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Agricultural Socio-Economics Journal P- ISSN: 1412-1425

Volume XIX, Number 2 (2019):83-90 E-ISSN: 2252-6757

REVIEW ON OPPORTUNITIES, CONSTRAINTS AND


CONTRIBUTIONS OF INDUSTRIAL DEVELOPMENT
ON ECONOMIC GROWTH IN ETHIOPIA
Alemayehu Oljira and Fenet Belay
1
Department of Agricultural Economics and Agribusiness Management Jimma University College of
Agriculture and Veterinary Medicine
2
Department of Rural Development and Agricultural Extension Jimma University College of Agriculture and
Veterinary Medicine

*corresponding author: alemayehu2016@gmail.com

Abstract: This paper is designed to review opportunities, constraints and contributions of industrial
development on economic growth in Ethiopia. Sources such as scholarly publication, News and magazines,
Books and chapters, Conference proceedings, government documents, theses and Dissertations have been
reviewed. The review result indicates that industrial sector have substantial contribution to economic growth that
helps to create a large portion of the resources needed to fund social development programs in the country. In
addition, creation of employment and hence generation of income take place in the sector directly and are
indirectly fostered in other sectors like agriculture or services through their linkages to industry. However,
financial constraints, shortage of raw materials supply and lack of skilled manpower were identified as the main
obstacles to the development of the sector. Finally the review argues that high rate of capital accumulation is a
necessary condition for bringing about structural transformation and increased level of production and
productivity to give rise for industrialization and the use of appropriate combination of skilled manpower,
modern and suitable technologies and investment on both public infrastructures and manufacturing activities
should be made.

Keywords: industrial sector, contribution of industry, constraints, opportunities, Ethiopia

http://dx.doi.org/10.21776/ub.agrise.2019.019.2.3 Received 03 January 2019


Accepted 23 April 2019
Available online 25 May 2019

INTRODUCTION fostered in other sectors like agriculture or services


through their linkages to industry. Finally, it
Industrialization is seen as a motor behind many of
promotes various aspects of social integration
the processes usually termed as “social
through its general thrust towards modernization
transformation” and “modernization “ in terms of at
(MoFED 2006).
least three ways in which industry helps to achieve
In Ethiopia while the awareness about the need
the goals of social development. First,
for industrialization is traced back to the early
manufacturing industry’s substantial contribution to
1960s, the design of comprehensive strategy with
economic growth that helps to create a large
structural transformation in mind has come very
portion of the resources needed to fund social
late, with the 2004 declaration of the Ethiopian
development programs. In addition, creation of
Industrial Development Strategy Document.
employment and hence generation of income take
“Though a favorable policy package to introduce
place in the sector directly and are indirectly

CITATION: Alemayehu Oljira and Fenet Belay. (2019). Review on Opportunities and Constraints of Industrial Development
on Economic Growth in Ethiopia. Agricultural Socio-Economics Journal, 19(2), 83-90.
DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.21776/ub.agrise.2019.019.2.3
84 Alemayehu Oljira and Fenet Belay

