Expat financial advisor in Ethiopia – that will be the topic of today’s article.
I will compare some of the options available locally, alongside more portable, online, and international options like what we offer.
For any questions, or if you are looking to invest as an expat, you can contact me using this form, or on email – advice@adamfayed.com
It makes sense to have a portable option as an expat, as opposed to a localized one, and that is something we specialize in.
INTRODUCTION
Ethiopia, the official name is the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, previously also known as Abyssinia – a landlocked state in East Africa (after the separation of Eritrea on May 24, 1993). The population is over 100 million people, the territory is 1,104,300 km², the second (after Nigeria) most populous country in Africa.
Takes the 12th place in the world in terms of population. Ethiopia is the most populated country in the world, that has no access to the sea. Along the northeastern border with Eritrea, the Red Sea is located only 50 km away. The capital is Addis Ababa. The state language is Amharic.
It is subdivided into 12 administrative-territorial units, 10 of which are states and 2 are special districts, equated in status to states.
The country is located in the east of Africa. It shares borders with Eritrea in the north, Djibouti in the northeast, Somalia and the unrecognized state of Somaliland in the east, Kenya in the south, Sudan in the northwest, and South Sudan in the southwest.
Differs in significant ethnocultural diversity. About 60% of the population is Christian.
Agrarian country. GDP in purchasing power parity for 2019 amounted to USD 220 billion. Monetary unit – Ethiopian birr.
Ethiopia is a longtime member of various international organizations: it was a member of the League of Nations and became one of the first members of the UN. Ethiopia is a founding member of the African Union and a member of the ACP international organization.
Ethiopian economy
The only downside of the Ethiopian economy is the low-profit consumer agriculture. Thanks to the easing of customs regimes, the level of investment in the country’s economy has increased. The main investors are China, India, and Saudi Arabia.
GDP per capita (according to the IMF) in 2014 – $ 1600 (173rd place in the world). Below the poverty line – about 40% of the population.
Agriculture is the main branch of the Ethiopian economy, employing 85% of the population, 44% of GDP, and 62% of the country’s exports. Ethiopia is one of the largest exporters of African coffee (exports to 53 countries), accounting for over 60% of export earnings. The area of coffee plantations in Ethiopia exceeds 525 thousand hectares. In 2014/15, Ethiopia exported about 180,000 tons of coffee. In 2021, a record was set for the export of coffee in a month, 29 thousand tons of coffee were sold for $ 114 million.
In Ethiopia, cereals, coffee, oilseeds, cotton, sugarcane, and potatoes are grown. Industry gives 13% of GDP (5% of employees) – processing of agricultural products, production of drinks, textiles, leather goods.
Foreign trade is also a source of income for the country. Exports – $ 3.23 billion in 2017 – coffee (up to 27% of the total value), oilseeds (17% of the total value), vegetables, gold (up to 13% of the total value), flowers, livestock, and meat products.
Major buyers in 2017: Sudan – 23.3%, Switzerland – 10.2%, China – 8.1%, Somalia – 6.6%, Netherlands – 6.2%, USA – 4.7%, Germany – 4.7%, Saudi Arabia 4.6%, UK 4.6%.
Imports – USD 15.59 billion in 2017 – machines, vehicles, including aircraft (up to 24% of the total value), metal and metal products (up to 14% of the total value), electrical goods, petroleum products, chemicals, and fertilizers.
The main suppliers in 2017: China – 24.1%, Saudi Arabia – 10.1%, India – 6.4%, Kuwait – 5.3%, France – 5.2%.
Conditions of Life
Family families live in straw huts called Tukuls. Nomadic scamps are building portable houses from branches and picker. Modern houses cement houses are built regularly in cities, but not everyone has this option. In Addis Ababa, while many people live in highly built wood and mud houses, others live in homemade homes along the ground streets without any sanitation.
For many Ethiopsees, food is an inner, in spongy sour bread. He is eaten with a vat, sharp stew; But meat is rare luxury. Breastfeeding provides better food for children, but small children may not get enough food as soon as they leave. The average daily consumption of calories is approximately half of the Australians.
Many diseases in Ethiopia can be associated with the lack of pure, safe water supply. Health problems include dysentery and diarrhea, bilharition, cholera and tuberculosis. Distiller children are very vulnerable to infection.
Most rural women do not receive health care during pregnancy and childbirth. Preventive measures, such as immunization, testing the weight of children, construction launches and training local health workers are vital in reducing the death of children. HIV and AIDS is also a serious question, as in other parts of Africa.
