Massive Grand Renaissance Dam, or GERD, on the Blue Nile has been completed; downstream countries Egypt and Sudan have been invited to an inauguration ceremony in a bid to ease long-running tensions over the project

Parliament removed a controversial salary deduction clause from disaster risk bill citing ‘overlapping burden on workers’; the clause was withdrawn following “discussion and consensus” and the proclamation was unanimously approved

The Ethiopia Peace Observatory reported that in the days 26 April and 9 May there has been a 71% decrease in fatalities due to political violence compared to the previous two weeks, with 82 reported casualties and -37% political violence events (37)

40 trade investment permits for export, import, retail and wholesale will be granted to foreign companies as part of the government’s steps to liberalize economy; the Ethiopian Investment Commission said the permits follow months of work on guidelines