• Name: Abiy Ahmed Ali
• Born: 15 August 1976, Beshasha, Ethiopia
• Role: Prime Minister of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia

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The Forum took place at a time where Ethiopia’s economic opportunities are attracting considerable interest in the European Union, as proven by the wide and diverse audience that attended the two-day event. During this high-level business forum, investors and businesspeople interested in doing business in Ethiopia learned practical information and were able to interact with top officials from the Ethiopian Investment Commission and other high-ranking officials from Ethiopia.

They also had the occasion to share the experiences of representatives of some of the largest European companies already active in Ethiopia during the panel sessions. Overall, around 200 participants (business companies from all over Europe and Ethiopia, members of the public and private sectors, journalists and EU and Ethiopian officials included) attended the Business Forum.

State Minister for Foreign affairs Dr. Markos Tekle noted that the government was working on new measures to improve doing business in Ethiopia. PM Abiy has set out a steering committee that solely works towards achieving successful results.

Head of the Ethiopian Investment Commission Abebe Abebayehu pointed out that Ethiopia government and agencies would be there every step of the way to support all investors & solve problems should they arise. He also noted that what we have seen in Ethiopia in the past year since Abiy Ahmed has taken over, is a real revolution, since so much has improved.

Mr. Dougie Brew, Corporate Affairs and Sustainable Business Director Africa of Unilever, highlighted the incredible market potential of Ethiopia, especially for local production, as the middle class is growing and consumers need more than just consumer goods. He also said that his industry had the potential to generate 100 indirect jobs for every direct job created.

Mr. Thomas Schaefer, Chairman and Managing Director of Volkswagen Group South Africa, for his part, said that it is the political will and the vision of the government that attracted Volkswagen to Ethiopia. He also encouraged investors to think out of the box. For instance, instead of paying significant amounts for imported oil, they could use Ethiopia’s national gas reserves, which would cut CO2 emissions by 50%.

The Second day of the EU-Ethiopia Business Forum was dedicated to a morning-long networking session. Participants who had registered the previous day were able to discuss in detail potential partnership projects with other interested parties. Participants expressed their satisfaction about the information provided and contacts made during these two days and hoped that such forums would become regular events in the coming years.

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This was Abiy Ahmed’s first official visit to Brussels and to the European Union institutions. He met with Jean Claude Juncker, Donald Tusk and Federica Mogherini. The full package. On this occasion, Ethiopia and the European Union signed a 130 million euros cooperation agreement divided in three pillars: job creation (50 million euros), sustainable energy (35 million euros), and the establishment of agro-industrial parks in Ethiopia (45 million euros).

It was in this overloaded week that I met the new Ambassador of Ethiopia to the Kingdom of Belgium and to the European Union: Ambassador Grum Abay. 

I was waiting, at the charming conference room of the Embassy, for the Ambassador, when suddenly, I heard a friendly voice saying “Buongiorno Antonio!” I did not want to disappoint him and immediately replied “Buongiorno Signor Ambasciatore!”. 

“You know” he continued “I’ve served as a diplomat and as an ambassador in Rome for several years! I love your country!”

“Well thank you” I replied, “but I only have Italian origins…in fact, I’m Portuguese”. 

“Even better! Now you really must visit Ethiopia because both Portugal and Italy are old countries in the relationship between Ethiopia and Europe”.

This is how my conversation with the Ambassador started. 

Can you tell me an anecdote about the luso-ethiopian relationship? 

Of course! There are many, but I’ll tell you this one. The Portuguese came in the 16th century to Ethiopia. Funny enough, they came and told us that they were there to Christianise us and we explained to them that we were already Christians before they became one. Ethiopia accepted Christianity in 330 AD. We were in fact the second country in the world to accept Christianity after Armenia.

Ambassador Abay, you were appointed Ambassador to the Kingdom of Belgium in 2018. You also are the representative of Ethiopia to the European Union, and also the other Benelux countries. It’s quite a challenging position.

