According to Trading Economics global macro models and analysts, Ethiopia’s GDP per capita is anticipated to reach 580.00 USD by the end of 2021. According to our econometric models, Ethiopia’s GDP per capita is expected to rise to roughly 650.00 USD in 2022.
What is Ethiopia’s per capita in 2020?
Ethiopia’s GDP per capita was 994 USD in 2020. Ethiopia’s GDP per capita increased significantly from 124 to 994 US dollars between 2001 and 2020, rising at an annual rate that peaked at 36.34 percent in 2012 and then fell to 2.68 percent in 2020.
Which African country is the wealthiest?
Egypt is the richest country in Africa in terms of total GDP (PPP INT$) for 2021. Egypt is Africa’s third-most populous country, with 104 million inhabitants. Egypt’s economy is a diverse one, with tourism, agriculture, and fossil fuels dominating, as well as a burgeoning information and communications technology industry.
Nigeria is Africa’s most populous country, with 211 million people contributing to its GDPnearly double the population of Egypt. Nigeria is a diverse economy with a lower-middle-income concentrate on petroleum and (to a lesser extent) agriculture. It’s also a developing market with burgeoning financial, service, communications, and technology industries.
In Ethiopia, which region is the most prosperous?
The Amhara Highlands, according to Ethiopia’s government website, get 80% of the country’s total annual rainfall and are the country’s most fertile and climatically favorable region. The Blue Nile originates at Bahir Dar, in the Amhara Region’s Lake Tana. When the Blue Nile’s flow reaches its peak (during the rainy season from June to September), it supplies roughly two-thirds of the Nile’s water. Until the Aswan High Dam was completed in Egypt in 1970, the Blue Nile, along with the Atbara River to its north (which also flows out of the Ethiopian Highlands), caused annual Nile floods that contributed to the Nile Valley’s fertility, allowing the rise of ancient Egyptian civilization and, in turn, the development of Egyptian mythology.
Is Ethiopia a poor or wealthy country?
Ethiopia’s strategic location as a launching pad in the Horn of Africa, near to the Middle East and its markets, provides it strategic superiority. Ethiopia is a landlocked country that shares borders with Eritrea, Somalia, Kenya, South Sudan, and Sudan, and has relied on Djibouti’s main port for international trade for the past two decades. With the recent Eritrean peace accord, Ethiopia is expected to regain access to the Eritrean ports of Assab and Massawa as well.
Ethiopia is Africa’s second most populous country after Nigeria, with 115 million inhabitants (2020), and the region’s fastest-growing economy, with 6.1 percent growth in FY2019/20. It is, nevertheless, one of the poorest, with a gross national income per capita of $890. By 2025, Ethiopia wants to be classified as a lower-middle-income country.
Ethiopia has been one of the world’s fastest growing countries over the past 15 years (at an average of 10 percent per year). Capital accumulation, particularly through public infrastructure projects, was a major driver of growth, among other things. Due to COVID-19, Ethiopia’s real GDP growth slowed in FY2019/20 and even more in FY20220/21, with growth in industry and services falling to single digits. Agriculture, which employs more than 70% of the population, was unaffected by the COVID-19 epidemic, and its contribution to growth improved marginally in FY2019/20 compared to the previous year.
Between 2010 and 2020, persistent strong economic growth led in positive trends in poverty reduction in both urban and rural areas. The percentage of the people living in poverty has reduced from 30% in 2011 to 24% in 2016, and human development indicators have improved over time. Despite this, many flaws remain. Inequality is on the rise, owing to the growing discrepancy between urban and rural areas. The bottom 10% of the population has not grown in terms of consumption (as of 2005), notably in rural areas, and inequality is on the rise. Furthermore, COVID-19 has exacerbated existing flaws.
The government has unveiled a new 10-year development plan that will run from 2020/21 through 2029/30 and is based on the 2019 Home-Grown Economic Reform Agenda. The plan intends to maintain the phenomenal growth achieved during the preceding decade’s Growth and Transformation Plans while easing the transition to a more private-sector-driven economy.
Ethiopia’s key problems include maintaining positive economic growth and accelerating poverty reduction, both of which necessitate significant progress in job creation and stronger governance to guarantee that growth is equitable across the country. The government spends a large portion of its budget on anti-poverty initiatives and investments. Large-scale donor financing will continue to play an important role in funding pro-poor activities in the near future. The following are some of the most significant challenges:
- Ethiopia, like the rest of the world, has been hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic’s catastrophic social and economic consequences. While exports and foreign direct investment have recovered in 2020/21, and jobs have recovered, there are likely to be some long-term scars. Urban employment has not entirely recovered, some people and businesses continue to report income losses, and poverty levels are projected to have risen.
