Given the significant development of labour-intensive textile industry, Ethiopia is eventually becoming the most sought after destination for production. And the ever busy workers of the huge GG Super Garment factory in Debre Zeyit, Ethiopia prove this fact. The company has hundreds of women and men sewing singlets and T-shirts for the Swedish company H&M.
Factory Manager Joseph Elisso said, “Ethiopia is stable and peaceful, electrical power is cheap and labour costs are very low.” With the rising prices and growing labour unrest in Asia, Ethiopia is attracting many foreign companies like H&M to start sourcing from Ethiopia. The country has a huge workforce and would like to become the next international textile hub.
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Recently a Korean delegation comprising giant textiles industrialist of Korea visited Ethiopia. Kihak Sung, Chairman, Korea Federation Textile Industries said, “The existing stable political system together and the favourable investment climate in Ethiopia have attracted Korean textile manufacturers to invest in the sector.” He added that by using Korean technology with Ethiopian labour force, Korean industrialist visualise making Ethiopia a textile hub.
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Entry-level salaries for workers in Ethiopia’s textile industry range from US $ 35 to US $ 40 (32 to 37 euros) per month, even lower than Bangladesh’s minimum wage, which is US $ 68 per month, and far below the average wage of US $ 500 in China. Though the Ethiopian workers are struggling to make ends meet and regularly complain about their low wages but they are also optimistic as increasing foreign investment is bringing them jobs.
