Zemedeneh Negatu
@Zemedeneh • 261,643 subscribers
Optimistic Ethiopian-American. Co-founder/CEO, CBE Capital, Chairman Fairfax Africa (US), ex. EY Managing Partner, PwC (US) alumnus. Howard (BA), Harvard (LSE)
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Impressive exhibition of “Made in Ethiopia” manufactured products (video) at the very beautiful new Addis Abeba International Convention Center (AICC). Ethiopia’s manufacturing capacity has grown steadily in the past few years. It now produces wide variety quality products including: Trucks Buses Electric Vehicles (EV) Solar panels Drones Electronics Tractors Boats Furniture Food & beverages Manufacturing is one of the 5 key pillars of Ethiopia’s home grown economic reform program. With the world’s 3rd cheapest energy per kwh, 47+ million young, trainable, deployable work force (2nd largest in Africa), abundant natural resources, close proximity to global export markets, and access to the 1.2 billion African market via the AfCFTA, Ethiopia is well positioned to be the “China of Africa” manufacturing hub. The country has been amongst the 5 largest recipients of FDI in Africa for the last 5 years in a row (Number 2 in 2025) and most of the FDI has been in the manufacturing sector. Domestic investors too have been actively investing in the manufacturing sector including the investment by one of the country largest local companies (East Africa Holdings) which recently inaugurated Africa’s largest cement factory (Lemi). Another large local company (BKG) produces electric buses, vehicles and charging stations. Drones too are now produced locally. I was glad to meet at the exhibition two women who lead two very successful furniture manufacturers—Technostyle (Amelework) and Waryt (Tihitina). Very impressive high quality furniture locally manufactured for export and the domestic market. We at CBE Capital Investment Bank CBE Capital are already working with many Ethiopian manufacturers in capital raising (IPOs, Private Placements), M&A, JVs with international investors, etc. and look forward to supporting them in their future growth. Nigeria Kenya South Africa Tanzania Uganda Rwanda Melaku Alebel Addis Office of the Prime Minister - Ethiopia kassahun gofe Ethiopian Investment Commission (EIC) Eyob Tekalign Tolina(PhD) Fitsum Assefa Adela Ministry of Finance - Ethiopia 🇪🇹 Adanech Abiebie ብሩክ ታዬ Brook Taye Ethiopian Investment Holdings Abie Sano
Zemedeneh Negatu510,471 görüntüleme • 1 ay önce
For the first time ever, I rode in a fully autonomous driverless ride-hailing (Waymo) vehicle in San Fransciso. The vehicle navigated the busy streets just like any vehicle with a driver. But, I got to admit, it was surreal sitting in the back and riding without a driver (and no one to talk). The vehicle’s computer controlled everything including the music, the temperature, announcements such as how long the ride takes and arrival. Waymo and similar others could be the new norm in many cities around the world in the not distant future. The question is: What would happen to the jobs of millions of drivers of taxis and ride hailing services around the world? Waymo is owned by Alphabet (Google’s parent) and has expanded beyond its original base in San Francisco to other U.S. cities including Los Angeles, Dallas, etc.
Zemedeneh Negatu437,301 görüntüleme • 1 ay önce
Re-branding Africa in a new global order. The perception of risk is holding back FDI into Africa even though Africa is key to the global economy’s future from powering EVs, cellphones, microchips, etc. Full interview: Interview conducted a little while ago but a lot has changed globally the past few months so reposting it due to its timely relevancy. #Nigeria #Ghana #Kenya #Ethiopia #Southafrica
Zemedeneh Negatu830,919 görüntüleme • 1 yıl önce
Thank you Speed⭐️ for showing the spectacular night view of Addis Abeba from the roof top of the 47-story building of the Commercial Bank of Ethiopia and the headquarters of our Investment Bank CBE Capital. Addis’ skylight now looks like New York, Dubai & Shanghai!
Zemedeneh Negatu165,127 görüntüleme • 4 ay önce
Ethiopian immigrants successfully assimilated in America and quietly built vast communities and businesses through discipline and hard work. Ethiopians came to Washington not to survive but to build. Build, we did! Highlight video below. Ethiopia Full video at Weird Earth YouTube channel.
Zemedeneh Negatu182,003 görüntüleme • 5 ay önce
The BBC’s Newsday interview. I discussed the growth drivers of #Ethiopia’s economy, longterm outlook, FDI (who’s investing), banking & retail sectors now open to foreign investors and the $1.7 billion new FDI announced at an investment event in Addis. Click below to listen.
