Connect Ethiopia Links Coffee Coops and Irish Roasters

Ethiopia: Irish Business Delegation Says Country Visit Successful
The Daily Monitor (Addis Ababa)
April 27, 2007

A business delegation from Ireland organized by the Connect Ethiopia group, a new initiative by Irish businesses to create and develop trade and business partnerships between Ireland and Ethiopia, "has had a successful visit" here, one of its Executive Member Philip O'Dwyer said in a statement Thursday.

"We have had a series of informative and fruitful meetings with people from different business sectors, including the Chamber of Commerce, the garment industry, the Insurance Federation, Ethiopian Airlines, MIDROC and others," the statement quoted him as saying.

Four e-commerce and ICT professionals, part of the delegation, have had meetings with Ethiopian business people, following a seminar organized at the Chamber of Commerce, the statement said.

"There is great understanding here from people in the ICT sector of the huge potential e-commerce has for Ethiopian business," said Oscar Valles, an advisor to the Spanish government. "We are setting up cooperation and partnership links." This is Connect Ethiopia's second visit to Ethiopia.

The statement said the first visit, last September, "has led to business links between coffee cooperatives in Ethiopia and coffee roasters in Ireland." It further indicated that the first order for 18,000 kg of premier quality coffee was en route to Ireland, and cooperation agreements between engineers' associations in the two countries.

In addition to forging business links, Connect Ethiopia is also committed to sharing knowledge and capacity building, the statement said.

According to Philip Lee, founding member and Executive Member of Connect Ethiopia, the best way to help eradicate poverty in Ethiopia is for the Irish business people to share their sophisticated western business skills, with Ethiopian business people, so "that they themselves can create wealth and jobs for themselves." Connect Ethiopia's next visit in October 2007, will focus on tourism development and financial services and sharing Ireland's know how and management skills, the statement indicated sent from Ethiopian Quadrants, a tour company which hosted Connect Ethiopia here in Addis Ababa.

"Ireland, with a population of about 5 million, managed to attract 8 million visitors last year," Philip Lee continued in the statement.

"We can share our experience and skills in how to market and package a country. Ethiopia needs to re-brand itself, and we can help." Outside the business sector, South Dublin Council has twinned with Werabe and Butajira, and is engaged in the transfer of public administration knowledge and skills, in areas such as town planning, surveying, waste management and disposal.

Discussions are under way to twin Trinity College Dublin with Addis Ababa University.

Connect Ethiopia Liaison Officer W/zo Etagegnehu Buli said, in the statement: "This is the first Connect Ethiopia visit I've worked on, and going around with delegation members I can say we've had a great reception from people we've met in the business sector and in government. For the future, we will be building on the very solid foundations we have managed to establish." Connect Ethiopia's final meeting before departing on Friday, 27 April, will be with Tadesse Haile, State Minister for Trade and Industry., the statement noted.