By Groum Abate, Capital Ethiopia
Khadra Mohammed, First Lady of Djibouti, has received the 20 hectares of land in the Sebeta area for a flower farm, on Tuesday July 22, 2008, from Alemu Sime, Investment Bureau Head of the Oromia Regional State [another Woyanne donkey].
The First Lady received the plot on behalf of her son, Ayinashe Omar Guelleh, whom it was learnt, plans to engage in the booming flower sector.
Floriculture already earns Ethiopia over 150 million dollars annually. The Ethiopian government Meles regime is keen to encourage investors political allies, offering them a five-year tax holiday and duty-free import of machinery.
The area, 30 minutes south of Addis Ababa with green hills and lush valleys, is ideal for cultivating the country’s fastest growing export – flowers.
Ethiopia exports more than 80 million stems a month to 40 countries. 70% percent is to the Netherlands, from where they are sent around the world. It also exports to Germany, Britain, Russia and, in smaller amounts, to the United States and the Middle East.
Five years ago, Ethiopia made just $159,000 from exports of cut flowers, cuttings and summer flowers. Last year that had grown to $63.5 million and this year it is expected to hit $166 million.
Last week, President Ismael Omar Guelleh of Djibouti obtained 10,000 hectares of land around Bale, Oromia Regional State for investing in the agriculture sector. The multi-million dollar investment is expected to commence in the coming few weeks. The plot is mainly slated for growing wheat.
The president also visited the 10,000 meter square plot on Babogaya Lake in Bishoftu (Debre Zeit) town 45 kilometers south east of Addis Ababa and received a title deed for the plot to construct his vacation home.
Khadra, during the ceremony on Tuesday July 22, 2008 also visited the plot, which her son is going to invest. The title deed for a 20 hectare flower farm was also presented to the first lady last week on Friday July 18, 2008 during the ceremony that also presented President Guelleh with his title deed for both sites in Bishoftu and Bale.Warda A. Graham, owner of Wajag Gas and Alemayehu Ketema a businessman prominent in the construction sector facilitated the investment opportunity.
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FORUM | 6 Comments
I don’t know if the Crime Minister of Ethiopia is doing this because of some instructions he may have received from the Ameriacn French interests currently occupying Djibouti and by extention our Ethiopia?
[Reply]
August 1st, 2008 at 7:19 PM
This is a good example of corruption and nepotism of the Woyanne regime, they will do everything for people who are in their gang. The corrupt Djibouti government is a Woyanne puppet and both have financial interests in each other, now the Gulleh regime is getting the best of the deal because Woyanne is getting what they want through the port with little or no benefit to the people of Djibouti or Ethiopia, these two criminal regimes are profiting while the people are getting nothing out of the deal. One more good reason for Ethiopians to unite and get rid of this regime, once the Woyanne regime is taken care of the criminal Djibout regime will crumble with them without any force applied against it.
[Reply]
August 2nd, 2008 at 8:53 AM
It is time someone inform the Djiboutian people that their corrupt ‘president’ and their close relatives are enriching themselves while the vast majority of the Djiboutians are on the verge of starvation.
[Reply]
August 2nd, 2008 at 10:40 AM
Let me tell you a truth. Ethiopians are not allowed to open business in djibuti or even travel to djibuti except few weyane thugs. Djibuti citizens can travel to ethiopia without any restrictions and do legal and illegal business.
5 years ago djibouti deported more than 10,000 ethiopians at the request of TPLF regime. Very large number of djibuti citizens hold passport with double citizenship of djibuti and ethiopian which they use for their business. The djibuti citizens can get ethiopian passport easily because they claim to be ethiopians before or have relatives in ethiopia in diredawa, afar region or harrar. Djibuti imports 95% of food, wood products, chat etc..from ethiopia. If Meles was a true ethiopian, he could have forced djibuti to either unite with ethiopia or France.
[Reply]
August 3rd, 2008 at 1:32 PM
#4 says
“If Meles was a true ethiopian, he could have forced djibuti to either unite with ethiopia or France.
And then what?.
how about this “If Meles was a true ethiopian, he would have worked hard to keep what is left of Ethiopia together”.
[Reply]
August 3rd, 2008 at 10:28 PM
Yaregal Adamu
Ethiopian farmers are in hunger for several reasons such as mismanagement by woyane and lack of land to farm. But EPRDF is presenting land gifts to first lady of Djibouti may be he is bribing to hold on port tariff propsed by the aforementioned country.This is shame on EPRDF who left Ethiopia land locked.Black scar in Ethiopian history.
Ethiopia will prevail!!!!!
Yaregal
[Reply]
August 4th, 2008 at 10:38 AM