Zemedeneh Negatu216,704 görüntüleme • 1 yıl önce
This video got lots of views and comments on X because it dispels the stereotypical image of “shabby” African cities. Just to be clear: The video is of Addis Abeba, Ethiopia. It’s not Park Avenue, New York or Pennsylvania Avenue, Washington, D.C., although I’m certain the leadership that transformed Addis and Ethiopians appreciate the comparison. The video shows the President of Turkey driven around during his state visit to Ethiopia this week. Today’s Addis is modern, clean and green (if not more) like other major modern global cities in the U.S., Europe (London, Paris), Middle East (Dubai) and Asia (Singapore, Shanghai, Tokyo). Nigeria Kenya South Africa Uganda Tanzania Rwanda
Zemedeneh Negatu62,150 görüntüleme • 3 ay önce
Urban redevelopment at its best! The Kazanchis area in #Ethiopia’s capital, Addis Abeba. My family lived in Kazanchis a long time ago before we moved to the U.S. It has now been beautifully redeveloped beyond recognition. Congratulations PM Abiy Ahmed Ali 🇪🇹. Also like to congratulate Mayor Adanech Abiebie, other city officials/ professionals and the residents of Addis. 👏 👏 👏 INSIGHT & ANALYSIS The re-birth of Addis has huge longterm economic & societal benefits for Ethiopia. Those who knew the old streets and neighborhoods of Addis now have to rely on Google Map and GPS since everything has changed dramatically for the better: New roads and highways, modern residential and commercial buildings, utility cables buried underground (no more ugly eyesores), standardized building and street signages, well-lit clean green streets, absolutely beautiful functional parks (my favorite is Friendship), museums (the magnificently restored National Palace and the newly built Adwa Museum are world-class must visits), cafes and restaurants everywhere, EV charging stations, etc. The redeveloped palm-tree lined 3.5 mile drive from Bole Airport to Meskel Square, especially at night, has an incredible “Wow” factor unparalleled by any major African capital city. The newly installed giant LCD screens everywhere, including the flyover bypasses, make it feel like Times Square in New York, the Ginza district in Tokyo or Sheikh Zayed Road in Dubai. The old fashioned ugly static billboards have been banned and removed. The Addis we wished when traveling or living aboard is visible now (albeit it’s a work in progress). And, as Ethiopia positions itself as a major African regional economic hub (it’s consistently ranked amongst the 5 top FDI destinations in Africa and already hosts the largest number of diplomatic missions in Africa and 3rd largest in the world), it’s absolutely essential for Addis to be transformed, as is happening now. Of course improving the quality of life of its 130+ million citizens (amongst the 10 most populous countries in the world) is the priority goal. Addis accounts for about 30% of the country’s GDP and is forecast by “The Economist” to achieve an average annual GDP growth of 10.6% in the next 10 years, the fastest growth of any African city. I grew up in Washington DC and recall the redevelopment of the city starting in the mid-1980s. Washington, at the time, was rundown and neglected especially the downtown area. Today, it’s one of the most beautiful livable cities in the world. Of course it took more than 30+ years to transform DC even with the deployment of enormous resources by the U.S and DC government and investments by American private companies. I see many similarities between DC and the redevelopment of Addis, but it’s being achieved in a much shorter period with much less resources. This shows that Ethiopians can think BIG and achieve BIG! Let’s keep it up👍 👍 👍
Zemedeneh Negatu173,821 görüntüleme • 1 yıl önce
Only a fraction of the trillions of dollars of global investable capital comes to Africa - My interview with CNBC TV conducted after I spoke at the UN’s “Africa Business Forum 2026” (ABF). Video below. My recommendations: 1. Invest in young Africans. That’s how “Asian Tigers” such as South Korea developed. 2. African countries must collaborate and have common stands. Small fragmented markets do not attract large capital. Implement the AfCFTA asap. 3. Africa has to address the perception of risk which is deterring FDI and forcing African countries to pay “prejudicial premium” on sovereign and corporate borrowings. 4. Invest in transformational sectors such as domestic manufacturing including resource benefaction in Africa, agriculture, infrastructure and technology. 5. The African Union (AU) needs to have a sense of urgency and prepare the continent for the impact of the dismantling of the global order, dramatic changes in geopolitics, shifting global trade & investment policies and rapid technological (especially AI) changes. The AU has to move beyond slogans. Full interview: Kenya Nigeria South Africa Ethiopia Ghana
Zemedeneh Negatu47,834 görüntüleme • 3 ay önce
The impact of President Trump’s decision to shut embassies across Africa & eliminate the Africa bureau at State Dept. My interview with “First Post” TV. U.S. likely to prioritize engagements with just a few strategic African countries. #Nigeria #Ethiopia #Kenya #SouthAfrica Because Africa accounts for less than 1% of America’s global annual trade, it will remain a low priority in Washington unless it elevates its game. Full interview:
Zemedeneh Negatu135,591 görüntüleme • 1 yıl önce
The world is in chaos, what next? Watch this video of Ethiopia’s Prime Minister H.E. Dr. Abiy Ahmed’s very insightful response to a question I posed to him at a finance forum last week. This week at World Economic Forum in Davos global leaders expressed views similar to PM Abiy’s.
