ADDIS ABABA, 24 November 2015 – Participants at a workshop on eco-industrial parks, held today in the capital, Addis Ababa, commended Ethiopia for the advances made in the field, and called on other African countries to follow its example, saying that it was an important pathway to the continent’s industrialization in line with Africa’s Agenda 2063 and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

Tadesse Haile, State Minister of Industry, said that in Ethiopia, small‐scale enterprises constitute the bulk of the private sector and have the capacity to deal with unemployment, contributing to the economic growth of the country and its transition into an industry-led economy. He added that “accelerated industrialization and transformation of the economy remain Ethiopia’s top development agenda for the next decade”.

He also noted that the UNIDO Programme for Country Partnership was fully aligned with the second phase of Ethiopia’s Growth and Transformation Plan, and “aims at leveraging and facilitating huge investments in textile and apparel, agro-food processing and leather and leather products sub-sectors through support to human and institutional capacity building, establishment of industrial parks, promotion of green energy as well as trade facilitation”.

The Ambassador of the People’s Republic of China to Ethiopia, La Yifan, highlighted the importance of not only focusing on what he called the “hardware” of industrial parks, but also on the “software” aspects, especially on the development of benchmarks and a robust certification system that will benefit investment source and recipient countries alike. He called on participants to “request assistance from the appropriate organizations and bodies with the required mandate and expertise to lead and facilitate the development of a high quality certification system”.

“Industrial parks can help scale up industrialization efforts by attracting domestic and foreign investments. Just like in Ethiopia, other African countries will benefit from a concrete industrial development policy that brings in investments in productive sectors such as agro-industry and manufacturing, helping create new jobs,” said Jean Bakole, Director of UNIDO Regional Office in Ethiopia.

Other speakers, including Ahmed Shide, State Minister of Finance and Economic Cooperation, and Arkebe Oqubay, Minster and Special Adviser to the Prime Minister of Ethiopia, focused on the achievements, opportunities and challenges of developing industrial parks. Minister Arkebe stressed that “all industrial parks need to be green and ecologically friendly with minimal to zero liquid discharge”.

Mebrahtu Meles, State Minister of Industry, thanked the UNIDO Regional Office in Ethiopia and the Embassy of China to Ethiopia for co-organizing the workshop with his Ministry.

The event, organized to mark Africa Industrialization Day, brought together some 150 participants, including local and foreign investors, the diplomatic community, representatives of the UN system, the African Development Bank, the European Union, the Japanese International Cooperation Agency, the World Bank, as well as academic institutions, and the private sector.

Read the Joint Communiqué

For further information, please contact:

Stephen Bainous Kargbo
Industrial Development Officer
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UNIDO Regional Office in Ethiopia
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