World Bank approves $1.5b in financing for Ethiopia

A general view of the skyline of Addis Ababa, Ethiopia on November 3, 2021.

Photo credit: Reuters

The World Bank's board has approved $1.5 billion in financing for its first ever budget support lending to Ethiopia, the lender said late on Tuesday as the east African nation tries to push ahead with a long-running debt restructuring.

Africa's second-most populous country secured a four-year, $3.4 billion programme from the International Monetary Fund on Monday, hours after its central bank floated its birr currency, paving the way for its debt overhaul to move forward.