The Ethiopian Messenger 10 (April-June 2018)

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The Ethiopian Messenger

ውድ አንባቢያን፣

Dear Readers,

በኢትዮጵያ ባለፉት በርካታ ወራት የነበረው ሁኔታ ተቀይሮ በአሁኑ ወቅት ከመቼውም ጊዜ በተሻለ መረጋጋትና ተስፋ ሰጪ ሁኔታዎች ይታያሉ፡፡ የዚህ እትም የመጀመሪያው ጽሑፍ ከአውሮፓ ሕብረት ጋር አገራችን በኮቶኑ ስምምነት መሠረት እያከናወነች ስላለው ጠንካራ ግንኙነት እና ስለሀገራችን ወቅታዊ ሁኔታ ከሚ/ር ፓትሪክ ሲሞንት በአውሮፓ ህብረት የውጭ ግንኙነት አገልግሎት ክፍል የአፍሪካ ቀንድ እና የምሥራቅ አፍሪካ ክፍል ኃላፊ ጋር የተደረገው ቃለ-ምልልስ ቀርቧል፡ ፡ በመቀጠልም የፖለቲካ ጉዳዮችን አስመልክቶ በሀገራችን በአውሮፓውያን 2018 የመጀመሪያ ወራት አያሌ የፖለቲካ እስረኞች ስለመለቀቃቸው፣ የክቡር ጠቅላይ ሚኒስትር ኃ/ማርያም ደሳለኝ ያልተጠበቀ የሥራ መልቀቂያ፣ በእርሳቸው ምትክ ክቡር ጠቅላይ ሚኒስትር ዶ/ር አብይ አህመድ ስለመመረጣቸው እና በባእለ ሲመታቸው ለሀገራችን ህዝቦች ያደረጉት የመክፈቻ ንግግር እና ከተለያዩ የሕብረተሰብ ክፍሎች ጋር ስለነበራቸው ምክክር እና ይህም ስላለው አገራዊ እና አለምአቀፋዊ ፋይዳ የሚዳስስ ፅሁፍ ተካቷል፡፡

After several eventful months, the situation has stabilised in Ethiopia and looks more promising than ever. First of all, the relationship between the EU and Ethiopia remains strong, as demonstrated by our interview with Mr Patrick Simonnet, Horn of Division Horn of Africa and East Africa at the European External Action Service, about the EU’s perspective on current developments in Ethiopia.

ሶስተኛው ፅሁፍ የታላቁ የሕዳሴ ግድብን አስመልክቶ ከተፋሰሱ የግርጌ አገራት ጋር እየተደረጉ ያሉ ውይይቶች እና የአገራችን አቋም ተዳሶአል፡፡ በመቀጠልም በኢኮኖሚ እና ቢዝነስ ዘርፍ የኢትዮጵያን የወተት ኢንዱስትሪ እምቅ ሀብትና በዘርፉ ለኢንቨስትመንት እና ንግድ ያሉት አመቺ እድሎች፣ ማበረታቻዎች እና ዋስትናዎች በስፋት የሚዳስስ ጽሑፍ ቀርቦአል፡፡ በተጨማሪም የአውሮፓ ህብረት ለምስራቅ አፍሪካ ኢኮኖሚ ትስስር እያደረገ ያለውን አስተዋጽኦ አመላካች ጽሑፍ ተካቷል፡፡ እ.ኤ.አ. በ2018 የአገራችንን ቱሪዝም፣ ባህልና ታሪክ በማስተዋወቅ በኩል በሚሲዮኑ በኩል ምስጋና የተቸራቸው አያሌ የማስተዋወቅ ሥራዎች የተከናወኑ በመሆኑ ይህ ሽፋን እንዲያገኝ ተደርጐአል፡፡ በመቀጠልም እ.ኤ.አ. በማርች/2018 በአገራችን ለ122ኛ ጊዜ የተከበረውን የአድዋ በዓል እና የአድዋ ድል ለአገራችን ህዝቦች እና ለአፍሪካውያን ያለውን ፋይዳ አመላካች ፅሁፍ ቀርቦአል፡፡ ይህን ተከትሎም የኢትዮጵያ ዳያስፖራ በመመሪያ ቁጥር 51/2010 መሠረት ወደ አገር ውስጥ ከቀረጥ እና ታክስ ነፃ ስለሚያስገቧቸው የግል መገልገያ እቃዎች ገላጭ መመሪያ ተመላክቷል፡፡ በመጨረሻም የመጽሔቱ ዝግጅት ክፍል በዚህ እትም የተመለከቱትን ፅሁፎች በማንበብ እንደምትደሰቱ ተስፋ እያደረገ፣ እንደወትሮው ሁሉ በመጽሄቱ ዝግጅት እና ይዘት ላይ ያላችሁን ግብረ-መልስ በመስጠት እና የበኩላችሁን ፅሁፍ በማዘጋጀት ተሳትፎአችሁን ታጐለብቱ ዘንድ ግብዣውን በአክብሮት ያቀርባል!!! ከሠላምታ ጋር

የመጽሔቱ ዝግጅት ክፍል

Our European partners also play a significant role at the regional level, as you will read in our article on the EU’s contribution to East Africa’s regional integration efforts. On the political side, the first months of the year were marked by the release of thousands of prisoners and the resignation of Prime minister Hailemariam Desalegn, followed by the election of Abiy Ahmed. PM Abiy Ahmed, a native of the Oromia region, has since been meeting with the public in different parts of the country as part of a global effort towards reconciliation.

Our fourth article provides for its part an overview of the state of negotiations about the GERD, as well as Ethiopia’s position on the issue. 2018 was a big year for tourism in Ethiopia, in part thanks to the activities organised by the Embassy to promote the country’s culture, nature and history. Speaking of culture, our sixth article revisits the history of the battle of Adwa, whose 122nd anniversary was celebrated in March.

Finally, we introduce you to the Dairy sector of Ethiopia, a promising industry that holds immense potential for development due to its large livestock population and growing domestic market.

We hope you will enjoy this issue of The Ethiopian Messenger. Please send us your feedback and contribution to our future issues!

Most sincerely, The Editorial Team

Content

Interview with Patrick Simonnet (EEAS)

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History in the making, part II

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State of negotiations about the GERD

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Ethiopia: Land of Lucrative Dairy Investment and Trade Opportunities 11 EU contribution to East Africa’s regional integration efforts

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Ethiopia will cherish the vicotry of Adwa for generations

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Ethiopian Tourism Destinations are gaining momentum in the Benelux

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የግል መገልገያ ዕቃዎች ዝርዝር መመሪያ ቁጥር 51/2010

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Quarterly magazine of the Embassy of Ethiopia in Brussels. Editor: Embassy of Ethiopia in Brussels, Avenue de Tervuren 64, 1040 Etterbeek, Belgium. info@ethiopianembassy.be +32 2 771 32 94.

