Today’s guest is Ambassador Shamebo Fitamo Adebo, a Director General of Middle East Affairs at Ministry of Foreign Affairs. He was born and grew up in Doyyogena Woreda of Kembata and Tambaro Zone of the SNNP Regional State and attended his elementary school; at Heba’ and Kosha and Secondary school at Minatofa Junior Secondary and Watchamo Comprehensive High School.
He then joined Addis Ababa University in 1984 and studied BA in Management in regular program. After graduation in 1988, he joined Ethiopia’s Agricultural Institute, Hwassa Research Center as Administrator and served as administrator for about four years. He then worked as Administration and Finance Department Head of Agriculture Bureau, in Labor and Social Affairs Bureau, and Works and Urban Development Bureau and in trade monitoring and surveillances team leader in trade bureau in the SNNPRS starting 1992 to 1996.
He served as Head of Administration and Finance Dept. in Tabor Ceramics Products Factory and as a Human Resource Division Head in Addis Machine Tools Factory since 1997-1998.
Starting April 14, 1998 till October 26, 2010, he served as Head of Administration and Finance Dept. and General-Manager of Commercial Nominees, subsidiary company of the Commercial Bank of Ethiopia and Construction and Business Company mainly engaged in asset and outsourced financial management with different product lines.
He elected as member of parliament of representing Doyyogana woreda in 2010 National Election. Ambassador Shamebo obtained his MBA, post-graduate diploma from Indira Gandhi Open University.
After successfully completing his study, he joined the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and appointed as Ambassador. Deputy Head of Mission in Ethiopia’s Embassy in Germany responsible for Germany, Poland, Slovakia, and Czech Republic for the Affairs of Economic Diplomacy since 27th October, 2010 to 31st August 2013 . After that he backed to his home country and worked as Director General for Finance, Procurement and Property Administration of the Ministry from 1st Sept 2013 to 26th of Nov 2015.
In Nov 27/2015, he appointed as Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenip- otentiary of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia to the Republic of Djibouti and IGAD , and served till Nov 30,2018 and played a meaningful role in enhancing the Ethiopia’s Economic and Political relations and partnership with Djibouti and protecting the rights and benefits of citizens residing in that country.
After that he served for two months as Consular Affairs Director General and Since February 2019 Ambassador Shamebo has been serving as Director General of Middle East Affairs at Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The Ethiopian Herald approached him so that he would share his views on current issues in Ethiopia’s relations with Gulf Arab countries for readers. Excerpts:
Herald: What is your reflection on Ethiopia’s multifaceted relations and cooperation with Middle East countries whilst the due emphasis is given to ties with Gulf Arab countries (Saudi Arabia, UAE, Qatar, and Kuwait)?
Ambassador Shamebo: Ethiopia shares plenty of historical heritages with the Arab world and the rest of Middle East countries that dates back long in history. Ethiopia was the first country to provide sanctuary and hospitality by the Christian king to the followers of Prophet Muhammad when they escaped persecution. Ethiopia was also a very traditional country to accept Christianity, Islam, and Judaism which make it a distinct nation where all regions were interfacing. It is one of a few oldest countries of civilization in the world, having a long history of cultural, religious and people-to-people relations with the Middle East and the entire Arab World.
As you are well aware, Ethiopia’s relation with the Arab countries is wider and witnessed with progressively stronger bilateral ties in political, diplomatic, cultural, religious, social, economic affairs and as well as people-to-people relations. We have also very extensive cooperation in regional and international affairs in the areas of peace and security, and environments, etc.
Herald: High-level frequent exchange visits have been made between Ethiopia and the Gulf Countries. As part of this effort Prime Minster Abiy Ahmed paid visits to Saudi Arabia, UAE and Qatar recently. What did these visits add to the ever-evolving relations?
Ambassador Shamebo: The recent frequent visits of our Prime Minister to Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates and Qatar completely indicate Ethiopia’s foremost policy direction that gives a due emphasis and special attention to tighten its historical relations with these nations in particular and with all the other Middle East countries in general. The Middle East counties are a focus of our foreign policy framework because our historical relations are attached with cultural, religious and established people-to-people relations besides our geographical proximity, economic ties and a shared concern of peace and security. Accordingly, Ethiopia has many extensive engagements to deal with in the areas of common interest with the Gulf Countries and the rest of the Middle East nations.
In light of this, our Prime Minister has frequently paid visits to different GCC (Gulf Cooperation Council) countries aimed at furthering strengthen and cement our historical ties with the respective nations. The relations with these countries are also friendlier and in the brotherly hood. Such kinds of relations are further easing communications and cooperation between the nations in multifaceted areas of interest. Accordingly, the PM Dr. Abiy Ahmed visits these GCC countries are not only limited with usual bilateral and multilateral diplomacy but also gave a top priority and focus to citizen’s diplomacy in all engagement. Due to the good relations and friendly discussions our PM conducted with the head states of GCC nations, our citizens who got sick and injured were backed to their home along with their entitled benefit schemes for medication.
