Government expanding industrial parks with 29bln Birr: Industry Minister

Addis Ababa, October 19, 2015 (FBC) – Yergalem Integrated Agro-Processing Industrial Park promotion event for investors held in Hawassa, Sidama Region.

Minister of Industry, Melaku Alebel, who attended the event, remarked that it is pivotal to create a resilient country and hand it on to the next generation.

“We should create a country that will not kneel to any pressure by mirroring the heroics of our forefathers. They maintained the country with their sacrifices and handed us a sovereign nation. We are also obliged to repeat that history”, he stated.

For this reason, investors who are engaged in agro-processing in different Ethiopian industrial parks have a massive responsibility, he stressed.

He also revealed that the Ethiopian government has allocated 29 billion birr to expand the industry sector with a special focus on transforming Ethiopia out of poverty.

Melaku explained that the expansion construction and provision of necessary infrastructure to the Yergalem Integrated Agro-Processing Industrial Park costed 6.65 billion birr.

The chief administrator of the Sidama Region, Desta Ledamo, on his part, emphasized that as Ethiopia is a country enriched with natural resources, it is necessary to exploit this wealth and realize the development aspirations of the nation.

He called on investors to be engaged in the manufacturing industries and expedite the development of the country. In doing so, they can also contributes to lift citizens out of poverty.

The chief administrator of the region pointed out that there are untapped agricultural resources in the region.

Desta, then, pledged that the regional government will provide the necessary support to the investors.