[Brookings] Ethiopia's prime minister, Dr. Abiy Ahmed - the youngest African leader at 42 years old - has initiated a series of unprecedented economic and political reforms in his first 12 months in office. The core challenge that he faces is moving the economy from state-led to market-based growth while overseeing far-reaching political reforms. Success is far from guaranteed but his accomplishments so far have created an enormous sense of opportunity within the country.

[Guardian] By The Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) yesterday plunged further by 0.7 per cent, extending bearish run to a third consecutive session amid sustained sell-off.

[Independent (Kampala)] Mombasa -President Yoweri Museveni will be the first visiting head of state to take the Makadara Express train on the new Standard Gauge Railway from Mombasa to Nairobi in Kenya.

[East African] East Africa's stockmarkets are no longer favourites of investors seeking to raise capital for growth and expansion.

[East African] Stanbic Holdings Ltd and DFCU Ltd have posted significant trading turnover at the Uganda Securities Exchange in the first quarter of 2019 despite the January-March low season.

[Monitor] Moyo -Farmers under Robijame Farmers' Group in Palorinya East Village, Itula Sub-county in Moyo District, are set to benefit from Shs1.8b irrigation scheme project developed by Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) with support from the government of Japan.

[Monitor] Kampala -The newly appointed chief executive officer of KPMG East Africa hopes to build on his predecessor's reign at the helm of the audit company.

[Monitor] Mombasa -Ugandan and Kenyan traders will be the biggest beneficiaries after their two countries yesterday signed a raft of agreements meant to ease trade, cement political ties and improve their social/cultural connections.

[New Zimbabwe] Zimbabwe's continued currency unpredictability is affecting proper and internationally expected financial reporting standards, the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Zimbabwe (ICAZ) chief executive, Gloria Zvaravanhu has said.

[The Exchange] The Kenyan government has set aside a Kshs 3 billion cherry fund kitty to allow coffee farmers to access the funds at an interest of 3 per cent per annum.

[News24Wire] Scary WhatsApp "warnings" and other viral content shared on that platform have contributed to the fear and paranoia of many a user.

[Nation] Mr Abdulrashid Mohammed still cannot believe his luck.

[News24Wire] Eskom's pollution has been linked to premature deaths in Mpumalanga and Gauteng, an environmental organisation has charged.

[RFI] Seven years in the making, the Continental Free Trade Area is almost established. A minimum of 22 states is needed to bring the trade bloc into force; only 21 African states have so far ratified the agreement. Nigeria, the continent's largest economy, is still considering whether to join the club.

[Guardian] To achieve the Sustainable Development Goals by the target date of 2030, African countries need to grow their economies faster if they are doing presently, the Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) says in its yearly report.

[Cameroon Tribune] Luc Magloire Mbarga Atangana's inspection visit yesterday focused on rice and fish and he gave five days to vendors to comply with homologated prices and other regulations.

[East African] Kenya's plan to take a third Eurobond in the first quarter of this year seems to be in limbo as the country grapples with persistent turbulence in the global financial markets and protracted negotiations with the International Monetary Fund for reinstatement of a $1.5 billion standby facility.

[New Times] Statistics from the Rwanda Stock Market show that equities and bonds worth Rwf 436.5bn have been issued on the local market.

[Vanguard] Investment analysts in the capital market have expressed optimism on the possibility of shares of Unilever Nigeria Plc, Seplat Petroleum Development Company, and Eterna Plc performing well this year and recommended them for a buy.

[This Day] Only the federal government and the Lagos State Government accessed the Capital Market for bonds in 2017, a Fiscal Responsibility Commission (FRC) has report said.