2merkato

Ethiopia is looking to partner with Swiss company Social General Service to certify the quality of goods. The Ethiopian Conformity Assessment Enterprise is negotiating the deal to earn international recognition as an SGS agent to attract more business according to sources.

If the deal goes through the SGS and ECAE will each be able to evaluate the quality, safety and security of products as per national and international standards, for customers of either organization.

Accordingly imports to Ethiopia can be checked for conformity to standards at the country of origin by SGS on behalf of the ECAE while the ECAE can in turn evaluate exports from Ethiopia and the region for SGS.

Ethiopia’s upper house, House of Federations (HoF), is expected to pass a revised federal subsidy budget allocation for states.

Ethiopia is set to privatize 10 different state owned enterprises during the current fiscal year. Hilton hotel is among one of these companies. Other notable enterprises are Assela Malt Factory and the National Alcohol Factory.

The Ethiopian Privatization and Public Enterprises Supervising Agency said that it intended privatization of 20 public enterprises in the current Ethiopian budget year according to an announcement made on 1st December.    

The agency anticipates that it will earn more than 3.3 billion Birr from the privatization efforts planned for this year said Wondafrash Assefa Corporate Communication Director for the agency.

17 of the enterprises are expected to be sold directly in the privatization process said Wondafrash.

The Ethiopian Privatization and Public Enterprises Supervising Agency is planning to privatize 20 publicly owned enterprises in this fiscal year.

The agency is expecting to earn an estimated 3.3 billion birr from the privatization of the enterprises which are currently being owned by the state according to Wondafrash Assefa, Corporate Communications Director with PPESA.

PPESA earned almost 6.2 billion birr from the privatization of state owned property in the previous financial year said Wondafrash. The sale of Meta Abo factory to international beverage company Diageo contributed about three billion birr to the total revenue earned he added.