Trade competitiveness is one facet that Ethiopian policymakers have failed to bring significant change to, despite their profound desire. The complex linkage between the economic factors that affect competitiveness – from access to finance to logistic integration – made the task of streamlining change all the more difficult. As change stays elusive, a mixed feeling of eagerness and hopelessness seems to sweep through the administration, as could be seen from the body language of Debretsion Gebremichael, centre, deputy prime minister for the economic cluster and minister of Communications & Information Technology (MoCIT). If there is one sector that continues to feel the heat of the high cost of transactions and prolonged logistics, and hence poor competitiveness, it is the pulses, oilseeds and spices sector. No doubt that Debretsion and his colleague, Kebede Chane, left, the minister of Trade (MoT), rightly understand this problem. Their presence at the third International Conference on Pulses, Oilseeds & Spices, held last week at the United Nations Conference Centre, clearly displays this. Both seem keen to see a push in exports in the sector, in order to meet the ambitious export target of the government. Much is expected from financial moguls, such as Bekalu Zeleke, right, president of the largest bank in the nation, the Commercial Bank of Ethiopia (CBE), in terms of facilitating enhanced trade financing. As the demand for the commodities increases in the global market, much of their future performance is dependent on what suppliers, like Ethiopia, do to boost their supply.
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PUBLISHED ON NOV 17, 2013 [ VOL 14 ,NO 707]
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