International Trade Fair Opens in Addis Amid Ethiopia's Manufacturing Push

International Trade Fair Opens in Addis Amid Ethiopia's Manufacturing Push

June 26, 2026
By Mintesinot Nigussie

An international trade exhibition bringing together companies across the food processing, packaging, plastics and printing industries has opened in Addis Ababa, as Ethiopia seeks to expand its manufacturing base and attract industrial investment.

The eighth Agrofood & Plastprintpack Ethiopia exhibition, which runs from June 25 to 27 at the Addis International Convention Centre (AICC), has drawn 153 exhibitors from 18 countries. The event is taking place alongside the second Ethiopia Food Show and the Ethiopica Coffee Show, creating a single platform for businesses across the food, beverage and manufacturing value chains.

Organisers said the exhibition demonstrates Ethiopia's growing role as a destination for industrial technology and investment in East Africa, bringing together manufacturers, technology providers, distributors and buyers from Ethiopia and overseas.

Data presented during the opening ceremony showed that Ethiopia's annual investment in food and beverage processing and packaging technologies has risen to between 64 million euros and 171 million euros in recent years, making the country one of East Africa's largest importers of such technologies.

The exhibition also highlighted sustained growth in Ethiopia's plastics industry. Plastic consumption has increased at an average annual rate of 11.5 percent, rising from 44 kilotonnes in 2007 to 281 kilotonnes in 2024. Ethiopia is now the second-largest importer of plastics in primary form in Eastern and Central Africa.

Participating companies represent Brazil, China, Denmark, Djibouti, Ethiopia, Finland, France, Germany, India, Italy, Kenya, Spain, Taiwan, Tunisia, Türkiye, the United Arab Emirates and the United Kingdom, reflecting the exhibition's international reach.

The exhibition is organised by Germany's Fairtrade Messe in partnership with Ethiopian event organiser Prana Events. According to the organisers, the three-day event connects thousands of industry professionals and businesses seeking opportunities in agro-processing, food and beverage manufacturing, plastics, printing, packaging and the coffee sector across East Africa.

Source: FSX Business News