Ethiopia news and archive

Ethiopian garment workers paid the lowest wages in the apparel industry

With newly built industrial parks and a range of financial incentives, Ethiopia is working hard to become the world’s next garment exporter. “We will make Ethiopia the leading manufacturing hub in Africa”, Dr. Arkebe Oqubay, Special Economic Adviser to the country’s Prime Minister, recently said. The efforts seem to be bearing fruit, as...

BusinessFeatured

How China is outsourcing fast fashion to Ethiopia

Ethiopia is swiftly becoming the new hub of fast fashion. Ultra cheap labour, tax incentives, little to no corruption, and a government that is as want of industrial development as fast fashion companies are desperate for tax breaks. The Horn of Africa that was once characterized by drought and conflict is now poised to be the promised land...

Business

CmiA Stakeholder Conference focuses on entire textile value chain

This year's 9th Cotton made in Africa (CmiA) and Competitive African Cotton Initiative COMPACI Stakeholder Conference, which took place on 20th October in the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa, put the development of the entire textile value chain on top of its agenda. Case in point was Ethiopia itself, which joined the initiative only this year....

Fashion Featured

Will Ethiopia be the new Bangladesh?

If you thought that 'Made in Bangladesh' was the cheapest in terms of production labour, think again. International buyers - Walmart, H&M, VF, PVH, J.C. Penney, Levi Strauss, Kik, Tesco, Asda to name a few - are forever resourceful and crafty when it comes to staking out yet cheaper alternatives. Currently, they are zeroing in on Africa,...