Rome, 21 October 2020 – Attended by more than 50 participants, the webinar “Doing Green Business in Ethiopia” was hosted and moderated by UNIDO ITPO Italy on 21 October, promoting investment opportunities in the local sectors of renewable energies and environmental technologies, in order to foster technology transfer and trade partnerships among Ethiopian and Italian institutions and companies in the field.

The virtual country presentation featured the welcome speech of Ms. Diana Battaggia, Head of UNIDO ITPO Italy, and notably the opening remarks of H.E. Zenebu Tadesse Woldetsadik, Ambassador at the Embassy of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia in Rome, as well as the participation of Ms. Aurelia Calabrò, Representative and Director of UNIDO Regional Hub in Ethiopia. “Ethiopia is expanding investment opportunities in renewable energy and has also integrated climate resilience and green economy strategies into its national development policy”, commented H.E. Ambassador Woldetsadik. Following her opening remarks, Ms. Calabrò highlighted how “UNIDO, with a sizable technical assistance to the Government of Ethiopia under the Programme for Country Partnership (PCP), is currently implementing a number of initiatives in the field of energy”.

The online conference saw multiple interventions by Italian and Ethiopian stakeholders from both the public and private sector: Mr. Yisehak Seboka, Director of the Alternative Energy Technology Development and Promotion Directorate of the Ethiopian Rural Energy Development and Promotion Center, offering an overview of the local renewable energy sector; Mr. Temesgen Tilahun and Mr. Haben Gebreslasie, respectively Deputy Commissioner for Promotion and Policy Improvement and Senior Energy Advisor to the Commissioner at the Ethiopian Investment Commission, focusing on incentives for green technologies and sustainable energies; Mr. Africa Zeleke, Secretary General at the Ethiopian Chamber of Sectoral Associations, presenting the main tools and programmes implemented by ECSA; Dr. Getachew Adam Workneh, Head of the Center of Excellence in Sustainable Energy at the Addis Ababa Science & Technology University, illustrating the current activities of the Center within the renewable energy sector; and Mr. Michele Saponaro, Managing Associate at BonelliErede Law Firm, providing a legal framework for Italian companies interested in investing in Ethiopia.

With the ultimate goal of contributing to the transition to a low-carbon economy in the country and allowing the private sector in Italy and Ethiopia to benefit from the arising economic opportunities, the event was the fifth episode of the webinar series “Doing Green Business” organized by UNIDO ITPO Italy in the framework of the project “Fostering international partnerships between companies and/or institutions operating in the energy and environment sectors” funded by the Italian Ministry for the Environment, Land and Sea.