FORTUNE+ VIDEO SPONSORED CONTENTS ADVERTORIALS FORTUNE AUDIO Fortune Careers TRADE AFRICA Election 2026 New TIME REMAINING UNTIL ETHIOPIA’S NATIONAL ELECTION 0Days 0Hours 0Minutes 0Seconds

Fortune Logo
Thus, the answer should be to pour money into the manufacturing sector, improve infrastructure significantly and market the nation’s low labour costs as a means of attracting foreign direct investments.

It should have been easy. The manufacturing sector's contribution to GDP is insignificant, although it is a high productivity area that can boost Ethiopia’s foreign currency earnings. But the sector with the highest share to GDP is agriculture, which is a low productivity area and is easily susceptible to nature’s vagaries and the global fluctuations in commodity prices. Thus, the answer should be to pour money into the manufacturing sector, improve infrastructure significantly and market the nation’s low labour costs as a means of attracting foreign direct investments.


Tax incentives, around a dozen industrial parks and a plethora of Turkish, Indian and Chinese investors later, the outcome has been far from impressive. It stood at 6.8pc in the 2018/19 fiscal year, a snail pace Of 4.9pc at the start of the decade. But long-planned projects have gradually come online, and it is yet to be seen if these will end with improved manufacturing output.




PUBLISHED ON Jan 05,2020 [ VOL 20 , NO 1028]

[ratemypost]


Related Posts

[ssba-buttons]

Put your comments here

N.B: A submit button will appear once you fill out all the required fields.

Editors' Pick

Exclusive Interviews

State Enterprises from Oracles to Apprentices

Dec 22 , 2024 . By TIZITA SHEWAFERAW

Charged with transforming colossal state-owned enterprises into modern and competitiv...

Agenda

Rising Costs, Inflation Threaten Insurance Industry

Aug 18 , 2024 . By AKSAH ITALO

Although predictable Yonas Zerihun's job in the ride-hailing service is not immune to...

Agenda

BREWING DISCONTENT

Jul 28 , 2024 . By TIZITA SHEWAFERAW

Unhabitual, perhaps too many, Samuel Gebreyohannes, 38, used to occasionally enjoy a couple of beers at breakfast. However, he recently swit...

Fortune News

Electric Vehicle Push Leaves Investors in the Lurch

Jul 13 , 2024 . By AKSAH ITALO

Investors who rely on tractors, trucks, and field vehicles for commuting, transporting commodities, and f...

Commentaries

Ethiopia Can't Wait for the Market to Code Its Future

At a technology conference in Nairobi a few years ago, a product director at one of A...

Reclaiming Global Value Chains Amidst Hard Currency Headwinds

Exporters of fruit, vegetables, and herbs move some of the most perishable goods thro...

Fineline

Leaders of the National . . .

Leaders of the National Election Board are in a charm offensive mood, of a sort. Last week, they organised a rare tour for members of the me...

When the country’s most. . .

When the country's most senior diplomats and envoys return back to their posts after two-week debriefings, they leave behind a point or two...

Editorial

Logistics Reform Should Deliver More Than Market Entry by Foreign Capital

Jun 13 , 2026

The recent policy decision to fully open freight forwarding to foreign capital may be...

The Elections Offered Order at the Centre, Silence at the Edges

Jun 6 , 2026

For a political veteran as controversial as Getachew Reda, last week's national elect...

Mistaking Development Theatre for Public Trust Has a Cost

May 30 , 2026

Tomorrow, millions of Ethiopians are expected to vote in the seventh national electio...

Tax Push Tests How Much Pain Taxpayers Can Bear

May 23 , 2026

An International Monetary Fund (IMF) team has spent weeks in Addis Abeba conducting t...

Gallery

Parliament Approves New Cabinet Members

Oct 6 , 2021

Parliament Approves New Cabinet, Incorporates Opposition Leaders Lawmakers have approved today the nominations of 22 ministers, including three opposition leaders. Two MPs have voted against, while 12 abstained...

2020 in Posterity

Jan 5 , 2021

TIGRAY VOTES DESPITE "NULL & VOID" THREAT

Sep 9 , 2020

IN-PICTURE: LAUREATE'S RECEPTION  

Dec 14 , 2019

PM Abiy Ahmed (PhD) at a Gala Dinner Called for the Awarding of the Félix Houphouët-Boigny Peace Prize

May 6 , 2019

Faces, Voices of Addis Abeba

Apr 26 , 2019

Sunday With Eden

The Cost of a Culture That Doesn't Read

In Ethiopia, one of the most surprising statements heard in everyday conversation is...

A Journey of Survival, Forgiveness, Giving Back

Some stories arrive without fanfare, yet stay with us long after they are told. They...

Life Matters

The Things We Can't Control

Lately, two thoughts have occupied my mind. At first glance, they seem unrelated. One is about comebacks. The other is about how parents vie...

We Don't Need Cover Letters We Need Conversations

We live in an age that celebrates efficiency, automation and convenience, yet the modern job hunt remains...