BY HAFTU GEBREZGABIHER
The Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia (FDRE) Consulate General in Los Angeles, in collaboration with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and various stakeholders, hosted an online Trade and Tourism Promotion Forum last week.
The Trade and Tourism Promotion Forum aims to further strengthen trade ties and tourism flow between Ethiopia and the United States.
The forum was attended by more than 102 business and tourism owners, leaders of chambers of commerce and industry and representatives of various Ethiopian and US government agencies from the western regions of the United States.
In his opening remarks, Sileshi Girma, CEO of Tourism Ethiopia who was the guest of honor at the forum said the ongoing domestic economic reform in the country has created more favorable conditions for investment, export and import trade and tourism industry, adding that the country has secured travel and tourism safety standards. He called on the participants to participate in investment and trade and visit the country.
Assefa Mulugeta, Director General of Export Trade at the Ministry of Trade and Industry and Woldegebrel Berhe, Director of Tourism Promotion of Tourism Ethiopia briefed the participants on the country’s export products and tourism destinations.
In his closing remarks, the Consulate General of the Ethiopian Mission in Los Angeles, Ambassador Mulugeta Kelil, called on the participants to visit Ethiopia,
purchase our products and participate in the investment sector that they wish to engage in.
On the same line, the Ethiopian Embassy in Korea has also held Ethio-Korea Trade webinar.
Ethiopian Ambassador to Korea Shiferaw Shegute said during the trade fair that many countries in the world have registered below-zero growth due to the impact of CVID-19, but our country has made progress despite the effects of the current epidemic. He said the launch of the forum was a sign of the Ethiopian government’s commitment to strengthen trade ties with Korea.
State Minister of Trade and Industry, Misganu Arega for his part said that Ethiopia and Korea have strong diplomatic and economic ties. He said the trade balance is favored by Korea, adding that Korean companies would be profitable if they invested in their country.
The Ethiopian Commodity Exchange (ECX) representative explained the service provided by his office, as well as the Ethiopian Grains, Oilseeds and Spices Exporters Association and Ethiopian Coffee Exporters.
In his closing remarks, State Minister of Agriculture, Wondale Habtamu stated the Internet Trade Forum was a success. He also described the investment opportunities in the agricultural sector. He also called on the participants to import organic agricultural products into the Korean market.
More than 67 people attended the forum, 33 of whom were Korean companies.
Similarly, the Ethiopian Embassy in London hosted a webinar discussion aimed at connecting Ethiopian coffee exporters from the United Kingdom.
Speaking on the occasion, Ethiopian Ambassador to the United Kingdom Teferi Meles said Ethiopia is one of the five largest coffee producing countries in the world but is not earning as much as it should.
He said this has created a favorable environment for the world market by adding value instead of raw coffee. He called on UK companies to take part in the coffee industry or simply take the coffee from the farmers and grind it into a world market.
Dennis Sweden, a senior economist at the World Coffee Organization, on his part said the quality and taste of Ethiopian coffee is excellent. He urged Ethiopian coffee exporters to take advantage of this opportunity as coffee production will flow directly to the UK following the UK’s withdrawal from the European Union.
Former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, Jeremy Lafroy, Special Trade Envoy of the UK to Ethiopia and Member of Parliament on her part said the UK Coffee Consumer is currently focusing on branded coffee, adding that there is ample opportunity to dominate the UK market. She also called on UK importers to invest in Ethiopian coffee.
On the other hand, Phil Sherter, General Manager of European Specialty Coffee Company, said the country (Ethiopia) can earn enough revenue by promoting Ethiopian Coffee at the reputed Ethiopian airline, famous Ethiopian athletes and major international forums.
General Manager of the Ethiopian Coffee Exporters Association, Gizat Worku, on his part said the export of Ethiopian coffee is booming.
The other web based forum was with the aim of boosting the Ethiopia-Kuwait Agricultural and Agricultural Products Sector.
The Ethiopian-Kuwait Agricultural and Agricultural Products Sector Liaison Forum was held in by the Kuwait Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the Ethiopian Embassy in Kuwait.
Meanwhile, Melaku Ezizew (Eng.), President of the Ethiopian Chamber of Commerce and Sectoral Associations said a number of changes have been carried out in the country, including the reform of the agricultural and agricultural production sector policy, adding that favorable conditions have been created for foreign investors who want to be profitable. He called on Kuwaiti-based investors to take advantage of the situation.
Fahad Aljoan, Deputy General Manager of the Kuwait Chamber of Commerce and Industry, on his part said agricultural products, especially sesame, coffee and meat products, account for a large share of the trade from Ethiopia to Kuwait, calling on all stakeholders to work hard to increase this. He said the two countries should strengthen trade and investment ties to ensure the benefits of the current cholera epidemic.
The forum was attended by representatives of the Chambers of Commerce of the two countries, representatives of the Ethiopian Agricultural Transformation Agency and the Investment Commission, as well as more than 30 private sector actors.
The Ethiopian Herald 13 April 2021
