Question to the Department for International Trade:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of economic and trade relations between the UK and Ethiopia.

Ethiopia is one of the fastest growing economies in the world and has sustained strong and consistent growth for 14 years. The trading relationship between the UK and Ethiopia is currently worth £699m per annum.

In Ethiopia the Government is promoting bilateral trading opportunities in a number of industries, including aerospace, infrastructure and renewable-energy.

My Rt Hon Friend the Secretary of State for International Trade has recently appointed the first HM Trade Commissioner to Africa, who champions trade between the UK and the continent. In addition, my hon Friend for Stafford (Jeremy Lefroy MP) is the Prime Minister’s Trade Envoy and has visited Ethiopia 5 times to promote UK trade and investment to the country.