and develop a modern economy was in place, there REVIEW METHOD


was not any deliberately drawn and explicitly
A systematic review method was used to review
specified industrial policy to accelerate
literature related to industrial development and its
industrialization in the country”. The 2004
contribution on economic development in Ethiopia.
document put in place an articulated industrial
A realist review approach was used. The realist
development strategy for the first time (Admit
approach builds up on the principles of the Cochran
Zerihun, 2008).
systematic review, however seeks explanation,
GTP period has seen increased investment and
rather than empirical truth (Pawson et al., 2005).
new capacities created in the industrial sectors. The
The realist review often includes tighter
investment is notable in textile and garment,
inclusion criteria and a small number of documents
leather, food and beverages, sugar, metals and
than other review approaches, with a focus on
engineering, pharmaceuticals, chemicals and
depth rather than breadth and the use of
construction materials industries. Coupled with
predominantly qualitative critical analyses. This
existing capacities these developments are positive
method provides an appropriate tool to understand
signs for Ethiopia’s industrialization and structural
the constraints, opportunities and contributions of
transformation. To address one of the critical
industrial development on economic growth in
constraints of the private sector, the government
Ethiopia. To include only up to date information, a
has invested significantly in developing industrial
maximum time frame of 10 years is usually placed
zones. Accordingly, it has issued new laws and
on the age of the works to be included in the
established support institution for industrial zone
review. Manual searching and Google scholar
development. So far industrial zone development in
search strategies were performed in this literature
Addis Ababa, Awasa, Dire Dawa and Kombolcha
review from different data bases. Finally, the full
are in different stages of development.
text documents were assessed to evaluate the
Privatization of public enterprises is another
relevance of the paper particularly for this review.
strategy pursued to promote the development of the
Papers both published and unpublished in English
private sector. Accordingly, in the past three years
language were reviewed.
of GTP, a total of 37 public enterprises (14
enterprises in 2010/11, fiscal year 13 enterprises in
2011/12 and 5 enterprises 2012/13) were privatized DISCUSSION
through selling (32 enterprises) and joint
development (5 enterprises). Although the share of The Evolution of Industrial Sector in Ethiopia
the overall industry sector in GDP showed a In Ethiopia, modern manufacturing factories
modest increase from about 13 % in 2009/10 to emerged in 1920s (As of 1927 about 25 were set up
over 14% this was largely driven by the mostly by foreigners) the sector started to get
construction sector whose contribution in GDP momentum in the 1950s (after brief disruption in
nearly doubled during the period. The Ethiopian the WWII period). The 1950s also marked by start
economy is one of the least industrialized and its of a comprehensive plan to promote the country’s
manufacturing sector is least developed in many industrial & economic development. Ethiopia has
respects; in terms of volume and quality products, seen three regimes over the last eight decades –
technology status, labor skills and export Imperial regime (up to 1974) – Dergu regime
capabilities. For any economy, sustained industrial (1974-91) – EPRDF-led regime (since 1991). The
manufacturing growth rate has a great role in imperial regime (up to 1974) between 1958-73
international competing. Without growth, industrial three successive development plans was
expansion in general and competitiveness in implemented.
international markets in particular will not be The implementation of the initiatives attracted
possible. Thus, reviewing the opportunities, foreign investors and boost the manufacturing
constraints and contributions of industrial sector (World Bank, 1985). But by the end of the
development economic growth in Ethiopia is Imperial regime the overall industrial base was
indispensable. weak. The manufacturing sector characterized by
dual structure – The modern sector constituted few
hundreds of factories employing no more than

Agricultural Socio-Economics Journal Volume XIX, Number 2 (2019): 83-90


Review on Opportunities and Constraints of Industrial Development on Economic Growth in Ethiopia 85

60,000 people and dominated by import reversing the command economy Implemented
substituting light industries and foreign ownership three phases of IMF/WB sponsored reform
(Shiferaw, J. 1995). programs. In 1998 government adopted Export
The Derge regime (1974 to 1991) No specific Promotion Strategy A full-fledged Industrial
industrial policy per se until mid-1980s, but – Development Strategy (IDS) was formulated in
nationalized most of the MLSM enterprises – 2002/03 – Concretized into action by various sub-
declared “a socialist economic policy’ – put sector strategies and by the successive development
various restrictions on the private sector & market plans such as; Sustainable Development and
– Nationalized enterprises SOEs reorganized under Poverty Reduction Program (SDPRP) 2002/03-
state corporations. The manufacturing sector 2004/05 and the Plan of Action for Sustainable
shrunk and the private sector virtually reduced into Development and Eradication of Poverty
micro & small manufacturing activity. The (PASDEP) 2005/06-2009/10 (Szirmai, A. 2009).
EPRDF-led government (since 1991) the first
decade (1991-99) marked by various reforms

