IFC hails Ethiopia’s efforts to create enabling environment for investment

Addis Ababa, April 25, 2025 (FMC) — Ethiopia’s Finance Minister Ahmed Shide conferred with the International Finance Corporation (IFC) of the World Bank Group on the margins of the 2025 World Bank –IMF Spring Meetings.

In its press release sent to ENA, the high-level Ethiopian delegation, led by Minister Ahmed Shide, had fruitful exchanges with IFC’s Managing Director, Makhtar Diop and discussed Ethiopia’s ongoing reforms and measures taken to boost private sector investments.

The finance minister briefed the counterparts on the implementation of the homegrown macroeconomic reform to modernize the economy toward a market-based economy and the excellent progress thus far, including positive business sentiment from private investors and rise in export levels.

He expressed the government’s commitment to further deepen efforts to boost private sector investment, including in the transport, agriculture business financing, and energy sectors.

On his part, Managing Director of IFC, Makhtar Diop commended Ethiopia’s efforts to create an enabling environment for investment.

He further underscored the importance of sustained efforts required to further improve the investment climate and unlock the full potential of private sector-led development.

Moreover, Minister of Finance Ahmed Shide requested the IFC to scale up efforts to support impactful investments in Ethiopia taking into consideration the current favorable macroeconomic environment established for the private sector.

And the Managing Director Diop expressed the International Finance Corporation’s full commitment to continue leveraging the Corporation’s technical support and mobilize additional resources to support investment endeavors in Ethiopia by utilizing all of IFC’s instruments and schemes available for the private sector.

He further underscored IFC’s readiness to explore co-financing opportunities on the planned new international airport project with bilateral and multilateral development partners that have expressed interest in the project.

The two sides agreed to work closely both at the high and technical levels to strengthen the collaboration, jointly work on investment projects, and advance on critical investment opportunities.

The International Finance Corporation (IFC), the largest development institution focused on the private sector in emerging markets and developing economies, it was learned.