- The battle, which began in November 2020, is expected to have an impact on agriculture productivity and food security in the country’s north, as well as stymie economic recovery.
- Ethiopia’s Human Development Index is 0.38, implying that a kid born today in Ethiopia will be 38 percent as productive as if he or she had access to a complete education and good health. This is lower than the Sub-Saharan Africa average, but slightly higher than the low-income country average. Learning poverty affects 90% of children under the age of five, and 37% of children under the age of five are stunted.
- Ethiopia has been dealing with the largest locust invasion in decades since 2020. This might jeopardize Ethiopia’s development progress and jeopardize millions of Ethiopians’ food security and livelihoods.
- A nascent private sector whose ability to grow and create jobs has been hampered by business climate and competitiveness concerns.
- The growing workforce (roughly 2 million per year) puts strain on the labor market’s absorption capacity, necessitating job improvement while also providing enough new jobs.
Vocational and technical
schools (for example, institutes that train home economists and teachers)
training institutions) to help families integrate more quickly.
collaborating with current social services, especially in the area of health.
iii) Onthejob training
It will be organized for teachers and other development agents.
Education, Information, and
Communication (IEC) about population and development issues is important.
a critical role in raising public awareness of the population issue
and growth, as well as facilitating community involvement in the execution
a variety of programs The successful implementation of a well-designed lEC program
asks for the use of all available institutional and personnel resources
resources directly or indirectly involved in the population and development sphere
information about development The IEC’s policy will be focused on formulating
a set of policies and programs that will allow you to:
I A broader and more methodical approach
Using multimedia channels to make population IEC easier to use
In terms of accelerating behavioral change in relation to family size and reproductive health,
Personal and environmental behavior, reproductive health, family nutrition
hygiene;
ii) Dissemination of information
Information about the population is available through community organizations, and there is a lot of interest in it.
NGOs, adult education, women’s and youth’s organisations, political bodies
courses, factories, and other workplaces where there is a considerable number of people
a concentration of workers, for example;
iii) The application of
Topics in population and family life education as fundamental components of formal education
curriculum for education at all levels of schooling;
iv) The application of
issues relating to the population in the information package delivered to the
Agricultural extension workers work with the rural populace, and there is an informal community.
leaders, and other practitioners of community development;
v) The fortification of the
capacity of relevant government’s population and women’s affairs units
IEC programs are created and disseminated by development agencies.
MECHANISMS OF ORGANIZATION
FOR THE PURPOSE OF IMPLEMENTING THE POPULATION POLICY
The population’s anxiety is palpable.
practically every aspect of people’s economic and social lives. Given the situation,
the scale and complexity of our country’s developmental challenges,
Justifying the implementation of a population program is no longer logical.
Only for the sake of health. The varied nature of population policy justifies it.
All elements of economic and social life are affected. Population/demographic
Factors must be seen as both determinants and outcomes of the situation.
economic and social development level Such an understanding of the scope
and the significance of the population’s role in nation-building initiatives
the type of organizational structure required for successful implementation
policies that apply to it
The population of this country is
Prior to now, things have been given a low priority. The current point of view
that demographic factors influence every element of economic and social life
Life necessitates that population policy be managed in this manner.
that all key economic and social sectors are treated equally
It has benefited from it.
Given the difficulties,
expected to arise in the process of securing inter-agency coordination
by appointing a single ministry as the coordinating agency for
The most successful structural alternative, strategically, is population.
To put it another way, the best way to implement this policy is to think of it as a one-of-a-kind situation.
Section in the Prime Minister’s Office This entails two steps, namely,
the formation of a National Population Council (NPC), which will be chaired by
by the Prime Minister or a senior official of his choosing, and
Within the Prime Minister’s Office, there is a Population Office.
Activities of the population in
This nation will be done in accordance with the general guidelines established by
this strategy, as well as the technical and programmatic guidelines that will be created
in consultation with the NPC, by the Office of Population.
Programme implementation
occurs at the grass-roots level, implying a close association
between the Office of Population and other organizations with similar responsibilities
It is critical at the regional, zonal, and wereda levels. It is equally crucial.
that at the onset, a well defined division of labor be indicated, and
Once a decision has been made, it must be followed.
