EIH Shifts Focus to Building New Strategic Businesses

Addis Ababa, September 30, 2026 (ENA) — Ethiopian Investment Holdings (EIH) says it is expanding beyond managing existing state-owned enterprises to develop new businesses in strategic sectors, with an ambition to build companies that can drive Ethiopia’s economic growth and expand across Africa.

EIH Chief Executive Officer Brook Taye says the investment strategy is intended to preserve and strengthen the assets inherited from previous generations while creating new enterprises for the future.

“So the investment side of EIH is equally important in terms of creating the next Ethiopian Airlines, the next Ethiotelecom, the next Commercial Bank of Ethiopia. Those are the companies we’ll be handing over. Currently we’re working on over 29 different investments. We’ve established up to five different companies that are working on several different sectors.”

Beyond commercial returns, Brook says some investments are designed to address strategic needs, particularly where domestic capacity is important for national resilience.

One example is a passport-printing company established in Ethiopia with a Japanese partner, following supply challenges experienced during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“As a sovereign, you manufacture, you produce what you think is important for your country. If you rely on a third party, it’s not about price, it’s about availability. So, as a result, what we’ve decided as EIH, with the direction of the government, is to establish a passport-printing company in Ethiopia. We’ve got a partner, a Japanese partner, Toppan. The factory is being completed, and we’re producing that in Ethiopia.”

EIH is also exploring investment opportunities in agriculture, hospitality and mining, including plans involving agricultural land and the development of Ethiopia’s potash resources. Brook says the institution ultimately wants to extend its investment footprint beyond national borders.

“In the next 5-10 years, I want EIH to be the most highly sought-after investment company in the continent. Our aim is to diversify our portfolio across the continent, not only Ethiopia, the same way Ethiopian Airlines has businesses across the continent. We want all our portfolio companies to be active. We want to drive economic growth in Ethiopia, be it in technology, agriculture, manufacturing.”

Brook says EIH’s mandate is to manage its assets profitably and generate returns for the Ethiopian people, while investing in businesses that can support long-term economic growth.

Its continental ambitions also point to a wider role for African investment institutions in building productive capacity and retaining more economic value within the continent.