The Walloon Agency for Investments & Export (AWEX) will lead a mission to Ethiopia & Djibouti on the week of the 21^st of May 2018.  The mission is led by the AWEX and is opened to companies from other parts of Belgium. A fact-finding mission is when a group of business people travel from Belgium to another country in order to get more information about the country & its business environment.

During the fact-finding mission the Belgian company will be able to:

• Travel in an organised framework,
• meet local business people,
• meet Chambers of Commerce,
• meet local authorities and hear about their priorities
• learn about the business environment
• meet the Belgians working in the country,
• get information on specific segment
• visit industrial parks & production facilities
• learn some aspects of the local culture
• liaise with the Embassy,
• meet other Belgians in the mission interested in the country (synergy effect)
• get financial support for their prospection (the trade agencies reimburse a part of the travel expenses & hotel expenses)

 

ECONOMIC OVERVIEW – ETHIOPIA and DJIBOUTI

ETHIOPIA

Ethiopia has a GDP of $72.374 billion as of 2016 and a population of 102,403,196 according to World Bank’s economic outlook. The GDP growth can be attributed to the construction (2.1%), manufacturing (0.9%) and services, trade and hotels sector (2.2%) as seen below.

*Ethiopia economic update 2016 World Bank

Total investment contributed 5.9 percentage points to GDP growth in 2015/16, while private consumption growth contribution was 1.5 percentage points. The contribution of public consumption increased significantly in 2016/17.

Ethiopia, according to a World Bank estimate that puts the East African country’s 2017 growth at 8.5% and projects 8.2% growth in 2018, ranking second only to Ghana (8.3%).

Ethiopia is the 2nd most populous country in Africa and the 12th most populous on earth.

• The rapid growth isn’t new. Ethiopia’s economy grew by an average of 10.5%/yr. between 2005 and 2015.
• Ethiopia’s economy is concentrated in the services and agriculture sectors. The World Bank estimates that of the 10.8% average annual growth recorded by Ethiopia between 2004 and 2014, half came from services, like hospitality and transportation, which was mostly a result of country’s urbanization. Agriculture, meanwhile, accounted for 3.6% of the growth during the period. Improved agriculture production was mostly a result of the adaptation of improved seeds and chemical fertilizer. Manufacturing, though a small portion of the economy, is burgeoning, growing at more than 10% per year. A recent study by the Center for Global Development, a US think tank, concluded that Ethiopia was the most likely country in Africa to become the “New China”.
• China built Addis Ababa’s airport, the ring road around the city, a major highway, the Headquarters of the African Union, the light rail project, the new rail & invested in energy (alleged financing of the 1.8 Billion Power Turbines of the GERD dam)
• In its latest global forecast, the IMF projected that Ethiopian GDP per capita would expand at an annual pace of 6.2% through 2022
• By 2050, the UN expects the country to grow to 190 million people, from 100 million today, making it among the fastest-growing large countries in terms of population.
• As of 2000, 56% of Ethiopians lived on less than $1.25 per day. That percentage dropped to 31% by 2011 (the latest year Ethiopia’s poverty level was assessed by the World Bank)
• Ten years ago, mobile phones were virtually non-existent in Ethiopia despite being fairly common in some parts of Africa. Now there are 50 cell phones for every 100 Ethiopians — low compared to more developed countries but high when you consider only 24% of the country had access to electricity as of 2013.

DJIBOUTI

Has a GDP of US $1.727 billion and a population of 942,333. Thanks to the construction, transit trade and transhipment with Ethiopia, the improved Port-related capital-intensive activities and transport infrastructure (account for more than 80 % of Djibouti’s port activities) between Ethiopia and Djibouti, have also partly contributed to the GDP according to World Bank’s economic outlook. This has led to an attraction of large public and foreign investments into the country.

Djibouti is mostly barren with very little development in agriculture and the industrial sector, and the country’s growth is expected to be at risk due to delays in the construction and the lack of efficiency in the management of the new infrastructures, security developments in neighbouring countries, or in the Red Sea, and domestic social and political instability. Inflation is imminent with the expected demand of housing and services sectors.

 

On 26 February, Ethiopia reaffirmed its open-door policy for refugees that are flocking into the country, mainly from its unsettled neighbouring countries.

The Ethiopian refugee agency (ARRA) said that even though the country presently shelters more than 900,000 refugees, it will maintain its open-door policy towards refugees and “continue to receive new arrivals from several of its neighbours, notably from South Sudan, Somalia, Eritrea, Sudan and Yemen.”

Ethiopia, which is home to the second largest refugee population in Africa next to Uganda, further affirmed its commitment to improving refugee lives through the Comprehensive Refugee Response Framework (CRRF) and the Nine Significant Pledges it has made in September 2016.

“As a country proud for its long-standing history of hosting refugees and home to the second largest refugee population in Africa, our commitment to improving refugee lives will continue unabated in light of the CRRF and the Nine Significant Pledges we made in September 2016,” Zeynu Jemal, Deputy Director of Ethiopian Administration for Refugee and Returnee Affairs (ARRA), told journalists.

Jemal also revealed Ethiopia’s plan to formulate a strategic plan that envisaged to help refugees both through support packages and prevention of challenges towards bringing lasting solutions.

