Addis Ababa, April 22 (ENA)--A seminar aimed at promoting the conducive investment and trade opportunities of Ethiopia to Indian investors was held in Hydrabad city, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said.

The seminar convened under the theme: 'Doing Business with Ethiopia' on April 8 and 12 this year was organized jointly by Ethiopian Embassy in New Delhi and the Indo-African Trade and Industries Council.

The seminar would also be instrumental in attracting Indian entrepreneurs to invest in Ethiopia and helping existing investors expand their businesses , the Ministry quoted the Embassy as saying.

Ambassador Teketel Forsido on the occasion gave explanations about the various measures taken by the Ethiopian government to reinforce trade and investment as well as the achievements gained in the free market economy the country has embarked up on since 1992.

The involvement of foreign investors in Ethiopia has been encouraging, he said, and urged Indian entrepreneurs to avail themselves of the conducive investment atmosphere existing in the country.

The Ambassador said though the bilateral trade between the two countries has shown a marked growth, there was a trade imbalance as Indian imports from Ethiopia was lower as compared to its exports to Ethiopia.

The trade imbalance between the two countries needs to bridged with a view to enhancing the bilateral ties on the basis of mutual benefits, he said.

The participants have also pledged to send to Ethiopia a 15-member business delegation in June 2003 to evaluate the trade and investment situation in the country, the release said.

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