Ambassador to Ethiopia Sugeeshwara Gunaratna called on the Mayor of Hawassa Tiratu Beyene at the Mayor’s office on 05 March 2020. Hawassa city is 275 km from Addis Ababa and is home to the Hawassa Industrial Park which houses three Sri Lankan flagship investments in Ethiopia – Hirdaramani Garment PLC, Hela Indochine Apparel PLC and Isabella Socks Manufacturing PLC which together provide employment to around 3700 people. Around 400 Sri Lankans are employed at the Industrial Park.

During the discussion, Mayor Tiratu Beyene appreciated the role played by Sri Lankan investors and the Sri Lankan community in both upgrading the skills of Ethiopian employees at the Industrial Park as well as uplifting the living standard of the city. He encouraged further Sri Lankan investments in the industrial park as well as at a newly established agri-business park in Hawassa.

The Mayor also briefed the Ambassador on the preparations of Hawassa city and the regional authorities in handling any health related emergencies that may arise due to possible corona virus cases. Currently, no corona virus cases have been reported in Ethiopia. Both sides agreed to work closely in this regard, if the need arises.

During the call on the Mayor, the Ambassador briefed the Mayor on the current trajectory of Ethio-Sri Lanka relations and outlined the steps being taken to broaden and deepen the engagement.

The Ambassador also visited the three Sri Lankan factories in the industrial park, as well as Indochine Apparel PLC which employs the largest number of Sri Lankans, and addressed a gathering of the Sri Lankan community. A mobile consular service was also held where a number of Sri Lankans participated to resolve matters related to their documentation as well as raise general queries on services offered by the Embassy.