The Ministry of Trade, Ethiopia is preparing a bill to regulate the establishment of industrial zones in the country.
The draft bill includes provisions to facilitate the formation of an agency to regulate operators in industrial zones, the Ethiopian Industrial Zones Authority.
Experts have been charged with formulating the bill urgently as the Ministry of Industry allocated 5130 hectares of land for industrial zones in the last six months.The industrial sites will be dispersed across Dire Dawa, Amhara, Southern and Somali regional states.
700 hectares of the land allocated for industrial use is to be found in the Borena area of Dire Dawa while 350 hectares were allocated in Shinele in Somali Regional State.1123 hectares are targeted for industry in Kombolcha city in the Amhara Regional State and the capital of the Southern Regional State Hawassa allocated 776 hectares.
Further plots of land targeted for industrial use are to be found in the environs of Addis Ababa with 436 hectares targeted in Bole Lemi and Akaki Kality and 243 more hectares in the Kilinto area.
The industrial sites were designated with the aim to reduce costs associated with investment and aid plans to enhance technological expertise, exports and increase foreign currency revenue according to Melaku Taye Corporate Communications Director at MoI.
The development of industrial zones will be led by the government as it is capital intensive although the government could consider collaborative efforts with domestic or foreign investors said Melaku.
Source: Addis Fortune
