The Business End
CHIEF AMONG ITS exports remains the produce that Ethiopia is most famous for. As the birthplace of the coffee bean, the country still produces more coffee than any other nation on the continent; a continent that is renowned for its prowess in the sector.
Broadening the analysis further, agriculture actually accounts for as much as 85 percent of the entire labour force, and while - inevitably - much of these operations are conducted by SMEs and small-scale farmers, there is a greater economic significance that derives from its success.
Purely by having such an influential international export, the country’s GDP achieves sustainability which, in turn, has a positive knock-on effect on the wider economy and the overall development of infrastructure outside of the agricultural domain.
Especially in more urbanised areas, and Addis Ababa above all, the urban districts that now exist are comparable to any cities you would find in the west or in South Africa, facilitating an ever-expanding swathe of visitors entering the country for business purposes.
Natural agriculture and energy resources have driven the country’s international appeal so much, in fact, that Ethiopia has had to introduce one of the continent’s most expansive and recognised airlines in order to cement this connection with the rest of the world.
Ethiopian Airlines is a familiar presence in London, New York,
Paris and any other major economic heavyweight you’d care to think of and, complemented by its equally extensive domestic network, it is the perfect indictment of how far Ethiopia has come on the global stage.