Ministry, IPDC, Hamen Consultancy sign MoU to enhance Ethiopian industries competitiveness
Ministry of Trade and Regional Integration (MoTRI), Industrial Parks Development Corporation (IPDC) and Hamen Consultancy signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in a bid to boost Ethiopia’s industries international competitiveness.
The agreement has been signed among Endalew Mekonnen, State Minister of Trade and Regional Integration, Sandokan Debebe, CEO of IPDC and Mengistu Birhanu, General Manager of Hamen Consultancy Services PLC on Thursday at Elilly Hotel.
This agreement is part of the Ethiopia Competitiveness and Job Creation Project (CJC), which has been backed by $450 million loan secured from the World Bank (WB).
The development objective of the CJC Project for Ethiopia is to contribute to job creation by attracting investments and improving competitiveness of enterprises in the targeted industrial zones (IZ) and their linked domestic enterprises.
WB’s project has been implemented since 2014 and it will be phased-out after four months.
“Through a gradual process of improving capacity, WRAP certificate of competitiveness will be given to strong industries,” Endalew said, adding, “Once they get the certificate their products and services will get more international approval”.
A Worldwide Responsible Accredited Production (WRAP) certification enables the facility is currently meeting (or exceeding) international social compliance standards. This provides a level of assurance to potential buyers that is widely recognized and accepted, according to Sandokan.
Support schemes such as capacity building and promotion and creation of market linkages will be delivered to 15 industries. Institutional and regulatory framework and capacity building objective to strengthen the legal and regulatory framework to underpin an effective industrial zones program, through the provision of consulting services and goods are also some of the backings incorporated under the WB-funded project.
“The project has been mainly focusing on quality assurance,” Semere Birhanu, CJC’s Project Coordinator told media’s during the agreement program.
Mengistu for his part pledged that his company will deliver its commitments within the remaining time framework.
