The Ethiopian Trading Businesses Corporation took part in the 1st International Investment Forum and Trade Fair held from April 4 to 7 in Bahir Dar City to showcase and promote the products and services delivered by its business units to national and international customers and stakeholders. Being part of the corporation's sustained business development approach to broaden its reach, the participation helped deliver valuable corporate and business information to existing and potential customers from various business trading entities.

Products and services of various types, including consumer commodities, coffee and grains, processed and unprocessed agricultural products, as well as other trade-related services offered by the corporation were introduced and promoted to consumer associations, farmers, wholesalers, retailers, investors and other participants from foreign countries.

Visiting participants were able to familiarize themselves with the mission, products and services displayed and promoted at the corporation’s display booth through various promotional materials and explanations delivered by its marketing team and high-level management officers.  Mass media outlets also played a role in giving coverage as to its overall mission as a governmental development entity and its role in the fair.

Visitor also offered valuable first-hand information and feedback about what they witnessed in the event, their expectations and suggestions, which have proven to be been crucial in fine-tuning the service-delivery approach and mode of operation of the corporation and its business units in future endeavors.

Climate change and deforestation remain to be one of the prior environmental risks throughout the world, affecting the livelihood and vitality of its lifeforms. Forests play a vital role in restoring environmental conditions and resources, and offer a tremendous merit in terms of protecting adding aesthetic values in both in urban and rural areas. It was with this understanding that the Ethiopian government designated a national tree planting day on July 29, 2019 with the goal of planting 200 million seedlings in a day throughout the country with the aim to increase the country’s forest coverage significantly.

ETBC management and staff, too, took part in the tree planting program by holding tree planting programs in the premises of unit of the corporation on July 13 and 29, 2019. During the programs, more than 2000 seedlings of various trees and varieties have been planted with an active participation of all ETBC staff members and support of other governmental bodies of the city in facilitating resources.

At the events, executive heads of ETBC underlined the need for transferring a well-protected and sustainable green environments for the next generation given the fact that forests and natural resources as a whole are directly linked to the survival of the human kind, and urged all staff members to not only focus on activities aimed at undertaking extensive plantations but also on nurturing the plantations on regular basis through coordinated follow-up tasks to be coordinated by respective unit head offices.

ETBC has been conducting similar tree planting programs as part of regular national schemes as well as through own initiatives for several years.

The Ethiopian Trading Business Corporation participated in the 52th International Trade Fair held in Algeria that was held from June 22 to 27, 2019 in capital Algiers. Through the coordinative role of the Addis Ababa Chamber of Commerce, the Grains and Coffee Trading Business Unit of the corporation took its first participation along with three coffee processing private companies and other leather manufacturing firms.

During the event, the Unit carried out activities aimed at promoting the country as the origin of coffee, and quality traits and superiority of the Arabica coffee variety that the country is known for as one of its primary producers.

Business linkages and discussions were also carried out with pertinent and potential business partners from around the world, so as to broaden the engagement and share of the country in the global coffee market.

Algeria remains to be one of the primary coffee importer countries in the world, with annual imports that reached 76 metric tons during the current year. However, the fact that Ethiopia's export share in this amount remained to be only 19 metric ton, i.e., less than 1 percent, has been seen by many as an alarming call for the country to reconsider and empower its efforts towards building an impactful approach in increasing its export share and impact in the international coffee trade arena.

The event also served as a learning opportunity for the participants to pave the way for devising mechanisms for tackling the risks of gradual weakening of export shares and loss foreign markets/customers caused by bottlenecks in the local coffee export sector in the country.

In a forum coordinated by the Embassy of Ethiopian in Algeria, market linkages and productive B to B discussions were made and held with different global stakeholders, primarily coffee importers and investors, on various issues that help enhance trade performances and relations. Global participants, including the Ambassador of Brazil, visited the Ethiopian coffee and coffee products displays, and their Ethiopian counterparts were able to visit and share experiences with other prominent coffee producers and importers and performances from around the world.

Prominent coffee producing/trading countries such as France, Spain, Brazil, Middle Eastern Countries, Canada, Mali and Senegal took part in the trade fair.