The Way Forward

A mood of hope dominated the Ethiopian private and public sectors last week, with the African Hotel Investment Forum (AHIF), held at the Sheraton Addis, as the driving force. This came after the decision by the organiser, Bench Events, to move the Forum away from Nairobi due to an alleged capacity shortfall. The Forum, which is widely popular among hoteliers, is a flagship African platform for serious industrial and policy discussions. It is not only the change in venue, which puts Addis Abeba in a preferential position over its Kenyan counterpart, Nairobi, that brought hope to Ethiopian policymakers, however, but also the promising statements they heard from internationally reputed hospitality investors. For a government that considers private investment complimentary to the heavy development push of the state, the promises were not only words, but rather indicators that its developmental dictions are justifiable. For the emerging private investors, however, the hope was felt as they managed to seal contracts with acclaimed brands. Displayed in the photograph above, Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn, who cherished the forum with his opening remark, is seen conversing with Matthew Weins, managing director of Bench Events. With Weins speaking engagingly, Hailemariam is seen paying serious attention to what the manager of the biggest business event to be held in the new Ethiopian year has to say. As much as there was an agreement at the Forum over the low level of Ethiopia’s hotel industry and the multiple challenges it faces, the conversation is likely to have equally been focused on the way forward. There is a lot that Hailemariam’s administration needs to do, if it wants the high flying partners of Weins to put their money into Ethiopia’s thriving economy.

 

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