October 17 , 2020
The United States government signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU)with the Ethiopian Airlines Group to assist in sourcing locally-grown and produced ingredients for in-flight meals. The agreement, made through USAID, was signed by Tewolde GebreMariam, CEO of Ethiopian Airlines Group, and Michael Raynor, US Ambassador to Ethiopia. The new partnership will run until December 2022 and provide farmers and producers with technical assistance and access to funds. It will also work on ensuring that the products meet the standard of quality and volume requirements to serve passengers. This business web between farmers and local agribusinesses is expected to open doors to a market with increased total annual revenues as high as 10 million dollars. This will reduce the airline's expenditure for importing supplies and processed foods. The USAID loan facility extends to identifying local suppliers for the list of catering materials that the airline might need in addition to providing support to cooperative unions, youth and women's groups, and other businesses. This support comes through the Feed the Future programme, an initiative launched in 2010 by the Obama Administration to address global hunger and food insecurity.
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