Ethiopia is to establish three institutes and develop Kombolcha Technology Institute to address the shortage of human resource in the textile and garment sector. It is expected that the institutes will commence operations in the next budget year.
The initiative to establish the institutions came from the Export Committee, which aims to support export-driven sectors by addressing challenges such as finance, electricity, land and human resources.
The Export Committee, chaired by Prime Minister Meles Zenawi, discussed means to address the need for at least 1.3 million trained personnel for the textile and garment sector with just 40,000 people currently engaged in these industries according to a study undertaken by experts from the Textile Development Institute.