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EU-Ethiopia Cooperation

Interview with Patrick Simonnet (EEAS): “Ethiopia is a very strong partner for us” Patrick Simonnet is Head of Unit ‘East Africa, Horn of Africa’ at the European External Action Service (EEAS). We interviewed him to discuss the EU position regarding the current developments in Ethiopia.

Embassy: Until recently, you were the EU Ambassador to Iraq, and you were Deputy Head of Unit, Fragility and Crisis Management. You have therefore a “fresh” view of EU-Ethiopia relations. What is your assessment of their relationship over recent years?

Patrick Simonnet: As your readers probably know, we have signed an EU-Ethiopia Strategic Engagement in June 2016, and for us, that was the demonstration of the importance of our relationship. We wished to establish a strong partnership among equals, notably in peace and security, climate change, sustainable development, governance, human rights and migration. We also have as part of this strategic engagement a political dialogue with ministerial meetings every year. The next one will be hopefully this year, with the HRVP visiting [Ethiopia].

In parallel to that, we have our article 8 political dialogue which includes all our EU Member States. Basically, this is a relationship which goes beyond the EU institutions. It is a partnership which engages all our EU Member States.

My assessment of the relationship over recent years is very positive because we have this Strategic Engagement that we are busy implementing, and it is also crucial for us to keep it on track despite the current situation in Ethiopia, which is a

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The Ethiopian Messenger

difficult one. One element that is fundamental for us is the regional and continental role of Ethiopia in a wide range of issues (ranging from peace and security, economic and social development to green energy and climate change).

We know that Ethiopia has a leading role in IGAD and we very much support IGAD, including financially, and we want to continue to support the active participation of IGAD in all the matters of the region.

The HRVP met with the IGAD Foreign ministers last September, and we established a steering group to foster relationship at the regional level. So, the role of Ethiopia at the regional level is crucial for us. We definitely have a common objective: maintaining Ethiopia’s unity and stability and its leadership role in the continent. Now, it is true that the current situation in Ethiopia is not conducive to a proactive role of Ethiopia in the region, so we would very much like Ethiopia to address its internal challenges so that it can really come back strongly on the regional scene.

Besides PM Hailemariam’s resignation, the government has also released or pardoned thousands of prisoners since January. What is the EU position regarding the current developments in Ethiopia?

As I said, we find that the current situation, with the State of Emergency and the resignation, is concerning, even if we fully understand that the two things are not related. It’s all the more surprising that there was some good progress and we were happy to see the liberation of political activists, that was a strong message. So, for us this should be continued, the government would need to pursue the national dialogue with the opposition and civil society. It’s probably more important now than ever with the unrest happening in some regions. We would like those positive measures, like the liberation of political activists, to be continued and expanded.

We would also expect transparency on the figures of casualties and transparency on the government response to the protest. We are obviously taking a close look at issues related to accountability, and we are mindful that the Ethiopian Human Rights Commission has made some recommendations, we hope that those recommendations are being implemented. Again, on all these issues, we are a partner, so we want to assist Ethiopia in preparing the way forward for a peaceful and sustainable process. We understand this is a critical situation for Ethiopia and we want to stand by during this difficult situation.

The EU and Ethiopia enjoy a close relationship, which has been growing since 2016. What role is the EU going to play in this transition period?

I think our role is really to express our support to the Ethiopian population, at no time have we considered changing the EU assistance towards the EU population.

As you know, we are also doing a lot to address the root causes of migration, and for that, we have an EU Trust Fund for Africa which comes on top of our strong bilateral cooperation with Ethiopia, and also regional programs.

We have a strong relationship, and this needs to continue because it is in the interest of Ethiopians themselves. For us, as long as there is no radical development that would call some reaction from our side, we will continue cooperation, because we feel it is important, and we definitely want to continue our political discussion with Ethiopia, to see where we can help in this transition period.

The Strategic Engagement establishes the different strands of our relationship; it’s a very diverse and comprehensive scope. It is based on dialogue; on a platform of discussions.

We are a partner, so we want to assist Ethiopia in preparing the way forward for a peaceful and sustainable process.

Some of this platform of discussions have already been put in place. Last year we had a discussion on human rights and democracy. We are planning to set this year platforms on peace and security and sustainable development and climate change, and we also stand ready to engage in a dialogue on migration.

Now that we have agreed on procedures for returns together with the Ethiopian government, we might have a wider dialogue on migration, including legal migration.

Everything is about dialogue and cooperation, and this obviously also creates opportunities for actions, for projects, but the dialogues are the best way to keep the political impetus into the strategic engagement. This is what we are planning for this year, but again, it is important that the political situation in Ethiopia gets normalised first so that we have the full attention of the Ethiopian authorities because we understand that they are really busy at the moment with other things.

Thank you!

Thank you very much, and again, Ethiopia is a very strong partner for us, and we love Ethiopia.

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Again, this is a difficult time for Ethiopia, and we want to stand by as partners and friends, and if we can help, even on the political side, we will be happy to. I would also like to mention that the humanitarian situation, on top of everything, has deteriorated. There are 1.7 million internally displaced people in need for assistance in Ethiopia, and the government is fully aware of it. We are ready to continue supporting those most in need of humanitarian assistance, but it’s also something in this transition period that needs to be properly looked at.

Where are regarding the implementation of the agreements signed in 2016 by the EU and Ethiopia, such as the Strategic Agreement?

The EU and Ethiopia signed a Strategic Engagement Agreement on 14 June 2016

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Political Affairs

History in the making part II: Ethiopian Prime Minister’s unprecedented resignation and mass releases of prisoners The first months of 2018 have been marked by considerable changes in Ethiopia, with the surprise resignation of Prime Minister Hailemariam and the release of thousands of prisoners across the country.

In the previous issue of our magazine, we gave an account of the breakthrough agreement made between the ruling and opposition parties to amend key Ethiopian laws, such as the electoral law, the anti-terrorism law and the law governing civil society organisations.

Following the EPRDF executive committee’s 17-day long meeting which took place from 12 to 30 December 2017, based on the government’s decision to release prisoners, more than 6000 thousand prisoners have been released both from federal and regional detention centres; including leaders of political parties. Since then, the first months of the year were marked by considerable changes in Ethiopia.