Education in Ethiopia
Ethiopia supports two educational systems. The traditional system has rooted in Christianity and Islam. Christian education at the first level is often held clergy in the vicinity of worship places. Higher education, with an emphasis on traditional Christian dogma, most of the largest centers of worship, the most outstanding monasteries in the north and the northwestern part of the country are still running. The graduation of these centers leads to a position in relation to the priesthood and church hierarchy.
Modern education was the innovation of emperors Menimel II and Haile Selassie I, which created an excellent primary and secondary education system. In addition, in the 1950s, colleges of liberal arts, technologies, public health, health care, construction, law, social work, business, agriculture and theology were opened.
Public education for free on the primary, middle and tertiary levels. Basic education is offered for eight years and is mandatory aged from 7 to 12 years. Four years of secondary education, including two biennium cycles, follow. Primary schools are usually available, and there is a high speed of registration; On the contrary, there is a shortage of secondary schools, and registration is reduced at this level. The system of the state school as a whole worsened from the lack of adequate financing, teaching staff, objects and space.
The oldest university in the country, the University of Addis Ababa, was founded in 1950 as an Addis Ababab University College. In 1961, it was restructured and renamed HAILE SELASSIE I university, and in 1975 he accepted his real name. Other universities in Ethiopia include the University of Alemai in Dire-Dawa, Debub University in Awassa, as well as Universities Jimm, Mekele, and Bahir Dar.
Literacy rate in Ethiopia is much lower than regional and global funds. About half of the male population – competent; Estimates of the literacy of the assessment for the female population range from about one third to two fifths.
In case you will need to move to Ethiopia for work or business purposes, you may need a financial advisor there. Let’s see who is a financial advisor, and how he can help you reach your financial goals in Ethiopia.
Why do you need a financial advisor in Ethiopia?
The problem for many people is that they have no control over their cash flows. As a result, they live chaotically, not knowing where they are going financially.
We are all unwittingly involved in the constant flow of finance. After all, we make various monetary transactions every day. And it depends only on us how conscious this movement will be on the scale of our entire life.
To manage the future, we need to:
- Manage your cash flows;
- Transform the future into a set of clear, measurable financial goals;
- Make a plan to achieve these goals;
- Carry out your plan.
This is a common situation that a financial advisor works with. Along with this, special cases are also possible.
A person already clearly understands what tasks he is striving for. He only needs a specialist who will help him choose the right strategy for achieving the goal. And will offer the best tools for solving important problems. In both cases, a personal financial advisor can help you.
Who is a financial advisor?
This is a specialist who advises on financial policy issues at different levels. He can work both as an individual and as a legal entity. This does not change its function.
He advises clients on saving or increasing money, assesses their financial condition, develops investment policy, a scheme for working with banking institutions, and makes management decisions.
This category includes the following specialties:
- brokers;
- investment advisors;
- accountants;
- financial lawyers;
- insurance agents;
- financial analysts.
The consultant may be well versed in a particular area of finance, but may also be a multi-disciplinary specialist. A financial advisor must have all the required professional skills. Secondly, it is excellent to know the provisions and laws of legislation in the field of finance and economics. In addition, he must understand the market economy, trends in monetary investments.
He must also be able to evaluate financial assets and their instruments. Understand the procedures for buying and selling securities in the stock markets. In addition, he should be familiar with modern systems of lending and investment, control and taxation.
In other words, a financial advisor is an advisor with excellent knowledge in any financial, legal and accounting area.
Bank financial advisor
Many banks provide the opportunity to use their financial advisors for your investments. They may even offer incentives like lower fees or a free check if you have an investment bank account.
Please note that your bank advisor is paid and you will have to pay additional fees. Typically, there is a minimum amount they want you to continue investing through them in order to maintain the service. You may want to work with your bank because you already have a relationship with it. However, it is important to make sure that your bank’s investment services are right for you.
People will choose to use their bank because they believe the advisor is more trustworthy or because it makes it easier to find a financial advisor.
A bank consultant will probably be able to offer you a wide range of investment options as well as life insurance. Brokerage fees should be comparable to fees from other independent financial advisors or brokerage firms. When you are thinking about investing, having a reliable company and name can be reassuring.
While it is pleasant to maintain a well-established relationship, you should find out what happens if you need to change banks because of your move or a similar reason. You can leave your investments in the bank, even if you do not have an account with them.
If you are thinking of freezing your money temporarily, a fixed escrow account might be a good option. A fixed deposit is more like a savings account, however your investment has an expiration date and a fixed rate.
The main investment is withdrawn at the end of the fixed period (term) agreed upon when the deposit was made, and at this stage interest is charged on it.
