ADDIS ABABA – The privatization process is taking time as it is necessary to put in place appropriate laws, regulations, policies, proclamations, and procedures that are in line with the ongoing economic reform to smoothly and carefully privatize public enterprises, said Ministry of Finance.
Presenting the Ministry’s ninemonth performance report to the Revenue, Budget and Finance Standing Committee of Parliament, Minister of Finance Ahmed Shide said the government has been taking time to conduct the privatization
process in a transparent and accountable manner. For instance, regarding telecommunications, the Council of Ministers has prepared a new proclamation establishing a federal authority to regulate telecommunication services. The proclamation has been referred to the HPR for approval said Ahamed Shide.
Then after, the telecom business evaluation and market structure assessment will be made and ethio telecom’s privatization will be undertaken accordingly. Ministry taking… In the case of sugar projects, the ministry has invited request for information (RFI) to finalize preparation for the privatization. The aim of RFI is to complete the necessary pre-privatization activities to partially or fully privatize sugar projects.
It was last year that the Ethiopian government announced its openness to selling off a host of state-owned firms, either partially or entirely, as part of a major economic reform drive designed to “unleash the potential of the private sector.” The state-owned firms include railway, industrial parks, sugar projects and manufacturing industries, Ethiopian Airlines, Ethio-Telecom, as well as Ethiopian Shipping & Logistics Services Enterprise.
The Standing Committee Chairperson Lemelem Hadigu said that the enterprises are the assets of the public and vital to the country’s economy. Hence, each and every step of the privatization process has to be undertaken in a responsible and careful manner.
The Ethiopian Herald, May 16/2019
BY MULATU BELACHEW
