“You get what you pay for”

Quality being a major issue at the event, the CTW highlighted before the local companies that it’s a matter of getting what they pay for. If they have the investment for quality products, they can get high-quality items from China.

Meseret Seyoum, a private consultant, said quality depends on what the Ethiopian buyers choose. “China has all kinds of quality products and the companies give you the opportunity to choose the quality you want. However, most African importers look only at the affordability of the products and order low-quality ones,” Seyoum told

She added, “At this point, some Chinese exporters also tend to assume that Ethiopians cannot afford to buy quality products and prefer low price stuff. Therefore, poor-quality products resembling high-quality products are sold, unlike what they export to European and American markets, or even sell in their own domestic markets.”

Ruigu’s advice is to find a good Chinese company when doing business with China, communicate with them properly and understand each other.