Ambassador Hirut, FIT discuss investment opportunities in Ethiopia

Addis Ababa, February 16, 2021 (FBC) -Hirut Zemene, Ambassador of Ethiopia to Belgium, Luxembourg and the EU institutions, held a virtual discussion with Lise Betjes, Area Manager of Africa at the Flanders Investment and Trade Agency on strategic investment opportunities in Ethiopia and mutual cooperation.

During the discussion, the Ambassador explained the untapped investment resources that exist for foreign investors in Ethiopia and the market access to AGOA, ACEFTA and EBA.

The availability of trainable labour force and a huge local market with more than 110 million people also makes Ethiopia more attractive to investors, she said.

Ambassador Hirut also noted that there are some marked companies from the Flanders region that have invested in Ethiopia. She also said that more companies would be welcome to invest in the country.

The ambassador further stated that the importance of holding a business promotion in cooperation between the two sides to raise awareness among the companies in the region.

Lise Betjes, on her part, thanked for the explanation and said the Flanders Investment and Trade Agency would work with the other regional investment and trade agencies to organize a business delegation to visit Ethiopia where the COVID-19 situation allows.

She also expressed further interest in working with the embassy on sector-specific promotional activities. The two sides agreed to explore areas of collaboration to promote Ethiopia in the Flanders region.

Flanders Investment and Trade Agency (FIT) is one of the three regional bodies promoting foreign trade and investment in Flanders region and abroad.