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The Second Ethiopia-US
Investment Forum 2011 kicked off at a splendid town hall within the
prestigious Omni Shoreham hotel yesterday here in Washington DC. full to the
brim by an audience of over 400 participants who streamed from Ethiopia
representing both the public and private sectors and were buttressed by
their counter parts drawn from the vast reservoir of the American private
and public sectors and were joined by members of the Ethiopian Diaspora in
the US.
 The highly
anticipated forum was graced by the presence of Ethiopian Deputy Prime
Minister and Foreign Minister, Hailemariam Desalegn, US Senators and
Congressmen and the US media, Ato Mekonnen Manyazewal, Minister of Industry,
Senior government officials, other dignitaries from the public and private
sector in Ethiopia and the US, the US State Department, the US Ambassador
to Ethiopia and the Ethiopian Embassy in Washington DC., investors,
entrepreneurs, and other invited guests.
In a fired up and key-note
address at the august Forum, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Affairs
Minister of Ethiopia, Hailemariam Desalegn, underlined the significance of
the launching of such a Forum, in the heat of the ongoing Five Year Growth
and Transformation Plan/GTP/, which has just embarked upon its second year.
He underscored the added
enabling environment contributing to such an occasion is that the forum has
picked up in the wake of the unhampered and ever continuing and progressing
impetus of the building of the Grand Renaissance Dam, which highlights an
ample and opportune moment to join the bandwagon and speed up further, the
momentum and forward march of the Ethiopian development resolve by engaging
in investment, trade and tourism of the nation for the benefit of all
concerned.
 The
Deputy Premier and Foreign Affairs Minister stated that Ethiopia has put in
place an appropriate and fitting domestic and foreign policies, and
strategic instruments that focus primarily and squarely on tackling economic
backwardness, grinding poverty, lack of good governance and the eventuation
of a sustainable and durable peace and the sprouting and maturing and
burgeoning democracy.
Economic diplomacy is the
centerpiece of the foreign policy of the nation, with an emphasis on
creating an enabling and conducive socio-economic and political climate that
has proven as a dependable and predictable instrument opening up the
nation's floodgates of development contour to wide ranging investors,
entrepreneurs and businesses from far-flung countries of the globe, he
reiterated.
In reference to the
sizable achievements congruent with the energetic, fair and just economic
policy that the Ethiopian government is currently pursuing, the Deputy Prime
Minister and Foreign Affairs Minister, declared that an impressive 11 per
cent annual growth registered during the preceding seven years is a
commendable and an unprecedented feat in the history of Ethiopia.
He further stated that
this gigantic result has positioned our nation to enjoy the status of not
only as an icon of history as an
ancient African nation but also as a promising and dynamic modern nation
striving to enlist itself and accede the ranks of middle income nations of
the globe in the not too distant future.
The Deputy Prime Minister
and Foreign Minister assured investors and stakeholders all the support
needed all the way through their journey to be a development partner to
Ethiopia where all opportunities for entrepreneurship are open to
exploration. He extended his invitation for Investors to seize the hour by
availing themselves and stressed that timing is of the essence and the right
time is now and the right place is Ethiopia and pledged the government's
all-round support.
 US
Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs, Donald
Yamamoto, on his part highlighted the excellent relationship that exists
between the US and Ethiopia, and outlined his country's resolve for upping
American investment and trade with Ethiopia.
The US government would
like to see business partnership with Ethiopia thrive by boosting support to
American businesses interested in making the economic link between the
private sectors of the two nations.
He said opportunities are
absolutely huge and urged American businesses to take advantage of the
existing propitious investment environment in Ethiopia. He commended
Ethiopia on its economic success and assured participants that the US is
keen to work closely in a friendly fashion to intensify investment and
trade which he said is high time for an unhesitant portrayal of American
stance for support to Ethiopia' investment call and initiative.
 Ato
Zemedeneh Negatu, CEO of Ernest and Young, a private Consultative Agency in
Ethiopia reverberated the audience by his apt and deep going and researched
presentation of Ethiopia's impressive march on the path of an indisputable
development avenue and its indomitable progress as the second populous
country in Africa, and one of the top-notch economic Tigers of the globe.
He alluded to the
objective reality that many Asian countries notably China and India have
rightly grasped the energy and momentum Ethiopia is injecting towards
transformation by directly joining the bandwagon and called upon the US
public and private sector to be more involved with the ongoing rapid
development journey of Ethiopia. At last Ato Mekonnen Manyazewal, Ethiopian
Minister of Industry presented a concluding remark on the occasion.
Ambassador Taye
Askeselasie, Director General, of the American Affairs Department at the
Head Quarters of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ethiopia emceed the
event while Ambassador Girma Birru, Special Envoy and Ambassador
Extra-Ordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Federal Democratic Republic of
Ethiopia to the United States of America, took the podium and invited the
Deputy Prime Minister to deliver the key-note address of the day.
The highly successful and
event-laden forum was organized by WAFA, A private Marketing and Production
Enterprise, the Embassy of Ethiopia in Washington DC., the Corporate Council
on Africa and was supported by the USAID.
Earlier in the morning,
Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Affairs Minister Hailemariam Desalegn met
and held talks and consultations with members of Africa Business Initiative,
US Chamber of Commerce.
 
The Deputy Prime Minister gave an audience to the questions raised by the
attendees pertaining to their business engagement in Ethiopia and addressed
their concerns. The Africa Business Initiative /ABI/ engages the US business
community on legislative policies that foster direct investment in Africa,
provides tailored guidance to American companies about doing business in
African nations and introduces US companies to the continent's vast and
untapped economic opportunities. |
