Duty-Free Shop Inaugurated at Bole Int’l Airport to Promote Export of Leather Products

A duty-free shop aimed at promoting the export of Ethiopian Leather Products was inaugurated at the Bole International Airport yesterday.

Industry Minister Melaku Alebel said the duty free shop that embraced eight model leather enterprises at the airport will promote the export of Ethiopian leather products and he stressed the need to expand this experience to other products and industries.

‘We have to make other industries take lesson from this to produce export quality products and sell here. These shops have generated over 200 million USD in the past two to three months during the pilot trial amid COVID-19 and other challenges. We can achieve more by doing so in other sectors.”

Stating that different programs are underway to make the leather industry internationally competitive in the markets, the minister said JICA’s support is critical because it focuses on increasing productivity of industries and promotion of export.

Ethiopian Airlines has allocated about 200 meters square area at Bole International Airport terminal for the duty free shop while JICA has been providing financial and technical support for the realization of the duty free shop, it was indicated.

Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), Export Promotion Chief Advisor, Noriyuki Nagai, said JICA has been supporting the development of the duty free shop to promote export of leather products as part of its export promotion project.

“Fascinated by the potential, the project decided to support the development of a duty-free shop.”

JICA has also been supporting a project that promotes the export of Ethiopia’s leather product for several years, he added.

The ministry in collaboration with Ethiopian Airlines, Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), Ethiopia Leather Industry Development Institute and Ethiopia Leather Industries Association is striving to realize the duty free shop as part of a project aimed at promoting the export of leather products.

Source: Ethiopia News Agency