The government of Ethiopia has awarded the management of the recently built state owned Jimma Industry Park to Huajian, the Chinese shoes manufacturer.
Hua Rong Zhang, President of the Huajian Company and Lelise Neme, Chief Executive Officer of the Ethiopian Industrial Parks Corporation have signed the deal on Friday. The Chinese company will bring in Chinese companies into the Jimma Industrial Park and will manufacture different goods shoes, clothes, furniture and the like for local market for the coming five years.
Huajian, which already owns shoes manufacturing industry park in Ethiopia has created jobs for 8,000 employees with a $100 million investment, according to the state news agency – ENA report. It is indicated that when Jimma Industrial Park goes fully operational, it is expected to create 15,000 jobs directly and indirectly.
Jimma Industry Park is one of the 7 industrial parks Ethiopian government has built from finance such as the International Finance Corporation of the World Bank. The government plans to build a total of 12 industrial parks. In addition, about half a dozen industrial parks are owned by private investors including from China.
It is recalled that during his recent visit to China Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed of Ethiopia has concluded a deal with a Chinese company to supply electric power for industrial parks. Ethiopia is one of the few African countries with huge amount of Chinese loan.