Ethiopia: Exciting Opportunity for Investors in Oromia State

[Waachis]

ANALYSIS
By Wakuma Kudama
Sir John Boyd Orr, a Scottish biologist and politician who received the Nobel Peace Prize for his scientific researches, once said, "When the fabric of society is so rigid that it cannot change quickly enough, adjustments are achieved by social unrest and revolutions." It seems that significant adjustments and improvements are becoming very evident in the nation in general and in Oromia State in particular since the social unrest last year.

Following the series of social unrest, the Ethiopian government has undergone a deep reform in every public sector for months in order to identify the root causes of the public discontent. In the course of the deep reform, the government has become able to carefully discern the causes of the social unrest and started implementing certain reforms that can be remedies for the prevailing problems. In the Oromia State, the deep reform enabled the state government to rate problem related to investment as the main cause for public unrest.

According the Oromia Investment Commission, though several local investors in the State have received exciting investment opportunities, most of them could not genuinely keep their promises to invest. Realizing the necessity of addressing the situation, the Commission has recently organized a conference for the local investors so that they discuss on the entire ongoing investment situation in the State. Thousands of local investors investing in the state attended the conference led by the State Chief Administrator Lemma Megersa and Head of Urban Development and Housing Bureau with the rank of Deputy Chief Administrator Abiy Ahmed.

At the outset of the conference, Deputy Chief Administrator Abiy Ahmed presented a research paper that dealt with the ongoing entire investment in the State. The paper generalizes, "Cognizant of the benefits of exploiting the very abundant investment opportunities in the State, the government had arranged tremendous possibilities and offered huge hectares of land for the local investors; unfortunately, most of the investors fail to invest in the lands they received."

In his presentation, Ahmed said that there are great deal investment potential and opportunities that can ensure the benefits of the State, nation and beyond. "The exceedingly abundant natural resources, high population of young generation, the very productive forces, the very favourable weather condition and the like are very great available opportunities or investors."

Ahmed also added, "The purpose of the research is to distinguish the genuine investors from the professing ones," adding that, "it is the right time to pay serious attention to the situation, we ought provide all the necessary support for the real, genuine investors so that they can successfully use the lands and realize their vision in the investment while we are obliged to discuss with those who are not investing; it is proper that they return the lands and give the chance for those who are capable enough to use the land."

The State Chief Administrator said that we are so pleased to invite all the genuine investors to carry out very useful investment exploiting the exciting opportunities in the State. "Since the State is highly endowed with tremendous natural resources, we encourage any investor who is ready explore the opportunities. Unfortunately, even though we have several investors who have brought considerable improvement in the livelihood of our society, there are a number of professing investors who fail to invest since they took many hectares of land. Thus, simply by claiming that they investing, professing investors should no longer own several hectares of lands that could have benefited the State and the nation . Some of them could not use the land even for more than ten years, which is illegal. They ought to return the land to land bank so that capable and genuine ones could use the chance."

Fortunately, this a great opportunity for the foreign investors. It the time right for international investors seeking exciting opportunities to invest. They visionary and genuine investors should take the chance waiting for them. Oromiya is the State with full hope of the future with enough natural resources. Being the largest State and sharing border with any state of the nation except Tigray. It covers 366,000 km square, accounting for 31.17% of the total area of Ethiopia. It is endowed with virgin land famous for its immense agricultural potential, water and, mineral resources and abundant scenic beauties.

It is also endowed with several rivers and lakes such as Awash, Wabe-Shebele, Genale, Gibe, Baro, Dedessa and Guder. River Awash, which is the longest river in Ethiopia, is a source of great agro-industrial and hydroelectric power. The crater lakes Green Lake (true to its name), Bishoftu, Kuriftu, Bishoftu-Gudo, Hora-Kilole, Horsa Arsedi, and the rift-valley lakes Ziway, Abiyata, Shala, and Langano are found in the State. These lakes and rivers have huge potential for recreation and fishery development.

