Political Commitment and Digital Transformation Driving Revenue Reform in Addis Ababa – Mayor

Addis Ababa, January 22, 2026 (FMC) — Addis Ababa City Administration Mayor Adanech Abiebie said strong political commitment and digital transformation are driving wide-ranging tax administration reforms that have improved transparency and accountability in the city’s revenue collection system.

The mayor made the remarks during a high-level experience-sharing gathering involving African cities, mayors, and other stakeholders, held in Addis Ababa ahead of the 13th session of the World Urban Forum (WUF13), scheduled for May 17–22, 2026.

According to the Financial Governance Performance Survey of six African cities conducted by the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (ECA), Addis Ababa ranked first overall. The assessment covered Addis Ababa, Nairobi, Dar es Salaam, Lusaka, Kigali, and Yaounde.

The Ethiopian capital recorded the strongest performance in revenue generation and financial resource management, leading in five of the six key indicators used in the survey.

Addressing participants, Mayor Adanech said Addis Ababa has made significant progress in strengthening its revenue collection system over the past few years, noting that the city’s experience demonstrates how African cities can expand and modernize their financial infrastructure through digital transformation and innovation.

She said Addis Ababa, like many African cities, continues to face challenges stemming from rapid population growth, rising demand for urban services, and the impacts of climate change. In this context, the mayor emphasized that sustainable urban transformation cannot be achieved without a strong, multi-sector financial system backed by firm political commitment.

Mayor Adanech said the city is currently implementing comprehensive reforms to transform its tax administration system. The reforms have enabled the modernization of tax collection, strengthened electronic business licensing, improved taxpayer registration, and enhanced transparency and accountability across revenue collection processes.

She further noted that the results achieved so far are underpinned by strong political leadership, enhanced technical capacity, evidence-based decision-making, and sustained efforts to build trust between the city administration and residents.