At 28, Adanech is full of ambition. âI am looking to hire five more employees and buy a singeing machine to make more elaborate patterns on my fabrics, which I would then sell at a higher profit. The machine costs 10,500 Birr (USD 510), which is a lot. At the moment, I sell my products at the local market but I would like to sell to merchants at Merkato (Africaâs largest open air market) and Bole (upscale area of Addis Ababa).â

Yekokeb Berhan, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.