Some of the mineral deposits that can be found in the State include: gold, platinum, nickel, iron-ore, soda ash, diatomite, limestone, feldspar, silica sand, dolomite, kaolin, granite and other non-metallic construction materials. Gold mines at Adola and Laga Dambi (Borena zone) Nejo and Birbir river Valley (Wollega), and platinum at Yubdo (Wellega) are being exploited. Mining activities that are already underway include:gold (Borena and West Wellega), soda ash in the Rift Valley, limestone, gypsum and clay soil (Muger), tantalum (at Kenticha) ornamental and construction minerals (in Hararghe and Wellega) and ceramic in Borena. Oromia has high potential for hydropower development. Untouched energy in geothermal, natural coal and solar are found in the State. At present, the greatest percentage of the hydroelectric power of Ethiopia comes from Koka, Fincha, Melka-Wakena and Sor power stations of the region. The total installed capacity of Integrated Circial System hydro electricity generating stations in the State amounts to 367,120 kW of which 360,200 (98.1%) and 6920 (1.9%) are hydro and thermal respectively. On the other hand, the total installed capacity of self-contained system (SCS) in 1993/94 is 12,759 kw of which 5,510 (43.2%) and 7,249 (56.8%) are hydro and thermal respectively. Gilgel Gibe another hydroelectric power source is under construction. Generally, most of the rivers in the state have huge hydroelectric power potential.

In short, creating exceeding abundant investment opportunities, the Oromia State is looking for capable and genuine investors to use the exciting opportunities. A number of hectares of land that have been set for investment and well motivated youths seeking jobs are waiting for investors who are capable enough to make difference.


http://allafrica.com/stories/201705030591.html

[AwRastaale]

No doubt Ethiopia has lots of potentials especially Oromo, Amhara and Gambella but this essay is not really an economic report.

Very generic and flat. Lots of assumptions and the usual African speculations.

No figures, no graphs, no data apart from the little on power/electricity.


1

[DalJecel60]

Somali net

[Waachis]

No doubt Ethiopia has lots of potentials especially Oromo, Amhara and Gambella but this essay is not really an economic report.

Very generic and flat. Lots of assumptions and the usual African speculations.

No figures, no graphs, no data apart from the little on power/electricity.


1

True. Fair enough, good point.

[Khalid Ali]

there is no such thing as oromia there is only Ethiopia

[Waachis]

there is no such thing as oromia there is only Ethiopia

there is no such thing as zoomali-land, just zoomalia

[Khalid Ali]

whats with the insults caĺling it a zoo by the way why are u on our website. go to.oromia forum

i was just correct theee is no oromia no need to feel offe nded

[Waachis]

whats with the insults caĺling it a zoo by the way why are u on our website. go to.oromia forum

i was just correct theee is no oromia no need to feel offe nded

there is no zoomali-land either then, same logic. neither are recognized as independent. but we all know oromia has way more resources and more to offer.
why are you getting mad and telling me to go, if you can dish out insults, u should be able to take them in return

[Khalid Ali]

who said i insulted you i said there is no such thing as oromia is that an insult u then insulted somalis. on our own website and i told u kindly to leave out sitr

[Waachis]

And i said Somaliland doesn't exist either it's just northern Somalia. Simple.

[Khalid Ali]

u can say that just dont insult us with your zoo comments

[Waachis]

Then don't insult my people and say our land doesn't exist. Show respect and you'll get it back.

[Khalid Ali]

i said oromia doesnt exist because i dont believe ethiopia should be divided this is my stance u to believe in a united somali Republic am i right as u claim. lets believe that both but dont come with insult if i say there is no such thing as oromia. its no insult i have not insulted any one there are over millions of oromo who are opposded to divide ethiopia along ethnic lines i share the idea with them.

[Waachis]

it doesn't matter what you believe, you're not Ethiopian for 1. AND just because you don't believe in it, it doesn't mean our land doesn't exist. it's like saying ethiopia doesn't exist, because ethiopia without oromia, is like a fish without water.
oromia can survive, easily alone, but can ethiopia? no.
ethiopia is already split along ethnic lines, regardless of how you feel about it.
and bring proof that millions of oromos are against federalism, please do, because it's way better than the previous centralized-amhara rule.

[BlueBlood]

OROMIA exist, if u dont know just check ethiopian states.