The general manager cited lack of understanding the rules of taxation and the poor capacity of his authority in creating well-organised documentation as some of the problems in the tax levying process.

Beyene said the government has come up with a newly revised tax proclamation in an attempt to redress the problem.

According to Aster Anteneh, EYWPC project coordinator, EYWPC is formed with the objective of creating more marketable and durable artistic products through imaginative design and technical quality. The purpose of the project is to create more sustainable and income generating jobs and to raise the status of women from traditional pottery families. “Changing the society’s attitude towards traditional pottery is also our objective,” Aster told Addis Tribune.

EYWPC has organized exhibitions last year at the Sheraton and this year at the Hilton Addis to introduce its products widely.

Despite all their efforts, however, according to Aster, EYWPC has a number of challenging problems. “To start with, we do not yet have places to sell our products. Though we have requested the Addis Ababa Administration Petty Trade and Industry Office, we couldn’t get place so far,” said Aster. She urged the government and concerned bodies to support them.

Traditional but modernized coffee and teapots, flower pots, lamps, candleholders, sculptures and religious icons such as crosses and stars, among other things, are products made by the EYWPC. “Our products are not only decorations but can also be used for the different purposes they are made for,” said Aster.

Zewde Biratu, General Manager of Zewde and Associates Plc, said that at a time when the business climate is gloomy and the relationship between banks and the business community is lukewarm, considering about a good business plan and its elements as well as examining its relevance is good for effective business activities.

Explaining about the benefits of having a good business plan, Zewde said that to arrive at a successful achievement of business activities, the business community should first look at the challenges of the competitive environment, the entry barriers and the rivalry situation in the surroundings than to stick to the bank loans.

Zewde furthermore stated that as business requires a capital outlay, it also requires a longer period to recover it and there is always risk involved in the life of the business. But risks are not minimized by bank loans, he added, “ultimately, it is not the bank that would take the risk but the entrepreneur is taking all the risks. It is to minimize risks that we need to prepare business plan.”

A good business plan, according to Zewde, helps managers and entrepreneurs to understand the current position of their business in the market and in relation to competitors, set realistic business objectives, prepare for dealing with unexpected threats and take corrective actions when the achievement of objective is threatened. It will also help outsiders, especially bankers and investors to asses management’s ability to diagnose the present situation, map future objectives and define a strategy for achieving both.

Planning does not guarantee the success of a business, however, according to Zewde, but it helps the management to anticipate risks and prepare to deal with them. The planner should also consider the cost of overcoming internal and external constraints when projecting future scenarios. Some of external constraints to be considered during planning are laws and regulations while the internal constraint is mainly lack of qualified staff to carry out business.

“Some constraints are absolute. There is nothing, for example, a company can do during the planning period to remove them. Many, perhaps most, of the external constraints will fall in this category. But even some internal constraints may be difficult to overcome in the near future,” Zewde said.

Recognizing where and when opportunities and threats arise, setting objectives, resource requirements, risk analysis and evaluation methods and implementing the plan, among others, were issues discussed by Zewde at the panel. The theme for his presentation was ‘Business Plan: Its Elements and Relevance to Your Business.’

In his opening address to the large gathering of participants comprising the civil society, business community, scholars as well as policy makers among others, Fantaye Biftu, State Minister of Ministry of Trade and Industry said that “in order to do away with the limited diversity of the country’s import-export substitution, to bring about a predictable macro-economic development and to effectively utilize the ever growing globalization trade orders, a country must increase its industrial competitiveness and accept the role that could be played by the wide spectrum of different organizations most importantly by the private sector.”

Fantaye further pointed out that establishing a close relation between the government and the private sector and looking after problems against the development of industries harmoniously would facilitate the industrial development. Hence a successful internal and external trade amount that can be characterized by a significant import-export substitution.

