ADDIS ABABA, Nov. 23 (Xinhua) -- Italy and the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on Wednesday to advance leather sector developments in Ethiopia.
Part of the agreement was a 2.8-million-Euro financial support from the Italian Agency for Development Cooperation to assist UNIDO's initiative, dubbed "Technical Assistance Project for the Up-Grading of Ethiopian Leather and Leather Products Industry - Phase 2".
Signing the MoU in Addis Ababa, capital of Ethiopia, Giuseppe Mistretta, Italian Ambassador to Ethiopia, said the support is designed to create conducive environment for Micro, Small and Middle Enterprises (MSME) in Ethiopia's leather products sector.
Tadesse Haile, State Minister of Industry of Ethiopia, noted that MSME development is considered as one of the most important pillar of the second 5-year Growth and Transformation Plan (GTP II / 2016-2020).
UNIDO Representative Jean Bakole said the technical assistance project targets to build local capacity, facilitate access to loans and linkage with financial institutions, and create new cluster areas for MSME development in Ethiopia's leather production sector.
With 52 million heads of cattle, Ethiopia is the No. 1 in Africa and sixth in the world in cattle population.
