Finding the people behind the growth

For the last decade I've had a firm conviction that the Ethiopian economy is one to grow for the foreseeable future.

This conviction has been strengthened by my regular visits and some of my work with a project called DiasporaLink and with the Swedish-Ethiopian Chamber of Commerce (SWECC). Not to mention the proven track record Ethiopia has had and the following hype exhibited by the world community.

During January 2016 we visited Ethiopia with SWECC while working on DiasporaLink and were, incredibly, surprised by the speed of development in many entrepreneurial sectors yet again.

In every sector that we had the privilege of meeting entrepreneurs, we saw tremendous strides being made in the scale of businesses, internationalisation, service levels and more.

While working with our project, we saw companies in manufacturing, ICT, financial services, governmental institutions and more. Each with a positive story to share and an equally positive outlook for the future.

In addition to affirming our belief in the Ethiopia Rising paradigm, this visit and the people that we met convinced us to further increase our engagement in our business projects in Ethiopia.

However, one issue that was often raised during our conversations was access to qualified and motivated employees as an obstacle for companies and their potential growth.

I myself, have been wondering, where the entrepreneurially sprited Ethiopians congregate and network. Are there prominent such places and if so where are they?

Both for the recruitment of suitable staff as well as for the creation of effective teams, it's useful, if not crucial for companies to know where to turn.

Do you know where you would turn to network, find jobs/employees or suitable team mates for your venture in Ethiopia or outside?  Please, comment.

My engagement in diaspora entrepreneurship

Due to my interest in entrepreneurship and African development, I have for the last year become active in developing trade between Sweden, my home country, and Ethiopia, one of my countries of origin the other one being Eritrea. One of the driving reasons for this being that I believe that an increased export from Africa can contribute to a raised standard of living in the region.

For several years I've been playing with the idea of starting my own brand of clothes made in Ethiopia (see Wax & Gold). The company never got off the ground due to lack of commitment from myself, but also because I had trouble finding companies to work with and other obstacles I encountered along the way.

Despite this setback, I never lost the desire to contribute to the development of East Africa, so I continued looking for ways that I could work in this sector.

Last year I crossed paths with a professor looking for individuals with a background in Ethiopia to help him start an organization with a similar end. The project name would be DiasporaLink. Since then we've worked on a project with the aim of delivering a prototype for an IT-platform where the Ethiopian diaspora in Sweden could find information, finance and build competence in areas where they lacked it.

So far we've managed to build a network of stakeholders in Ethiopia, as well as engage a group of Ethiopians in Sweden interested in creating their own business. The next step is creating a business association of Swedish-Ethiopians which can co-ordinate work and communicate with the Ethiopian diaspora in Sweden.

Entrepreneurial Role of Diaspora in Economical Development

For the last decades there has in the topic of development been a great deal of discussion regarding the effectiveness of aid going to Africa. This has, to some extent, been caused by the apparent lack of long lasting improvements in the region despite a large amount of inflow of charity from the rest of the world.

Although the reasons for which the effects of this charity can be seen as small is still discussed, one clear outcome of this discussion has been that more emphasis is being put on alternative ways through which the countries in the region can develop.

The alternative that has gained most traction in this discussion is the preference of trade focused solutions to ones focusing on aid. Many people believe that trade based on production within the region will lead to a positive spiral of inflow and accumulation of capital and knowledge which will result in an improved standard of living.

In this context, a movement which is gaining force is manifested by an increasing number of Africans living outside their countries of origin, in brief the diaspora, are seen to create businesses in their countries of origin. Many of these are purely doing it for the purpose of making a profit, while others have more altruistic motives in mind. Regardless of which their motive is, this group of people is being welcomed and in several cases even invited by African nations, as they are seen to be a possibly important factor in future development.

As the diaspora has a unique position living in one country yet coming from another "they contribute to development in which ever society they live in" says Klaas Molenaar, an expert in the field, in his book Enterprising Migrants In The Drivers's Seat. Mr Molenaar has worked with diasporic entrepreneurs since the 90s as a consultant and through his different foundations and is frequently consulted on the topic from many industrialised and developing nations.

In the Horn of Africa, Ethiopia been at the forefront of working actively with Ethiopians abroad who want to create business in their country of origin. For several years, government officials have worked with representatives of the diaspora, devising methods and policy aimed at attracting this group for the sake of development and growth. Also Eritrea, despite its great differences with its neighbouring country, are pursuing a similar path by initiating discussions with its diaspora regarding ways that they can invest and activate themselves in Eritrea's economic activities.

Do you know of any individuals or organisations working with these issues? What do you think the role of diaspora should be?

Champions for change

This is a celebration of the achievements of a group of inspiring individuals in the U.S. Very relevant to anyone working for developmental change in Africa.

Champions for change - Celebrated by the White House

World Economic Forum in Ethiopia 2012

The next World Economic Forum on Africa will take place in the Ethiopian capital of Addis Ababa 9-11 May 2012.

Land - A fitting start

I recently saw a documentary which touched me deeply. To some extent, it also scared me.

The documentary described the present sale of land by Ethiopias government to foreign investors and the, often negative, implications it had on locals as well as the land.

The topic is something that I have been thinking about for quite some time now and several questions arise as a result.

• Is this development beneficial to the people of East Africa or is it just neo-colonialism in action?
• Does the diaspora have a role in this development and what should that, if any, be?

I have previously noticed that countries in a similar position to Ethiopia's get the short end of the stick and in similar agreements and can't help but wonder if the government is doing the right thing.

My understanding is that to some extent people are being displaced, and the resources of the nation are promised away to companies.

If the end result of this process is good, then there might be an argument for the present course of action. But if not? And how can one make sure?

There seems to be people interested in changing this. Are they capable of creating a sustainable situation and what solution are they proposing?

My entrepreneurial spirit is conflicted, is there always a conflict between the search for profit and ethical values? Is there a conflict in this situation?

Introduction

I'm an aspiring entrepreneur. As such I've had many ideas and dreams of starting businesses. A large part of these ventures have been hindered by lack of knowledge in areas relevant to the specific idea. Since I have roots in Eritrea and Ethiopia, many times I've hoped to start a business that brings me closer to those roots, and also let me be a part of the positive development in that region. It's often knowledge about the region and the specific's of doing business in the Horn of Africa that I long have missed.

To make up for this lack of knowledge, I chose to start this blog.

Here I plan to create a channel for learning about business in the Horn of Africa. I will publish things I learn, and hope people contribute with information, so that we can learn together. My hope is that Flower of Abeba will be a source of information, and a gathering point where likeminded indivudals can find and share inspiring stories. Furthermore I hope that readers will send tips of articles as well as people that I should be covering and that this blog becomes an inspiration for entrepreneurial efforts in the region and also becomes a part of the development.

The topics that I'll cover in this blog are:
Inspiring examples of entrepreneurs in the region
Inspiring examples of diasporic entrepreneurs from the region
Issues relevant to entrepreneurship in the region
Sources of information that are relevant