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The Ethiopian Messenger

Months of change February 2018 saw an unprecedented event in the country when Prime Minister Hailemariam Dessalegn announced his resignation. For the first time in history, a sitting Prime Minister resigned voluntarily from power. In 1974, the then Prime Minister Aklilu Habtewold quit and was replaced by Endalkachew Mekonen following mounting pressure from students and the military. However, Aklilu’s resignation did not have real consequences because Emperor Haileselassie was de facto holding power in the country.

This time, the resignation of Prime Minister Hailemariam came as a surprise to everyone, making some sceptical and

A first group of 528 prisoners was released on 15 January 2018, a few days after the government’s announcement of the mass releases

bringing big hopes to many. To his credit, PM Hailemariam successfully charted the transition after the unexpected death of the late PM Meles Zenawi in 2012. Flagship projects such as the Addis Ababa Light Train (AALT), the Ethio-Djibouti electrified passenger and freight train line, and the construction of industrial parks in different parts of the country where under his direct watch.

PM Hailemariam’s firm stance to fight corruption and to reform governance should also be recognised. Concerning Foreign relations, Ethiopia has continued to be a credible partner, both in Africa and to the rest of the world. The consecutive visits to Ethiopia of the Foreign Ministers of the United States of America and that of Russia, even though the country had declared a state of emergency, are further proof of that.

A surprise resignation When the PM announced his resignation on 16 February 2018, his decision caught many by surprise. Reactions to the news were mixed. As Ethiopia had never experienced the voluntary departure of its top leader, people were wondering about the reasons that pushed him to take such a bold and courageous decision. Despite the continuous and growing violent protests in some part of the country most people in the country were expecting him to stay in power until the end of his term in 2020.

However, for those who knew Prime Minister Hailemariam’s determination to maintain the peace and stability of Ethiopia, and his dedication to contributing to the democratisation process of the country, his decision was perceived as the normal course of action. In fact, the Prime minister explained his motivation to take such a decision as a will “to become part of the solution.” Indeed, his action will impact many in the country and perhaps on the continent.

Why are some sceptical?

Some, both in and outside the country, are sceptical about whether PM Hailemariam’s resignation was entirely voluntary. Indeed, even if departure from political office in the event of failing to satisfy public demands is a common occurrence, notably in the Western world; this had never been the case in Ethiopia. Public discontent alone was not sufficient for leaders to be removed from office. Armed struggle or coups d’état were the common ways to topple leaders from power.

Against this historical backdrop, the surprise resignation of a leader naturally provoked scepticism on whether PM Hailemariam had resigned voluntarily. Nonetheless, the approval of his resignation by his party, the South Ethiopian Peoples’ Democratic Movement (SEPDM) and that of the EPRDF’s executive committee shows that the process of resignation was healthy and motivated solely by the PM’s personal interests.

Such concession from the top leadership clearly shows, among other things, an essential change in the perception of power around the elite in Ethiopia.

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Ethiopia’s new prime minister Abiy Ahmed has appealed to national unity and reconciliation

The hope to deepen democracy

establishing legal opposition political parties. During the last election

During his resignation announcement, the Prime minister underlined that by making this decision, his objective was to play his part in the long march towards deepening democracy in the country. Such concession from the top leadership clearly shows, among other things, an essential change in the perception of power around the elite in Ethiopia.

Knowing the Ethiopian peoples’ tradition and tendency to follow the footsteps of its leaders, bold decisions of such kind taken at the top will undoubtedly have an overarching and long-lasting impact on the youth in general and those holding public office in particular.

in 2015 alone, 57 different political parties participated in the national polls. For a country which until recently had never experienced a multiparty political system, such development was a step forward to enhance democracy.

Despite opposition parties gaining nearly one-third of the Federal Parliament during the third national election in 2005, the process of democratisation in Ethiopia is still in its infant stage. From this point of view, the candid discussions between the ruling and opposition political parties, the release of prisoners and PM Hailemariam’s resignation to become part of the democratisation process will not only cement a healthy change of power but has also generated an immense hope for the long-lasting peace and stability in the country.

Abiy Ahmed’s conciliatory inaugural speech emphasised the importance of working in close cooperation with opposition parties.

The ruling party’s quest to enhance the democratic system in Ethiopia arguably started in 1991, when the incumbent ruling party EPRDF invited all armed groups in the country to participate in drafting the new Constitution and

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The Ethiopian Messenger

A new beginning 2 April 2018 was yet another historical day in Ethiopia, as the outgoing Prime Minister graciously handed over the country’s constitution to the new Premier Dr Abiy Ahmed, in the national Parliament. Abiy Ahmed’s conciliatory inaugural speech emphasised the importance of working in close cooperation with opposition parties.

He added that the ruling EPRDF is open to negotiating with any political party that wants to hold talks peacefully and readier than ever to help establish a vibrant political environment in Ethiopia. Since taking office, PM Abiy has been meeting with the public in different parts of the country in the Somalia, Oromia and Tigray regions as part of a general effort towards reconciliation. These initiatives promise a bright future for a strengthened democracy in the country.

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Regional Affairs

State of negotiations about the GERD, cornerstone of Ethiopia’s developmental project Ethiopia, Sudan and Egypt are engaged in extensive negotiations about the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD), the cornerstone of Ethiopia’s developmental project.

Leaders of Sudan, Egypt and Ethiopia signed an agreement in March 2015 to ensure a fair distribution of the dam resources

In 2013, Ethiopia began construction of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD), located in the headwaters of the Blue Nile River. The utilisation of the Nile waters is the centrepiece of Ethiopia’s developmental project. Upon completion, the dam will be Africa’s largest hydroelectric power plant and will boost the economic growth of Ethiopia. The Nile is Ethiopia’s primary water resource: it covers 70% of its annual surface water and one-third of the country’s territory. However, with nearly 65 million people (more than 60 percent of the population) living without access to electricity, Ethiopia is also one of the countries with the highest energy poverty in the world, while the energy demand is increasing by 32 percent each year.

Therefore, the utilisation of the waters of the Nile River is indispensable to eradicate poverty and the survival of Ethiopia. Currently, two-thirds of Ethiopia’s hydroelectric

power potential is in the Nile Basin. Upon completion, the GERD will triplicate Ethiopia’s consumed energy and will be the country’s driving force for exporting electricity to its neighbouring countries.

Extensive regional negotiations Ethiopia’s decision to construct a dam along the Nile has attracted criticism amongst the nations along the Nile, most significantly, Egypt. To appease this doubts, Ethiopia and Egypt have engaged in extensive negotiations about the GERD since its construction began. However, Cairo has, time and again, been relying on inertia to prevent any change in its dominating position by referring to a colonial agreement granting Egypt the enjoyment of most of the waters of the Nile (about two thirds, while 20 percent were guaranteed

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in Sudan). Ethiopia, despite being the source of 86 percent of the river’s water, has never been included in these watersharing agreements and has for years been voicing out its right to develop the resource in every possible forum.