Addis Ababa University (to be established)
a demographer, sociologist, or geographic representative)
Regional Administrator’s Chief
The Prime Minister’s Office’s Affairs Sector
Membership is restricted.
The need to report to the National Council is dictated by the need for efficiency.
as well as the necessity of establishing a platform for those who are more closely involved
in the program’s various aspects. Larger groups of people who are interested, on the other hand,
From time to time, people from the various regions will be brought together to discuss various issues.
basic program implementation issues and provide recommendations
about how things could be fixed The demand for a larger number of people to participate
Participation of the general public in program administration will be enhanced.
in the process of evaluating a program In addition, to connect the activities
of the NPC and the Office of Population with a wide range of government agencies
and nongovernmental organizations working in the fields of population and development
Such bodies shall be convened in a consultative manner at all levels.
at least once a year, and whenever the need arises, to deliberate and plan
advising the government on how to make implementation easier
processes.
The National Population Council is a non-profit organization that promotes population
Shall be accountable to the Council of Ministers for the following:
I Creating policies that are specific to the situation
and population and development-related projects to be implemented
in many sectors of the economy, as well as establishing favorable conditions
to cross-sectoral cooperation;
ii) Establishing a broad legal definition
information about population and development within a framework (IEC)
are to be made available to the general public by various government agencies
and non-governmental organizations;
iii) Examining short, medium, and long documents
… long-term action programs that will result in a considerable reduction in the
current high level of fertility as quickly as feasible, and advising others to do the same
for government adoption;
The Population Office is a government agency that deals with population issues.
will be made up of a group of experts in various aspects of population.
actions without which the goal of economic harmonization would be impossible to achieve.
It is impossible to address socioeconomic and demographic concerns. The place of business will be
It is led by a member of the Prime Minister’s staff with the status of
Minister, who will report directly to the Prime Minister and who will
can work well with people with varying levels of knowledge and must be vested
has sufficient authority to enable him/her to carry out a successful program
Through its enforcement and coordination efforts on behalf of the Council,
chairman. A multisectoral team will provide technical support to the Office.
a committee whose members will come from a wide range of organizations
………………………
(ii) Providing direction for growth
as well as the articulation of operational programs in the sphere of population and development
actions that are connected;
(iii) Organizing and coordinating the actions
of the various sectoral agencies (both public and private)
at various administrative levels, carrying out population and development-related duties
levels;
(v) Advancing policyoriented initiatives
population and development research program at the national level;
(vi) Ensuring that the programs are up to date
Various ministries and other entities conduct surveys to ensure that the population’s needs are met.
policy and guidelines of the Council;
(vii) Creating a multisectoral environment
As needed, a technical committee and special task teams will be formed to assist with the project.
Policy execution that is effective;
viii)Organization and transportation
conferences, symposia, seminars, and other national and international events
on population difficulties, etc.)
(ix) Ensuring that intersectoral cooperation is maintained.
By establishing a population-related program, it is possible to efficiently coordinate population-related activities.
a reliable system for exchanging information;
(x) Assisting in the efficient
existing family planning service delivery institutions are operational;
(xi) Conducive conditions
This will encourage the development of domestic manufacturing capabilities.
a wide range of contraceptives;
(xii) Conducive conditions
This will encourage the development of domestic manufacturing capabilities.
and the provision of resources and equipment to make it easier for others to get involved
to data on population and development;
(xiii)Establishing an efficient system
collaboration with international organizations such as the World Bank,
the African Development Bank, the UN Population Fund, and other organizations
for the objective of enabling the mobilization of technical resources
as well as material resources that will be effective in achieving the goal;
(xiv)Ensuring a seamless transition
ensuring the proper operation of existing demographic data mobilization systems, as well as establishing
new ones, such as the creation of national registration systems
births, marriages, deaths, and changes of address, among other things;
(xv) Improving domestic security
capability for research and concerns related to demographics and population by
internal and external resource mobilization
(xvi)Strengthening the national defense
through facilitating mobilization, capability for training demographic people
of both technical and financial resources
The National Museum’s structure
The national level will be duplicated all the way down to the regional and zonal levels.
There will be a Regional Population Council (RPC) chaired by the Prime Minister.
