Ethiopias capital, Addis Ababa, will host Social Enterprise World Forum 2019 in the coming October. This will be the twelfth event of the yearly forum, and the first time ever to be hosted by a lower income country. The aim of the upcoming round of the forum is “to catalyze the area's young and dynamic social enterprise movement – both within Ethiopia and more widely across the continent.”
More than 87% of the software sold in Ethiopia is pirated announced the Ethiopian Intellectual Property Organization. An study conducted by the EIPO revealed that most of the software sold in the capital city is pirated or illegally downloaded according to Birhanu Adelo Director General of the organization.
The EIPO has signed a partnership agreement with the Microsoft Company to combat illegal counterfeit software entering the country he noted.
The organization has committed to working with Microsoft to increase public awareness on the advantages of using genuine software including the security and reliability it offers to businesses explained Birhanu.
Piracy will have a detrimental effect on the economy and other national interests claimed Birhanu.
A solar assembly plant to produce a range of solar powered and environmentally conscious products is expected to be 
launched in Ethiopia in the near future. Among the products that will be produced by the factory will be solar panels with the ability to generate as much as 60 watts of electricity, charge controllers and Light Emitting Diode lamps which are known for being electricity efficient.
An area has already been set aside for an exhibition and training center in the Oromia Regional State according to Samson Tsegaye, Country Director for The Solar Energy Foundation.
The area dubbed the ‘Solar Valley’ is located on 15 thousand square meters of land within the Tatek Industrial Park.
The foundation expects the financing to launch the assembly project to come from solar companies seeking for investment opportunities said Samson.
The Ethiopian Metal and Engineering Corporation and SKY Energy International have manufactured the first solar panel in 
Ethiopia.
The solar panel was manufactured by the assembly line commissioned in April of last year as a joint venture between the Ethiopian Metal and Engineering Corporation and SKY Energy International.
The turnkey assembly line was fully installed in December and the first efforts to laminate, test and produce solar panel were launched by engineers at this time.Ethiopian company SoleRebels and its founder Bethlehem Tilahun were featured in a New York Times article covering 
entrepreneurship in Africa. The article entitled ‘Women Entrepreneurs Drive Growth in Africa’ noted that Bethlehem is one of a ‘wave’ of African entrepreneurs in Africa who are taking advantage of the economic revitalization on the continent noted the article.
The article covers the founding of soleRebels in 2004 with a small group of artisans living in the same community and a small workshop and follows its growth to become a multi-million dollar international enterprise with its handmade and environmentally friendly shoes selling for 60 US dollars and more.