I’ve been serving as a diplomat for 33 years now. Since the beginning of my career,  I’ve been mostly dealing with European affairs. In fact, my first foreign position was here in Brussels back in 1992. At the time, I was working as a Counsellor in this same Embassy, so I’m not new to Brussels. Between my first time in Brussels and this new chapter, I was the Ambassador of Ethiopia to Italy and most recently to Russia. I was transferred directly from Moscow to Brussels, where I presented my credentials last September 25th. Obviously, most of the job here concerns the European institutions. On a bilateral basis, it’s Belgium and Luxembourg that we are covering. We used to cover the Netherlands but since we opened an Embassy there last April 2018, we longer cover it. 

How do you describe the relationship between Belgium and Ethiopia?

We have a strong and old relationship with Belgium. In fact, our diplomatic relations started in 1906! You are the 5th country that opened an official diplomatic representation in our land. The order is Italy (1896), France (1898), United Kingdom (1899), 1900 (The United States) and 1906 (Belgium).  So, as you can see, we have long history…way before the European project. During the Italian invasion, Belgians were the ones who helped establish the Ethiopian body guard unit, which was responsible for the security of the Imperial Palace.

How do you describe diplomatically Belgium? 

Belgium respects the sovereignty of other countries. I think Belgium is a soft power country. It doesn’t engage on issues that are not critical to its own interest, and that’s why you don’t hear that much about Belgium on some of the global crisis situations. But Belgium’s voice is heard through the EU.

But in Africa you hear about Belgium. What about Congo?

The problem about colonialism in Africa, for us Ethiopians, it really doesn’t figure. Therefore, I don’t have the authority to comment. Luckily, we have not suffered under colonialism. 

I assume there were many attempts…

Yes, many. Starting with your fellow countrymen, the Portuguese, but none of them succeeded. That is why there is a very strong sense of patriotism in Ethiopia. We might argue or fight with each other time to time, but whenever there were attempts of external aggression, we always find a way to come together. When our African brothers and sisters tell us what they went through under colonialism, it is difficult to understand them because that was not our experience. I’m not saying that they didn’t suffer. I’m just saying that we haven’t gone through that experience. Nonetheless, we Ethiopians were at the forefront of the anti-colonial struggle in Africa. Coming back to the Belgian colonization, let’s not forget that Congo was the property of King Leopold and not really Belgium, as a State. I think other European States have more responsibility. What about the British, French and Portuguese? They had almost the entire continent. 

Do you think colonialism in Africa is over?

Yes, I feel that the story of colonialism in Africa is long over. Many in Africa still talk about colonialism as the cause of their lack of development. I categorically disagree with that because as far as I’m concerned, 70 years already passed. You cannot always go back to the past and blame colonialism for your own shortfalls. Frankly speaking: always blaming colonialism for the lack of good governance, for the lack of economic development, for the lack of political stability, for the lack of security is not intellectually honest. You have been independent for the last 70 years, that it is a long time to do things right.

You are sending the message that Ethiopia doesn’t behave like its continental neighbours. 

I would put like this: we are very proud of our history and that gives us a psychological predisposition in feeling that we are equal to anybody. We don’t have any inferiority complex. We don’t feel that the Europeans or Americans – because they are rich, white, blue or yellow – are superior to the Ethiopians. Our job consists in trying our best to develop our country without using any past, external or psychological excuses. 

I understand the European Union is your main developing partner. What’s your strategy?

We feel that the economic development of Ethiopia is much linked with Europe and whatever assistance we get from the European Institutions, Ethiopia is renowned for implementing projects partly or fully financed by the Europeans. You don’t find in Ethiopia any European budget being stolen or put to use for other purposes. 

Can you share an example of a successful project?

Well, for instance our national road development program. The amount allocated from the European institutions was exclusively used for this project. You know, everything is monitored. We have a very strict mechanism. The money is released on tranches so our partners can check the implementation of the project. 

