Pakistan Ambassador Lauds Ethiopia for Liberalization, Opening up Economy

 Addis Ababa, June 6/2024(ENA) Pakistan Ambassador to Ethiopia, Mian Atif Sharif, has praised Ethiopia for paying attention to liberalization and opening up of the economy for foreign investors. 

Over the past five years, Ethiopia has undertaken significant economic reforms to open up the economy including liberalization of the telecom sector, opening up of the financial sector, the liberalization of  trade sector and the logistics sector for foreign investors.

In an exclusive interview with ENA, Ambassador Sharif praised the economic reform undertaken under the leadership of Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed.

PM Abiy’s government is paying attention to liberalization and opening up the economy, he said.      

According to him, Pakistan has been on a similar journey in terms of taking reforms, in privatizing and liberalizing various sectors, including the privatization of banks, telecom and the airport among others.    

Ethiopia is also going through the same process and it is good to know that foreigners are allowed to have a retail and other businesses in Ethiopia, the ambassador pointed out. 

The Ethiopian Investment Board recently issued a new directive outlining that foreign investors can engage in previously reserved businesses, including export-import, wholesale and retail trade investments.

A Pakistani delegation, comprising about 80 Pakistani investors and owners of renowned companies, had also been on a six-day visit to Ethiopia to assess business opportunities in the country.   

Moreover, Ambassador Sharif noted that Ethiopia and Pakistan have good bilateral and multilateral relations.       

“We have good relation at the multilateral fora such as at the United Nations, and other stages like climate change; and then we have good cooperation in the aviation sector.”

Ethiopian Airlines Group is taking four flights per week to Karachi and the airline is looking to expand, it was learned.

The ambassador revealed that lots of Pakistani living in Africa are using Ethiopian Airlines.                   

There are a lot of opportunities in Ethiopia, Ambassador Sharif said, adding that there are a lot of communalities between the two countries.

“We are trying to move forward the relationship, particularly in education and healthcare sectors.”         

Such steps need to be encouraged and it is very important for Pakistan and Ethiopia to collaborate in the scientific field, especially in the healthcare sector, he emphasized.   

For the Ambassador, both countries are important players in the region and both countries have a lot of talent in education, scientific community, and medical community.

Ethiopia is the headquarters of the African Union and a very important player in the continent.  “We (therefore) have to bring the different regions together to join resources, research,  knowledge, and to find solutions to different problems.”