Get real time updates directly on you device, subscribe now.
Your Excellency, Mr. Benjamin Netanyahu, Prime Minister of the State of Israel;
Distinguished Delegates of Israeli Business Community;
Fellow Representatives of the Ethiopian Business Community;
Distinguished Guests;
Ladies and Gentlemen;
It gives me great pleasure to speak at this jointly organized Ethio-Israeli Business Forum which I believe, will add more momentum to strengthen our fraternal and long-lasting relations into important areas of cooperation in investment, trade and technology transfer.
Mr Prime Minister, I am also encouraged more so inspired by the initiative you took to bring along close to 40 Israeli business leaders during your official visit. I have no doubts that our two private sectors and government delegates will make use of this opportunity to arrive at more deals and expand cooperation.
Ethiopia and Israel share so many things that links them back since ancient times. The contact between the two countries is not only bound to formal diplomatic relations, but it is also based on strong social and cultural bondages.
Mentioning of their half a century long formal diplomatic relations, Ethiopia and Israel have had various exchanges of high-level visits and initiatives for collaboration. This has been strengthened more so in the past twenty-five years. Just last week, a delegation led by my Deputy Prime Minister, Demeke Mekonnen, paid a working visit in Israel, among others, to strengthen collaboration in the areas of science and technology.
Over the years, the two countries have forged several economic and technical cooperation agreements. Israel has been on the forefront in the technological transfer arena and in the much needed agriculture and water related highly advanced technologies.
Currently, climate change is highly affecting agriculture and related sectors, and more so the economies of developing countries; where the agriculture sector is rain-fed. Israeli’s advanced agri-tech and water-technologies will be extremely helpful to our climate change adaptation and mitigation.
In this regard, we give due importance for the ongoing technology and skill transfer that is extended through the Israeli Agency for International Development Cooperation (MASHAV).
Allow me, Mr. Prime Minister, to express my gratitude to the People and Government of Israel; for the continuous multifaceted technical cooperation extended through the MASHAV programs. I can assure you of my Government’s continued commitment to make sure the program will be made to good use.
Distinguished Guests;
Fellow Compatriots;
Israel is not a new comer in investing in Ethiopia; it had been engaged in various agriculture related investments. But more so in the past twenty-five years and through the conducive policies in place, we have witnessed a growing flow of FDI from Israel in the areas of horticulture, integrated annual farming, crop production and manufacturing. The investment finance over the past twenty five years has reached to about 5.6 billion Birr (with an approximate current value of 330 million US Dollars).
The two countries have adopted a bilateral investment production and protection agreements to support this.
We believe our two governments could do more to see strategic advances of investment in areas where Ethiopia is furnishing a conducive environment such us in the light manufacturing sector and modernizing the agriculture system. In both cases we are putting in place infrastructure facilities that support the sectors. Currently, in our second Growth and Transformation Plan, steady-fast measures are being taken to build ten Industrial parks along various growth corridors.
Moreover, we have launched a new strategy to set up agro-parks across four regions of Ethiopia. We call on Israeli government and private sector representatives to apply their wealth of expertise to move in tandem with our aspirations to modernize agriculture and build a light manufacturing hub in the continent.
We also believe that energy, ICT development and mining could be other areas that could interest both sides to collaborate and work together.
In a trade structure where Ethiopia buys technologically advanced products from Israel and Israel intern buys primary agricultural produces, the volume of trade stands at more than 114 million US Dollars. We believe, we could do better in terms of increasing the volume.
No doubts, as we advance technical cooperation geared towards modernization of agriculture, we will certainly pave the way to address the issue of increasing the volume and diversity of our bilateral trade.
Your Excellency,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Here at home, the double-digit economic growth registered for the past twelve consecutive years, is leading us to the right path to become a middle income country and with a special focus on sustainable and equitable green growth.
Our growth fuelled by agricultural productivity and the growth of the service industry has opened the avenue for Ethiopia to be fastest growing non-oil dependent economy in Africa.
Nevertheless, we are clear about the task ahead of us to sustain this climate friendly economic growth, also aligned with the UN Sustainable Development Goals.
As you all know the Addis Ababa Action Plan adopted during the Financing for Development Summit here in Ethiopia last year, among others, focuses on best ways of mobilizing finance to wiping acute poverty from our planet by 2030 and support industrialization of developing countries.
Ethiopia is now one of the two African countries that is taken as a model to implement the SDGs Goals on industrialization.
My country promotes renewable energy production by advancing a zero carbon emission strategy. Ethiopia is steadily increasing its clean sustainable energy capacity; considering potential regional energy markets.
By the end of the Second Growth and Transformation Plan we will be exporting substantial amount of clean and affordable power to most of the region as part of our belief in the importance of building up regional Integration on the basis of mutual benefits.
Likewise, we are advancing to build cross-border infrastructure schemes such as highways, railways and pipelines.
Ethiopian Airlines, with its advanced and finest services, is also playing vital role both as a passenger and cargo hub. Beyond the region, the Airline has received due recognition in the competitive international market.
Your Excellency,
Distinguished Guests,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
My Government believes the private sector is an engine of the economy and it is constantly improving the legal and administrative frameworks to support the sector. We have made substantial achievements in transforming the very infant infrastructure system to a better one by ascertaining connectivity through highways, energy and expansion of communications infrastructure.
Ethiopia is at the cross-roads of the Middle-East and Europe with a very ideal geographic location to do business, it is also the gate-way to Africa. It is the second largest populous country in the continent with a disciplined and affordable semi-skilled labour force, an untapped and vast agricultural and mineral resource. That is why we say with this resource match and the policy incentives in place, we will be the next light- manufacturing hub in the continent.
We attach great importance to ease of doing business and we are learning from many friendly countries that have made it possible. We would like to forge cooperation with Israel in this direction.
So, my message to the Israeli business community is, Ethiopia is ready for business. I can also assure you that the government and the private sector are ready to take a step forward our collaboration.
Once again, Mr. Prime Minister, I would like to reiterate my deep gratitude for your decision to make this visit also have a face of business collaboration. I wish you all a successful deliberation and a memorable stay in Ethiopia.
I thank you!
