Ethiopia has been confirmed as the first country in Africa to host the World Economic Forum (WEF), which is usually hosted at Davos, Switzerland.
According to the Ethiopian News Agency the founder of the World Economic Forum, Prof Klaus Schwab discussed this with the Prime Minister, Mr. Abiy Ahmed, with an agreement to the Ethiopian hosting of the next summit.
The office of the prime minister said the two leaders discussed the importance of a collaborative approach among government, the private sector and civil societies in addressing key global challenges.
Abiy attended the WEF 2019 meeting held in Davos, Switzerland, where he met several business leaders before heading to Belgium.
Abiy, who has championed reforms since taking office in April last year, called upon investors in Davos to take advantage of the huge business opportunities available in the country.
Reiterating Ethiopia’s plans to liberalise the previously state-controlled sectors of telecommunications, banking and aviation among others, Abiy pledged to do more to make it easier to do business for anyone planning to invest in Ethiopia.
“In order to enforce our up-word trajectory and achieve even more rapid and sustainable growth, Ethiopia has embarked on a comprehensive reform process since last April,” he said.
