Photo from Internet
On Aug. 13, 2018, Ethiopian President Mulatu Teshome visited the Chinese built Eastern Industry Zone to inspect the production and operation of the Zone. He visited pharmaceutical, textile, steel and other enterprises in the industrial park. Due to the model effect of the Eastern Industry Zone, the Ethiopian government has begun to vigorously promote the construction of industrial parks across the country.
Speaking after visiting the Chinese built Eastern Industry Zone, he said the industrial zone, which has more than 80 factories in it, is a showcase in how with right management and planning Ethiopia's transition from an agriculture-based economy into an industrial powerhouse in the next 10 years can be successful.
The Eastern Industry Zone inaugurated in 2010 is Ethiopia's first industry zone that inspired the Ethiopian government towards establishing more industry parks across the country towards becoming the manufacturing hub of the African continent.
“A decade ago the land the Eastern Industry Zone currently lies on was just an agricultural land, but with hard work it has become today a showcase of high quality industrial factories in sectors such as
pharmaceuticals, pulp and
textile," said Teshome.
“I hope our local entrepreneurs will learn from the success of Eastern Industry Zone and take this opportunity to enter into the manufacturing sector," he further said.
Chinese Ambassador to Ethiopia Tan Jian, who accompanied the Ethiopian president in his visit to the Eastern Industry Zone, said Ethiopia has the biggest economy in the East African region and the second largest population in Africa with around 100 million people.
Chinese investment and expertise have been crucial to build a 4 billion U.S. dollars 756 km electrified rail line from Addis Ababa-Djibouti, helping ease the bottleneck for landlocked Ethiopia and assisting the East African country maintain its double-digit economic growth over the last decade, said Tan.
It is of vital importance for China and Ethiopia to promote the construction of industrial parks in Ethiopia. It would create a good investment environment for more and more Chinese companies to enter Ethiopia, promoting cooperation between China and Africa, and promoting the development of Ethiopian economy.