Egypt has regarded the GERD as a risk for its survival since the very first day. To appease these fears, Addis stepped up efforts to convince Cairo that the dam would not harm Egypt by providing clarifications and confirmations on issues of concerns. Ethiopia even established an International Panel of Experts (IPoE), composed of two experts from each of the countries (Egypt, Ethiopia and Sudan) concerned and international experts to review the design documents of the GERD and analyse of the benefits, costs and impacts of the GERD on each country. In May 2013, the IPoE’s final report, which concluded that the design and construction of the GERD were up to international standard and recommended two additional studies, was accepted by Sudan and Ethiopia but incomprehensibly rejected by Egypt. A Tripartite National Committee (TNC) composed of experts from the three countries was established in 2014 to guide and follow up on the conduct of the two assessment studies s to be conducted jointly by Ethiopia, Egypt and Sudan to enhance and build trust.

Since 2013, trilateral and bilateral meetings have succeeded one another. However, Egypt has obstinately continued to deny Ethiopia`s legitimate right to fill and operate the GERD – a flagrant violation of the Agreement on the Declaration of Principles (DoP) on the GERD signed by the leaders of the three countries in March 2015.

Non-harmful development Ethiopians have no intention to inflict any harm on Egyptians.

The country is determined to build GERD because fighting poverty is a matter of survival to its people. Ethiopia’s endeavour to alleviate poverty and ensure sustainable economic growth is conducted with great respect to the principles of posing no-significant harm and equitable use of transboundary resources.

Starting in the 1950s, Ethiopia conceived the idea of constructing hydroelectric dams in the Blue Nile Gorge and has undertaken several studies to meet the vital needs of its growing population. Studies conducted for half a century have found out that the dam has much blessing to offer to both Sudan and Egypt - be it in reducing sedimentation at Roseries Dam and protecting frequent flooding in Sudan, increasing the water levels at Aswan High Dam, not to mention its impacts in ensuring regulated flow of water in the Nile course. The mutually beneficial construction of an Ethiopian dam on Tekeze River is further proof of this.

In short, the construction of the GERD has been planned carefully for decades, and Ethiopia has been carrying out its construction based on reliable experimental studies with consideration of downstream countries.

Stalemate Ethiopia will soon start filling the dam. Again, the GERD filling plan considers the concerns of the three countries and will be done in a phased and responsible manner without causing significant harm to the equitable and reasonable use of the Nile waters by the two downstream states. The filling

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model of the Dam was specifically designed not to cause significant harm to lower riparian countries and considered hydro and geographical factors. Ethiopia has conducted these studies with the aim of building trust and confidence.

The GERD is expected to have a positive impact regarding climate change, as the electric power the dam will generate will help ease the use of traditional firewood and will bring positive impact on the area’s climate Recent reports indicated the termination of the tripartite talks between Ethiopia, Sudan and Egypt due to inquiries from Egypt to incorporate the 1959 treaty, made between Egypt and Sudan, in their discussion agendas. Since then, various reports aiming to aggravate the discord were released by different media.

Since 2013, trilateral and bilateral meetings have succeeded one another but Egypt has obstinately continued to deny Ethiopia`s legitimate right to fill and operate the GERD. The way forward However, leaders of Ethiopia, Egypt, and Sudan agreed to work together on the Dam and issues of common interest and emphasised the need to work in unity after meeting on the sidelines of the African Union summit in Addis Ababa in January 2018. Strengthening cooperation on the issue of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) and boosting development cooperation were the major agendas.

A consensus was reached among the leaders that any matter that harms any country should concern the other and moving way separately could not be the solution. The three leaders have instructed their Water and Foreign ministers to discuss on major issues related to GERD and report to the leaders within a month. They also agreed to establish a joint infrastructure fund that would allow infrastructure integration among the three countries. Unfortunately, a new round of talks held early April in Khartoum to ease Egypt’s concerns failed, as Cairo persists on claiming its “historical rights” on the river, guaranteed by colonial treaties dating from 1929 and 1959.

The GERD is a symbol of cooperation that aims at enhancing the capacity of all the riparian countries including Egypt.

Ethiopia firmly believes that the GERD will cause no significant harms to Egypt and always aspires to pursue its development activities in a “win-win” approach. Ethiopia is confident that the Nile`s waters are sufficient for all.

Therefore, negotiation and balancing the interests of all parties concerned is only way out.

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Economy

Ethiopia: Land of Lucrative Dairy Investment and Trade Opportunities The volume of milk production in Ethiopia has tripled over the last eighteen years. However, the productivity of the dairy sector remains low due to local challenges. Since the industry is at a turning point in its history, with a shift from public sector involvement towards private sector participation, new investors have abundant opportunities to develop the industry and tap into the rapidlygrowing local market.

Over the last decade, the dairy sector in Ethiopia has shown considerable progress. Ethiopia holds immense potential for dairy development due to its large livestock population, a favourable agro-ecological situation for improved, highyielding animal breeds and fodder production for livestock.

There are 11.4 million milking cows in Ethiopia, and the volume of milk produced is about 3 billion litres-this figure used to be less than 1 billion 18 years ago. The dairy sector accounts for 40% of the agricultural GDP and 12-1 16% of the national GDP, which is twice as high in neighbouring countries in Eastern Africa. Given the considerable potential for smallholder income and employment generation from high-value dairy products, a vibrant dairy sector can contribute significantly to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals of the country.

Policy/Livestock Master Plan and Production Boost Over the past eight years, the Government of Ethiopia has prioritised the transformation of the agricultural sector as part of the national Growth and Transformation Plan (GTP). The introduction of GTP II 2015–2020 was followed by a roadmap that comprises investment interventions bundled together in the Livestock Master Plan (LMP), which included a “Cow Dairy Development Roadmap” aiming at significantly increasing milk production. This plan has two tracks to reach the goal of substantially higher milk production: 1. For the traditional smallholder dairy farming system, the proposed interventions are crossbreeding with exotic dairy breeds through AI and synchronisation, and better feed and health services.

2. For the commercial dairy farming system, the aim is to bring more crossbred cattle into the farms, expanding the number of farms, increasing the availability of forage and concentrated feeds and improving the marketing and processing of milk.

The implementation of this plan should result in a 93% increase in milk production. This increase will not only

create opportunities for supplying more dairy products to Ethiopian consumers but will also pave the way for export of dairy products. A milk surplus of 2.5 billion litres is expected to be available for export in 2020. Ultimately, the contribution of the dairy sector to GDP is expected to rise from 28 billion ETB in 2014/15 to 52.9 billion ETB in 2020.

