Realizing the "Ethiopia Tamrit" (Let Ethiopia Produce) Movement is crucial to catalyze the nation’s manufacturing industry by resolving the critical problem of coordination in the sector, Manufacturing Industry Development Institute Director-General (MIDI) Milkessa Jagema said.

The movement, which is part of the 10-year development plan for the industry sector, is intended to address the challenges that producers at all levels face during manufacturing and increase the sector’s contribution to the GDP.

In an exclusive interview with ENA, Institute Director-General Milkessa noted that manufacturing is one of the priority sectors with huge potential that the government wants to exploit.

Citing the market problem at the industrial parks, he stated that some of the products manufactured in the parks are being sold locally due to lack of access to markets abroad while diplomatic activities have been underway to get destinations for the goods.

The other problem of the manufacturing industry is lack of coordination and many stakeholders are working on this to solve the problem

Noting that integration and coordination are critical to the industry, Milkessa said that the Ethiopia Tamrit movement is designed to solve such critical problems.

Apart from increasing export revenues, the movement aims to help manufacturers meet the increasing local demand by substituting imports and reducing production costs.

Furthermore a draft import substitution strategy is being developed to determine the types of products we produce for the local market, how to produce it, and the incentives for import substitution, the director-general added.

“Not only do we need promote export but also quality import substitutes to satisfy the demand of our society.”

There is lack of strategy in this area, he stressed, adding that the draft strategy identify which kind of product should be produced as import substitute and the incentive mechanism attached to it as well as financial issues, among others.

Source: Ethiopian News Agency