Zemedeneh Negatu47,397 görüntüleme • 4 ay önce
Today I was at the world’s busiest airport, Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson (ATL), which handled 108 million passengers last year. Remarkable how such a busy airport operates so efficiently. The 110-million passenger Bisoftu International Airport in Ethiopia (under construction), owned by Ethiopian Airlines, at full capacity will be comparable to ATL’s passenger handling capacity today. ATL is home to Delta Airlines, the largest U.S. carrier by revenue and market capitalization. For reference: In 2025 these were the 5 busiest airports in the world, by total passengers handled (millions): 1. Atlanta (ATL) 108.1 2. Dubai (DXB) 92.3 3. Dallas (DFW) 87.8 4. Tokyo (HND) 85.9 5. London (LHR) 83.9 Kenya Nigeria South Africa
Zemedeneh Negatu32,906 görüntüleme • 4 ay önce
Africa has a lower debt default rate than any other emerging market. But, according to a Bloomberg report, Africa pays $75 billion more per year in “prejudice premium” borrowing costs compared to others. This has to change. I spoke about this at the AIM summit in Dubai (video). The change has to start with the major rating agencies who overweight the perception of risk compared to the data supported lower default real risk.
Zemedeneh Negatu39,466 görüntüleme • 6 ay önce
My interview with BBC News Africa about Ethiopia-Somaliland. Very timely to re-watch following the big geo-political decision to recognize Somaliland by Israel (the U.S.?) Ethiopia too should prioritize its national interest and proceed with the Somaliland agreement from 2024. Ethiopia remaining landlocked is UNTHINKABLE.
Zemedeneh Negatu30,948 görüntüleme • 5 ay önce
Ethiopian Airlines’s CEO’s great interview with the BBC. #Ethiopia #Nigeria #Kenya #SouthAfrica Highlights from the interview: *$8.0 billion revenue by June, ahead of its orginal plan under “vision 2025” (ET is amongst the 30 largest airlines in the world and by far Africa’s largest. It’s bigger than Africa’s four largest flag carriers - Egypt Air, Kenya Airways, Royal Air Maroc and South African Airways - COMBINED). *110 million passengers airport starts construction this year (will be amongst the 5 largest in the world and cost $10 billion when completed). *ET has ordered approximately 70 new Boeing aircrafts, firm & options, which will be delivered over the next few years. *ET manufactures sophisticated parts in Ethiopia for Boeing aircrafts. Comments above in parenthesis ( ) added by me. Additional insight about the strong and decades-long relationship between ET and Boeing: *ET is by far Boeing’s largest customer in Africa. The airline currently flies 162 aircrafts and the vast majority are Boeings including 777s, 787s and 737s. The ~70 new Boeing aircrafts on order, worth billions of dollars, will create/maintain thousands of high paying American jobs. *Yesterday Boeing inaugurated its new Africa headquarters in Addis Abeba, further strengthening the U.S-Ethiopia investment and trade relationships. This aligns with President Trump’s policy of prioritizing trade and investments globally including with African countries. Ethiopia too is prioritizing even more trade and investments with the U.S. The U.S. has been running a trade surplus with Ethiopia for many years primarily because of the billions of dollars of Boeing sales to ET. Furthermore, ET is the largest customer in Africa of the U.S. government’s EXIM Bank based in Washington. Note: ET is on track to have 260+ aircrafts in the next several years, the vast majority will be Boeings but will also include Airbus aircrafts and others. Full interview at BBC News Africa
Zemedeneh Negatu60,907 görüntüleme • 1 yıl önce
I was interviewed by BBC News about the #Ethiopia-#Somaliland agreement which gives Ethiopia direct sea access of 20 KM (12 miles) for 50 years. Ethiopia is SSA’s 3rd largest GDP (US$156b) & Africa’s 2nd most populous (127m). #Kenya #Djibouti #Somalia #Eritrea #Sudan BBC News Africa
Zemedeneh Negatu110,105 görüntüleme • 2 yıl önce
“The direct sea access #Ethiopia secured with #Somaliland is a WONDERFUL deal for Ethiopia since it diversifies the bottleneck in #Djibouti where everything has to come through at very high prices”: Dr. J. Peter Pham 🇺🇲, expected to be President Trump’s top State Dept. official for Africa. It’s refreshing and encouraging to hear such enlightened and realty based comments from an incoming senior U.S. government official soon to head African policies for State. Perhaps the U.S.’s new much talked about shift from “aid to investment and trade” has already started. Glad to know that Dr. Pham and Ambassador Tibor Nagy, former U.S. Ambassador to Ethiopia, who just rejoined the state Dept, and who knows the region very well, will influence the big U.S. economic policy changes coming to the Horn. This should be very good news for implementing pragmatic U.S. policies to support the transformation of the economies in Eastern Africa, including Ethiopia, the region’s largest economy and Africa’s second most populous country.
Zemedeneh Negatu65,494 görüntüleme • 1 yıl önce
A big week for the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD). The completion of Africa’s largest hydroelectric power dam officially announced by Ethiopia’s PM H.E. Abiy Ahmed. The $5.0 billion self-financed dam ends darkness for millions across Africa. Congratulations!
Zemedeneh Negatu46,731 görüntüleme • 11 ay önce
Did the U.S. fund the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) as President Trump stated? “First Post” TV asked me that key question during last night’s live interview (video). My response: No, the U.S. did not fund GERD. I believe the President was misinformed by his advisors. Under both Republican and Democrat presidents, the U.S. policy has been not to fund GERD, neither directly nor indirectly. Full interview at:
Zemedeneh Negatu44,204 görüntüleme • 10 ay önce