Addis Ababa, 2 October 2014 (WIC) – To explore solutions to improve the business climate in Ethiopia a conference opened today (October 2, 2014) in Addis Ababa.The Conference was organized by the EU Business Forum-Ethiopia (EUBFE) in cooperation with the EU Delegation to Ethiopia and the ACP Business Climate Facility (BizClim).

The conference and business exhibition entitled, “Enhancing the Investment and Business climate in Ethiopia”, has brought together Ethiopian Government representatives, European Union Delegation and Member States officials as well as members of the business community in Ethiopia.

EU being Ethiopia’s main trading partner, there are currently around 300 European companies active in Ethiopia, making it a key investor for this fast-growing African economy, according to the press statement from the organizers.

Chairman of the EUBFE, Chris de Muynck, said, “There is a lot of foreign investment coming in, and Europe is still one of the bigger investors in Ethiopia. Things are changing, and Ethiopia is one of what they call the ‘tigers of Africa’.”

A contributor to this investment is BizClim, which undertakes initiatives in ACP countries, including Ethiopia, to boost development and improve investment in this part of the world, in cooperation with national governments, local stakeholders and the European Union.

Results of a study that has been carried out on the top challenges facing EU investors in Ethiopia, including Taxation, Business Licensing, Customs and Foreign Exchange, is expected to be announced at the conference.

“As well as discussing the main impediments for business, according to the EU companies surveyed, the conference will highlight best practices in the fields of FDI promotion and challenges on licensing procedures as well as the changes that the Government of Ethiopia has made and plan to make in the future, in order to attract more FDI to Ethiopia,” the statement noted.

Chargée d’Affaires of the European Union Delegation, Barbara Plinkert, and Chairman of the EUBFE, Chris de Muynck, have addressed the conference.
The EUBFE was set-up in response to the need for both a platform for networking and information exchange between EU businesses and a systematic dialogue with the Ethiopian authorities.

The EUBFE operated under the umbrella of the EU Delegation to Ethiopia. It is managed by a Steering Committee of 10 to 12 members representing the EU business community in Ethiopia and is headed by a Bureau made of a Chairman, a Treasurer and a Secretary.

The EU Business Forum in Ethiopia aims to make it easier for existing EU companies to do business in Ethiopia. (newbusiness)

Ethiopia ranked first among top 10 coffee growing countries by a group of 11 roasters and writers.Thrillist.com asked 11 coffee industry experts to rank their top three coffee growing countries.

The experts ranked Ethiopia the best coffee growing country with 25 points, while Kenya and Colombia stands second and third respectively with 12 and 10 points.

“With sweet fruit notes and delicate floral aromas, it’s hard to imagine a coffee that tastes better than a finely washed Yirgacheffe or a big, sweet, natural processed Sidama,” said Lorenzo Perkins, Director of Education at Cuvée Coffee.

Ethiopia is the genetic birth place of Coffee Arabica, which has been growing wild and harvested here for millennia, he said.

“Every time I drink coffee from Ethiopia, I can’t help but feel that this is how coffee is supposed to taste and everything else is an imitation, a copy of a copy, changed in some way inadvertently because of genetic drift or changing climates,” he added.

He acknowledged that there are many unclassified coffee varieties, which he said contributes to the ‘uniqueness of the cup character.’
For Ethiopia to produce ‘great’ coffee every year is because ‘it’s truly the birthplace of coffee’, according to Sarah Allen, editor of Barista Magazine.

She stated that it is native to Ethiopia means its producers ‘rarely contend with problems that can overwhelm’ coffee growers in Central and South America (where coffee is not native, but rather introduced).

She mentioned the recent example of the coffee-leaf rust that has plagued Central America this past year and wiped out thousands of farms.

“Because coffee is native to Ethiopia, it rarely incites climate or disease-born chaos. Coffee still grows wild all over Ethiopia, and there are thousands of undiscovered varietals in Ethiopia.”

“Specialty coffees from Ethiopia are known for their syrupy body, which is a result of the dry processing method still popular with Ethiopian producers, in which the coffee’s cherry skin is left intact. This process also lends the coffee an exceptionally fruity and floral character,” she said.

The largest producer of coffee in Sub-Saharan Africa, Ethiopia is the fifth largest coffee producer in the world next to Brazil, Vietnam, Colombia, and Indonesia, contributing about 7 to 10 percent of total world coffee production.

Coffee production is important to the Ethiopian economy with about 15 million people directly or indirectly deriving their livelihoods from coffee.

Ninety five percent of Ethiopia’s coffee is produced by small holder farmers on less than two hectares of land while the remaining five percent is grown on modern commercial farms.

Coffee is a major Ethiopian export commodity generating about 25 percent of Ethiopia’s total export earnings.

Source: ENA

Addis Ababa, 30 September 2014 (WIC) – The British Princess, Anne, has lauded the development endeavors of Ethiopia. The Princess held talks on Monday with the Ethiopian President Dr. Mulatu Teshome at his National Palace.

