sold £1.2bn worth of engines to Ethiopian Airlines; it was the first time in East Africa that such a big order was won by a UK company.” For organisations that know which sector they can invest in prior to arriving, the government will give “a host of incentives” and a lot of support. GDP per capita reached more than
US$706.06 per annum in 2017 from US$120 15 years ago and national GDP is US$73bn. As the economy grows, so does the spending power of the people and this is reflected in growing beer consumption and supply: both Diageo and Heineken produce their brands locally. Te deregulation of the economy
does not, unfortunately, remove bureaucracy, which is entrenched in Ethiopia, but the DIT is adept at navigating the maze and companies planning to do business there would do well to contact the department.
TOOLS FOR THE JOB Infrastructure in Ethiopia is also a major drawback. Te Chinese are developing wind farms, dams for hydroelectricity, railways and more but with mixed effect. “Tere are quality issues, but the Chinese are filling a lot of gaps in the
busine s s tr a v eller .com
CHURCHES AND MOUNTAINS For me, after a week in meetings, striding across the Roof of Africa or Simien Mountains National
Park was a liberating experience, writes Catherine Chetwynd. In June, having reached one peak, wafts of oregano accompanied us across the volcanic terrain, which led to an 800m dead drop into the valley below. If you go, look out for the rare Walia ibex or gelada baboons, whose mutual grooming is strangely intimate. You can extend your stay and visit the rock-hewn churches in Gheralta set among dramatic
flat plains with rock outcrops. The 500 metre climb up one of the rock pillars rewards visitors with the tiny 6th-century Abuna Yemata Guh church, tucked away in a cave. Its vibrant 15th-century wall paintings are the best preserved of the 30 churches in the area. This is a working church and parishioners make the taxing climb every Sunday. However, practicalities prevail and the priest’s mobile number is carved into a rock halfway up, presumably for those who need succour en route. The 13 churches at Lalibela are carved out of the ground and linked by a tangle of passages
and tunnels. Their scale is astonishing. The largest is Bet Medhane Alem, 33m long, 23m wide and 11m high, while majestic Bet Giyorgis is the only cruciform church – one of the few in Ethiopia, with three carved crosses making a striking statement on the roof. Nuns have lived there since the 12th century in houses made of stone excavated to create the churches.
infrastructure deficit, which is a good thing. But the country has to move from projects built through Chinese loan to PPP projects and the recent government legislation is to implement this,” says the DIT spokesman. As a result, logistics are a challenge.
Te railway from Addis to Djibouti’s main port, which opened in January, has improved things a bit, connecting landlocked Ethiopia with the sea, but transporting goods from land to port is still difficult because the road is not great and the few transport companies are not enough for the growing demand.
Te Light Railway, built by the
Chinese, runs east-west and north- south across Addis Ababa and is a quality case in point – about 50 per cent of the trains do not work, so they run every 30 minutes rather than every ten, and are packed solid. Tere is a charm and a frustration
to doing business in Ethiopia. However, this nation is embracing democracy and development. Businesses looking to enhance their presence in Africa would do well to book a flight with Ethiopian Airlines and see for themselves. BT
NOVEMB ER 2018 67
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