National dairy production, processing, value chain structure and government inputs In Ethiopia, 11.4 million milking cows are currently producing 3,044,977 tons of milk every year. Ethiopian dairy cattle population is distributed over all areas of the country, but the four regions with the highest number of milking cows are Oromia (44%), Amhara (17%), SNNP (22%) and Tigray (9%). Moreover, milk production is mostly located in the highlands of Ethiopia, as only about 10% of the total milking cow population is found in lowland areas.

Also, nine major milk-production which have the best potential for value chain and dairy sector development, called milk sheds, were established in the country’s larger cities (Adama-Asella ADA/Bishoftu, the Great Addis, Ambo-

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Woliso, Humera, Jimma, Bahir Dar-Gondar, HawassaShashemene, Makelle and dire-Dawa).

The dairy value chain structure is organised in such a way that milk processors collect raw milk from dairy farms, private milk collectors, cooperatives and unions. Dairy cooperatives play a significant role in milk collection. The size of a single cooperative ranges between 20 and 400 farmers. Unions serve as umbrella organisations for 5-30 cooperatives. Dairy processing is booming in Ethiopia.

Currently, there are more than 50 active dairy processors in the country, and most of the companies operate in the vicinity of the capital/Addis Ababa. The average per capita consumption of dairy products of the country is estimated at around 20 litres.

Ethiopia’s rising economy, rapidly increasing population and growing urbanisation rate are resulting in a shift in demand for dairy products.

The primary input for the dairy sector is breeding and genetics. In consequence, the Government established a National Artificial Insemination Centers (NAIC) with the objective of improving milk production in local cattle breeds by producing and distributing quality semen from genetically enhanced bulls. The government primarily delivers veterinary services/inputs in the country. For instance, in 2012 there were a total of 9,711 animal health professionals, 256 at the federal level and the remaining

Ethiopia’s consumption of dairy products is rapidly growing as the economy rises

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9,455 distributed across regional states. The other input for dairy sector development is old chain logistics and equipment. The number of milking equipment, tractors and machines is limited in Ethiopia, but the increase in herd size in the major milk-sheds is paving the road for more milking machines on farms and investments in harvesting equipment. In Ethiopia, larger farms in need of loan inputs for investment may have access to credit based on collateral. Development Bank of Ethiopia (DBE) may provide loans up to 70% of the total investments depending upon the bankability of the project. The Cooperative Bank of Oromia (CBO) also works with dairy farm cooperatives.

CBO also collaborates with various financial institutions, like the Rabobank in The Netherlands, to improve skills and knowledge in agro-finance.

Lucrative domestic market Ethiopia is one of Africa’s rising economies, with a doubledigit economic growth rate in GDP in the past decade. The same is true for the potential growth in the consumption of dairy products. The rapidly increasing population and growing urbanisation rate are resulting in a shift in demand for dairy products. Dairy development can also lead to income generating activities in the rural areas, increasing farmers’ incomes and employment opportunities. This is one of the reasons for the launch of dairy processors in the last decade.

Ethiopia holds immense potential for dairy development.

Due to the favourable dairy policy of the government, the dairy sector in Ethiopia is expected to continue growing over the next one to two decades. Besides, the convenient agroecological situation of the country – fertile soil and high precipitation create right conditions for fodder production, with excellent climate for highly productive dairy cows in the highlands – offer other advantages for the growth of the sector. Moreover, since the formal dairy value chain is still at its early stages of development, new investors have abundant opportunities to develop and modernise the industry further.

Challenges and opportunities of the sector Despite these assets, the productivity of the dairy sector is disproportionally low due to some dynamic economic, technical, and institutional challenges. The challenges of the Ethiopian dairy farming are shortage of feed/poor ration formulation, scarcity of fodder, a low milk production per cow, a lack of chilling facilities on a farm and the fact that the majority of dairy farmers are smallholders (1-3 cows). Other limitations include inadequate access to finance, weak linkages between chain actors, a limited private sector, limited AI services and animal diseases that hinder. However, the problems listed above can also help foreign direct investors and traders to quickly understand which gaps they can fill, as the Ethiopian dairy sector is at a turning point in its history, with a shift from public sector involvement towards private sector participation.

There are ample opportunities for foreign companies in dairy farming, dairy processing, business development and financial services.

In Ethiopia, entrepreneurs should establish and introduce new knowledge and eco-friendly technology in commercial feed and fodder production, supplying young stock, AI services and upgrading genetics, health, cattle-housing design and farm equipment for milking and harvesting.

This will benefit both the investor and the country in transforming the infant dairy sector to a modern dairy value chain industrywith adequate economies of scale and backward and forward linkages.

Investment requirements, incentives and guarantees The Ethiopian Investment Proclamation sets a minimum capital requirement on foreign investors as USD 200,000 for a single investment project by a foreign investor, USD 150,000 if joint investment with a domestic investor and no capital requirement for reinvestment of profit or dividend.

The Ethiopian investment code offers the following income tax exemption incentives for investment in livestock farming: • Up to 9 years income tax exemption. Additional two years exemption if 60% of the product is directly exported or supplied to the exporter.

• An additional 30% deduction for three consecutive years if investment in underdeveloped regions as defined under Investment Regulation No. 270/2012.

Besides, for investment in industrial/ integrated-agroindustrial parks the following incentives will be provided: • 10-15 years income tax exemption for development of industrial parks depending on park location (10 years if in Addis Ababa or Special Zones of Oromia surrounding Addis Ababa, and 15 years in other areas.

• 60-80 years land lease right at a promotional rate; with sub-lease right.

• Reliable electricity at globally competitive rate-government avails dedicated power substation for industrial parks.

Other incentives to foreign investors include duty exemptions on the import of capital goods, construction materials, spare parts with a value up to 15% of the total value of capital goods (100% of total value for industrial park enterprises that are fully exporters), and motor vehicles required for investment operation, as well as on the raw materials needed for the production of export commodities, and personal effects for residents in industrial parks.

Moreover, investors buying the above items from the local market can seek a refund of the duty paid. There is also an export duty exemption-on all products except semiprocessed hides and skins. Investors also have the rights to remittance of capital in convertible foreign currency and carry forward any loss incurred within the period of income tax exemption for half of the income tax exemption period after expiry; the maximum is five years and customer facilitations through bonded warehouse and voucher schemes. The Ethiopian Investment Commission also provides investment facilitations via one-stop shop and after-care service.The Ethiopian constitution and investment code offer guarantees to foreign direct investments in the country and Ethiopia is a signatory to Multilateral Investment Agency (MIGA), World Bank Affiliate Group and concluded Investment Protection Agreement with the Benelux countries. Ethiopia has also signed a Avoidance of Double Taxation Agreement with The Netherlands.