How much has the European Union allocated so far to Ethiopia? 

About 745 million Euros from 2014 to 2020. Ending in fact this year in 2019. 

How do you describe your economy in 2019?

Multiple international experts are being testimony to the incredible growth of the Ethiopian economy. We have been growing by 10% on average for 12 years. We are among the top 5 countries with the most impressive economic growth in the world. In Africa, we are number 1. Our economy is based on agriculture. Our challenge is to modernise Ethiopia’s agriculture in order to be more efficient and productive. Lately, we have focused our attention on the manufacturing sector by building industrial parks where we can attract foreign investors to create job opportunities for our youth. This is an important concern for us: to create jobs for our future generation. Our government believes that job creation will flourish in the manufacturing sector with input from an efficient, productive and technically-advanced agriculture.

And what about coffee? What is the weight of this sector on your economy? 

Agriculture as a whole used to represent nearly half of our GDP and nowadays is around a third. Nevertheless, coffee still remains as the main export item from Ethiopia. Coffee exports are 40% of exported items, which represents about 10 % of our GDP.

40%?! Almost half of the economy?

Yes, 40%. Well, it used to more than 60%.

Most of coffee producers in Ethiopia are local farmers. How do they deal with the multinationals? 

The farmers do not sell directly to the multinationals. There are two ways of selling coffee from Ethiopia. The first one, the farmer will sell the product to Ethiopian national companies that are exporting coffee. We have several of them by the way. Those Ethiopian coffee exporting companies are registered into the Ethiopian commodities exchange and through that they have market links with multinational companies who buy coffee. The second one is the farmer sells the product to Ethiopian coffee distributors. 

Who are the main clients?

Starbucks for example. But the Starbuck coffee you drink in America is not really pure Ethiopian coffee. 

What do you mean?

They buy Ethiopian coffee – aroma and taste – but they mix it with the robusta they buy Nicaragua, Honduras or Brazil. So in the end it’s doesn’t give you the real Ethiopian coffee taste.  

But who are the big importers? 

The Japanese, Germans, Saudis, and the Americans. 

Could you share the coffee ranking worldwide?

First of all, I want to clarify that there are two types of coffee: robusta and arabica. Robusta type of coffee is cultivated widely in the world. Most of the countries who are coffee exporters produce robusta coffee. Namely, the Latin American countries and some countries in Africa. Arabica coffee is produced in very low amount, but it’s the best coffee. And that is the real Ethiopian coffee. You can also find it in Ivory Coast, or in Uganda. The rankings don’t reflect the difference in quality between robusta and arabica. But to reply to your question, Brazil is leading the ranking and we are number 7 worldwide.

I asked you this question because one can be surprised to see countries like Germany, Italy or Portugal as main coffee producers worldwide when they exclusively import coffee. As the Ambassador of Ethiopia to the European Union how do you analyse this situation?

That’s why when I told you we want to create jobs for our youth, it’s also about creating added value. We are actuality doing good in that process of adding value to Ethiopian goods that are being exported. We have been engaging with foreign companies, including Italian companies, to cooperate with Ethiopian exporters in value adding processes inside Ethiopia. The results are still very low, frankly speaking, because the companies in Italy, Portugal or Germany who buy the coffee, process it, package it, have their market networks already in place and get more money for Ethiopian coffee than any Ethiopian farmer. That is one of the reasons we are disappointed with European multinationals in this sector. We are demanding more money for our farmers. Starbucks buys a kilo of Ethiopian coffee for 6 dollars and they sell it for more than 17 dollars. This is unacceptable. 

I’m curious to know how did you defend Ethiopian coffee in Italy. For us, Italy is home of quality expresso.

