English is widely used in business circles. Nonetheless, knowledge of a few words of Amharic will be appreciated by Ethiopian business associates. Interpreter services are available in Addis Ababa if necessary. Business etiquette is quite formal in Ethiopia with appointments required for business meetings and suits and ties normal attire for visits. The best months for business visits are from October to May.
In comparison with Western norms for meeting new associates, greetings can be long and drawn out. Business visitors should be aware of meeting etiquette so they do not cause unintentional offence. A round of greetings at the start of a meeting encompasses several polite queries into the health and wellbeing of each person and his/her family as well as coffee and tea before the meeting can move ahead.
Ethiopians shake hands whilst maintaining direct eye contact. With elders, or those of a more senior position, an Ethiopian may hold their right elbow with his left hand as they are shaking hands to signify respect. It is rare for those of opposite genders to shake hands. Male foreigners should never attempt to shake hands with a female Ethiopian business associate unless she extends her hand first.
Business cards should only ever be given out using the right hand or both hands together. As dignity and respect is very much a major part of Ethiopian culture, loudness, and in particular shouting, is to be avoided at all costs. Meeting schedules are not rigidly kept to in Ethiopia and it is normal for a meeting to only end when the top-level business associates in attendance decide it is finished. Due to this flexible time-keeping it is unwise to schedule a series of meetings for one day. If invited to an Ethiopian's home, a small gift of sweets, pastries or flowers is appropriate. Large, expensive gifts are to be avoided as it may cause your hosts embarrassment that they are unable to reciprocate.
Most top-end hotels in Addis Ababa have some conference facilities.
Office hours:
Mon-Fri 0830-1100 and 1330-1730. Government offices usually have shorter opening hours of Mon-Fri 0830-1100 and 1330-1530. Shops generally open Mon-Sat 0800-1300 and 1400-1730.
Economy:Ethiopia is one of the world's least developed countries, with low incomes, minimal infrastructure and a serious shortage of skilled labour. Economic development has also been hampered by war. The economy is largely dependent on subsistence agriculture, which employs almost 85% of the workforce, and accounts for half the country's GDP.
Poor cultivation practices and frequent drought conditions play a large role in stemming growth. Not surprisingly, Ethiopia relies on substantial quantities of relief aid. The service and manufacturing industries remain miniscule players in the economy with manufacturing and the service industry only making up 15% of the country's workforce. However, the sound macroeconomic policies of the current government's Growth and Transformation Plan have seen massive leaps forward in GDP growth and commercial agriculture and manufacturing is also attracting substantial foreign investment.
The construction of the controversial multi-billion Grand Renaissance Dam project, upon the Nile River, in the northern province of Benishangul-Gumuz is currently going ahead with a completion date set for 2017. The dam when finished promises substantial future revenues for the state by selling electricity to neighbouring countries while also providing Ethiopia itself with cheap electricity.
GDP:US$41.89 billion (2012).
Main exports:Coffee, qat, gold, leather products and oilseeds.
Main imports:Food, petroleum and petroleum products, chemicals, machinery and textiles.
Main trading partners:Saudi Arabia, China, USA, India, Djibouti
There are plentiful public payphones in larger towns and every town has at least one 'telecentre' (phone centre shop where you can make local and international calls). Ethiopia's telecommunication service tends to be of bad quality with poor connections. Due to weak internet bandwidth there are similar problems when using internet communication networks such as Skype.
Mobile phone:Roaming agreements exist with many international mobile phone companies. Local pay-as-you-go SIM cards are able to be purchased by foreign visitors with an unlocked phone from any Ethiopian Telecommunications Corporation (ETC) shop or any private phone shop as long as you provide appropriate identification. Most of these shops also rent phones along with the SIM card if your mobile is not unlocked. Mobile coverage is patchy, particularly in more rural locations.
Internet:There are many internet cafes in Addis Ababa and all towns which see foreign visitors have at least one internet cafe. It is also common for hotels to now have Wi-Fi services. Unfortunately internet connections and speed still remain frustratingly slow at most places especially once outside of the capital.
Post:Airmail services to and from Europe take five to eight days to arrive and are reliable. Parcels can only be sent from Addis Ababa's main post office and need to go through a customs check before being accepted so must not be wrapped beforehand.
Post office hours:Mon-Fri 0830-1100 and 1330-1500; Sat 0830-1100.
Media:Recent years have seen positive changes towards deregulating Ethiopian media, with a handful of private radio broadcasters and independently-owned newspapers now operating. Despite this, the state still has a stranglehold over media within the country. The government regularly censors opposition internet websites and there have seen several recent highly controversial cases of journalist arrests under contentious anti-terrorism charges. Reporters Without Borders rated Ethiopia 137th on 2013's Press Freedom Index.
The only television network is the state-owned Ethiopian Television (ETV). Radio is the most popular form of media countrywide with state-owned Radio Ethiopia operating a network of national as well as regional stations. The state-owned Ethiopian Herald is the main English-language print daily with The Daily Monitor the major independently-owned English-language newspaper.
