Former British PM praises Ethiopia’s efforts to attract world’s leading companies

Addis Ababa, May 9, 2016 (FBC) – Former British Prime Minister Tony Blair said Ethiopia’s ongoing efforts to attract world’s leading companies will enable the country to shift to a better development stage.
Blair visited today Bole Lemi industrial park, Ethiopia’s first industrial park developed by industrial parks development corporation.

Bole Lemi phase I commenced operations in 2014, with all pre-erected factories already rented-out to more than 12 different corporations. Bole Lemi phase II is under construction in collaboration with the World Bank.

After visiting the park, Blair told ENA that he was amazed by the changes he saw in Ethiopia.

“I observed that the country is creating jobs and attracting big global companies by building industrials parks,” he said.

The coming of world’s leading companies to Ethiopia plays a key role for the economic transformation of the country, he said.

Despite a shortage of transportation infrastructures around the industrial hubs, the construction of the parks will create jobs for thousands of citizens, he added.

Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the industrial parks development corporation, Sisay Gemechu, said industrial parks have a significant contribution for import substitution and to export value-added agricultural products such as coffee and sesame.

He further said industrial parks play a key role to integrate the agricultural sector with the industry, to promote technological transfer and to work in partnership with foreign investors.

Taking this into consideration, the country will build 10 industrial parks in three year time, in addition to the functional Bole Lemi and Dukem industrial parks, he indicated.

Of these, Hawassa and Mojo industrial parks, which are under construction now, will go operational in the coming rainy season (kiremt), he added.

Once completed, Hawassa industrial parks will create jobs for 60,000 people.

Bole Lemi Phase I, which started operations in 2014, created jobs for 8,000 citizens and the number is expected to double in the future.