In October 2020, UNITED traveled on a business mission to Ethiopia to meet with the Minister of Finance and with several other Ministers and cabinet members from the ministries of healthcare, mining, transportation and telecommunication.
The UNITED delegation was led by M. Bachir Diagne, the group’s general partner and vice president and included M. Arona Sy, general partner and vice president; Ms. Marly Diallo, associate partner and commercial director; and M. Shankar Venkataraman, head of telecom value-added services. The delegation also included M. Hussein Ahmed, Honorary Consul of Bissau Guinea and director general of Horizon Terminals, the African subsidiary of ENOC (Emirates National Oil Company), a global energy group owned by The Government of Dubai.
The Government of Ethiopia graciously hosted UNITED for a week-long business visit that focused on accelerating Ethiopia’s socio-economic agenda through innovation-driven technology solutions, impact infrastructure and investment opportunities. The meetings took place at the ministries’ offices and at the Sheraton Addis hotel.
The meetings with the Minister of Finance focused on implementing a national digital transformation program through e-government solutions; and improving the country’s access to energy with efficient energy storage solutions.
The meetings with the Minister of Transportation and Communication focused on improving on-site Covid-19 testing at the Addis Ababa Bole International Airport; digitizing the airport’s luggage management systems; and supporting Ethio Telecom’s B.R.I.D.G.E. strategy with innovative products and services.
The meetings with the ministries of Healthcare focused on deploying a large-scale impact investment initiative that aims at improving healthcare access for pregnant women and at scaling prenatal care.
UNITED also met with other cabinet members and ministries to discuss the country’s mining agenda and enhanced support for Ethiopia’s diaspora community through UNITED’s Washington D.C.-based office.