Ethiopia Showcases Manufacturing Gains at Fourth 'Made in Ethiopia' Expo

Mintesinot Niggusie

Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed (PhD) on Tuesday inaugurated the fourth "Made in Ethiopia" Expo for the 2018 Ethiopian fiscal year, presenting new data on the country's manufacturing sector as authorities seek to accelerate industrial growth and investment.

The exhibition, positioned as a national platform linking producers, investors and policymakers, highlighted a series of gains recorded in recent years. Annual input supply to the manufacturing sector has increased from nine million tonnes to 15 million tonnes, while more than 3.4 gigawatts of electricity has been made available for new industrial investments.

Access to finance has expanded sharply. Lending to small and medium-sized enterprises rose from 8.1 billion birr to 50 billion birr, while financing for large-scale industries exceeded 262 billion birr. The sector has also been allocated more than 2.28 billion US dollars in foreign exchange to support operations and imports.

Industrial capacity utilisation has improved from 47 percent to 67 percent, according to the data presented at the event. Sector growth has also accelerated, rising from 4.8 percent to 10.7 percent, with further gains anticipated.

Officials said import substitution efforts have saved up to 4.85 billion US dollars, alongside growth in export trade. The sector has attracted more than 2,800 investment projects and generated employment for 1.4 million people.

The expo has evolved into a key forum for promoting industrial linkages and drawing investment, bringing together hundreds of manufacturers and visitors from across the continent and beyond.