Forum Rational

Heeding the Government of Ethiopia’s call for a constructive and productive partnership between the Public and Private sectors to accelerate the country’s economic reform agenda, the Ethiopian Investment Forum (EIF) has been established in collaboration between the Ethiopian Investment Commission and a group of private entrepreneurs with a solid track record in promoting and doing business in Ethiopia.

 

The Government of Ethiopia, led by H.E. Prime Minster Dr. Abiy Ahmed, has over the last eight months initiated considerable political and economic reforms that have sent an unmistakable thundering signal that “Ethiopia is open for business”. On the political front, reforms have included the removal of restrictions on press freedoms and on opposition party assembly and participation, while restrictive laws preventing the emergence of institutions upholding democratic values have been amended. Similarly, several reforms have been undertaken on the economic front, including establishing a strong Macroeconomic team to guide the economy, engaging the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank on a host of ease of doing business reforms, opening up of the logistics sector for foreign participation, and announcing the Government’s intent to privatize State Owned Enterprises and liberalize key sectors of the economy.  Moreover, the Government has taken the bold proactive step of normalizing relations with its neighbours, in particular with Eritrea, enabling it to diversify its access to the sea while ushering in a new era of stability in the Horn of Africa Region.

 

The new momentum Ethiopia has built, coupled with the fact that Ethiopia has been among the fastest growing economy over the last decade and is projected to continue to be in the near future, has attracted a great deal of interest from regional and global investors. With a population of 100 million plus, a trainable workforce, a country sitting between the crossroads of a 400 million Eastern and Southern Africa population and the Middle East and Asia, Ethiopia has emerged as among the most attractive market for exploring investment opportunities. These developments thus necessitate Ethiopia to have a clear investor outreach strategy, whereby it is able to provide crystal clear and timely information on, among other things, the economic reform processes and their timelines, investment enabling policies and incentives, and sector specific investment opportunities.

 

The Ethiopian Investment Forum (EIF) is part and parcel of this investor outreach strategy, initiated by the private sector and endorsed by the public sector by way of partnership with the Ethiopian Investment Commission. The EIF plans to be at the forefront of showcasing the new opportunities that Ethiopia offers to investors, articulating Ethiopia’s priority sectors and economic reforms. The Forum will provide investors insights on existing and potential opportunities, policies and incentives, and risks and challenges. Moreover, the Forum will also serve as a platform for discussions between the public and private sectors on ease of doing business and investment.

 

The EIF will partner with globally recognized Business Associations across different industries and sectors, and plans to host potential investors from around the world. High-level private sector leaders from the United States, Europe, Middle East, Asia (in particular China), and Africa (in particular Kenya and South Africa), are expected to attend the Forum.