Co-organized by the Ethiopian Embassy in Japan, JICA, JETRO, UNIDO and the city governments of Kobe and Nagoya, The Ethiopian Business and Investment Promotion Seminar has been underway in Japan from February 06-07, 2018, with the view to providing the Japanese business community with all the necessary information about the investment opportunities in Ethiopia and on the current status of the development of industrial parks.

Head of the Ethiopian delegation, Dr. Aklilu Hailemichael, State Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Cham Ugala, Ambassador of Ethiopia to Japan, Ato Zelalem Birhan, Director General of Business Diplomacy at MoFA and Higher officials from the Ethiopian Investment Commission (EIC) and the Industrial Parks Development Corporation (IPDC) took part in the seminar.Ambassador Shinichi Saida, Ambassador of Japan to Ethiopia, Honorary Consul of Ethiopia to Nagoya city, Mayor of Nagoya city and senior directors from the JICA and JETRO are also in attendance.

The two-day seminar which is being held in the cities of Kobe and Nagoya, which are home for major Japanese companies and institutes, further brought together more than 120 company representatives and invited guests.

State Minister Dr. Aklilu, in his opening remarks took note of the longstanding relations between Ethiopia and Japan, which began since the 1920's and expressed Ethiopia's interest in enhancing its cooperation through the different development frameworks. 

Dr. Aklilu further briefed the Japanese business community on the different opportunities Ethiopia is offering to potential investors and encouraged them to seize the comparative advantage and assortment of investment incentives. He stressed the importance of investing in Ethiopia, as it is a gateway to the many regional and international markets. 

The Ethiopian Investment Commission also presented the investment opportunities in Ethiopia, including the different tax incentives, the huge and vibrant productive labor force, massive infrastructure development, which he said, makes Ethiopia an excellent destination for Japanese foreign direct investment.