Many arrested irregular and regular migrants are released by diplomatic engagement and backed to their home country; accordingly, in the year 2019 around 124,000 citizens had returned their country. Many of our citizens and heirs’ who were unpaid salaries and benefits by employers and insurance companies have been paid as well. In another record, more than 30,000 Ethiopians who have no document to leave and work in UAE have been permitted to leave and work by UAE’s Government instead of repatriating them back to Ethiopia. The Saudi Arabia government has returned around 100,000 Ethiopian irregular migrants by its own cost by chartered plane to Ethiopia. Around two million Ethiopians are also comfortably working in the Middle East countries and among that many of them reside in Gulf Nations.
As a result of Ethiopia’s historical and strategic relations with the Gulf nations, our missions in the region have been carried out their diplomatic tasks in a brotherly and very sincere manner in order to keep mutual benefits of respective countries in their day-to-day activities.
We have also very strong cooperation regarding overseas employment with Gulf countries in many domestic tasks and very few skilled and semi-skilled labor workforces. To this end, the labor agreements have been signed and implemented with Saudi Arabia, UAE, Qatar, and Jordan. New negotiations have also been carried out with Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, and Bahrain and under the diplomatic exchanges.
Herald: Would you please enlighten us efforts made by your ministry to encourage the involvement of Gulf investors in priority areas such as agriculture, agro-processing, manuf- acturing, and tourism?
Ambassador Shamebo: As you are well aware, the economic diplomacy is a pillar of our foreign diplomacy which aimed to attract a foreign investment, technology transfer, tourism, and exporting and importing business to our homegrown economy. The main purpose of economic diplomacy is to bring sustainable growth and prosperity in the country by reducing the triggering rate of poverty and backwardness. In light of this, the Middle East countries have big potentials like accumulated money for the investment, source of energy and merchandising trade market for import and huge consumer market for agricultural and livestock market for export. Ethiopia has also a huge potential for investment and trade with the fastest and double-digit growing economic environment, with availability a lot of human and natural resources with the advantage of geographical proximity to Gulf investors, in particular and to the Middle East countries in general.
For the Middle East countries to maintain food security and harness very lucrative business and investment, Ethiopia is a favorite country for investment, business, and tourism. The nation has many potentials that can be mentioned for investment and among that we can cite the fertile arable land for agriculture and agro-processing sectors, different types of mineral resources, manufacturing, and other industrial sectors opened for foreign investments, different touristic and hospitality products and destinations for tourism business, real-estate investments, different and anchor public enterprises to be liberalized for the private sector, etc.
In business and trade fields we have different agricultural products for export like coffee, cereals, pulses and oils, leather and leather by-products, textile and apparel products, livestock and meat. There are also consumer markets of the second-biggest population in Africa with the cheapest wage rate for a domestic, semi-skilled, and skilled workforce. We have also different modern modes of transportations and logistics services like the best Ethiopian Airlines for cargo, efficient shipping lines, a modern railway connected to the Port of Djibouti, fast and express roads and fairly enough all-time weather roads, the best climate of all types and industrial parks built with full facilities to Anchor investors, etc.
Accordingly, we have been conducting several business exhibitions and forums with the governments and business stakeholders in G2G, G2B, and B2B modes. In order to provide the required services to investors and business people that came from different countries, we have deployed economic affairs diplomats in our missions that can identify potential investors and companies to invest and conduct business in the country. Our diplomatic missions have also communicated and reported problems that investors have been facing. In the Head Quarters of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs office, separate departments for the investment and business have been established at Director-General’s level for coordinating and assisting investors and business people which links with the investment committee, different sector ministries and regional government offices as well as our embassies in all matters of concern. Besides that, we have also established a joint committee with sector ministries to review the progress and find the solution for problems encountering.
In general, as far as the trend of businesses and investments of Gulf Nations are concerned, it is in steady growth. Big investors like Eagle Hills’ La Gare real estate project from UAE and many other Gulf flagship companies are coming with huge financial potential, new anchor venture and with technological advancement in the field. For example, it is to be worth mentioning a two billion USD investment of Eagle Hills, with huge financial capability, and advanced multipurpose real estate for different businesses’ marketing center. In 2019, the Ethio-UAE business volume reached approximately one billion USD that was 459.2 million USD in 2015 whilst still the trade balance is in the favor of the Emirates. Regarding UAE’s investments in Ethiopia, about 66 Emirati investors with a combined capital of 335.7 million USD invested in 2014 and now the volume hits over 2.336 billion USD whilst the number of investors is significantly increasing. Saudi Arabia’s investments and businesses have remained number one compared to other Gulf Nations. Similarly, the trend of Ethiopia’s trade volume and investment of the other Gulf Nations are also thriving from time to time.
Herald: How is the Ethiopian government is working to capitalize on the Gulf’s development assistance to materialize its vision of bringing self-sustained economic growth?
