Ethiopia has gained the support of Prime Minister Haile Mariam Desalegne who just last week put out a statement stressing the importance of GEW in encouraging new entreprneurs. You can read the Prime Minister's full statement below:

I would like to welcome the celebration of Global Entrepreneurship Week (GEW) once again to Ethiopia. The celebration of entrepreneurship in over 125 countries encourages young people to innovate and start businesses is essential for sustainable economic development. For Ethiopia entrepreneurship and job creation are vital parts of the fight again poverty.

Ethiopia’s economy has been growing at double digits over the past decade, but unemployment is still a big challenge. Our economic growth will be sustainable only when it is matched by high growth in job creation. More than 20 million students are in Ethiopia’s school system and millions graduate every year from college and vocational schools. Without a concerted effort to encourage innovation, entrepreneurship and job creation, many graduates will be destined for unemployment. That is why it is important to educate and encourage the young to develop an entrepreneurial mindset so that young people will think about innovation and self employment. Entrepreneurship should be seen by the new generation as an alternative to unemployment.

We see more young Ethiopians pulling their resources together and with little help from the government are starting their own businesses. College graduates who were not selective about the type of work they do and embarked on an entrepreneurial journey are today owners of businesses and employers. These young entrepreneurs have shown that the responsibility for creating employment should not rest just on government and corporations. Developing an entrepreneurial mindset among the youth is an essential tool in the fight again poverty. Entrepreneurship is not only the way for self-employment and financial independence it is also a tool for the country’s economic growth and transformation.

I wish you a successful celebration of Global Entrepreneurship Week in 2012.

With best wishes,

Haile Mariam Desalegne

Prime Minister

tags: Ethiopia, VIP