Addis Ababa, February 12, 2026 (FMC) – Ethiopia’s Minister of Finance, H.E. Ahmed Shide, held high-level consultations today with Ms. Anna Bjerde, World Bank Managing Director of Operations, and Mr. Ndiame Diop, World Bank Vice President for the East and Southern Africa Region, reaffirming strong collaboration across multiple sectors.
The discussions focused on progress under Ethiopia’s ongoing macroeconomic reform program and priorities for sustaining growth, macroeconomic stability, and inclusive development.
Minister Ahmed outlined recent efforts to advance the transition toward a private-sector-led economy and emphasized the importance of continued collaboration with the World Bank Group, including the International Finance Corporation (IFC) and the Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency (MIGA), in supporting reform implementation and expanding opportunities for private sector development.
Ms. Bjerde welcomed the progress achieved since the previous engagement in October 2025, highlighting improvements in monetary policy management, declining inflationary pressures, strengthened foreign exchange reserves, and enhanced functioning of the foreign exchange market.
She reiterated the World Bank Group’s commitment to supporting Ethiopia’s reform agenda and long-term development priorities, including through increased support for private-sector growth and small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).
Both sides underscored the importance of deepening cooperation in areas including job creation, energy, logistics, digital transformation, agricultural development, private sector and SME development, and climate resilience, as well as strengthening institutional capacity to sustain reform momentum.
This high-level engagement forms part of an ongoing strategic dialogue between Ethiopia and the World Bank Group, reflecting a shared commitment to advancing inclusive growth, private-sector-led development, and sustainable economic transformation.