Ambassador Shamebo: Ethiopia is diligently working to capitalize on the potential of Gulf development assistance. The UAE provided one billion USD to be deposited directly to the National bank of Ethiopia as a commercial loan and Saudi Arabia granted around half-a-billion USD loan as a fixed time deposit for financing the economic sectors. Saudi Arabia, UAE, and Kuwait are also financing some projects like economic roads, expansion, water and sanitation projects, health projects, etc. This indicates that a loan granted from the Gulf countries is playing its role in assisting some of the Ethiopian development projects. Similarly, Qatar is allocating 18 million USD grant for specialized kidney hospital construction and provided building free of charge for the Ethiopian community school in Doha. Ethiopia is a major buyer of energy and merchandising and industrial items from the Gulf nations.
In general, Ethiopia’s economic interaction with Gulf countries regarding investment, trade and economic financing fields is benefiting it and the Gulf Nations to a greater extent.
Herald: As a potential arm to advance Ethiopia’s multifaceted cooperation with Gulf Countries, how is the performance of the respective Joint Ministerial Commissions?
Ambassador Shamebo: In order to advance its multifaceted cooperation with the Gulf Nations, Ethiopia adopted different diplomatic mechanisms. Among the mechanisms, we have adopted the first one is establishing joint ministerial cooperation with Saudi Arabia, UAE, Qatar, and Kuwait to conduct the performance for economic, political, social, security and other diplomatic engagement performance review. Accordingly, Ethiopia and Gulf Nations have established an expert and a joint ministerial committee to meet biennial to undertake performance review and then the ministerial committee to report to the head of states and governments for endorsements. We have also periodically reviewed the implementation of the signed agreements and activities by frequently exchanging visits by respective countries sector ministries.
In Ethiopia, we conduct a performance review with expertise and ministers from our sector ministries before a joint ministerial committee meeting and representative of Embassies in host countries within specifically agreed times. In addition to that, we are also expanding to new areas of cooperation of mutual concerns with bilateral and multilateral frontiers. Besides that, Ethiopia has been hugely engaged to expand its representation and diplomatic presence in the Arab world.
Herald: Would you please enlighten us on the progress registered in invigorating Ethiopia’s cooperation with Gulf countries in promoting peace and stability?
Ambassador Shamebo: The Gulf region and the Horn of Africa’s region are very volatile where many anti-peace elements and political turmoil are threatening regional peace and security. Both the Gulf and the Horn of Africa where Ethiopia is locating have a regional common security threat. The security problems and political turmoil in the Middle East and the Horn Africa has a spillover effect in the region. The region is highly threatened by Al-Qaida, ISIS, Al-Shabaab, religious extremists, the piracy and maritime security problems, the presence of weak and dead states, the political turmoil and the war in Yemen, and Syria, the conflict between Saudi Arabia lead Gulf countries with Qatar, the conflict between Saudi Arabia and Iran, the conflict between USA and Iran, and the dispute between Israel and Palestinians, the security of the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden. The peace problem in South Sudan and Somalia, early political transformation in Sudan, irregular migration and displacement problems in the area, illicit money transfer and illegal movements of military equipment, the Nile water dispute, etc. also need a common security arrangement with the Gulf nations. The Gulf countries and the IGAD region which Ethiopia is a member is conducting dual cooperation to coordinate their efforts on the Red Area security pact. Ethiopia is also playing a key role in keeping the peace and security of the Horn Africa.
Ethiopia is well coordinating its peacekeeping efforts of maintaining regional peace and security. The security of the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden is a common security concern to the Middle East and the Horn African nations in general, and the Gulf and Horn African countries in particular. The security in the Middle East and the Horn Affairs is directly or indirectly affects Ethiopia’s crucial national interests. Ethiopia and GCC countries have signed security agreements and cooperating in action and exchanging information to keep the security and stability of the region. Hence, Ethiopia and the Gulf nations are coordinating their diplomatic, security and military organs to tackle the common security concerns of the region by fighting against terrorism and violent extremism in the region.
Ethiopia on its part through IGAD, AU and UN framework is deploying a peacekeeping force in the Horn of Africa. Ethiopia believes and has shown political and diplomatic efforts that the conflict and rift between the GGC countries should be resolved in peace full way with round table discussions. Ethiopia as a peace-seeking country has shown a neutral position so that peace and stability come within the Middle East in general, the Gulf and in the IGAD region in particular. It will continue its commitment and role in the future as well to maintain regional peace and stability in collaboration with other IGAD member states; with our GCC and the Middle East partners as well as global actors under the umbrella of the African Union and the UN frameworks.
Herald: What would be the benefits of the recently signed labor recruitment agreements for Ethiopian employees and Gulf employers?
Ambassador Shamebo: The recently signed agreements create an overseas employment opportunity to ensure dignities, the rights and privileges for the Ethiopian employees in one hand and advantages in gearing and playing their stake for the economic development of the Middle East countries by injecting additional young workforce within their economy.
The agreements also create synergy within countries to be able to coordinate the efforts in adopting the legal framework to protect the rights of both workers and employers along with their work relations. This also will help to strengthen the people-to- people relations, create an opportunity to share culture achievements, and language, as well as increase, experience sharing in the hospitality industries among nations.
The Ethiopian Herald April 7/2020
BY BILAL DERSO
