George Shoe Corporation Plc, a Taiwanese company operating in Ethiopia, exported 15,000 pairs of ladies shoes on Tuesday, June 10, 2014. It was the first time for the company to export its products.

Berhanu Serjabo, Communications Director at the Ethiopian Leather Industry Development Institute (LIDI), said George was on pilot production for the past one month. He added it has been operating under the capacity of producing 4,000 pairs of shoes per day while its capacity was 16,000 pairs of shoes.

The shoemaking company’s first investment was 150 Million Birr. When coming to Ethiopia the company had an ambition of constructing three shoe factories, in Modjo, Adama and Addis Ababa, at the cost of U.S $ 50 Million. Currently it is manufacturing its products at two factories it rented at Bole Lemi.

The shoes are labeled “Made in Ethiopia” and are to be sold for U.S $ 13. According to Berhanu, major destinations for the shoes are the United States and China.

Berhanu also stated George currently employs 800 workers and 500 of them have already received training from Chinese footwear professionals. The Communication Director further noted the company is intending to develop an industrial zone on 100 Hectares in Modjo. He added the zone will incorporate tannery and other finished product factories from which all the products will be exported. In additonto this it will create job opportunity for 65,000 workers.

Currently 20 footwear manufacturers have already engaged in manufacturing and exporting their product. Five more are on their way of entering the market.

Source: Fortune