The region’s chief executive officer or his representative. Members of the group
the following:
Chairman of the Regional Commission
Ethiopian branch of the Ethiopian Family Guidance Association
The Regional Council will take action.
be supported by a secretariat housed in the Chief Executive’s Office
of the area. While the staffing arrangement is impossible to duplicate,
Efforts must be made at the national level to staff the regional secretariat.
with the necessary staff The regional secretariat’s size and composition
must be proportional to the size and complexity of the activities to be completed
The RPC will be in charge.
through the Chief executive officer to the National Population Council
for the following:
I Identifying the significance
of population-related objectives, goals, and strategies, as well as ensuring that
Goals, objectives, and strategies are established by taking into account the current situation.
the Region’s and its subdivisions’ socioeconomic realities;
iv) Recognize unmet needs
in the realm of population-related activities and services, as well as mobilization
for the objective of bolstering existing regional and zonal resources
services, as well as developing new ones when none exist;
iii) Publication of guidelines on
a variety of funding options for family planning services;
iv) Obtaining advice from the Office
in terms of legislative and administrative steps to be taken by the Ministry of Population
taken at the regional level to increase the effectiveness of service delivery
to the inhabitants of the various regions;
v) Reporting on a regular basis
to the National Population Council’s Secretariat
ii) Organizing and coordinating activities
of the various sectoral agencies (both public and private)
at the regional level, carrying out population and development-related activities
and at the zonal level;
iv) Regional promotion
concentrating policy-relevant research and doing population research
and advancement;
v) Creating a technology infrastructure
committees as needed for the population’s proper implementation
policy at the regional scale;
v) Information dissemination
as well as providing zonal governments with population-related advice and technical assistance
Office(s) of Population;
vii) Planning and executing
Organize regional events on population issues;
viii) Actively participating
in the gathering of population and development data;
x) Participating in such activities
as the Office of Population at the national level may demand.
A Zonal Population will exist.
Advisory Council (ZPC). The Chief Executive Officer will head the ZPC.
Zonal administration is a term used to describe a group of people who work together to The ZPC will be made up of representatives.
Planning, Education, Health, and Labor are among the ministries/agencies in charge.
and Social and Women’s Issues, as well as Natural Resources and Environmental Issues
At the zonal level, there is protection. There will also be a population zonal office.
shall be led by a senior officer chosen by the head of the department
who will be a member of the zonal administration as well as the ZPC
The Population Council of the Zonal Zones
The Regional Population Council will be responsible for the following:
I Ensuring that guidelines are followed
for the setup and efficient operation of a registration system
of life’s most important eventsmarriage, birth, death, and migrationacross the globe
The zone adheres to the ideas and formats established by the
Council on Population and Development;
ii) Setting up a system
for the systematic collection of population statistics and related information, including
in accordance with principles, people who are unemployed or underemployed
The National Population Council established and offered guidelines;
iii) Setting up the environment
that will encourage and increase community engagement in population planning
as well as related activities
v) Performing a variety of other tasks
The National Population Council may require it to do so.
ii) Organizing and supervising
and keeping track of all population-related and development-related activities in the country
Zone;
iii) Providing assistance and facilitation
the gathering and reporting of demographic and development data
to the population office of the region;
iv) Ensuring that the populace is healthy
associa
What is Ethiopia’s main export?
Ethiopia’s home market is huge, with approximately 110 million inhabitants, making it Africa’s second most populated country after Nigeria. Ethiopia has had one of the world’s fastest growing economies in the recent decade, with an average annual growth rate of 9.4 percent. According to the World Bank, Ethiopia’s real Gross Domestic Product (GDP) fell to 6.1 percent in 2019/2020 because to COVID-19, and growth is predicted to continue close to 6.4 percent in 2021 due to COVID-19.
With comprehensive policy improvements, the business climate is changing dramatically. Planned privatizations of major state-owned firms suggest a substantial move toward market-based reforms and greater freedom in economic governance. The acute foreign exchange shortage continues to be the most pressing issue for US suppliers, and there is no immediate resolution. Ethiopia’s federal government is currently dealing with a significant civil conflict in and around Ethiopia’s northern Tigray region, which is anticipated to result in heightened political and economic instability in 2021 and 2022, compounding the COVID-related economic slowdown.
While Ethiopia’s economy continues to grow and bring opportunities, doing business in Ethiopia is not without its challenges. Ethiopia was ranked 159th out of 190 countries in the World Bank’s Ease of Doing Business report (EODB) in 2020, up two places from 2018. The new administration has set a goal to enhance the country’s ease of doing business ranking, and has organized an inter-ministerial committee led by the Prime Minister to work on specific areas of the ease of doing business. Small and medium-sized firms (SMEs) in Ethiopia face substantial hurdles, according to the World Economic Forum (WEF), including complex customs administrative procedures, high logistics costs, and access to credit and foreign money.
