Validation Meeting for Ethiopia Diaspora Mapping Report

After the completion of the Ethiopia Diaspora Mapping Report on attitudes and behaviors towards investing in Ethiopia, Pangea Trust organised a virtual validation workshop on the 16th of March. They brought together stakeholders and experts in the Ethiopian remittances, investments, and small business space to discuss the findings and recommendations from the report commissioned by Pangea Trust and funded by
Sida. 

DMA Global’s Omolayo Nkem Ojo, who lead the project, gave an in-depth presentation on the methodology, results and recommendations of the research. She gave an overview of the demographics and historical trends of the Ethiopian diaspora and
remittances, discussed MSMEs in Ethiopia, highlighted types of investment opportunities in Ethiopia, a very brief overview of the Islamic Financial Landscape. She then deep dived into the survey findings that highlighted remittance practices, attitudes towards investing, attitudes and practices towards Islamic finance, and investment practices, obstacles and wants. Finally, she discussed the recommendations from the research. 

Islamic Finance Lawyer and Advocate for Economic Justice in Africa, Rahma Hersi, gave an in-depth presentation on Islamic finance and how the industry has developed in Ethiopia over the years and what Ethiopian diaspora members would need to take
advantage of Islamic finance investment opportunities. 

After the two presentations, a panel was moderated by business journalist, Noah Kipkemboi. The panel included Sinit Zeru from the Ethiopian Ministry of Innovation, Myriam Said, a digital advisor, Addis Alemayehou, chairman of Kazana Group, and Amadou Daffe, CEO of Gebeya Inc. The conversation provided important insights into Ethiopia’s investment landscape.