Sudanese businesses take part in Ethiopian exhibition

By Tesfa-Alem Tekle

April 10, 2011 (MEKELLE) – A number of Sudanese firms and businessmen took part in a mobile exhibition and bazaar in Ethiopia’s Tigray region. The bazaar is part of the wide platform of strengthening bilateral ties between Sudan and Ethiopia.

Mustofa El-Sayed is head of eastern Sudan’s Gedaref state chamber of commerce mission to Tigray. He says the bazaar was fruitful.

‘‘The philosophy of the Bazzar was achieved”, he told Sudan Tribune on Sunday, adding ‘‘the two neighbours are doing very well.”

However, he complained about the high customs charges in Ethiopia.

“The main objectives of such bazaars is to provide the poor community with a relatively low price; however this latest bazaar didn’t achieve this target due to high charges at the customs office, which forced us to sell our products at a higher price” El-Sayed said.

“When we think about scaling-up bilateral ties to a higher level, profit is not paramount” he said adding “authorities from the two sides need to revise their approach to this issue.’’

The latest exhibition and bazaar comes few weeks after the Tigray region chamber of commerce invited businessmen from Sudan’s Gedaref and Kassala states to participate.

Ali Ahmed Osman, Kassala state chamber of commerce chair person echoed on the Bazzars role in connecting peoples of the two countries via trade.

He said “A bazaar is a good means of consolidating bilateral links between adjacent regions of Sudan and Ethiopia”, adding, “the bazaar is playing an important role in forging trade ties beyond creating market opportunities’’.

Osman said business communities on both sides of the border have held discussions on ways they can cooperate on trade and investment.

Organisers said that the month-long exhibition and bazaar has attracted tens of thousands of people from different towns in the Tigray region.

“It was held in Shire, Humera and Mekelle towns for the past four weeks and the bazaar in Mekelle has been extended by a week to allow the Sudanese businessmen sell their remaining commodities’’ Teshale Fissehatsion, head of Mekelle chamber of commerce told Sudan Tribune.

Some 80 businessmen, firms and government representatives have took part at this latest Bazzar which will be concluded next week.

Kali Obduletif Al-Bedwi is one of the participants. This is the third time he has taken part in a bazaar organised in Ethiopia.

Al-Bedwi has brought products ranging from ceramics to plastic furniture. He underscored the importance of such bazaars, beyond just making a profit.

“Such bazaars are not only just for the sake of business but also important ways of keeping the two people living side to side in harmony” he said.

“A strong bond between the custom offices and chamber of commerce of the two countries will easily settle interferences or minor problems at borders, before they lead to greater tension’’ Al-Bedwi added.

Ethiopia and Sudan have passed agreements to work together on social, economic, political, and culturalareas, among others. In the past years there were conflicts along the common border between the countries over matters such as grazing of cattle and robberies.

The two neighbours also have a monitoring task force to solve problems or conflicts that could arise along the border.

According to Ali Farah Ali Ahmed, chairperson of the general union of Sudanese businessmen in Kassala, a delegation led by the deputy governor of Kassala state will arrive in Mekelle next week to advise his counterparts here on ways of further bolstering relations between the two countries and in particular the adjacent regions.

(ST)