The last one reform year has brought hope and optimism among Ethiopians. The people of Ethiopia home and abroad heard the attack and death on late Army Chief of Staff Seare Mekonnen and Amhara state leaders including late state president Ambachew Mekonnen with lots of shocks.
The bad news was broken amidst good news that the international media have been reporting Ethiopia. Particularly, economic measures and the ensuing prospects are enticing the attention of citizens and investors from across the world.
As to the World Investment Report 2019: Special Economic Zones launched last June 2019, Ethiopia has one of the top position in attracting Foreign Direct Investment in Africa, even in the face of hosting one of the largest Internally Displaced Peoples (IDPs) in the world—that actually been dealt with by returning the IDPs to their homes.
The industrial parks that have taken shape across the country, among others, are the key driving factors to Ethiopia’s achievement as of top FDI destination, says the report.
Ethiopia has industrial parks, export processing zones, science and technology parks which are the main investment potential areas and can create job opportunity, promote job, and this helps the country to promote industrial development and structural transformation as the report suggests.
What has this brought to Ethiopia and what must be done to deal with the current black situation and put the country back on truck is the main issue that should be discussed here.
Let’s just quote from the same report to understand how efforts so far has put tangible achievement in store.
“The 2018 global FDI flow was 1.3 trillion dollars this shows the down ward slide FDI flows globally and affected most developed countries but in Africa’s case the inflow in contrast increases,” it says.
It continues: The FDI inflow into Ethiopia in 2018 was 3.3 billion USD when we compare it with the 2017 which was a peak year at 4.1 USD; the amount for 2018 represents a 17-per cent decline.
Still, it says, Ethiopia is the biggest FDI recipient in East Africa, standing fifth largest in Africa.
Given the number of industrial parks and assuming recovery in global FDI inflows, it is expected, that Ethiopia will attract greater amount of FDI, even exceeding the level reached in 2017, it says.
Such witnesses by a United Nations Industrial Trade and Development, is a milestone to the country. However, the current situation of unrest that culminated in claiming the lives of senior military and public officials must be reversed sooner than later.
Religious fathers’ advice as the antidote is an increased work on harnessing age-long culture of tolerance, patience and dialogue.
“Ethiopia belongs to all of us,” as their joint statement on the heinous event said. “We need to live together by accepting as differences in ideas and others are normal but we should focus on those myriads of values that brings us together,” their statement hints.
An ancient country like ours should exercise restraint at times of such tough situation. And more and more attention should be given to economic development and prosperity, they say.
A religious society like Ethiopia must not sought solution from a barrel of a gun, there are a number of ways and means to tackle existing and emerging problem, they say, denouncing the past ill deed saying a “shameful act”.
“We have the problems like unemployment, poverty to solve it first, and it is top on the agenda rather than doing condemn action,” they adds.
But one must be sure that an ancient country like Ethiopia has experiences of lifting itself out of such tough situations.
The cause of the problem must be clearly studied and agreed among the elite part of the society, the people in general have no as such problems that creates huge rift among them. Despite differences in the way one socio-linguistic community lives from the other, differences are not barriers to intermarriage, common market, and the likes, as many would agree.
Appreciating these values and consolidating the gains, the country needs to keep on its forward steps.
Over 180 companies, with the majority foreign ones, are working in industrial parks and five of the industrial parks have offered employment to 60,000 citizens, as per the data obtained from Investment Commission.
International Monetary Fund (IMF) April, 2019 report says Ethiopia’s growth is expected to accelerate by a rate of 7.7 percent in 2019. The report indicates the country is among the third largest economy development in Africa.
The terrible incident of June 23, despite a deep sorrow has brought to all of us, is another turning point to deal with internal problems and focus on unity and development.
The Ethiopian Herald June 28, 2019
BY MISGANAW ASNAKE
