Ethiopia Incorporated

Businesses are the lifeblood of any economy. As such, Ethiopia, Africa's second most populous country, should have a distinct advantage-leveraging its eager workforce, encouraging new startups and innovations, and growing beyond past limitations, such as war, poverty, and communist ideals. Yet, Ethiopia's private sector continues to stagnate-why?

Ethiopia Incorporated dissects Ethiopia's past, present, and future to answer this question. An engineer by trade turned "accidental entrepreneur," Meried Bekele recognizes that the core of most problems is not understanding the problem itself. Using a problem-solution approach, Meried analyzes and solves major entrepreneurial barriers with a central thesis: Ethiopia can become a thriving, industry-empowered country through business development, foreign investment, and outsourcing opportunities. Meried simply hopes to be the living proof that:

• Building a successful, private business in Ethiopia is not only possible but gratifying.
• An open market, better educational opportunities, and technology can change both a country and the world around it.
• Ethiopia and its people are worth the effort.