Well, let me tell you a story. One time I was in Luigi’s café, just a few meters from the Ethiopian Embassy in Rome, and  I heard an Italian guy asking Luigi “fammi un bel caffè italiano!” – make me a good Italian coffee – and then I just laughed. This guy looked at me and asked me “why are your laughing”?  I replied saying that this was the first time I heard about Italian coffee. And he says “yes, we have good Italian coffee” and I replied, “you don’t even have one coffee tree here!” And once again, we come back to the main issue: to add value. We are trying to add value to our coffee production and we have started to move in that direction; value-addition to our primary products. We will soon start to sell the whole package from the farms to the shops. 

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Akaso,  from the Italian ‘a caso’ – meaning « by coincidence » – refers to the many coincidences that led to its creation. It is the story of an improbable meeting between Belgian designers and Ethiopian artists.

An improbable meeting

The label was born from the encounter of founder Philippe Vertriest with a book on African body painting art containing striking pictures of the Kara people, a small group of about 1,500 people living in South-Western Ethiopia and renowned for their distinctive body painting art using the skin as a canvas. He managed to connect with this closed community with the support of an Ethiopian anthropologist and invited the Kara community to give a new dimension to Kara body painting art. 

From there, Philippe Vertriest, who hates cultural appropriation, developed the idea of a collaborative design label. Each collection grows from a co-creation workshop between Ethiopian artists and Belgian designers from Akaso. Artists from the Kara tribe design drawings themselves, for which they receive a fair payment, and Belgian designers then use the drawings as a basis to design clothes in consultation with the artists. Together, they collaborated on a collection that mixed their art with knit pieces in cotton and silk.

Rapid expansion

The young brand (Akaso was founded in 2016) has managed to expand its range considerably in only a short time. Starting with T-shirts and sweatshirts, Akaso has since developed a full-fledged accessories line and fine knitwear. The first handbag range celebrates Kara tribe skin scarification culture, for which Akaso developed and patented a unique technique to visualise a three-dimensional print on supple Italian calf leather. The entire collection, which is made in Europe with eco-friendly fabrics, stand out for its unique print and pattern techniques. In November 2017, Akaso opened its first flagship store in Brussels and inaugurated a second store in Antwerp in mid-September. In addition, the brand has now fifteen sales outlets in Belgium. In the Netherlands, Akaso can be found at Avalon in Goes, Nivoo in Venlo and Anne-Belle Mode in Weert.

Originality without sacrificing quality

Akaso works exclusively with suppliers in line with their human and ethical values. Respect for the environment and workers are amongst the brand’s priorities. These high standards and attention to detail are reflected in products of exceptionally high quality. The handbags are especially eye-catching, with patterns looking like the scars that the tribe members use as body decorations. 

Too often, luxury brands find inspiration in other cultures without acknowledging their sources or giving back to these communities. The only alternative for lovers of unusual patterns is to turn cheap exotic clothes or accessories whose quality leaves a bit to be desired. That Akaso managed to unite luxury and authenticity while paying an hommage the culture of the Kara people is probably the brand’s greatest feat.

Good to know:

Address:  Galerie du Roi – 1000 – Brussels
Website: http://www.akaso.eu
Contact: +32 (0)2 513 20 07 ; info@akaso.eu

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Part of the coffee hype is that nowadays many cafes write the different tastes coffee can have next to the origin and name of the coffee bean. So what you’ve been used to when ordering wine will now happen to you when choosing your morning cup of energy. “Tastes of apricot and floral” or “cherry and notes of dark chocolate” is just a few flavours that your coffee could have. You call bullshit on this one? Well, this certainly can sound slightly pretentious, but if you pay attention to it you’ll be surprised how many different tastes can hide within a single mug of your coffee.

