Ethiopia presents digital-finance priorities at UN side event

Ethiopian officials and development partners discussed how digital payments and national digital identity could widen access to finance at a UN General Assembly side event in New York on September 23, 2026.

UNDP’s event calendar lists the meeting for September 23, distinguishing the event date from ENA’s report published on September 24. Ethiopia’s UN mission and the United Nations Capital Development Fund jointly convened the discussion, according to ENA. [UNDP calendar](https://www.undp.org/africa/news/africa-unga-81-events-you-wont-want-miss)

Planning and Development Minister Fitsum Assefa presented Digital Ethiopia 2030, the National Financial Inclusion Strategy, the Fayda identity system and interoperable payments as elements of the country’s approach. Her remarks framed financial inclusion as a means of advancing the Sustainable Development Goals. [ENA](https://www.ena.et/web/eng/w/eng_9603312)

UNCDF Executive Secretary Pradeep Kurukulasuriya emphasised the need for capital that allows small businesses to invest and expand. The discussion focused on turning access to digital services into productive use, including enterprise growth and access to financing. Those benefits were presented as policy objectives, rather than new measured outcomes. [ENA](https://www.ena.et/web/eng/w/eng_9603312)

The meeting put existing digital initiatives before international partners; ENA’s account did not announce a new funding commitment or service launch.

Source provenance: [ENA report carried by AllAfrica](https://allafrica.com/stories/202609240582.html), checked against ENA’s original report and UNDP’s calendar.