There are various types of time deposit accounts that one can invest in in Ethiopia. To get the most out of your fixed deposit investment, you must set clear goals before transferring money to a fixed deposit account.
When opening a deposit account with a fixed deposit, you need to consider the following points: the period in which you are willing to invest your money, and the range of interest rates that you want to earn.
Local financial advisors
Financial advisors from Ethiopia can assist you in many financial transactions, from opening a simple bank account to making large investments in your home country. Their experience and knowledge cannot be less than the skills of any other financial consultant, so the main advantage here is that they are local residents and they have a local financial education, they are very familiar with all the rules that are used in Ethiopia, namely: an excellent tool and a great investment for your future financial goals.
But when choosing, for example, a bank financial advisor who is also considered local, keep in mind that his main goal is to sell you a banking service or product. In fact, this is not their fault, but in any case it will entail additional costs and may not be necessary at that time. with the help of a bank advisor, it is recommended to open only a savings or investment account with a bank, therefore, as a foreigner, you may need the assistance of a bank financial advisor, but nothing more.
To clarify the situation, they may offer you their mortgage options with attractive rates, but in any case, keep your main goals in mind and move forward with that in mind. For additional financial purposes, you can contact an individual consultant or online, which may be more effective than other options on the market.
Above all, individual and online consultants put their clients first and do their best to achieve their financial goals quickly and efficiently. Accordingly, they may charge small fees and commissions, but they offer good strategies, make sure all your documentation is safe.
Online financial advisors
Finally, we come to the best version of the 21st century financial advisor. You do not need to waste time on various unnecessary things, for example, waiting for a meeting with your expert, or wasting time moving from place to his office, etc. Such processes are disabled, and now you can connect your financial advisor. by phone, wherever you are.
Individual investors are switching their needs from the more traditional relationships with brokers and planners in the past to online portfolios. This does not mean that this is the right choice for everyone or that local planners can no longer offer anything of value, it just means that online investing is fast becoming the most popular way of managing their money for individual investors.
Why is this happening? In part because online brokerage services are so easy to use. Even newbies to the internet and investing can sign up, log in and start trading in less than an hour. This is very attractive for investors who would like to manage their own portfolio rather than having to mess with a broker or planner every time they want to complete a trade.
Another factor is the rapid development of the Internet. During the 80s and 90s, the Internet evolved from a new way of communicating and doing business to the most powerful communication tool the world has ever seen.
As a result, the average investor receives more quality and inexpensive investment information than ever before. Investment research sites have also made huge strides over the past ten years. Savvy internet novice investors can quickly learn to use investment research and analysis tools that are just as effective as those used by investment professionals.
How can you benefit from working with us?
- Create financial plans with budget templates that are comprehensive enough to include college funds, estate planning, insurance investments, long-term investment management, spending trends, and retirement planning.
- Analyze your debt, understand how debt management works, and develop a debt settlement plan with an online financial planning tool.
- Access to finance at any time. You don’t need to make appointments with the financial planner or schedule office visits. What you need to do is simply log into your financial planning website and access the information from the comfort of your home!
- Analyze your financial situation and run scripts to answer possible questions about your financial future. If you want to change your short-term or long-term savings goals, you can change your financial plan at no additional cost.
- Keep your information private. Unlike traditional financial planners, no one will have access to your personal information and you can be protected and know that your information is being saved. When you use the services of an online financial advisor, you don’t have to worry about a biased advisor or stockbroker tipping your investment accounts in their favor.
- Create quick reports and easily understand them. If you sign up for online financial planning assistance, you will be able to extract data and get an idea of your personal capital with a click of your finger. What’s more, with us, you can read the numbers printed on your report in an intuitive, easy-to-read format, which means you can control your funds yourself. , no math degree or professional financial help required!
How to find a financial advisor?
In fact, you’ve already found it, but in general, finding an online financial advisor that you can trust with all your financial goals, nuances, and overall funds can be very difficult at times.
To find it, you can open the yellow pages and find many financial advisors offering services in Ethiopia, or browse the many financial websites available for you to choose from.
But don’t take the word of the online finance consultants – if you stumble upon a promise to get rich quick, you realize that it’s probably too good to be true.
In any case, you can save your time and stay with us, a reliable professional who will help you achieve your financial goals. From investment accounts to college savings, credit card debt to retirement planning, our online financial planning tool has all the features to help you budget and plan accordingly. You are in good hands here and will definitely be able to achieve your financial goals in Ethiopia.
In such a contrasting country as Ethiopia, it will not be an easy decision to move there to live, all the more to work there (invest / start a business), but it is worth making sure in advance, finding your own financial advisor who will help you in every financial problem.