Ethiopia has also loosened government control of the economy by opening its logistics sector to foreign finance and finalising reforms in its underdeveloped mining and oil sectors to encourage more foreign investors. But recent reforms signalled a more friendly environment for foreign investors interested in financing social enterprises, she added. As well as opening up the sector to foreign investment, social entrepreneurs said they hoped authorities would create a regulatory framework for social businesses and new policies to promote the sector. "Government officials don't really understand the private sector, and exactly what social enterprises are," said Kibret Abebe, president of Tebeta, Ethiopia's first private ambulance service. Ethiopia also needs a policy for social enterprises which includes tax incentives and access to credit."

Source: Ethiopian News February 22, 2019 14:01 UTC