Early days

I have been in Addis Ababa for approaching 3 weeks as British Ambassador, some of which has been taken up by “Feranji” (Westerner) Christmas and New Year holidays. What does an Ambassador try to do at the outset of a posting? There have been several priorities (aside from settling in my family):

• Getting to know my immediate colleagues – from the British Embassy, Department for International Development (DFID) and British Council teams – is an early must: it is important for us to understand what to expect of each other.
• Regularising my status with the Ethiopian authorities – presenting my credentials (a letter from Her Majesty the Queen to the President of Ethiopia) to the State Minister at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs: this is not the full credentials ceremony, for which I have to waita few months, but it allows me to do most things an Ambassador needs to do.
• Presenting credentials to the Chairperson of the African Union, where I am British Permanent Representative, prior to the next big AU Summit at end-January.
• Meeting a range of important new contacts – from the diplomatic community, government, international organisations, NGOs and civil society.
• Starting to engage with the media- my first fortnight ended with a version of “Desert Island Disks” at Afro FM radio station hosted by two delightful ladies – Heran and Munit.

It will be important for me to remember that I am not just British Ambassador to Addis Ababa, but to the whole of Ethiopia. So I will want to travel around the country as much as possible, meeting a variety of people and seeing projects on which we are working. I have already managed a day south of the capital seeing the work on which DFID are engaged. And I was able to participate in a visit to see the great work the Born Free Foundation are doing to rescue wild animals at Ensessakotteh Sanctuary, as well as their efforts to preserve the environment and culture. I am also Ambassador to Djibouti, which I am looking forward to visiting as soon as possible.

First impressions? Nothing very profound, I’m afraid – I was already well aware of Ethiopia’s rich history and ecology. But Addis Ababa (Amharic for “new flower”) is a surprisingly green city, not because it has plenty of open spaces, because it doesn’t: but because trees and foliage are planted in every available gap. And it is set against a backdrop of a rich, green forest which fills  the Entoto hills behind the city. It is a poor city, and appears to face similar challenges to many other cities across Africa. But crime is low; there is a wide range of shops, bars and restaurants; and hundreds of thousands of youngsters give the city a real buzz. I think what has struck me most is the bustle of this fast-developing place. So much activity, trading, new building (much government-sponsored but plenty of evidence of private enterprise too). It is clear where Ethiopia’s impressive recent growth figures are coming from.

As we enter 2012, I look forward to getting to know more about this fascinating country. And I hope to see our bilateral partnership – in development, governance, the economy and regional strategic issues – going from strength to strength.