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Ethiopia earned 462 million US dollars from the tourism sector in the last financial year according to the Ministry of Culture and Tourism.

The revenue was earned from 584,000 tourists who were entered the country to visit an range of tourist attractions around the country explained Awoke Tenaw, Director of Public and International Relations with the Ministry.

The number of tourists into the country increased by 14% in the last year while the revenue for the sector showed an increase by 69% in the financial year as compared to the previous budget year according to Awoke.

The third African Bee keeping Exhibition has been launched in Ethiopia. The exhibition is intended to display bee products in Africa under the theme of: ‘Bee Keeping for Food and Combating Climate Change’.

The Ethiopian government has committed to supporting small hold farmers and the Api-Expo is expected to offer an opportunity for experience sharing second Mekonnen Manyazewal, Minister for industry opening the exhibition.

The issues of agriculture, food security and climate change are heavily interconnected and a focus of Ethiopia’s development agenda he said.

The agricultural sector is the livelihood of millions of small holders and is also expected to play a significant role in providing the raw materials for manufacturing enterprises in the bid for industrialization explained Mekonnen.

The Exhibition will offer a rare opportunity for small hold farmers in Ethiopia to engage with international and continental counterparts said Mulufird Ashagere, President of the Api-Expo Africa 2012 Organizing Committee.

Ethiopia’s new Trade Practice and Consumers Protection Authority organized under the Ministry of trade is to launch activities soon.

The authority is intended to safeguard the rights and privileges of consumers to inspect good and to enhance the efficiency of trade according to proclamation 685/2010 which formed it.

The authority is managed by Merkebu Zeleke under the title of Director General and overseeing a range of departments including those focusing on investigation, research, implementation, dissemination and an attorney general.

A business delegation from South Africa visited Ethiopia this month according to Yayheyrad Abate Deputy Director of the Addis Ababa Chamber of Commerce and Sectoral Associations.

The delegation is part of a series of bilateral agreements to enhance relations he said. The areas of agricultural, education, human resources and tourism were discussed as potential areas of cooperation he noted.

The Johannesburg Chamber of Commerce was represented by the delegation along with companies from the construction sector and a supplier of crushing equipment and an agricultural company.