Ethiopia ‘s AGOA removal blessing in disguise: Scholar

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ADDIS ABABA – Leiden University Politics and Governance Professor stated that the unfair decisions to delist Ethiopia from AGOA would for sure devoid of one million citizens of jobs, but, it is a blessing in disguise for Ethiopia as it seeks new market.

Having a stay with Business Insider Africa, Leiden University Politics and Governance Professor Jan Abbink stated that delisting of Ethiopia from The African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) would undermine human rights because thousands of jobs would lose job and many Ethiopians would be exposed to poverty.

According to Abbink, AGOA exclusion will be immediately hurting 200,000 Ethiopian laborers in the textile and apparel sectors which 80 percent of them are women. Similarly, it is hurting 800,000 Ethiopians engage in transport, catering, and distribution. As a result, Ethiopia might be seeking new market to survive and deprive the American market.

He believes that the U.S. Government, under President Joe Biden, appears to be pro-Tigray People’s Liberation Front in its handling of the conflict in Ethiopiato realize the interest of regime change.

In this regard, he remembered that the TPLF provoked war in Ethiopia in the mid Nov. 04, 2020 by attacked the Northern National Command Force stationed in Tigray State. This has brought enormous human suffering; tens of thousands of innocent civilians have been killed and the incalculable material damage occurred.

However, the federal government declared unilateral ceasefire to safeguard innocent citizens and help Tgray farmers come to farming. However, the terrorist TPLF continued fighting on various fronts in Amhara and Afar states.

“The international community including the U.S. and EU as well as their media is not willing to expose the reality in Ethiopia; they are instead engaged in supporting the terrorist TPLF. Therefore, they do not play constructive role in Ethiopia. For example, President Biden, special envoy Jeffrey Feltman, and the Secretary of State Blinken do not act in a productive manner. True, the AGOA decision is bad and unproductive, especially in the cause of human right valuation, because Ethiopia is internationally well known by human right protection.”

AGOA removal will be bad in the short run, but opens a new market for Ethiopia in Asia and the Middle East which are not standing against Ethiopia. Ethiopia was delisted from AGOA alongside Mali and Guinea, with the U.S. citing concerns of human rights violations, Abbink noted.

BY MESERET BEHAILU

THE ETHIOPIAN SUNDAY EDITION 9 JANUARY 2022

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