BY AMBASSADOR NEBIL MAHAD
I am very pleased to welcome you all to this Ethio-South Sudanese Business Discussion Forum. I would also like to express my utmost pleasure in opening this forum with the aim of encouraging Ethiopians to be engaged in the existing business and investment opportunities in the Republic of South Sudan, which have immense benefits to the Business Community as well as to both Sisterly Countries. Our two sisterly countries’ bond has a concretized historical foundation, for we have the shared socio-cultural origin and aspirations. This is manifested by the Ethiopian wider public and consecutive leaders’ consistent and unreserved support to South Sudanese’s causes of equality and justice. This, in turn, has also interwoven us by blood and bones.
Emperor Selassie’s Role
To make it specific, active engagements of Emperor Haile Selassie in 1972 peace agreement process of ‘Anya-Nya’s’ movement, Mengistu Hailemariam’s backing to his SPLM/A comrades as well as the successive Ethiopian leaders’ close support in resolving South Sudanese conflict that occurred afterward the independence. Following the support emanated from the genuine motives of Ethiopia and other real partners, the destructive conflict ended in South Sudan, and we are of the conviction that lasting peace and path to prosperity is at hand to South Sudanese. Though the Ethiopian and South Sudanese People-to-people relations date back to the 1960’s, both countries have a lot to accomplish in forming economic ties, which is an important factor in fostering common peace and security, as well as in guiding political relations towards effective diplomatic cooperation. Obviously, the orientation of the recent world, prioritizes the economic cooperation, for it has a role towards the effectiveness of other areas of collaborations. Accordingly, both countries needed to give emphasis to economic ties for the mutual benefit of the two sides.
War Upends Agricultural Imports
To this end, we ought to boost the prevailing engagements by the business community between the two countries, which would be one of the contributions to the major economic cooperation we aspire after. As you are aware, since before the independence, Ethiopian community members have been living together with their fellow South Sudanese. Following the independence, some of them majorly involved in the hotel, housing, and in the construction sectors. There were also some other Ethiopians who had been importing agricultural products from Ethiopia to South Sudan through the border entry points. Nonetheless, this has stumbled over due to conflict in South Sudan that happened 8 years back. On the other hand, noticeable number of Ethiopians’ owned companies are still operating in South Sudan in the aforementioned sectors. Hence, we are of the view that, these companies have significant benefits expressly in job opportunities creations, experiences sharing, and technological skill transfers to South Sudanese as well as being means of tax income generation base for the government of South Sudan. The companies are also believed to be serving as one form in the people-to-people relations of the two sisterly countries through economic ties.
Dear Ethiopian Business Community Members, Cognizant of enormous prospects in South Sudan, I would like to encourage Ethiopians to get involved more in the existing business and investment opportunities in the fields such as: agriculture and agro-processing, manufacturing, construction. I encourage you to consider educational, health, and the service sectors. These boost your benefit and have a role in South Sudan’s economic development, thereby fostering the economic ties between the two sisterly countries.
Rising discontent over Payments Delays
It would be proper to share here the kind of discontents, over the delay of payments, being heard from some companies owned by Ethiopians, which have been providing hotel accommodation services and operating different construction projects, as per agreements reached with authorities of South Sudan. In order to create conducive environment for the investments and businesses as well as to enable the companies to operate in full capacity and to salvage them from insolvency, I hope their cases will be solved in reasonable time. I am confident that in these ways a more conducive business environment would be fashioned, particularly, by giving satisfactory responses to the possible discontents like, solving the for so long delayed outstanding payment issues with the respective companies.
Still, Staying to Contribute South Sudan’s Development
Dear Ethiopian Business Community Members, with due respect and appreciation to your contributions in businesses and investments, I urge you all to strengthen your activities in full observance of the rules and regulations of the land and I encourage you to contribute to the development of South Sudan along with benefiting yourselves. Also, I extend my suggestion to the Ministries of Trade and Industry, Investment, Justice and Constitutional Affairs, and to South Sudan National Chamber of Commerce, Industry and Agriculture for providing continuous awareness to the business community on the legal affairs. In so doing, it’s quite likely to avoid any bottlenecks that might face both sides. In this case, I call on Ethiopians to engage in more businesses and investments using the existing opportunities in South Sudan. In this regard, I would like to reiterate the Embassy’s readiness in rendering the proper supports. I thank you.
This is an abridged version of the address of the Ethiopian Ambassador to a meeting of the Ethiopian business community with South Sudanese officials, including the Mayor and the South Sudanese Chamber of Commerce.
