ISLAMABAD-Ambassador of Ethiopia to Pakistan Jemal Beker Abdula on Tuesday said that so far more than 70 businessmen have signed up for the historic trade delegation flying to Addis Ababa on March 05 for exploring business and investment opportunities.
“We are going to make history as the number of delegates we are expecting may cross the mark of 100 before the deadline for registration which is March 01,” said ambassador while addressing a news briefing here which was entirely focused on five-day business trip to Ethiopia. He said a lot of efforts and energy was invested in this initiative as our team worked day in and day out to make the historic delegation a success story.
“This historic trade delegation will change entire landscape of Ethiopia and Pakistan’s bilateral relations.” Jemal Beker said the bilateral trade between Ethiopia and Pakistan amounted to only $78 million, but one thing I can assure you is that with this business delegation, our bilateral trade will get a major boost.
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“In this delegation, we have included business people from different sectors of economy especially those which have trade and investment potential in Ethiopia,” he said, adding Pakistani business community on their visit to Ethiopia would find a big market for rice, pharmaceutical products, medical equipment, sports items and construction material. Likewise, Pakistani businesspeople could also import agricultural products such as coffee, tea, pulses, oilseeds and vegetables from Ethiopia which would eventually help it mitigate the growing demand of the edible. The ambassador said Ethiopia was the fastest growing economy in the world offering lucrative business, trade and investment opportunities with cheap cost of production including clean energy and skilled labour.
“We have almost completed the largest Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam with 6,500 MW capacity,” he said, adding his country had already been exporting energy to South Sudan, Djibouti and others. Jemal Beker said the government of Ethiopia was supportive of the foreign investors as it has opened up its economy and encouraging private sector to take lead for development of the country. Multiple incentives and one-window services were among the other initiatives to attract Foreign Direct Investment, he added. “We are heading to become an icon of Africa under the leadership of Prime Minister Dr Abiy Ahmed,” he maintained. To a query, he said trade delegation would include subsidized airfares and accommodation, business-to-business and government-to-business meetings as well as grand receptions and cultural nights hosted by country’s leadership.
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