A taste of India on Ethiopian business table

(New Delhi, May 16, 2011)  Indian dishes will vie with Indian automobiles and cultural events to catch the attention of Ethiopians over the next couple of days. 

As part of the Indian Government's and the Ministry of Commerce's attempt to engage with Africa and cement trade and investment links with the region, an ‘India-show' is being organised in Addis Ababa. 

The three-day promotion of the event will be inaugurated by the Commerce Minister, Mr Anand Sharma, on Friday. 

It will feature eight Indian chefs dishing out Indian cuisine and 80 companies from diverse sectors including automobile companies such as Tata Motors, Hero Honda and Sonalika Tractors. 

The event is being organised on the sidelines of the second India Africa Forum Summit meeting which will be attended by Prime Minister, Dr Manmohan Singh. 

This initiative comes at a time when globally Africa is being seen as one of the main areas for economic growth in the coming decades. 

“Through the event an attempt will be made to not only to enhance bilateral trade but also promote Indian technology and services.

In addition, it will provide a platform for the Indian business community to scout for investment opportunities,” a senior official said.

The African region is keen to seek greater partnership with India. The Prime Minister of Tanzania, Mr Mizengo Kitanza Peter Pinda, recently invited the Indian business community to invest in tourism, uranium, gas and gold mining, agriculture and ICT.

India-Africa trade, which stood at $3 billion in 2000-01, had gone up to $39 billion in 2009-10.

A number of Indian companies including Bharti Airtel, Reliance, BHEL, TCIL, RITES, Kirloskar Brothers, Mahindra and Mahindra and L&T already have a presence in Africa.

Source: thehindubusinessline.