Investing in Ethiopia




Ethiopia's poverty-stricken economy is based on agriculture, accounting for almost 45% of GDP, and 85% of total employment. The agricultural sector suffers from frequent drought and poor cultivation practices. Coffee is critical to the Ethiopian economy with exports of some $350 million in 2006, but historically low prices have seen many farmers switching to qat to supplement income. Under Ethiopia's constitution, the state owns all land and provides long-term leases to the tenants; the system continues to hamper growth in the industrial sector as entrepreneurs are unable to use land as collateral for loans. In November 2001, Ethiopia qualified for debt relief from the Highly Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) initiative, and in December 2005 the IMF forgave Ethiopia's debt. The global economic downturn led to balance of payments pressures, partially alleviated by recent emergency funding from the IMF. While GDP growth has remained high, per capita income is among the lowest in the world.

Ethiopian Commodity Exchange - http://www.ecx.com.et/
Ethiopian Electric Power Corporation - http://www.eepco.gov.et/
National Bank of Ethiopia - http://www.nbe.gov.et/

Ethiopia Investing News
2011-09-01 - (bl) - Starbucks rivals avoid Ethiopian coffee as beans lose cachet

Addis Fortune (Addis Ababa) - http://www.addisfortune.com/
The Ethiopian Herald (Addis Ababa) - http://www.ethpress.gov.et/Herald/articlefront.asp
The Reporter (Addis Ababa) - http://www.ethiopianreporter.com/

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