For a range of development, foreign policy and security reasons Ethiopia matters to the UK. It is growing economically, populous, emerging from poverty and busy making rapid infrastructural progress. Its geopolitical location makes Ethiopia vulnerable but it is a comparatively stable country in a troubled Horn of Africa. It is also doing a commendable job of stabilising the region’s peace and security.
Diageo, Unilever, Vasari, Duet, Delonex, Stratex and New Age are among the British companies who have invested in Ethiopia in my time here. And I am pleased I have been able to convince some others to take Ethiopia seriously. It’s not the easiest country in which to invest, but given the longer-term potential, any significant company with patience, the right business model and a global mindset should be here.
I was fortunate to travel and see many parts of Ethiopia in my time here, and I especially enjoyed the Simien and Bale Mountains. There are a few other places I would loved to have explored but couldn’t – foremost among them the Danakil Depression. The last trip I had out of Addis was to the Tigray region to see refugee camps in North Ethiopia. I have also visited a very full range of institutions – schools, prisons, hospitals, farms etc. Ethiopia is a magnificent country and I hope my fellow citizens continue to come here to visit and that the tourist industry keeps growing in size and quality to embrace them.
I have been privileged to have some excellent hosts and colleagues, including from the large diplomatic community and my own Embassy: the smart and efficient team of security guards, the gardeners who make our compound so beautiful, the technical works and corporate services teams who keep everything running smoothly, the Residence staff who ensure guests enjoy their time with us. And I will miss the tortoises. leopards and monkeys…..
Ethiopia is changing fast. On the back of the tremendous developmental change of the past decade, I hope to see further dramatic economic and political transformation in the near future. The top leaders will need to continue to fight off corruption and to create the enabling environment to contain the massive socio-economic changes happening in Ethiopia, while opening political space and encouraging journalists to perform a challenge function which identifies and helps iron out problem areas.
I have boosted my social media interactions considerably here, not least through my @GregDoreyFCO Twitter account and my blog https://blogs.fcdo.gov.uk/gregdorey/. I have enjoyed engaging with some active tweeps and media figures here and found my Twitter Q&A sessions especially stimulating. Government to government engagement is not enough in modern diplomacy and social media is a way to get out our messages to a wide community about what we think is important and what is happening in bilateral relations.
In very recent weeks, I was proud of the UK government’s support to the government of Ethiopia in seeking to grapple with the once-in-30-years El Nino effect now ravaging parts of Ethiopia – not just a recent additional contribution of £45m but also our work to help corral the International Community to assist in ensuring that all the development gains are not lost as a result.
With all the shared effort here – on climate change, Financing for Development, Somalia, South Sudan etc. and migration going into the future, I am sure Ethiopia and UK will continue to be strong and strategic allies. We have so many shared objectives in common.
It has been a pleasure and privilege to have lived and worked here for four years – and that includes working on Djibouti, African Union and UNECA issues too. Thank You! Amesege‘nallo‘. My gratitude and thanks….