 

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Art by @p22_art . . . . . . . . . #wildlife #art #lattes #coffee #coffeeshop #africa #animals #instaanimals #bruxelles

A post shared by Aksum Coffee House (@aksumcoffeehouse1) on Nov 21, 2018 at 8:33am PST

So why Ethiopian coffee? To me Ethiopian coffee can be drunk at many occasions but not always. Maybe it’s just the ones I tried (Sidama – the larger region in Ethiopia – and Yirgacheffe – a small region within Sidama – beans) but they’re been very floral, with taste of citrus fruit, apricot and peaches. They were light in colour and very soft, fruity and light in taste. This means I’d probably not have a cup of Ethiopian coffee with a heavy chocolate brownie, cause you’d lose all the nice taste of the coffee. Rather, I’d have it with a light dessert, some scones (Ethiopian coffee often resembles tea because of its lightness). But don’t get me wrong, Ethiopian coffee works great with milk chocolate or dark chocolate to balance the heavy taste off with the fruitiness of the coffee, but it shouldn’t be anything too heavy!

 

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À coffee with a smile, Aksumite way 😌☕️ . . . . . . . . . . #aksum #coffeeceremony #ethiopia #coffeetime #instacoffee #instacoffeelovers #bruxelles #bruxelles🇧🇪 #ixelles #grandplace #galerieroyalessainthubert #bruxelles

A post shared by Aksum Coffee House (@aksumcoffeehouse1) on Oct 11, 2018 at 4:57am PDT

Aksum meets the price-value criteria. You’ll get a cup of great quality coffee for a fair price, some advice on Ethiopian coffee and you can enjoy it with some sweet treats. It’s not far from Grand Place, but in a more quiet, little hidden street. There’s also one close to Bourse and one at Galerie du Roi. The interior is very cozy with wooden and traditional details, a painted ceiling and ceramic pottery. Aksum roasts their coffees daily, so the moment you enter the place you’ll be surrounded by a cloud of rich and beautiful scents.

More info here

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The Ethiopian Ministry of Foreign Affairs has reshuffled ambassadors working in Ethiopian embassies abroad. 2018 is a major year for Ethiopian politics due to the rapprochement between Ethiopia and Eritrea, which ended two decades of hostility. « The international community must honour its responsibilities to support historic efforts to build peace in the Horn of Africa, said the Security Council, » says the Embassy of Ethiopia in Belgium.

Ambassador Girum Abay has been sent to Brussels, the Baltic States and Benelux countries from Moscow, Russia.

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Manneken-Pis, the symbol of Brussels folklore, gets a costume at major events. On 28 May he celebrates the national holiday of Ethiopia. This day commemorates the end of Derg regime in 1991, a military junta which ruled Ethiopia from 1974 to 1987. The holiday is officially called as Derg Downfall Day.

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The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) has reshuffled ambassadors working in Ethiopian embassies abroad.

Ambassador Girum Abay has been sent to Brussels, the Baltic States and Benelux countries from Moscow, Russia.

Ambassador Girum Abay will take function next month as Ethiopia’s new representative to the EU, Benelux countries and the Baltic States A seasoned diplomat and fluent in Russian; he is currently based in Moscow.

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West Africa’s second-biggest economy should expand 6.3 percent this year, the IMF said in its World Economic Outlook released on 17 April. That’s lower than the 8.9 percent forecast in October and is also less than the raised 7.4 percent estimate for Ivory Coast and the prediction for Ethiopia, which was held at 8.5 percent.

Commodities including oil, gold and cocoa are the mainstay of Ghana’s $43 billion economy, which surged 8.5 percent last year. Its growth booms and busts have been closely linked to oil since it became a producer in 2010. Ethiopia, whose gross domestic product is almost double Ghana’s, has drawn investors including General Electric Co., Johannesburg-based Standard Bank Group and hundreds of Chinese companies.

The IMF increased its forecast for expansion in sub-Saharan Africa to 3.4 percent this year and 3.7 percent the next “as the challenging outlook in commodity exporters gradually improves,” it said.

Nigeria, the region’s most-populous nation and top crude producer, will grow 2.1 percent, matching the lender’s estimate released in the January 22 update to the outlook, while South Africa, the world’s biggest source of platinum, will expand 1.5 percent, more than the 0.9 percent prediction three months ago. The two economies account for almost half of the region’s GDP.

Forecasts from the World Bank and African Development Bank in January also showed Ghana would expand the fastest this year.

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