The President briefed Princess Anne on the policies and strategies that Ethiopia has been following which have made the country successful in all development endeavors.

He mentioned that 40 thousand trained extension workers have helped step up the health service of the country into improved and higher level.

President Mulatu also told Princess Anne that Ethiopia is working on the development of different renewable energy projects including the construction of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) which is expected to generate 6000MWs.

Princess Anne for her part said with fascination that Ethiopia has registered success especially on health and energy sectors.

She underscored that these efforts of development should continue and be strengthened. (ENA)

Addis Ababa, 30 September 2014 (WIC) – Solomon Debebe Kebere, Ethiopian Airlines’ Country General Manager in Korea, has told the Korea Times that Ethiopian Airlines was keen to act as a bridge between Korea and Africa.

He told the newspaper that the airline was committed to elevate business-to-business and people-to-people relations between Korea and Africa to new levels, adding “We will also boost business cooperation with travel agencies here… so Ethiopia can emerge as an alternative destination for those seeking to travel to places that offer unique experiences.”

He said that the growing business-to-business relations between Korea and the African continent were increasing travel demands and the number of Korean visitors to Africa.

He emphasized that Ethiopian Airlines was determined to showcase what Ethiopia was all about to Koreans.

Displaying positive images of Africa in Korea was a priority area, he said. He noted that Ethiopia was an emerging leisure destination.

It has friendly people as well as a safe and secure political and economic environment.

The country is “a vibrant democracy and an energetic free market economy; it had centuries-old churches and many other historical relics.”

Ethiopian Airlines, he said, would open the door for Korean leisure travelers to visit Ethiopia and Africa.

Solomon said there was now a growing travel demand between Africa and China for business and leisure, and he expressed his hope that the same thing would happen in Korea.

He pointed out that Ethiopian Airlines now connected 49 cities in Africa through Addis Ababa International Airport, flying to dozens of destinations across five continents with the continent’s youngest and most modern fleet.

According to MoFA, Ethiopian Airlines launched its Incheon-Hong Kong-Addis Ababa route in June last year and operates Boeing 787 Dreamliners, capable of carrying up to 270 passengers on the route.

Daily News Egypt, 28 September 2014

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Friday met with Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn, thanking Ethiopia for its “constructive role” in bringing peace to Somalia and South Sudan.

The meeting took place on the sidelines of the annual high-level debate of the UN General Assembly, which opened in New York Wednesday, Ban’s spokesman told reporters.

Ethiopia has been playing a major role in brokering peace in Somalia and South Sudan.

In August, the South Sudanese government and the Sudan People’s Liberation Army in Opposition signed the Implementation Matrix of the Jan. 23 Cessation of Hostilities Agreement.

The signing took place in Addis Ababa during the summit of the Inter-Governmental Authority on Development (IGAD) in Eastern Africa on South Sudan.

The Secretary-General and the Prime Minister emphasized the importance of strengthened cooperation and coordination to collectively address the rising threat of extremism, the spokesman added.

Source: Xinhua

The White House, Office of the Press Secretary

United Nations Building New York City, New York

PRESIDENT OBAMA: Well, I want to extend a warm welcome to Prime Minister Desalegn and his delegation. When I spoke previously at the Africa Summit about some of the bright spots and progress that were seeing in Africa, I think theres no better example than what has been happening in Ethiopia — one of the fastest-growing economies in the world.

We have seen enormous progress in a country that once had great difficulty feeding itself. Its now not only leading the pack in terms of agricultural production in the region, but will soon be an exporter potentially not just of agriculture, but also power because of the development thats been taking place there.

Were strong trading partners. And most recently, Boeing has done a deal with Ethiopia, which will result in jobs here in the United States. And in discussions with Ban Ki-moon yesterday, we discussed how critical it is for us to improve our effectiveness when it comes to peacekeeping and conflict resolution. And it turns out that Ethiopia may be one of the best in the world — one of the largest contributors of peacekeeping; one of the most effective fighting forces when it comes to being placed in some very difficult situations and helping to resolve conflicts.

So Ethiopia has been not only a leader economically in the continent, but also when it comes to security and trying to resolve some of the longstanding conflicts there. We are very appreciative of those efforts, and we look forward to partnering with them. This will give us an opportunity to talk about how we can enhance our strategic dialogue around a whole range of issues, from health, the economy, agriculture, but also some hotspot areas like South Sudan, where Ethiopia has been working very hard trying to bring the parties together, but recognizes that this is a challenge that were all going to have to work together on as part of an international community.

So I want to extend my thanks to the Prime Minister for his good work. And we look forward to not only an excellent discussion, but a very productive relationship going forward.

Mr. Prime Minister.

PRIME MINISTER DESALEGN: Thank you very much, Mr. President. First of all, I would like to thank you very much for receiving us during this very busy time. We value very much the relationship between the United States and Ethiopia. And as you mentioned, my country is moving, transforming the economy of the nation. But needless to say that the support of the United States in our endeavor to move forward has been remarkable.