Presenting his paper titled ‘The Challenges and Prospects of Export Development in Ethiopia,’ Solomon Kebede, Trade Point Director, Ethiopian Export Promotion Agency, said as a result of the heavy reliance of the sector on a few primary commodities, Ethiopia’s export base continues to be narrow and fragile. “Consequently, the country’s foreign currency earnings from merchandise exports covered, on average only 42% of its import bill and the country’s trade deficit or showing a rising trend,” Solomon said.

Therefore, according to him, Ethiopia currently needs to significantly develop in export sector, which means diversification of products offered for export, improving their quality, ensuring regularity of their supply, and staying competitive in the international market. “This, however, requires significant efforts and resources, given the numerous constraints inhibiting export expansion and diversification. The private sector is envisaged to play the leading role in this endeavor.” For this to happen as well, participants and presenters of the workshop agreed that upgrading industrial development is of vital value.

Seventeen study papers were presented at the workshop of which issues of the role of higher learning institutes and research institutes and the role of mass media towards enhancement of industrialization in Ethiopia as well as the impact of tax system and impact of Ethiopian customs performance and contraband in Ethiopia on industrialization process were some of them. Scholars and private businesses have presented the study papers and shared their experiences with the participants.

Briefing local journalists about the award, which is the first of its kind, Ato Abi Wolde Meskel, General Manager of EIA said that 15 investors particularly those who are engaged in the farming industry and related sectors would be given the award, which is to take place at the Sheraton Addis, on June 22, 2002.

Abi further said that the Authority prioritizes the above-mentioned sectors, as the country’s economic development is mostly reliant on agriculture, hence, the sector should be encouraged and further expanded.

Enterprises which have been playing a significant role in attracting Foreign Direct Investment (FDI), saving foreign currency, and creating job opportunity have been carefully nominated, he said, adding that special attention have also been given to those who are investing in a remote, hard to penetrate and economically backward areas.

Much more is expected from the Authority, however, than the award, Abi said. Though EIA has been exerting efforts to protect investors from difficulties they are facing in the country and promote investment, there is still a lot to be done particularly regarding investment policy.

At present, there are about 2028 investors engaged in various investment activities with a total capital of 16 billion birr of which 67 of them are foreigners with 4 billion birr capital, according to Abi. The sector investment has created a job opportunity for approximately 400,000 employees.

In an interview with Addis Tribune, Mr. Lamont said that Ethiopian small enterprises engaged in these sectors are not grasping the economic opportunities the world is offering them. But, according to him, the sectors would have incredible possibilities of creating qualified products that could be supplied to shops and stores of the international market if developed and adapted in line with the world’s market demand, he said.

The sector has a significant role in creating job opportunity, generating income and saving foreign currency, which small enterprises need badly. “This is an opportunity that African countries have at this time,” Mr. Lamont said.

Businesses engaged in this sector subsequently need to create market-led products and stretch their imaginations to the international market, as the local demand remains dormant, according to him.

Realizing the need to empower the sectors, SNV-Netherlands Development Organization in collaboration with the Ethiopian government has organized a four-day workshop on design and product development program. The aim is to brief participants of the workshop on how to go about product design and how to develop product collections, up to the minute information on product trends around the world and know the range and diversity of products they can sell to the international market.

Ato Gebere Medhin Belay, vice president in the Ministry of Agriculture said, from the product of honey in Africa Ethiopia’s share is about 23% and 2% from the world honey products.

According to Ato Gebere Medhin, the country produces more than 285,000 quintals of crude honey and more than 32,000 quintals of beeswax.

The export of honey, beeswax is low both in quality and quantity although the country is endued with suitable plants and adequate water resources, Ato Gebere Medhin added.

He said traditional development methods, shortage of skilled beekeepers, and modernized technical equipment were the main causes for the low quality of honey and beeswax.

To solve the problems and to promote the development of honey and beeswax the government has distributed a technololgy package on beekeeping in order to attract investors in the area, Ato Gebere Medhin added

Ato Gebere Medhin further stated that curriculum on the products is ready to be designed in order to add a semester course of the products which is 4 hours a week in agricultural, technicual and vocational, training colleges.

