Limited access to finance, infrastructure, raw material shortages, market linkages and promotion were attributed as the long-standing issues plaguing the leather industry as Ethiopia aims to reignite the struggling sector. Ministry of Industry officials recently convened a meeting with key stakeholders to chart a course for revival where discussions highlighted several challenges hindering the sector's growth and potential solutions to overcome them. Experts, factory owners, officials from the Ministry of Revenue, the National Bank of Ethiopia, and the Environmental Protection Authority, convened in the discussion last week where Minister Melaku offered a glimmer of hope, indicating that factories meeting specific criteria could qualify for access to loans, easing the financial constraints faced by some producers. Improved compensation for pastoralists, forming stronger associations and targeted promotional campaigns were suggested as a potential way to rectify the sector.
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