Ethiopian Spice Girls thrive with no UK aid

THEIR British aid money may have been pulled, but Ethiopia’s version of the Spice Girls are thriving and looking to expand, it emerged yesterday.

Ministers withdrew funding from the five-strong girl band called Yegna last year, after admitting foreign aid could be better spent elsewhere.

Yegna received more than £9million from the Department for International Development as part of a wider programme aimed at empowering women.

After the money was stopped, several philanthropic foundations stepped in.

As a result, the Girl Effect project, which oversees Yegna, will promote them beyond Addis Ababa and the Amhara region. A spokesman for the band said: ‘We’re now in a strong position and are looking forward to expanding in 2018.’