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Ethiopia

Uncomfortable Truths

case weeks, in Poojah's bungalow compound. Time spent together revealed that there
were about 80 Indian nationals working as faculty in the Bahir Dar university.

Poojah's expertise was in textiles. And others as well. But some were there to provide

studies in maritime skills. This in a landlocked country with no ocean coast, no ocean
ports.

Bit by bit, some of the visionary strategies became clearer. Ethiopia has a long history
in textiles. But Ethiopia had never developed a modern textile manufacturing base. We

were living in a decade where a number of global companies had closed their

manufacturing facility in Vietnam and relocated to East Africa - where the wages of skilled
labour were about one third of those in Vietnam!

Those native Indians working as Bahir Dar university faculty were a key part of

Ethiopian plans to develop a substantial manufacturing base. A highly skilled one. A highly
skilled one that can be expected to produce 'value added' products. Just as the World bank

and IMF have highlighted as currently being most needed if African countries are to

escape a poverty cycle.
The visionary Ethiopian GTP led to a multiplication of universities and a widespread

programme that led to many Ethiopian university faculty being sent to European

universities as part of a programme to upgrade their professional skills, and a programme
which brought European (and of course Indian and other nationality) university faculty to develop

the university programmes inside Ethiopia.
*****

The Ethiopian Grand Renaissance Dam

A symbol of so many things. Ethiopian Identity, Ethiopian Independence. Ethiopian

strength.
With much of the funding provided by donations from ordinary Ethiopians, it is a

symbol of the Ethiopian people.

It's also a means to ensure not just a stable electric supply through the country but of
perhaps much greater importance a source of revenue generating, exportable electricity

that is today’s 'black oil' for underdeveloped African countries. A revenue which holds the