ADDIS ABABA - He touted his country’s economy as having risen to be the first in the East African region, suggesting it had defied the odds of conflict and Covid-19. Abiy cited the World Bank as the source of his figures, and declared that the numbers may have been underestimated.

“Ethiopia's economy held up under pressure and reached $127.6 billion, demonstrating that our economy is unbreakable and will continue to grow. The per capita income reached $1,212. According to World Bank, the economy has risen to first in East Africa and third in sub-Saharan Africa,” he said.

“However, we do not agree with the report in its entirety. Because Ethiopia has both formal and informal economic activity, we believe it has achieved greater growth than the report indicates. GDP increased by 6.4 per cent in 2014 E.C (Ethiopian Calendar). Our goal for this year is 7.5 per cent growth.”