Glossary
The whole glossaryImport
Al-galchii
Buying goods from abroad. When imports are larger than exports, foreign exchange runs short.
Oomisha biyya alaa irraa bituu. Al-galchiin al-ergii yoo caale, sharafni alaa hir'ata.
Fuel, fertiliser and machinery are among Ethiopia's largest imports.
Boba'aan, xaa'oon fi maashinoonni al-galchii Itoophiyaa keessaa isaan guguddoodha.
In Ethiopia
Ethiopia imports far more than it exports, and the gap is paid for with remittances, aid and borrowing. Reserves are counted in how many months of imports they would pay for.
Itoophiyaan waan ergitu caalaa baay'ee galchiti; garaagarummaan kun maallaqa biyya alaa irraa ergamu, gargaarsa fi liqiidhaan guutama. Kuusaan sharafa alaa ji'oota al-galchii meeqa kaffaluu akka danda'uun lakkaa'ama.
Stories that use this word
2Remittances out-earn gold, and the two official counts differ by US$1.06bn
Ergaan maallaqaa warqee caala; lakkoofsonni lamaan doolaara biiliyoona 1.06'n garaagaraMoney sent home beats any single export. How much of it there is depends on which count you read.
Ensight, from National Bank, Diaspora Service and IFAD figures · October 20, 2026
Two remittance figures land a week apart and do not agree
Lakkoofsi ergaa maallaqaa lama torban tokko keessatti bahe; wal hin simneThe Ethiopian Diaspora Service, citing National Bank data, put remittances at US$8.2 billion for the year to 7 July, up from US$7.1 billion.
Ethiopian Diaspora Service; IFAD · September 15, 2026