Construction Exhibition Brings Local, Global Industry Leaders Together

Addis Ababa, Ethiopia – Ashenafi Merede, a businessman, was cheerful when leaving the compound of the Addis Abeba Exhibition & Marketing Development Enterprise (AAEMDE) on the evening of Wednesday, September 17, 2014. He had just visited the 11th Ethio-Con Exhibition, which was organised by the Ethiopian Construction Contractors Association (ECCA).

The exhibition, named “Construction: Path to a Better Future”,  brought together importers, exporters, real estate developers, contractors and others related to the sector, such as insurers and consultancies. This year’s exhibition was sponsored by Nib Insurance Company S.C, Mesebo Cement Plc, ABULSHASE Plc and National Cement S.C.

Ashenafi’s smile was caused by a business discussion he had just held with a Pakistani paint manufacturer, who was in search of a local partner to distribute their products in Ethiopia.

“We made an appointment to meet for additional discussions before they return back to their country,” said Ashenafi.

Ashenafi was visiting the Ethio-Con exhibition for the second time and this visit was bringing him close to a deal. The exhibition had 205 participating companies, including 145 local companies, such as the Metal & Engineering Corporation (MetEC), Royal Ceramics, TIMEX Construction Plc and MIDROC Ethiopia.  Sixty international companies came from Kenya, Tanzania, Zambia, Turkey, Pakistan, China, Italy and Germany. Last year, the exhibition had drawn only 110 local and 40 international companies. A year earlier, in September 2012, there were just 100 participants.

Read more at: Addis Fortune