Ethiopia launched a securities exchange on Friday, in what officials touted as a milestone in Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed's drive to open up the country's tightly controlled economy to private investment.

Ethiopia opened its stock exchange — part of a plan to lure investors to an economy recovering from a civil war — without any brokers and no initial public offering debuts.

Ethiopia was set to launch a stock exchange on Friday, the latest step in Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed’s attempts to liberalize the struggling economy. The first company to be listed on the exchange is Ethio Telecom,

The Ethiopian Securities Exchange will start operations this Friday. According to CEO , Tilahun Kassahun, this is a big step forward for the country. The first shares to be sold will come from Ethio Telecom,

Ethiopia is opening a stock exchange after a five-decade gap, in its latest step to lure investors to a nation that’s struggling to control regional strife as it recovers from a civil war.