Ethiopia’s economy has traditionally been driven by agriculture, although it has recently given way to the growth of the service sector. Agriculture, industry, and services contributed 32.7 percent, 29 percent, and 39.5 percent of GDP during the 2019/20 Ethiopian fiscal year, according to the National Bank of Ethiopia (NBE). Between 2005 and 2020, the agriculture sector’s percentage of GDP decreased by more than 25%, while the service sector’s share increased by 28%. Over the last ten years, the manufacturing and industrial sectors’ percentage of GDP has gradually increased. The construction industry, specifically roads, trains, dams, industrial parks, and housing development, is the industrial sector’s key driver of expansion, accounting for more than half of the sector’s growth. Communication and transportation services, hotel and restaurant enterprises, as well as wholesale and retail trading, are all expanding in the service sector.
Ethiopia’s credit worthiness was reduced to ‘B 2’ by Moody’s in May 2020, while S&P and Fitch kept their ‘B’ ratings with a negative outlook. These ratings reflect Ethiopia’s deteriorating budgetary situation, but the country’s short- and medium-term economic growth prospects are comparable to neighbors Kenya and Uganda. The year-on-year inflation rate picked up steam in 2020/21, owing mostly to price increases in food goods. Ethiopian inflation was 24.5 percent on an annualized basis in June 2021.
Ethiopia’s real interest rates are still mostly negative. The yearly inflation rate of about 26.0 percent is lower than the minimum bank deposit rate of 7.0 percent, bond yields of 3.7 percent, and Treasury bill yields of 3.7 percent. The official exchange rate of the dollar to the birr climbed to 44.25 in July 2021, with the birr falling by 33% in less than a year. The birr has continued to depreciate steadily, owing to the NBE’s crawling peg exchange rate strategy. For the same time period, the black market exchange rate ranged between 50 and 75 birr per dollar, a premium of 13 percent to 70% over the official rate.
Ethiopia has a growing trade deficit, with total imports increasing by 12.5% each year on average over the last ten years. Imports, which increased from $3.6 billion in 2010 to $12.5 billion in 2017, the top of Ethiopia’s trade imbalance, drove the increase in the trade deficit. Concerned about the rising trade imbalance, Ethiopia’s government has worked to decrease imports and implemented other macroeconomic policies in recent years, resulting in a reduction in the trade deficit to $12.3 billion in 2018 and $11.6 billion in 2019.
The Ethiopian government introduced its new economic policy strategy, the Home Grown Economic Reform Agenda, in September 2019, with the goal of eliminating macroeconomic imbalances and laying the groundwork for long-term, inclusive growth. The reform attempts to move Ethiopia’s economy away from a public-sector-led model and toward a private-sector-led model. The IMF approved a nearly $3 billion program for Ethiopia in December 2019 to support the Home Grown Reform, which will require a total of $10 billion in new finance, according to government sources.
The Ethiopian birr is a non-convertible currency, and the National Bank of Ethiopia determines how much foreign money (in US dollars) is allocated to the private sector (NBE). The NBE functions in the context of a substantial trade deficit and the necessity to pay sovereign debt commitments arising from government infrastructure projects financed with foreign loans, which takes precedence over scarce foreign currency.
According to the NBE annual report, capital goods accounted for 33.3 percent ($5.0 billion) of overall import spending, while consumer products accounted for 28.3 percent ($4.3 billion). In 2019, the United States sold $1.0 billion worth of goods to Ethiopia, down 22% from the previous year and accounting for 5.2 percent of Ethiopia’s total imports. Despite the drop from 2018 to 2019, Ethiopia’s imports from the US have risen consistently over the last decade, over fivefold from 2007 to 2019.
Coffee (28.7%), cut flowers (14.1%), oil seeds (11.5%), chat (10.9%), pulses (7.9%), gold (6.6%), and leather and leather products (6.6%) were among Ethiopia’s significant goods exports in 2019. (2.4 percent ). Ethiopia’s total export profits grew by 12% in value over the previous year. It was the first time in five years that export revenues increased.
