Ethiopia’s new Foreign Minister very productive visit to the UK

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Ethiopia’s new Foreign Minister very productive visit to the UK

PRESS RELEASE

Embassy of Ethiopia London, United Kingdom
Tigrai Online Jan. 10, 2013

Ethiopia’s new Foreign Minister, H.E. Dr. Tedros Adhanom, met with UK officials earlier today on his first working visit to the UK in his new post.

H.E. Dr. Tedros Adhanom with FCO Africa Minister, Rt. Hon. Mark Simmonds MP. Dr Tedros has a long association with the UK, where he did his MSc at the University of London and his PhD at the University of Nottingham.

The Minister met with Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, the Rt. Hon William Hague, the Secretary of State for International Development (DFID), the Rt. Hon. Justine Greening and UK Africa Minister, the Rt. Hon. Mark Simmonds and other FCO officials for discussions on both bilateral and regional issues.

Both sides expressed their satisfaction at the expanding partnership between the two countries. Minister Tedros expressed his appreciation of the quality of the UK support for Ethiopia’s capacity building programme, which attaches key attention to the priority areas set by Ethiopia so that the country fully retains ownership.

On its part, the UK expressed its appreciation at the effective way that Ethiopia uses financial support and the productiveness of its various development programmes.

The two countries’ representatives also discussed issues of mutual interest which included inter alia the peace and security of the sub-region, the situation in Somalia, Eritrea and the peace process in Sudan and South Sudan.

The Foreign Minister with Rt. Hon. Justine Greening

Ethiopian Foreign Minister H.E. Dr. Tedros Adhanom with Rt. Hon. Justine Greening.

Later in the day the Foreign Minister met with representatives of the business community and led a round-table discussion with over 30 UK companies* who already invest in Ethiopia or are keen to take advantage of the many opportunities.

The Minister gave a detailed briefing on the policy framework, the regulatory framework and expanding businesses and investment in Ethiopia. He engaged in an interactive session where participants raised questions and gave comments on a wide range of issues.

The minister assured the participants of the commitment of his office to engaging them in the coming months and years with a view to fulfilling investment activities.

On Saturday (12th Jan) the Minister will meet members of the Diaspora community and brief them on recent developments, encouraging them to further support development, investment and tourism opportunities.

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*These include Diageo, Tullow Oil, Nyota Minerals, Satya Capital, UK Chambers of Commerce, Chaucer Foods, British American Tobacco (BAT), Pricewaterhouse Coopers LLP, Herries Gibbs Ltd, Tricor, African Bamboo PLC, Global Counsel, the Eastern Africa Association, NEDBANK, Clyde & Co LLP, TVET, G4S, Margin Capital, Mott MacDonald Ltd., Business Council for Africa, Beale and Company LLP, British Expertise, Sagewood Ltd. and Addleshaw Goddard.

Background

Dr Tedros has a long association with the UK, where he did his MSc at the University of London and his PhD at the University of Nottingham and is well known for his award-winning work on health and tropical diseases both in research and in his previous post as Ethiopia’s Health Minister.

His former university, the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, awarded him an Honorary Fellowship – the School’s most prestigious honour - during the annual graduation ceremony on 10th March 2012.

For further details contact the press office on 0207 838 3880/3