Table 1: The Ethiopian industrial policy and development phases


Imperial period The Dergue regime The EPRDF regime
(Pre 1974) (1975-91) (Post 1992)
Guiding Policy/Vision Market oriented Command Economy Market Oriented

Public /Private role Private led State led Private led but also strong
state
Ownership structure Dominance of foreign Dominance of public owned Dominance of domestic
owned enterprises enterprises private owned enterprises
Import substituting and Import substituting and Export oriented and labor
Target industries labor intensive industries labor intensive industries but intensive industries
also basic industries
Envisaged key player Foreign investment Public sector investment Domestic private sector
Protection of domestic Protection of domestic Direct support for selected
market through high tariff market through high tariff export sectors through
and banning of certain and quantitative restrictions, capacity building and other
imports. financing, subsidizing, means. Provision of
Policy instruments Provision of economic ensuring monopoly, power economic incentives and
incentives and of the SOECs preferential credit scheme
preferential credit scheme
Source: (Mulu, 2013)

The Contributions of the industrial sector much output per hour, week and so on, results from
In creating job opportunities, urban development, labor-input. Infarct, output per worker per time as a
closer support to the agricultural development, and direct measure of labor productivity. Labor
conducive environment for new investors are the productivity depends upon a number of factors
central core of economic growth of any nation. including the population size (quantity) and degree
Those are influenced by the growth rate of the of education and skills (quality) of labor supply, the
industrial sector specially manufacturing industries. capital stock other resources; each laborer has to
The major components of this activity involve work with and the technology available for
labor productivity, capital formation, improvements production. Educational development and on the-
in technology and the market environment job-training of laborers, growth in human capital is
(UNIDO, 2009). a rather obvious requirement for the productivity
increases, but productivity increases are also
Labor productivity: - output per worker. Labor closely linked to capital formation and technology
productivity in economic growth refers to how (UNIDO, 2009).

Agricultural Socio-Economics Journal Volume XIX, Number 2 (2019): 83-90


86 Alemayehu Oljira and Fenet Belay

Capital formation: the promise to invest capital on productivity of labor standard of living for the
the activity, as initial stage is the accumulation of greatest number of people in the recorded history of
money either through savings domestically or humanity. Such living standards could be
borrowing from financial institution. Capital unthinkable without the invention of items such as
formation is one of the ingredients of growth in steam engine, assembly – line production and etc.
size and quality of capital –stock-the quantity of Technology and invention have been responsible
fixed assets consisting of buildings, machineries, for nothing less than the modern world. The
inventories and equipment use in production. Labor market environment: most western economists
productivity is enhanced when capital stock believe that the market environment surrounding
available to labor growth faster than the labor the growth in natural resources, labor productivity,
supply. This capital is said to be deepening capital. capital formation and so on, are a large contributing
Increases in capital- stocks are costly. Resources factors to economic growth. A competitive market
including time must be scarified to produce capital system may believe encourage invention and rapid
goods that are not directly consumable, so capital innovation. All private and public restraints 0on
growth requires selling or abstention from current competition, including excessive or unnecessary
consumption. For new investment on machineries, regulation or tariffs or quotas on goods exchanged
buildings and equipment to grow, society ability in an international and trade, will trend to reduce
have knowledge to make savings. The reword for the rate of growth in real per capital GNP (UNIDO,
selling is greater future development in either 2009).
consumable goods or in more capital goods. In the
later sense economic growth is cumulative if feeds Exports: While on the face of it, manufactured
on itself by using capital to produce more capital exports appear to have registered impressive
(UNIDO, 2009). growth in the past few years, a closer look at the
structure of exports reveals that leather and leather
Improvements in technology: technological products, food and textiles in that order constituted
growth and invention, improvements in methods by the bulk of industrial exports. Manufactured
which goods and services are produced and sold is exports are thus limited to agricultural based
another key to economic growth. The industrial products. Export earnings generated by the sector
revolution of the 17th c- 19th c in western countries have been able to meet only about half the sector's
ushered in the age of mechanization, increasing the foreign exchange requirements (Dinh, et al., 2012).