Ato Ayalew Kassaye, president of Ethiopian Beekeepers Association, said indiscriminate application of agrochemical, rapid deforestation of natural vegetation and ecological disturbances were among the major issues that are hindering the development of beekeeping.

The association is composed of professionals, engaged in bee husbandry, research development work training processing and the marketing of honey bee products.

He said the association is networking with sister organizations and societies and to support environmental protection and afforestation programs.

The main objective of the association is to create a common forum to exchange experiences and views to promote the sub – sector to encourage apiculture research in different agricultural institution and to discuss and seek solution to various problems of the sub-sector.

The Ethiopian Beekeepers association has 178 permanent and associate members.

The brokering service is a common business in Addis Ababa. The Casa Inces area is one of the places where the service is being provided. There are twenty-six brokers working in the area.

The brokering service includes contacting job seekers and employers, sellers and buyers of goods, house renters and owners and many others.

Job seekers from different corners of the city gather there and look for jobs.

Employers need to contact brokers first. They inform the brokers about the requirements needed from an employee. Then the broker makes them get in contact with the required employee.

If the employee and employer agree, they are required to sign the agreement. The agreement form includes address of employer and the surety of the employee. After the employer fills out the form, he will go to the gaurantor along with the employee for concluding the deal. If the surety agrees, the hiring process is over. The agreement, in three copies, will be distributed among the employer, the surely and the broker.

“The broker receives a certain amount of money as a commission from both parties. On average, he earns up to thirty birr a day,” Yirdaw says.

“Eleven years ago I happened to be around the Casa Inces area with one of my relatives to help her to be hired through the broker who was working at the place. Unfortunately, the broker was not available. While I was looking for him, a prospective employer came close to me and asked me if I was a broker. I told the employer that I was not a broker but was waiting for him. The man said that he was looking for an employee and asked if he could take the woman with me for employment. We arrived at an agreement. Then he took the woman after he paid me six birr as a commission. From that day onwards, I began the brokering business,” Yirdaw said.

The advantage of the brokering service is three-fold. Job seekers get benefits from getting jobs;employers can get employees who can satisfy their needs, and brokers also earn their living through the service.

They say the best time to see the Falls is in October, when the run off is high, but it is after the rainy season so it is clear. In September the falls are high, but the water is muddy from the fresh runoff. It can also be very muddy for the 30 kilometer drive from Bahir Dar, unless you are lucky like me and catch a short dry spell.

Close to the falls there are dramatic developments due to the construction of the 40 megawatt power generating station and the large river diversion to feed it.

The small town just before the station was unchanged despite the development - still sleepy with a very bad road. The tourism office was also the same - a muddy rough track leading up to the office and no notice to the uninitiated that you had to go there first to pay your 15 birr to see the falls (3 birr for Ethiopians, but 100 birr for a video camera).

The town provides a good roadside view of life in rural Ethiopia. People walk and trade on the road, and sit in their front yards and chat, with women braiding each other’s hair. One thing that I appreciate about Gojjam, the area enclosed by the Blue Nile, is the treatment of women. This is the only rural area in Ethiopia where most girls are not circumcised to put it politely, mutilated to put it more bluntly. Gojjami men support this novel idea, knowledgeably pointing out that circumcision causes all sorts of problems, such as difficulties with childbirth. It would be nice if other rural Ethiopians followed their example.

Once past the town the development is dramatic. New housing for professionals rises on the left, just before the massive cement spillway. There is a bridge over the spillway you must cross, giving a good view of the construction stretching back as far as you can see. From above the new dam is visible, and the water diversion channel. While those of us who live in Ethiopia are glad to see any additions to the power grid, I hope the diversion doesn’t detract too much from the falls.