Given the above opportunities and incentives, the Ethiopian Government highly encourages the Ethiopian Diaspora and foreign investors to invest in the dairy sector, independently or in a joint-venture and tap into the lucrative domestic dairy market and potential for export of dairy products.

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Regional Integration

EU’s contribution to East Africa’s regional integration efforts Regional integration is complex in Africa, where a a single country often belongs to several overlapping regional organisations. The EU is supporting the integration efforts of the Eastern Africa region under the Cotonou Partnership Agreement. the Intra-ACP Programme, which aims to foster the linkage and integration between the six regions of the ACP group by focusing on commonalities among all the ACP countries.

It also intends to complement NIPs and RIPs at the ACP grouping level.

The case of RIP is somewhat complex in Africa, where a a single country often belongs to several overlapping regional organisations. For example, Ethiopia is a member of the Eastern Africa group, one of the six regions of the ACP, when it comes decision making and other consultation within the ACP. However, when it comes to the Regional Indicative Programme (RIP), the East Africa Region is merged with other regions to form the bigger Eastern Africa (EA), Southern Africa (SA) and Indian Ocean (IO) region.

The EA-SA-IO region is made of 25 African countries with diverse political and socio-economic backgrounds and that are members of one or more Regional Organizations. Such kind of complex regional arrangement makes it complicated to implement any program in the 11th EDF. In consequence, the implementation process requires greater coordination, capacity and flexibility.

The EU contribution to the integration efforts of the Eastern Africa region is taking place within the context of the Cotonou Partnership Agreement uniting 79 ACP member states with the EU 28 countries under a legally binding agreement. Among the ACP countries, 48 are from SubSahara Africa, 16 from the Caribbean and 15 from the Pacific Region. The 48 African nations are geographically divided into four regions (West, Central, Eastern, Southern), making the ACP a six-regional inter-governmental grouping with similar development aspiration and cultural background.

The current development cooperation arrangement between EU and ACP countries incorporates at its centre a financial protocol known as the European Development Fund (EDF), which plays a crucial part of the agreement and provide financial support to ACP counties in various forms. The EDF is interlinked with other parts of the agreement that include trading arrangements such as the Economic Partnership Agreement (EPAs) and political dialogue (on human rights, democratic principles, …) between the EU and ACP.

Regional Frameworks The EDF financial protocol devolves into three financial envelopes: the first one is National Indicative Programme (NIP), which is agreed and jointly administered between an ACP beneficial country and the EU, the Regional Indicative Programme (RIP) between an ACP region and the EU, and

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The coordinating aspect of the implementation is collectively undertaken by the Duly Mandated Regional Organizations (DMROs) which are COMESA (Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa), EAC (East African Community), IGAD (Intergovernmental Authority on Development), IOC (Indian Ocean Commission) and SADC (Southern African Development Community). Due to this peculiar character of the region, a single Regional Indicative Programme is devised for the collective overview and programming of the five Duly Mandated Regional Organization, as stated in the Cotonou Agreement (Annex 4, Article 7) regarding regions with overlapping memberships across the regional organisations.

EU objectives in EA: fighting insecurity and poverty The RIP exercise is primarily driven by the EU and offers a glimpse of EU’s policy interest towards the region. The EU has obviously an interest in a stable, peaceful and prosperous EA-SA-IO region. These interests are defined by the sub-region geostrategic importance particularly that of the Horn of Africa, where the EU has historically tried to protect vulnerable populations, including refugees and internally displaced persons and support the sub-region for self-sustaining economic growth. The implementation of

these priorities underpins EU’s regional interests (for example these are enshrined in the EU Strategic Framework for the Horn of Africa). This Strategic Framework takes a regional approach in supporting EA-SA-IO countries by addressing the link between insecurity, poverty and governance.

A key objective is to promote sustainable development by enhancing intra-regional trade.

A key objective is to promote sustainable development by enhancing intra-regional trade. This kind of integration will further contribute to the realisation of development goals, poverty alleviation, as well as improved conditions for investment, private sector development and decent job creation. However, to make these become a reality, EA-SA-IO countries need to take their national priorities into account in addition to the EU interest stated above (such as Agenda for Change policy document) as well as their own regional needs while setting out priorities in the RIP programming process.

Defining RIP priorities The process of identifying priority areas under RIP and the subsequent financial allocation was a gradual exercise. The RIP programming exercise that started in 2012 attempted to adopt a participatory approach by bringing together the five DMROs and the EU to coordinate the programming and formulation processes. In practice, the EU drove the whole process as it was providing the funding. As the process required and continues to require higher internal coordination among the DMROs, within their member states and with other stakeholders, it allowed the EA-SA-IO RIP to become an instrument that mainly supports EPA negotiation and implementation. The total Regional Indicative Programme for EA-SA-IO region is 1.332 billion euros divided into three envelopes (allocations for regional organisations; infrastructure; cross-regional programmes), with an overall focus on peace and security, regional economic integration, and natural resource management.

IGAD The allocation for IGAD is 80 million euros which will cover the conflict, early warning and response mechanism, mediation and preventive diplomacy, and countering transnational security threats; reducing barriers to free movement of persons (regional economic integration); and resilience of pastoralist populations and promoting sustainable ecosystem rehabilitation (natural resource management). And an additional amount of 5 euros million for building the capacity of the IGAD Secretariat. The biggest chunk of the financial allocation is Infrastructure projects across the entire region which will receive 600 million euros. This is expected be used primarily for blending with funds from investment banks such as EIB. A further 205 million euros is available for seven crossregional programmes covering the Great Lakes, migration,

maritime security, the interim Economic Partnership Agreement, transboundary water management, sustainable fisheries, and wildlife conservation. In 2017, 10 million euro was also approved to the Nile Basin Initiative project from the finance allocated under Natural resource management of the current RIP.

Challenges There are also regional implementation challenges: The first is almost all countries of the EA-SA-IO region are members of at least two regional organisations, a situation which poses problems to both regional integration and EU support to the region. An attempt to address this challenge is the Tripartite Free Trade Area Agreement between COMESA-SADC-EAC States, which committed them to the establishment of a single Free Trade Area covering 26 countries. The Tripartite process was launched in 2008, and the modalities for creating the FTA are still being negotiated. The second issue is that Eastern Africa, and particularly the Horn of Africa sub-region, is characterised by a long history of underdevelopment and conflict. This requires strong political commitment from the region and sustained a financial support by partner countries and organisations. In this light, EU needs to continue its contribution to a peaceful and developed region by supporting consensus and political dialogue as is the case in Somalia, Sudan and South Sudan via its financial support to AMISOM and UNMISS, UNISFA, peacekeeping mission.

