Speaker Session: The Role of Business Partnerships in Ethiopia

On December 2, the CIPE Civic Engagement Hub (CEH) hosted its fourth regular speaker session online on “The Role of Business Partnerships in Ethiopia”.   The session’s speaker was Zekarias Assefa, the Deputy Secretary-General for Membership and Business Services at the Addis Ababa Chamber of Commerce and Sectorial Association (AACCSA). The online session was attended by 8 participants from CSOs, businesses, and start-ups.

The speaker highlighted AACSSA’s experience working in business partnerships, the importance of business partnerships, the various types of business partnerships in Ethiopia, and the challenges and opportunities of engaging in business partnerships in Ethiopia. The speaker was also able to discuss the legal frameworks for business partnerships as outlined under Proclamation No. 1243-2021 of Ethiopia’s Commercial Code. During the session, participants asked questions about profit, legal frameworks, and requirements of business registration, and requested an additional training session on business partnerships that focused specifically on the legal framework covered under Proclamation No. 1243-2021 of Ethiopia’s Commercial Code. Participants of the speaker session stayed after the panel to join the online networking session, where they engaged with fellow attendees and exchanged contact information.