ABIY AHMED’S HISTORIC VISIT
THIS WEEKEND South Africa has the red carpet rolled out for Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed in what is the first-ever state visit to the country by an Ethiopian head of state since the dawn of democracy.
It has surprisingly taken a quarter of a century for South Africa to host a state visit for an Ethiopian Prime Minister given that Ethiopia has a seat in the AU and has had good relations with South Africa since 1994. President Cyril Ramaphosa invited Ahmed for the celebrations of the 108th Anniversary of the ANC, just weeks before South Africa takes on the role of Chair of the AU.
South Africans have been inspired by the fast-paced reforms Ahmed has implemented in his 19 months in office, which have seen political prisoners released, greater freedom of the press, peace with Eritrea, and peace-building efforts in Sudan.
South Africa will need to work closely with Ethiopia over the next year in what many hope will be a defining moment for relations between South Africa and the rest of the continent.
“Ethiopia and South Africa want to send a message to the continent that it must invest in peace-building,” Ethiopia’s ambassador to South Africa, Shiferaw Menbacho said.
Menbacho highlighted the purpose of the state visit as the concreting of a strategic partnership between the two countries.
“Both sides would like to enhance the existing partnership and see an increase in investment, trade, tourism and technological exchanges. There will be a joint ministerial commission, and agreements will be signed on issues such as a visa waiver,” Menbacho said at a press briefing ahead of Ahmed’s arrival. There is a sizeable Ethiopian community in the country and Ahmed will meet with Ethiopians to discuss issues, listen and facilitate matters with the South African Government.
“A lot more needs to be done to increase the volume of trade between our two countries, which is sitting at approximately $250 million. There are currently 28 South African companies operating in Ethiopia, and another 58 have applied to operate in the country,” Menbacho said.
The potential to increase tourism between the two countries is huge, particularly considering Ethiopian Airlines has three flights a day arriving in Joburg and one flight a day into Cape Town. Ahmed’s visit takes place just months before May elections in Ethiopia, while the country is going through what Menbacho calls a “deep change process.”
Menbacho identifies three areas where change is evident – the first being that political space has opened up with the release of political prisoners, the return of exiled political parties, and freedom of the press.
The mantra of Ahmed’s government is to learn from the past mistakes.
Ahmed’s commitment to a rainbow nation is a principle SouthAfricans should recommit to as it gears up to show leadership on the continent this year.