The principle of complementarity between a RIP and National Indicative Program (NIP) is another critical point that should be looked at in view of efficient utilisation of EU’s financial support. For example, in the case of Ethiopia, the financial and technical support of EU (under EDF) to Ethiopia’s economic development agenda is complemented to some extent by earlier RIPs. This becomes visible when we look at EU assistance to Ethiopia which focuses on support for infrastructure development, food security, good governance, and capacity building. Since the early days of its cooperation with Ethiopia, the EU has provided substantial support for the infrastructure sector, and since 2006, it has provided budget support to Ethiopia’s road sector development programme (RSDP). This sector has synergies with other sectors contributing to connecting Ethiopia with its neighbours and foster regional infrastructure integration and trade linkages. For example, rural development and food security are supported by the development of rural roads and private sector development is supported by capacity building of the domestic construction industry.

As the way forward, one new feature envisaged and dully pursued under the 11th EDF - RIP is the principle to allow member states have direct access to finance rather than having all funding channelled through the regional organisations. The second is the process of submitting projects for funding under the infrastructure envelope must be agreed in advance between member countries, the various RECs and EU regarding project identification, having a clear timetable for submission etc. Governments of the region need to discuss proposals with EIB. Other projects to be funded through the Regional Programme could be subject to a call for proposals, and member countries could apply. On the other hand, activities financed through RIP should be implemented by individual Governments if they fall within the regional framework. But all this must be negotiated and agreed between the EU, the five RECs and all the member countries to efficiently utilise the allocated fund and contribute to greater regional integration.

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History/ Culture

Ethiopia will cherish the victory of Adwa for generations to come The Battle of Adwa, fought on 1 March 1896, holds a special place in Ethiopian history. By repelling the Italian invadors, Ethiopia, led by Emperor Menelik II, defeated one of Europe’s major powers in an age of relentless European expansion into Africa.

The people of Ethiopia have fought several battles and wars to preserve the dignity and the territorial integrity of their nation throughout its long history. In the 1870s and 1880s, Ethiopia successfully defeated Khedive Ismail Pasha of Egypt, who sought to bring the Nile River basin under his rule, the invading Mahdist army of Sudan and the Italians trying to turn the country into an Italian protectorate under the leadership of Emperor Yohannes IV (1837-1889).

The importance of Adwa But the Battle of Adwa fought on 1 March 1896 holds a special place in Ethiopian History. By repelling the Italians, Ethiopia, led by Emperor Menelik II, defeated one of Europe’s major powers in an age of relentless European expansion into Africa. This victory changed the country’s destiny and transformed the consciousness of Ethiopians and people of African descent all over the world as a symbol of resistance to colonialism. Thanks to their heroic resistance, Ethiopians managed to remain the only independent African country of that time, which is why they cherish the victory of Adwa for the generations to come. As we celebrate this important part of Ethiopia’s modern history, we should also seize this

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opportunity to investigate many aspects of that famous chapter, and numerous revelations probably still await us as many aspects of the battle are still not well researched.

Historical Context It is important to remind the current generation of the historical background of Adwa, the preparation for the battle, its aftermath and the various consequences of the battle, at the local, regional and international levels. In the late 19th century, the opening of Suez Canal in 1896 coupled with the Scramble for Africa by European powers increased the strategic importance of Ethiopia as several European Powers (notably France, Italy and Great Britain) sought influence in the area. Ethiopia was a country with a long history of civil war, but at the same time, it also had its share of resistance against foreign aggression. Egyptians, Sudanese, Ottoman Turks, and Portuguese had all tried and failed to dominate Ethiopia. Emperor Tewodros and Yohannes IV both died to protect the safety and security of their land and peoples.

Therefore, upon coming into power, Emperor Menelik (1844-1913) had the considerable pressure of maintaining the sovereignty and dignity of the people and the territorial integrity of the country. He had to manage internal problems while dealing with external threats at the same time. Unlike his predecessors, Emperor was ready to adopt modern inventions and lead his people by example. On the diplomatic front, he tried to foster good relations with many European powers and left his door open for negotiations and pacts. One of these pacts, made with Italy, eventually became the ‘seed of contention’ that caused of Battle of Adwa.

Treaty of Wuchale The interpretation of the famous Treaty of Wuchale was the spark that ignited the second war between Ethiopia and Italy. In 1889, Menelik had concluded a treaty with Italy at Wuchale in Wollo province. However, there were two versions of the treaty, one in talian and another in Amharic.

Unknown to Menelik the Italian version gave Italy more power than the two had agreed to. Article 17 of the Italian version stated Ethiopia’s relations with foreign countries would be determined by Italy, implying that Ethiopia was an Italian protectorate. But this was not an accurate reflection of the Amharic version which had been presented to the Emperor. Emperor Menelik II rejected the treaty as soon as he learned about the alteration.

Emperor Menelik II at the Battle of Adwa

In the long history of Ethiopia, Ethiopians have never bargained nor compromised on their sovereignty, their independence and their freedom. Popular saying and proverbs of the land such as ‘No compromise on one’s wife, no compromise on one’s country!’ testify to this particular trait. However, it was not the intention of the Emperor Menelik to go to war against the Italians. Well aware of the enormous challenge the war would present, he first tried to use his diplomatic channels and skills to avoid the disaster.

The battle The Italians first attempted to bribe Menelik with two million rounds of ammunition, but he refused. After a failed attempt to create a civil war in Ethiopia, the Italians declared war and invaded the country. As latecomers to ‘the scramble for Africa’, Italy wanted to imitate what other European powers had done. The interpretation of the Treaty of Wuchale was a good excuse for them to justify their expansion in Africa. Menelik had no choice but, to tell the truth to his people and alert them. He declared the preparation for the war.

However, Italy had not anticipated the fierce resistance they would have to face to do so. Although aware they were outnumbered, Italians believed the Ethiopians to be undisciplined and unskilled at the art of war, negating the advantage in numbers. They were proven severely wrong, and by the afternoon of 1 March 1896, Italian forces were in a desperate, panicked retreat.For a country like Ethiopia, waging war against a highly superior, better trained and mechanised army at a place very distant from his capital city, required logistics efforts unprecedented in the history of the country. In consequence, the way the emperor and

European depiction of the battle of Adwa

his allied handled the entire preparation and the battle can only be described as a masterstroke.

Historical legacy The victory of Adwa quickly became the pride and inspiration of the subjugated people of the world and a beacon of hope for all those who resisted any form of domination of a people over others. Indeed, Adwa changed perspectives and History was never to be the same as in the pre-Adwa days for Ethiopians and of the people of African origin. What was considered unthinkable in pre-Adwa days was proved wrong. That is why Adwa is considered ‘the pride of Africa’.