Also new is the fence, gate and guardhouse at the start to the trail to the falls. Someone actually checks to see if you have your ticket. It would be some irritating if you were visiting and passed the unmarked tourist office, then you were told to go back 2 km. to buy a ticket! There are also guides hanging around, but I gratefully declined their services, having visited the falls several times before.

The volume of the falls was gratifyingly high, higher than I’d ever seen before. They gushed out in great brown and white torrents, sending up great plumes of spray. This is of course the source of the name of the falls - ‘Tis’ or ‘Smoke’ Abbay. Unfortunately the far right of the falls, which are square and straight, did not stretch down the cliff face as far as they do on the back of the one birr note.

The classic view of the falls is only a 15 minute walk, down a hill over the ‘Portuguese’ bridge, up through a clutch of tukuls, along a ridge overlooking the new power station construction, and around the corner to the thundering falls. The ‘Portuguese’ bridge is a highlight, actually built after the Portuguese had been kicked out of Ethiopia by the Emperor Fasilides, who built it around the 1640’s.

This is the narrowest point on the massive Abbay River, where the water thunders through a gorge less than 4 meters across. The swirling mass of water is reputed to be very deep. The story goes that before the bridge was built, adventurous if somewhat foolish souls would leap across the channel, a quick way of getting from the region of Gondar to Gojjam. Many didn’t succeed in the jump, and the turbulent waters of the gorge of Abbay are said to never give up a body - alive or dead. To stop this carnage the kindly and practical Fasilides built the bridge, perhaps the earliest and certainly the longest surviving in Ethiopia.

The stone archways of the bridge fetchingly frame the gushing Abbay.

Beyond the bridge there is a fairly constant, but thankfully low key, barrage of little girls selling gourds and scarves. Most of the peasants go about their business, which includes herding their animals along their paths, with the accompanying flies and the stuff that attracts them.

Another recent improvement at the falls are the admittedly makeshift benches sitting at the major vantage points for the falls. Some of these were drenched by spray, but it’s the thought that counts.

After a brief stop at the best viewing sites, especially the spot right in front of the main falls, I decided to push on . This was the first visit where I’d allowed myself enough time to accommodate the hike to the bottom of the falls. I was glad I did!

Doing the full falls turns the expedition from a half hour jaunt to a two hour trek. From the main falls, the path winds a long way, down a hill and to a wide stream, after about 20 minutes. The shepherd boys who guided me had the sure bare feet of those toughened by hard walks. The fording of the stream isn’t made difficult by the depth or the current, but by my tender feet stepping on the stones. I felt like an old man clinging to the foot toughened young shepherds who grabbed me every time I stumbled on a sharp rock.

Across the stream there is another walk across muddy fields for about 20 minutes to the falls. Once again their thunder announces them before they come into sight. The field is at the level of the top of the falls. You can walk around and look at them from the top, or clamber down below and look up at them.

From below the falls are huge and in your face. In front of the main stream it takes only 30 seconds to be soaked to the skin by the spray. Only someone very foolish would do this on purpose. I did.

The field in front of the falls is predictably very wet. Despite the thick mantle of grass, there is an appreciable amount of water and mud underfoot. It was impossible to walk in front of the falls without getting your feet soaked, along with the rest of you.

Around the side of the falls you can climb up some rocks and get very close to standing right underneath the gush of water. It is a great sensation to feel that there are about a million litres of water almost falling on top of you.

On top of the falls you have the opposite sensation. Millions of litres are flowing past you and disappearing over the edge. For those of braver heart than me, there is an opportunity to stare over the edge lying on your front. I didn’t do it.

Our two guides brought us back from the falls, which as usual seemed a lot shorter than the way out. It took about 30 minutes to get back to the Portuguese bridge and on our way home.

Now read on:

Lord Wright, the commissioner from Australia, joined in opposing the British commissioner Sir Robert Craigie’s defence of Badoglio. He argued “that bombing with poison-gas involved the most elaborate preparations of every kind”.

