Economist praises Diasporas’ response, highlights priorities

goEthio

BY ABDUREZAK MOHAMMED

ADDIS ABABA – The response of Diasporas to the call to come back to homeland is so pleasing, so said economist adding that there should be a way for the Diasporas to help motherland on a regular basis.

 In an interview with local media, Senior Economist and African Chamber of Commerce Secretary-General Kibur Gena, stated that the response of the Diaspora to the Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed’s (PhD) call has been proven excellent in many ways. The government should take advantage over the initiation of the Diasporas and provide a way for them to help the homelandin a sustainable manner, he underlined.

He also insisted that fund should be set up to enable Diasporas to send money to their home towns or buy bonds. As to him, priority should be given to destroyed infrastructure that can be repaired with a small amount of money.

He further explained that it is estimated that it will cost over a trillion USD to restore the Syrian state, which has been in war for the past decade and now is in war. However, the destruction caused by the East Timor’s two-year war when it seceded from Indonesia has been rebuilt at a cost of three billion USD in a much better way than it was before.

Emphasis should be placed on infrastructure that can be built immediately and improve the lives of the people and take the people to the next level.“The private sector also needs attention. Un-enabling laws also need to be amended,” he also indicated.

Regarding the suspension of Ethiopia from United States’ Africa Opportunity Growth Act (AGOA), Kibur stated that AGOA is a project that will be completed by 2025, not a sustainable project.

The potential benefits of the project have been overrated.Therefore, he said, it is better to focus on discovering other options than to focus on the loss. “Strengthening our trade relations with Africa is crucial for our continued trade,” he added.

Explaining about Ethiopia’s trade relations with the United States and other Western countries, Kibur noted that relationship between countries is always established in the interest of mutual benefit and that relations with Ethiopia have not been severed.

As to him, the reason why Western countries have not completely cut ties with Ethiopia is because of their self-interest.Diplomatic activities on the Ethiopian side also need to be adjusted for the common good, he urged.

The January 5/2022

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