Bigger news29 Jul 2024 08:03
While its nice to get official confirmation of what Harry said in the webinar. The money from the IMF and the economic reform is bigger news.
Should make it easier to work out final Capex for TK project and any investment in dollars into the project may well now go further in Ethiopia. Plus should give the Ethiopians money to put into the mining sector in its country. Will need a boost to its country finance's and foreign reserves to reduce the pain of the Birr free floating which is inevitable to be painful domestically. Going to need more foreign investment generally but should be easier as not going to have the uncertainty now over will they want they over the Birr. Kind of reminds me of the UK dropping out of the ERM felt like a disaster in the short term but longer term turned out to be good thing.
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2024-07-29/ethiopia-frees-its-currency-to-attract-investors-spur-growth
https://www.reuters.com/markets/currencies/ethiopia-shifts-market-based-foreign-exchange-system-2024-07-29/
As part of the reforms, Ethiopia will get $10.7 billion in external financing from its development partners, said Mamo Mihretu, the central bank governor, in a video released online.
"This support includes exceptional financing from the IMF, the World Bank, and Creditors," he said.
"The IMF and World Bank are both providing exceptional and front-loaded funding support that will be among their highest such allocations in the African continent."
https://addisfortune.news/breaking-news/ethiopia-unleashes-market-forces-in-historic-forex-liberalization/
Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed (PhD), made the announcement today, justifying the decision as a necessary measure to address deep-seated economic structural issues, including foreign exchange distortions and macroeconomic imbalances.
The official exchange rate currently stands at 58.6 Br against the Dollar, while the parallel market sees rates of 115 Br or more. The disparity has fueled a robust parallel market, complicating economic planning and fuelling inflation. The government hopes that by allowing market forces to set the exchange rate, these distortions will diminish, creating a more favorable balance of payments and attracting foreign direct investment.