Sir Robert Craigie, who had thus taken a severe hammering, thereupon naively asked “whether there was any direct evidence of atrocities committed by Badoglio in his sector while he was commander-in-chief there”.

Leijonhufvud, the Swede speaking for Ethiopia, replied by explaining that the Ethiopian charges clearly specified where the alleged crimes had been committed. Those on Ethiopia’s southern front were indicated with the letter “S”. The remainder had taken place on the northern sector, under Badoglio’s direct command.

In view of the numerous incidents reported on the latter front, Sir Robert saw that his attempt to shield Badoglio was unavailing. He therefore finally agreed to list Badoglio for the use of poison-gas, but continued to oppose charging him for other bombing.

Sir Robert’s arguments were then rebutted by Dr Rynning of Norway. There was “no doubt”, he observed” that there was no justifiable reason” for “Italian bombing of the Red Cross ambulances etc.” He therefore contended that “it was very likely that Badoglio must have had some responsibility”, and he believed that there was “sufficient evidence to list Badoglio as a Suspect on this count”.

Leijonhufvud at this point intervened to observe that this was “the first time in history” that Red Cross units were “continuously persecuted”, and that the “repeated bombardments” to which they were subjected could not have been other than “intentional”, and “must have been part of a policy”.

Strong words these!

Sir Robert, whose defence of Badoglio, had thus been challenged by virtually every speaker, then conceded - what should have been obvious to him from the start - that Badoglio, as commander on the front where the alleged crimes were committed, was more likely to be responsible than a distant commander, i.e. Graziani. Withdrawing his earlier opposition, he at last declared that he was “agreeable” to listing Badoglio for the bombing of Red Cross hospitals and ambulances, as well as for the use of poison-gas.

The Ethiopian charge that Badoglio had been responsible for the bombing of “undefended places”, i.e. attacks on the civilian population, was then considered. Leijonhufvud contended that such attacks resembled the bombing of Red Cross units, and were “repeated all over the country behind the Ethiopian armies”. He cited the book Voli sulle ambe by Mussolini’s son, Vittorio, describing his pleasure in bombing Ethiopian huts.

Several commission members argued, however, that, because of the war’s guerrilla character, civilians might be presumed to have given support to combatants, and that responsibility for criminal action in this area would be difficult to establish. (This was dubious, in that the main Ethiopian charge related to Italian bombing at the time of the invasion, rather than to during the occupation period when guerrilla fighting was most in vogue).

The commission nevertheless concluded by agreeing to list Badoglio as a potential war criminal “for the use of poisonous gases and for the bombardment of Red Cross hospitals and ambulances”.

Graziani

The Commission then turned to the case of Graziani, which Leijonhufvud described as “the key to all the other cases”, except that of Badoglio. He went on to declare that a “close study” of the Graziani case “gave an explanation of the whole Italian policy of systematic terrorism”. In support of this contention he produced evidence of Graziani’s self-admitted “intention to execute all Amharas”, and cited a telegram from Graziani to General Nasi, in which he had written, “Keep in mind also that I have already aimed at the total destruction of Abyssinian chiefs and notables and that this should be carried out completely in your territories”.

The Commission then proceeded to discuss whether Graziani could be considered as potentially guilty of genocide, but concluded that the charge of mass murder was more appropriate.

The Commission was at this point asked by Leijonhufvud to charge Graziani for pillage. He based this accusation on the systematic plundering of Addis Ababa, during the Graziani Massacre of February 1937, the subsequent massacre at the Däbrä Libanos monastery, and, finally, the deliberate bombing of Red Cross units.

To this the Commission, after some discussion, agreed.

Lessona

The next case to be examined was that of Lessona, who had been Italian Minister of the Colonies throughout most of the time when the alleged war crimes had been committed. In reply to questions from Sir Robert, Leijonhufvud explained that Lessona was the recipient of many of Graziani’s telegrams reporting acts of repression, and had raised no objection to them. He had therefore “participated in the policy of systematic terrorism”.

