBE) Governor, Eyob Tekalign said access to capital is one of the most powerful engines of economic growth and private sector expansion.

 

 

When businesses, large and small, are able to secure long term, affordable financing, they can innovate, scale and create the jobs that drive national prosperity, he elaborated.

With the launch and operationalization of the capital market, the country now has an entirely new platform through which capital can be mobilized efficiently and allocated to its most productive uses, he pointed out.

According to the Governor, this marks a profound shift in how investment flows across the nation's economy.

"The rise of the capital markets at this moment in our economic journey is not accidental. It is deeply aligned with our national aspiration to build prosperity through market based growth."

Ethiopian Capital Market Authority Director-General, Hana Tehelku, for her part said a vibrant and resilient capital market requires a combined effort of government regulators, private sector institutions, development partners, and market participants.

 

 

“The progresses that we have made so far have been made possible because of strong collaboration and the paths ahead demands even closer cooperation.”

The Ethiopian Capital Market Summit 2025 is a three-day meeting, it was learned.