Figure 1. Exports of selected products 1997-2011

Agricultural Socio-Economics Journal Volume XIX, Number 2 (2019): 83-90


Review on Opportunities and Constraints of Industrial Development on Economic Growth in Ethiopia 87

Figure 2. GDP growth, Industry and manufacturing value added (Ethiopia, 1982-2010)
Source: (Mulu, 2013)

Table 2. Sector in the Industry


Sector/ Indicators Start (2010) End (2015)]
The industry sector development targets
Sugar production (in thousand tons) 314.5 2250
sugar Export (in million ton) 1.246
Revenue from sugar export (in million USD) 661.7
Revenue from garments export (in million USD) 21.8 1000
Revenue from export of leather and products industry 75.73 496.5
Total national cement production capacity (in million ton) 2.7 27
Per capita steel consumption (in kg) 12 34.72
Source: The Growth and Transformation Plan (GTP I) 2010/11-15/16

Table 3. Share of industrial and manufacturing sector


Baseline year
Unit of Plan
Industry (2014/15) up to
measurement
(2019/20)
Share of Industry in GDP
percent % 15.6 22.8
Share of Manufacturing industry in % 4.6 8.0
GDP percent
Employment opportunities created Number 380,000 750,000
by medium and large
manufacturing industry.
Source: The Second Growth and Transformation Plan (GTP II) (2015/16-2019/20).

Opportunity and constraint of industrial sector physical infrastructure and human development and
Opportunity the achievement of MDGs have set the springboard
The rapid and sustained double digit economic for the implementation of GTP II. Furthermore, the
growth (10.9 % per annum) registered during the Government’s firm commitment and
last 12 years, investment expansion undertaken in transformational leadership with remarkable

Agricultural Socio-Economics Journal Volume XIX, Number 2 (2019): 83-90


88 Alemayehu Oljira and Fenet Belay

performance in economic growth and social Constraint


development coupled with the ongoing progress in The inadequacy of infrastructure has been one of
national image building have helped attract foreign the major constraints for the industrial
direct investment (FDI). These are considered to be development. Roads, energy, water supply, and
opportunities for implementation of GTPII. other facilities have not been developed to support
The launching of mega infrastructure projects the industrialization process in the country.
such as the Great Ethiopian Renaissance Dam Although the country's major natural resource base
(GERD) and other projects of huge national is its rich agricultural potential, it has not been
significance such as Gilgel Gibe III and Rail way utilized for the development of the industrial sector.
construction projects (Addis –Djibouti & the Addis The very low productivity in agriculture resulting
Light Train) have been unique features of the first from the use of outmoded technology could not
Growth and Transformation Plan (2010/11- cope with the demand for industrial raw materials
2014/15). Currently, these projects are at different and foreign exchange requirements, in addition to
stages of implementation. The GERD has reached limiting the market for industrial goods.
half way through its completion; Gilgel Gibe III Although Ethiopia is known to possess a wide
and the Addis-Djibouti rail way project is almost variety of mineral resources, their utilization is yet
near completion and the Addis Ababa light train to be realized mineral exploration and exploitation
has already commenced operation. These still being at its infancy. This thwarted the
achievements against ambitious plans of the kind expansion of industries based on mineral resources
have created a spirit of confidence in the nation. that would have otherwise made it possible to reap
This represents a huge opportunity in mobilizing the benefits of comparative advantage. The
the public for development endeavors of the kind in industrial sector is characterized by very low inter
the course of implementing GTPII in the coming and intra-sect oral linkages. It has been unable to
five years (2015/16-2019/20). produce intermediate inputs, spare parts and capital
Thus, the achievement of GTPI has been more goods for its own use as well as for use by other
than what performance figures could tell. One of sectors of the economy. The sector itself has
the success stories during the implementation continued to be import dependent for machinery
period of GTPI (2010/11-2014/15) has been in the and equipment, spare parts and other inputs with no
areas of Natural resource management and possibilities for self sustained development.
watershed developments within the framework of Small and medium scale industries, as well as
social mobilization undertaken in a structured and handicraft and rural industries, were given less
coordinated manner. The lessons and experiences priority in the wider spectrum of industrial
drawn from such successful practices will be scaled development. The encouragement and expansion of
up and replicated to other sectors in the course of these industries would have meant an adequate
GTP II implementation. supply of consumer goods, developed domestic
The huge potential for producing inputs for entrepreneurship, generated employment
agro-processing manufacturing industries, the opportunities and created inter and intra-sect oral
capacity being created to supply mid-level trained linkages and a balanced regional development. Past
human power through the on-going TVET industrialization policy was such that it resulted in
programs, potential market opportunities for an unwarranted concentration of industries in and
manufactured products worldwide, market around a few major urban centers. There were no
opportunities through the recently renewed duty inducements for industrial enterprises to be located
free access to USA markets through the African in different regions of the country in the interests of
Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) as well as promoting balanced regional development.
access to European markets through the EU’s The industrial sector has been characterized by
Everything But Arms (EBA) initiative are capital intensive technology. This has led to a
appropriate to be exploited in the course of number of problems. First, the sector has not been
implementing GTP II. The Growth and able to generate employment opportunities.
Transformation Plan (GTP II) 2010/11-15/16 Second, having been unable to absorb available
labor force, the sector has lost a large potential
market for its own products. The absence of

