Enterprise Working to Strengthen over 1,929 Inoperative SMEs Incapacitated by TPLF Invasion

Addis Ababa, April 9/ 2022 /ENA/   Ethiopian Enterprise Development is working to revive 1,929 Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) that have stopped operating because of the terrorist TPLF invasion on the neighboring regions.

Enterprise Development Director General, Biru Wolde said most of the small and medium enterprises are found in Amhara and Afar regions.

He told ENA that the enterprise has a crash program to fully or partially make the SMEs once more operational.

“We are working with GIZ, UNIDO, and JICA, for example, to support the enterprises that have stopped functioning. The World Bank is also intervening to support such activities.”

Biru pointed out that GIZ, JICA and UNIDO will provide capacity building and market linkage, and the World Bank, Ethiopian Development Bank, regional micro finance institutions, and  lease machine providers.

According to him, regions, city administrations and other different development partners have also been cooperating.

The enterprise is working with partners to solve the problems of the SMEs that remain idle due to partly lack of input, finance and destruction in the coming few months.

Amid cascading challenges, the director general said the SMEs all over the country have generated 13 million USD from export and saved over 2 million USD through import substitution during the past  nine months.  

“Our SMEs have met the 13 million USD export target and that was an achievement because  they were able to export to different overseas markets within these all challenges.”   

Still SMEs need strong support in infrastructure, finance, input, land, and market in order to produce quality products and services for domestic and overseas markets, he stated.

Currently, there are 48,857 small and medium enterprises in Ethiopia.