With funding from the Swedish Embassy, Ethiopian Trade Sectoral Associations, the Ministry of Trade and Regional Cooperation, and investors from the agriculture sector met with the government during the previous two days at the Skylight Hotel.
“The difference between black market and bank rate is almost double,” as one participant from the meat exporter put it, “which benefits the illegal traders and is causing losses for the legal traders.”
“Butchers in Ethiopia charge more than $7 per kilogramme of meat, whereas those in Kenya price less than $4. Additionally, it made it impossible to ship Ethiopian beef to Dubai and reduced our ability to compete. He added that it gave neighbours like Kenya a chance.
Participants saw an upsurge in the smuggling of animals into neighbouring countries.
Others said that because there aren’t enough funds to go around, it’s increasingly harder to import the materials needed for production, and that the government needs to come up with a solution. They added that a lack of resources has led to the closure of numerous businesses.
He claims that some government bureaucracy executives have an obsession with thinking they are above the law and disregard their orders or requests for authorization, which is bad for the industrial sector.
Mrs. Sofia Kassa, Minister of State for Investment and Resources at the Ministry of Agriculture, responded to questions from the forum.
“As a country, we deal with many problems. Just as there is a problem with the government, there is a problem with the investor.
For instance, the investors that support corruption are the ones who offer bribes. It should be made known who is supporting the lawsuit and who they are. She spoke.
Even though a nation’s industrial sector has seen several breakthroughs, Ato Tareqegn Bueltea, the state minister of industry, noted that there are still issues.
Collaboration in problem-solving is not a common occurrence. It is simple for us to reopen shuttered factories. More loans and more land are being facilitated by us. Although there is a problem with the supply of resources, getting foreign currency is tough. We are attempting to address each component separately,” he stated.
The lack of peace in the country, according to participants, is also causing many tour operators to lose their jobs and the number of tourists visiting the country to fall.
IT investors pleaded with the government to end the social media ban, which had a negative impact on their ability to perform their duties.