Ethiopia is to host the first International Dental, Medical and Pharmaceutical Exhibition (IDEA) inside the UNECA Congress Center compound. The three days event is to commence on December 14.
An initiative of the Italian Trade Agency (ITA) and the Italian Dental Manufacturers Association, in collaboration with the Ethiopian Ministry of Industry, the exhibition was started in Dakar, Senegal in 2015. This is the first time it is being held in Addis Ababa as a symbolic gesture of Ethiopia’s regional importance. It is set to bring manufacturers of dental and medical equipment to the capital and showcase to their products and find local partnership within Ethiopia.
This comes as Ethiopia has placed the manufacturing industry as part of its 10 years strategy with an eye to the pharmaceutical manufacturing industry specifically and push for the end of medical tourism that are flowing from Ethiopia to a number of European and Asian nations.
“Organizing an international investment promotion is one of the best approaches to attract foreign direct investment and promote the policies, strategies and incentive packages already committed by the Ethiopian Government to potential investors from the rest of the world,” Mebrheatu Meles (PhD), Industry state minister said. “And create a forum where local and foreign business people in the pharmaceutical sector share idea and incept the possibility of forging business partnership and joint venture.
The gathering is to bring 50 international dental manufacturers from Europe, North America and Japan that are looking to expand their products to the continent and about 200 delegates, including from Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania and Sudan.
“The exhibition will divulge the depth of the dental world and the current technologies which greatly influence the policy makers, dealers and suppliers,” Muluken Tadesse (MD) of the Ethiopian Dental Professional Association said. “It will be a platform for sharing knowledge among stakeholders and boost their engagement on the field which contributes for the better dental practice and improve the quality of dental treatment standard in the country.”
The Italian Trade Agency in Ethiopia regularly recruits Italian business to invest and do business in Ethiopia, notably in the manufacturing and infrastructure industry.
