Ashenafi Endale – Page 15 – Ethiopian Business Review

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Teshome Taffese (PhD), State Minister of Finance (MoF), is the mastermind who led MoF to institutionalize Public Private Partnerships (PPP), a new model expected to fill the infrastructure financing gap existing in the country. Prior to this political assignment, he has conducted dozens of case studies in numerous countries, particularly on public finance, infrastructure development and PPPs. Teshome stresses that under the circumstances, Ethiopia has no option but maximizing the exploitation of PPPs. EBR’s Ashenafi Endale sat down with him to understand what has been done thus far.

Ethiopian exporters are almost blind to international accreditation and certification systems. Even though there are significant outsourcing market opportunities in Europe, USA and Japan, Ethiopian exporters could not benefit from this, largely because they fail to meet standards. Such problems are not uncommon across sectors prioritized by the Ethiopian government, including coffee, leather, textile, garment, fruits and honey. The presence of few quality accrediting companies, both private and local, does not help Ethiopia buck this trend, chiefly because they lack international accreditation. EBR’s Ashenafi Endale probes into the matter.

Cottage industry is a segment of the economy whose importance is usually sidelined in Ethiopia. Though accounting for an insignificant share of the economy, it is still believed to be a source of income for many relying on the production of handicrafts and small industry items. Requiring a very small amount of capital, cottage industries employ below 10 individuals and are known for very quality products that are hand-made and preferred by environment-sensitive consumers. Now, this traditional manufacturing system is facing extinction as the government prioritizes medium and large enterprises as well as industrial parks. EBR’s Ashenafi Endale investigates

The importance of patent rights is usually overlooked in Ethiopia. From the inventors to the government officials, the attention given to the issue has not been satisfactory. This is partly because of the weak implementation of the patent law of the country. The fact that the country is also not a signatory in the international intellectual property law is another challenge which is undermining the efforts of the country in its accession in the World Trade Organization. EBR’s Ashenafi Endale investigates.

In Ethiopia, some regional states are more developed than others while the rest remain behind in terms of economy, investment and trade as well as social and infrastructural development. The wealth distribution among the regions is not also fair. Despite the substantial regional inequality, tackling the wide gap still remains a big challenge. In the past, there were different policy prescriptions put forward to manage the inequality, but none of them were able to bring a solution to the growing inequality among regional states, largely because of the politicization of the matter. EBR’s Ashenafi Endle explores.

Despite its importance and better productivity, little attention is given to the production of avocado in Ethiopia. Excluded from the extension programs run by the government, there is no support system deployed to help avocado farmers. Nonetheless, the consumption of the super nutritional fruit is growing throughout the country as people started to use it in different forms including as an edible oil. Understanding the potential of the fruit, many are joining the avocado market which is also bringing in a considerable amount of foreign currency into the country. EBR’s Ashenafi Endale explores.

Businesses that deliver gifts are growing in Addis Ababa. First, it started as a service mainly used by the diaspora community. But lately, the locals are also embracing it. While this has become a source of revenue for many, it has helped individuals save time and strengthen social ties with their loved ones. EBR’s Ashenafi Endale explores.

It was in 1995 that Ethiopia adopted federalism. The constitution also gives ultimate power to regions which formed the country. Although regions seem autonomous and independent, they have been losing economic power and have been surviving on subsidies from the central government. This makes Ethiopia’s fiscal federalism to be based on solidarity finance allocation from the center. This confusion is causing friction among regions and the federal government. EBR’s Ashenafi Endale explores.

A few years ago, there were more than two dozen local mobile phone assemblers in Ethiopia. With the steady growth in demand, many of them reaped huge amounts of profit while increasing their productivity. But over the past 12 months, majority of them stopped operations because of the increased rise of the smuggled mobile phone market. This, coupled with the shortage of raw materials, pushed the local assemblers to compete with the contraband phones suppliers. EBR’s Ashenafi Endale explores.

Buying houses from real estate developers incur 15Pct Value Added Tax and six percent title deed transfer fee of an actual price tag. Additionally, real estate developers take more time to deliver housing units which further escalate cost of construction that ultimately push price tag further.
This makes houses built by real estate companies more expensive for the vast majority of Addis Ababans. As a result, house buyers have been looking for affordable options
Villas developed by unlicensed individuals have become one of the options. The unlicensed individual developers have lesser tax obligations and deliver houses for less at a shorter span of time. As a result, they are becoming more active in the housing market.
As their number increases, there is a fear that the market would become informal and out of the watchful eyes of the government. EBR’s Ashenafi Endale Explores.

“Although the local private sector is not in a position to benefit fro it, PPP is the best available tool at our hand.”

Poor Export Quality Costs Ethiopia Hugely

Cottage Industries Locked In A Cottage

Intellectual Property: Overlooking What Comes First

Regional Growth Varies as Unfair Resources Distribution Persists

Avocado: the Next Coffee

Growing Gift Delivery Business

Fiscal Federalism: Elusive Concept Far from Reality

Mobile Phone Assemblers on Verge of Extinction

Housing Market Goes Informal as Individual Developers Mushroom