Agricultural Socio-Economics Journal Volume XIX, Number 2 (2019): 83-90


Review on Opportunities and Constraints of Industrial Development on Economic Growth in Ethiopia 89

appropriate institutions for man power rate of capital accumulation is a necessary


development and for the selection, transfer, condition for bringing about structural
adaptation and diffusion of technology also transformation and increased level of productivity
remained major constraints for industrial to raise industrialization, through largely resources
development. The dearth of private and public channeled into productive investment. The faster
investment and lack of any consistent public policy the manufacturing sector, the greater the rate of
aimed at promoting industrial development. productivity growth; and the industrial sector
provides capital goods such as machinery and
CONCLUSION equipment to other sectors thus contributing to the
development of those sectors.
The five years growth and transformation plan is
Public infrastructure-networks are essential
prepared in the Basic Case Scenario and High Case
criteria for expanding manufacturing industry and
Scenario. The High Case Scenario wills double the
upgrading its growth rate, thereby enhancing its
2002 agricultural production and the whole
contribution to GDP, since the scarcity of these
economy by 2015. These development goals will
services hinder the manufacturing growth in turns
definitely be achieved if all the citizens of the
industrialization. So, in order to mitigate this kind
nation participated at all levels. Therefore, Success
of problem, infrastructural investment has to be
in GTP requires high investment. To this effect,
given priority. Thus, to achieve sustainable
there is a need for greater domestic resource
development in today’s context of market and
mobilization to finance investment demand. By
private sector driven development, Ethiopia,
enhancing citizen’s awareness about tax,
requires support from the industrialized countries to
government will increase revenue mobilization and
build up basic capacities in order to increase
create more fiscal space by rationalizing non
capacity utilization through investment expansion
investment spending. Encourage the private
activity.
sectors, cooperatives and households to enhance
The industrial sector in Ethiopia is least
their culture of saving. Create enabling
developed in many respects; in terms of volume
environment for private sector investment growth.
and quality products, technology status, labor skills
At the end of the plan period, the industrial
and export capabilities. To overcome these
sector will be in position to play a leading role in
problems, the appropriate combinations use of
the economy. There will be huge infrastructure
skilled manpower, modern and suitable
investment to promote growth and development as
technologies and investment on both public
well as generate foreign exchange savings. At the
infrastructures and manufacturing activities should
end of the five years growth and transformation
be made.
plan Ethiopia will definitely meet the MDGs. Good
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