I think the most important thing is to have the human capability to develop ourselves. And the United States has supported us in the various programs that helped us move forward in having healthy human beings that can produce. And as you mentioned, agriculture is the main source of our economic growth, and that has been the case because we do have our farmers which are devoid of malaria, which is the main debilitating disease while producing. So I think that has helped us a lot.

And we value also the support the United States has offered to us in terms of engaging the private sector, especially your initiative of the Power Africa program, which is taking shape. I think it’s remarkable and a modern kind of approach. And in that sense, we are obliged to thank you very much for this program and to deepen this Power Africa initiative.

Beyond that, you know that through your initiative and the leaders of the United States, we have the Alliance for Food Security and Nutrition, which is the most important program, where the private-public partnership is the initiative. We have a number of U.S. investors now engaged in agricultural production, helping the smallholder farmers, which is the basis for our agricultural growth that’s taking place now in Ethiopia.

Besides, peace and security is very essential for any kind of development to take place. In that sense, our cooperation in peace and security and pacifying the region, the continent, as well as our Horn of Africa — I think this has helped us a lot to bring peace and tranquility in the region. And we’ve feel that we have strong cooperation. We have to deepen it. We have to extend now our efforts to pacify the region and the continent. Of course, also, we have to cooperate globally, not only in Africa, and that relationship has to continue.

So, Mr. President, thank you very much for receiving us. We value this relationship, which is excellent, and we want to deepen it and continue.

PRESIDENT OBAMA: Two last points I want to make. Obviously we’ve been talking a lot about terrorism and the focus has been on ISIL, but in Somalia, we’ve seen al-Shabaab, an affiliate of al Qaeda, wreak havoc throughout that country. That’s an area where the cooperation and leadership on the part of Ethiopia is making a difference as we speak. And we want to thank them for that.

So our counterterrorism cooperation and the partnerships that we have formed with countries like Ethiopia are going to be critical to our overall efforts to defeat terrorism.

And also, the Prime Minister and the government is going to be organizing elections in Ethiopia this year. I know something about that. We’ve got some midterms coming up. And so we’ll have an opportunity to talk about civil society and governance and how we can make sure that Ethiopias progress and example can extend to civil society as well, and making sure that throughout the continent of Africa we continue to widen and broaden our efforts at democracy, all of which isn’t just good for politics but ends up being good for economics as well — as we discussed at the Africa Summit.

So, thank you very much, everybody.

source: http://www.einnews.com/pr_news/225792822/remarks-by-president-obama-and-prime-minister-desalegn-of-ethiopia-before-bilateral-meeting

Click here to view the video of the meeting.

Prime Minister Hailemariam delivered Ethiopia’s National Statement at the UN Climate Summit in New York on Tuesday (September 23). The Prime Minister noted that the country had set a long-term, national vision of ensuring its renaissance as well as a medium-term goal to become a middle-income country by 2025. To achieve this it had rejected the conventional business-as-usual path of development in favour of building a green climate-resilient middle-income economy, with zero-net carbon dioxide emission. The Prime Minister said economic growth had historically been associated with increased emissions of greenhouse gases, but Ethiopia had been working for continued double-digit economic growth without increasing emissions, rather indeed reducing them. It had implemented agricultural intensification, rehabilitation of degraded land, investment in water storage and irrigation schemes, improved inputs, practices and marketing systems, improved access to veterinary health services, increased generation of power from renewable energy sources, rural electrification, extensive use of energy efficient technologies and practices, and investment in railway systems powered by electricity generated from renewable energy. He said the country has put in place the required policy and institutional frameworks for a climate resilient green economy. It had already started implementing some of the measures, investing in the generation of clean and renewable power. By the middle of 2015 or shortly afterwards, it expects to increase power generation capacity from the baseline of 2000 MW to 10,000 MW. The energy regulatory body has been given an expanded mandate and authority to regulate energy efficiency. A series of afforestation and soil and water conservation measures are being taken across the country. The first stage of the light-railway system, powered by electricity from renewable energy sources, is set to start operation at the beginning of next year. Efforts are underway to ensure a major modal shift in the transportation of freight through investment in electric-powered railway lines. Ethiopia long ago abolished fossil fuel subsidies; it has started to produce bio-fuel by rehabilitating degraded land. Other sectors are developing strategies of ensuring resilience in the face of current and expected climate changes. Most importantly, Ethiopia, by mainstreaming climate change considerations in planning, has determined that its next generation development plans will be green and climate resilient. Equally, Prime Minister Hailemariam said, Ethiopia alone cannot guarantee success in building a green, climate resilient and middle-income economy. It needed support in finance, technology and capacity. While it was deeply grateful to partner countries for their help, it also believed the solution for such a complex and urgent challenge must be sought, developed and implemented everywhere. Ethiopia therefore called on those able to do so to devote substantial resources to the development and transfer of adaptation and mitigation technologies.

Read the full statement of Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn here

View the video of Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn’s speech here