The Commission, however, felt that since he had not himself participated in war crimes, he should be listed only as a witness, albeit “for complicity in systematic terrorism”.

Cerulli and Cortese

The Commissioners then considered the case of the other civilian, Enrico Cerulli. The discussion was clouded by a curious report, which was later to prove erroneous, that he was employed by the UN Secretariat, and that, before this could happen, “extensive inquiries” into his past record must have been made. The Commission, acting at least in part on this false report, decided that he should be listed as a witness to war crimes, rather than actually as a criminal.

The Commission then took up the Ethiopian cases against Guido Cortese, the former Addis Ababa Fascist Party chief at the time of the Graziani massacre, and the five generals: Guglielmo Nasi, Allesandro Pirzio Biroli, Carlo Geleso, Sebastiano Gallina, and Ruggero Tracchia.

The charges against all six were duly accepted.

The Foreign Office

The Foreign Office was not pleased by the commission’s above verdicts. This is apparent from a minute by one of the officials, Alan Pemberton-Pigott, who complained, on 28 April 1948, that since the Commission had “found a prima facie case against Graziani and Badoglio and put them on their list of war criminals”, it would be “difficult” for Britain “to refuse their surrender if the Ethiopian demand should come up before the Four Ambassadors in Rome”. Elaborating on the British position, he frankly declared, “We have no direct interest in Graziani”, but a request for Badoglio “might well cause embarrassment”.

The Charges Reduced to Include Only Badoglio and Graziani

To sum up the situation at this point we can say that the Ethiopian Government had won a notable moral victory in convincing the UN War Crimes Commission to accept prima facie war crimes charges against no less than eight of the ten accused, including Badoglio and Graziani, and the listing of the two remaining as witnesses to war crimes. There was, however, the problem of actually instituting legal proceedings. Prosecution faced the problem that Ethiopia had no control over the accused, and could not demand their extradition, as Ethiopia and Italy had no diplomatic relations.

There could also be on denying that co-operation with the Italian Government would not be easy, for post-Fascist Italy displayed little desire to disassociate itself from its Fascist past.

In view of these such difficulties the Ethiopian Government decided once more to waive most of its charges, and to restrict itself to the prosecution of only two accused war criminals, albeit the most important: Badoglio and Graziani.

The Ethiopian authorities accordingly appealed to the British Government, the only one of the Four Great Powers with which it then had an agreement. It asked that extradition of the two marshals be effected through the machinery of their Ambassadors in Rome, in accordance with Article 86 of the Peace Treaty.

The Ethiopian London Legation duly wrote to the British Government, on 23 November 1948. It explained that, though the UN Commission had accepted the cases submitted by it, the Ethiopian Government, “as a contribution to the early re-establishment of peaceful and friendly relations”, had decided to bring to trial only two individuals, Badoglio and Graziani, “the persons most responsible for the policy of systematic terrorism”.

The letter continued:

“In accordance with the established international practice for the trial of major war criminals, the Imperial Ethiopian Government will constitute an international tribunal consisting of a majority of non-Ethiopian judges. The principles of law and procedure to be followed by the Court will be in accordance with those of the Charter of the International Military Tribunal at Nuremberg.

“It is considered that the obligations of the Italian Government under the provisions of the Treaty of Peace included such measures of custody or preventive detention as will assure their surrender to the Ethiopian authorities”.

“The Imperial Ethiopian Government accordingly invokes their treaty rights to the surrender of these accused and, under Article 86, paragraph 1 of the Treaty of Peace, requests the Ambassadors of the Four Powers in Rome to represent Ethiopia in this matter and demand of the Italian Government that they apprehend and surrender to officers of the Imperial Ethiopian Government Marshal Badoglio and Marshal Graziani. It is further requested that the Imperial Ethiopian Legation in London may be advised as to the results of the representations made by the Ambassadors to the Italian Government”.