ISLAMABAD, Dec 7 (APP): Ambassador of Ethiopia to Pakistan Jemal Beker Abdula on Wednesday appreciated the Government of Pakistan for timely rolling out its “Engage Africa Policy’ to explore areas of mutual economic interest within the African Continent.
“It is my firm belief that the current century belongs to Africa, which is emerging as a major destination for all the big investors around the world due to the rapid pace of development and progress there,” the ambassador said while speaking here at the Islamabad Conclave 2022.
At #IslamabadConclave2022, I highlighted business, trade& investment potential of Africa esp🇪🇹 which is a gateway to Africa for the world esp 🇵🇰 which has timely launched 'Engage Africa Policy'. Whatever produced in 🇪🇹 can easily be sold to entire Africa locate urself in Ethiopia https://t.co/I8gXITpTHz
— Ambassador Jemal Beker (@JemalBeker1) December 7, 2022
He said, “Gone are the days when Africa was portrayed by the world as a gloomy and underdeveloped place, marred by civil wars and backwardness”, as the situation had changed there altogether.
Africa, he said, had undergone a lot of transformation shaping its destiny and emerging as a land of opportunities.
Since the beginning of the 21st century, there had been a remarkable improvement in the governance style of African countries and political stability had become a hallmark of the continent with more democratic accountability and transparency within the governments.
He said by 2050, a quarter of the world’s population would be in Africa which would shape the planet Earth’s future. “Africa’s unprecedented population growth will have an impact on geopolitics, global trade, workforce, and other dominant prospects,” he added.
Giving some recommendations for reaping the fruits of the “Engage Africa Policy”, he called for establishing the institutional linkages between Pakistan and the African countries to boost bilateral, regional, and multilateral cooperation for strengthening political, security, economic, social, and cultural ties.
“It is also imperative for the Pakistani government to strengthen its relations with Ethiopia which is a gateway to Africa and connect the former with the latter,” he remarked.
He said Ethiopia was playing a leading role in pan-Africa since the colonial period and still had a strong legacy in shaping the political, socio-economic, and regional integration while striving to achieve the Agenda 2063 of the Africa Union.
Ethiopia, he said, was the founding member of the League of Nations, United Nations, Organisation of African Unity (OAU), and African intercontinental free trade agreement, and promoting the free movement of people, goods, and services across the continent. His country also owned the largest Pan-Africa Airlines with the name of Ethiopian Airlines, he added.
The ambassador said Ethiopia attached great importance to advancing the bilateral relationship with Pakistan, and the “opening of our mission in Islamabad reflects our commitment in this regard”.
Both Ethiopia and Pakistan, he added, shared similarities in many ways as both were heirs of ancient civilizations, influential diaspora, and share social, cultural, and political values. Ethiopia also had a federal system like that of Pakistan which held elections at regular intervals.
“Currently, the bilateral trade between the two countries is minimal and amounts to 78 million US dollars, however, my target is to take it to 200 million US dollars by the end of 2023,” he vowed.
Ethiopia, the ambassador said, had been offering multiple incentives to the investors who would be exporting the products to other destinations after ensuring their manufacturing in the country.