“We are now in the process of formulating a Ten-Year Strategic Plan to comprehensively respond to the multifaceted needs of refugees that is creating strong linkages between humanitarian assistance, development and of course peace-building,” Jemal said.

The Ethiopian government, through ARRA and other governmental institutions, is currently implementing a program of protection and hospitality of refugees in several refugee camps across the country.

The protection program guarantees, among other things, education for children and youth, health services and the distribution of basic needs, food and security.

Filippo Grandi, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, in his recent visit to Ethiopia’s Gameblla regional state, which is housing most of the South Sudanese refugees, had praised efforts made by the Ethiopian government in handling the regional refugee crisis.

“Ethiopia is a very good model of how a country with limited resources and a great challenge of its own keeps its doors open, its arms open to people from neighbouring countries that are in trouble and seek protection here,” Grandi said during his visit.

Discover our interview with Anna Dersie, a travel photographer who fell in love with Ethiopia.

With her husband Teshu, she created Ethiopia Traditions Travel Tours to build a bridge between Ethiopia and Belgium and offer tourists an authentic travel experience.

Anna and Teshu want to offer a true in-depth insight of Ethiopia and transform their travel into a lifetime experience. In addition, they are dedicated to develop a responsible and community-based tourism to benefit local communities and enhance visitors’ experience through exchange with local people.

In the video, she discusses the benefits and challenges of tourism in Ethiopia as well as her experience working in the country.

Save the Date – Workshop Ethiopie – la Terre des Origines

Voir dans votre navigateur

H.E. Meaza G/Medhin, State Minister of Tourism,
H.E. Teshome Toga Chanka, Ambassador of Ethiopia in Brussels, 
Mr. Yohannes Tilahun, CEO of The Ethiopian Tourism Organisation and
Mr. Bisrat Tedla, Area Manager Ethiopian Airlines in Belgium

vous invitent le 13 mars
pour un trade & press workshop 
pour découvrir l’Ethiopie,
la Terres des origines.

Saviez-vous que l’Ethiopie …

• est le pays où tout a commencé … Vous avez déjà entendu paler de Lucy?
• a une ère personnelle et propre écriture?
• n’a jamais été colonisé?
• est le berceau de notre café?
• the place to be is for trail runs?

L’Ethiopie est un melting-pot fascinant de la culture unique, de la nature et des animaux indigènes. Pour ces raisons et bien d’autres, l’Éthiopie est La Terre des Origines qui vaut l’effort d’être (re)découvert.
 
En collaboration avec l’ambassade d’Éthiopie à Bruxelles, l’office du tourisme éthiopien, l’Ethiopian Tour Operator Association, Ethiopian Airlines, la plate-forme africaine de l’Université de Gand et certains des principaux touropérateurs belges, nous organisons une soirée d’information fascinante:

• le mardi 13 mars de 19h à 21h30
• dans le foyer de l’Auditorium Oehoe (Bloc E),
  Faculté des Sciences de la bio-ingénierie de l’Université de Gand
  Coupure Links 653, 9000 Gand

Voir sur Google-Maps »

Vous verrez que c’est facilement accessible:

• en voiture (près de la jonction E17 et E40 – parking gratuit sur le campus)
• en transports en commun (10 min. en tram de la gare de Gand Saint-Pièrre)

Gardez cette soirée libre
 ou inscrivez-vous tout de suite >>  

Merci à notre partneaires:

 

Bien cordialement,

Axel De Corte

+32 (0)476 89 53 26 
axel@koombanabay.eu
www.koombanabay.eu

Authorities in Ethiopia’s Somali region have released about 1,500 people from prison. They include people arrested under Ethiopia’s anti-terrorism law and other criminals.

Up to 6,000 prisoners across Ethiopia have now been released within the last month. Last week, the government freed several prominent critics and opposition leaders, including journalist and blogger Eskinder Nega

 

On 16 February 2018, the Council of Ministers of Ethiopia declared a state of emergency to protect the constitution and constitutional order and to ensure the security and stability of the country.

The article 93 of the Ethiopian Constitution provides the power for the Council of Ministers to decree a state of emergency in case of external invasion, a breakdown of law and order which endangers constitutional order, natural disaster or an epidemic occur. During its 17-day meeting, the ruling party EPRDF was considering the issue of declaring a state of emergency if the situation did not improve in the weeks following the meeting.

For the past few weeks, the violence that has been going on in some areas of the country has undermined not only the security but also the harmony and peaceful coexistence of its peoples. These violent activities have been accompanied by attacks which led to the displacement, death and injury of people, damage on property and slowed investment. The decree also aims at protecting the freedom of movement and the rights of citizens to live wherever they choose. It was a response to the public’s request for protection as dangerous activities have continued to expand and recur again.

The decree allows law enforcement bodies to detain without court warrant any individual who orchestrated, led and organised or took part in criminal acts against the constitution and constitutional order. The individual will face justice after a necessary investigation. Law enforcement bodies can also seize materials which were utilised or could be used to commit crimes, search any houses, areas and vehicles as well as stop, ask and search a person without a court warrant. The State of Emergency will remain in effect for six months, and the decree will be tabled in the House of People’s Representatives with 15 days.

It’s hoped that the state of emergency will create a sober environment for the government to implement its broad and multifaceted reform program.