To commemorate this historical battle and reminds that it belongs to all people of African descent, the construction of Adwa Pan-African University was launched in January 2018. Upon completion, the university staff will carry out researches related to the battle to promote a better understand its story by all Africans.

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Tourism

Ethiopian tourism destinations are gaining momentum in Benelux countries Over the past three years, the Embassy of Ethiopia in Brussels has been actively promoting Ethiopian tourism destinations and attractions by participating in holiday fairs and organising tourism events.

Ethiopian stand at Brussels’ Salon des Vacances

Over the past three years, the Embassy of Ethiopia in Brussels has been actively promoting Ethiopian tourism destinations in Benelux and Baltic countries, in collaboration with Ethiopian Airlines in Brussels (EAL), the Ethiopian Tourism Organization (ETO) and the Ethiopian Tour Operators Association (ETOA). Considering the European public’s habit of visiting holiday fairs to discover future travel destinations, the Embassy took the lead in coordinating various Ethiopian tourism stakeholders to take part in major holiday fairs in the Benelux Countries.

A significant number of people were able to discover the country’s rich culture and natural beauty through such events. On each occasion, the elaborate Ethiopian stands, in addition to the traditional music, dances and coffee ceremony never failed to catch the eyes of intrigued visitors.

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By stopping at the stand, visitors not only obtained practical information about the country, but also experienced the hospitality of Ethiopia by enjoying a warm cup of coffee while sitting on a traditional stool, surrounded by the aroma of Ethiopian roasted coffee beans.

A new image for the country A key moment for European visitors is to discover the reality of a country that is miles away from the barren land described in the 1980s. After broadening their knowledge, most visitors conclude that Ethiopia is a must-see destination and inevitably ask the same question: “When the best season to visit Ethiopia?”. Tour operators and Ethiopian Airlines play a crucial role in providing information on Ethiopia’s tourism

destinations and flight details. Over time, holiday fairs have also become a platform where Europeans travelers who have visited Ethiopia to share their testimonies. It is not rare for them to express their intention to visit Ethiopian again.

The Embassy has worked tirelessly to make use of this crucial platform to showcase Ethiopia as a must-see touristic destination in Africa offering a unique rich culture and endowed with awe-inspiring natural scenery. Many factors have played a role in the constantly increasing number of tourists visiting Ethiopia, such as its stability and its dynamic economic development. The growing interest of European media also played a positive role in placing Ethiopia as an important cultural touristic destination in Africa. More and more journalists are visiting Ethiopia to film documentaries or write articles about the country. In parallel, Ethiopia has caught the attention of several bloggers and travel magazines.

For instance, the Daily Mail vaunted the beauty of Ethiopia in an article titled “Forget sunny Spain, enchanting Thailand and the romance of France: Ethiopia is named ‘World’s Best Tourism Destination.” Thanks to their reporting and testimonies, the image of Ethiopia of the 80s is beginning to fade away from popular memory.

A key moment for European visitors is to discover the reality of a country that is miles away from the barren land described in the 1980s.

The stand at Salon des Vacances (Brussels) was

Traditional Coffee Ceremony at the Vakanz Tourism Fair in Luxembourg

Recent holiday fairs The Embassy’s efforts would not have succeeded without the active support of Ethiopian Airlines Benelux Area Office.

The national carrier is connecting Africa to the world thanks to its flights to 56 cities in Africa, to 18 Europe & America destinations and 26 terminals in Gulf countries, the Middle East & Asia. The Airline has always been a part of the Embassy’s efforts in promoting the new tourism brand dubbed ‘Ethiopia Land of Origins’ in several tourism events organised in the past. Mr Bisrat Tedla, manager of EAL Brussels, has made a valuable contribution towards promoting Ethiopia in the Benelux countries.

The Embassy has been playing a major role in facilitating the participation of several Ethiopian tour operators through active engagements with the respective organizers of the fairs. So far this year, the participation of Ethiopian tourism stakeholders to the holiday fair of Brussels (Salon des vacances) and of Luxembourg (Vacanz) has been widely successful. The Brussels holiday fair was marked by a stand designed to replicate the Church of Lalibela, while the traditional coffee ceremony got the attention of Belgian RTL TV channel and several other journalists and bloggers.

Similarly, Ethiopia’s participation to the Vakanz Tourism Fair of Luxembourg included cultural performances by the Ethiopian Diaspora in Luxembourg and the Luxemburger Wort daily featured Ethiopia’s stand in its front page dedicated to the fair.

designed to replicate the Church of Lalibela

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Major tourism promotional event in Ghent More significantly, the Ethiopian Embassy organized a workshop on tourism on 13 March 2018 in close collaboration with the University of Ghent and Koombana Bay Tourism Marketing & Communication Agency. Over 19 Ethiopian tour operators and Ethiopian officials lead by H.E. Meaza G/Medhin, State Minister for Tourism, took part to the event for the first time. The workshop also served a platform to establish a Business to Business (B2B) and Business to Government (B2G) links, as it has brought together over 150 Destination Management Companies, Tour Operators, journalists and bloggers from Belgium and the Netherlands.

After welcoming remarks by Ambassador Ewnetu Blata, charge d’affaires at the Ethiopian Embassy in Brussels, and an opening speech of H.E. Meaza G/Medhin which gave an insight about the development of Ethiopia’s tourism sector to attendees. The Acting CEO of the ETO, Yechale Mihret, and Area Manager of the EAL (Benelux Area

Office) presented several Ethiopian tourism attractions and the flight destinations of EAL. ETOA’s Representative, Mr Desale Mitiku mentioned the untapped tourism potential of the country and underscored that visiting Ethiopia is like visiting three countries at the same time due to the country’s long and rich history, unique nature and incredible cultural diversity. Later, ample time was given for networking opportunities resulting in fruitful connections among the participants. The workshop also contributed in promoting the Ethiopian culture as were offered Ethiopian authentic food by Toukoul Restaurant (Brussels), were entertained with a coffee ceremony and Washint Music (an Ethiopian traditional instrument similar to flute) and an exhibition of Ethiopian traditional costumes and crafts organized by Mrs Tezerash Asfaw-an, a prominent member of the diaspora in Belgium.

In a nutshell, this tourism event was successful as it brought together all the key stakeholders in tourism and the European public to scale up the flow of tourism to Ethiopia.

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Guests learned more about the Ethiopian Tourism Sector and attractions, were able to network anf enjoyed entertainment at the workshop on tourism in Ghent

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