China (13 percent), the United States (9.6%), Saudi Arabia (8 percent), Germany (5.9%), and the United Arab Emirates (5.9%) were Ethiopia’s top five export destinations in 2019. (5.5 percent ). Asia (52 percent), Europe (24 percent), Africa (13 percent), and the Americas (13 percent) accounted for Ethiopia’s exports by region (11 percent ). Ethiopia’s main exports to the United States are coffee, leather, and leather products.
Asia provides for the vast majority of Ethiopia’s imports (67 percent), followed by Europe (17 percent), the Americas (9.8%), with the United States accounting for a substantial share (9.3%), and other African countries (8.1 percent ). Chinese imports accounted for 26% of Ethiopia’s total foreign supplies. Aircraft sales, construction equipment, agricultural machinery, farming, and engineering services are the most common US exports to Ethiopia. The majority of all U.S. exports to Ethiopia were aircraft and aviation parts.
Due to the closeness and availability of reliable air shipping and air services, many US companies situated in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) do business in Ethiopia using Dubai as an intermediary export platform. Please see the table below for bilateral trade numbers between the United States and Ethiopia.
What is Ethiopia’s most important import?
Overview According to the Economic Complexity Index, Ethiopia was the number 59 economy in the world in terms of GDP (current US$), number 127 in total exports, number 92 in total imports, number 173 in terms of GDP per capita (current US$), and the number 97 most complicated economy in the world in 2020. (ECI).
Exports Ethiopia’s top exports are coffee ($860 million), other oily seeds ($384 million), gas turbines ($328 million), other vegetables ($261 million), and gold ($194 million), which are primarily exported to the United States ($409 million), Somalia ($294 million), Hong Kong ($253 million), the United Arab Emirates ($247 million), and Saudi Arabia ($203 million).
Imports Refined Petroleum ($1.24 billion), Gas Turbines ($532 million), Planes, Helicopters, and/or Spacecraft ($406 million), Wheat ($320 million), and Packaged Medicaments ($317 million) are Ethiopia’s top imports, with the majority coming from China ($2.75 billion), India ($903 million), the United Arab Emirates ($798 million), the United States ($554 million), and Kuwait ($530 million).
Ethiopia shares land borders with Djibouti, Eritrea, Kenya, Somalia, South Sudan, and Sudan.
Is the Ethiopian economy expanding?
Its economy was among the world’s least developed three decades ago. Then, in 1991, rebels led by the TPLF deposed the Marxist regime that had been in power for a long time. Despite remaining autocratic, the TPLF-led government began liberalizing the economy and allocating investment into infrastructure. Since 1995, Ethiopia’s GDP per capita has increased more than sevenfold, outpacing other sub-Saharan nations and the emerging world as a whole (see chart). In the 2010s, the proportion of Ethiopians living in extreme poverty declined from half to under a quarter of the population.
Which country is the poorest in the world?
Burundi, a small landlocked country ravaged by Hutu-Tutsi ethnic conflict and civil violence, has the terrible distinction of being the poorest country on the planet. Food scarcity is a serious concern, with almost 90 percent of its approximately 12 million residents reliant on subsistence agriculture (with the overwhelming majority of them surviving on $1.25 a day or less), and food insecurity is about twice as high as the norm for Sub-Saharan African countries. Furthermore, access to water and sanitation is still limited, and only about 5% of the population has access to electricity. Needless to say, the epidemic has worsened all of these issues.
How did things get to this point, despite the fact that the civil war officially ended 15 years ago? Infrastructure deficiencies, widespread corruption, and security concerns are all common causes of extreme poverty. In 2005, Pierre Nkurunziza, a charismatic former Hutu rebel who became president, was able to unite the country behind him and begin the process of reconstructing the economy. However, in 2015, his announcement that he would run for a third termwhich the opposition claimed was illegal under the constitutionreignited old feuds. Hundreds of people were killed in fighting, and tens of thousands were internally or externally displaced as a result of the failed coup attempt.
Nkurunziza died in the summer of 2020, at the age of 55, from cardiac arrest, while it is widely assumed that Covid-19 was the true reason. Days later, Evariste Ndayishimiye, an ex-general designated by Nkurunziza to succeed him when his term expired, was sworn in. His track record has been mixed so far. While he, like his predecessor, minimized the virus’s severity, and claims of human rights violations continue to emerge from the country, he made an effort to relaunch the economy and mend diplomatic relations with his African neighbors, particularly the West. His efforts were rewarded: the United States and the European Union recently withdrew financial restrictions imposed in the aftermath of the 2015 political turmoil, resuming aid to Burundi. Could this be a watershed moment for the world’s poorest country?