Distinguished Minister Terzi,
Distinguished Vice Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn,
Honorable Guests,

UNIDO is pleased to be here today and to have contributed in organizing the Ethiopia-Italy Trade & Investment Forum, in collaboration with the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Confindustria, Assafrica & Mediterraneo, and in synergy with the Embassy of Ethiopia in Rome.

Initiatives like this provide a real possibility for Italian entrepreneurship to explore investment opportunities offered by emerging economies and to facilitate matchmaking among companies, according to the strategy of win-win cooperation.

Ethiopia is growing dramatically and offers a large number of opportunities in different sectors. UNIDO has been working actively in the country to support local entrepreneurs and has developed several programs for this purpose.

It is, therefore, a pleasure for me to introduce Ms. Aurelia Calabrò, Chief of UNIDO’s Rural Entrepreneurship Development and Human Security Unit, who has over twenty years of working experience in the country and manages important programs to support local entrepreneurship.

UNIDO continues to work closely with the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, several Ethiopian institutional representatives, and all the stakeholders involved in this Forum, in order to provide an adequate follow-up of the event and the beginning of concrete forms of cooperation.

At this time, I would like to give the floor to Ms. Aurelia Calabrò, thanking her once again for being here with us today.