*Ethiopia, Government
Head of Government:
Prime Minister TAMIRAT Layne (since 6 June 1991)
Member of:
ACP, AfDB, CCC, ECA, FAO, G-24, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, IDA, IFAD, IFC,
IGADD, ILO, IMF, IMO, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, ISO, ITU, LORCS, NAM, OAU,
UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WMO, WTO
Diplomatic representation in US:
chief of mission:
Ambassador BERHANE Gebre-Christos
chancery:
2134 Kalorama Road NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone:
(202) 234-2281 or 2282
US diplomatic representation:
chief of mission:
Ambassador Marc A. BAAS
embassy:
Entoto Street, Addis Ababa
mailing address:
P. O. Box 1014, Addis Ababa
telephone:
[251] (1) 550-666
FAX:
[251] (1) 551-166
Flag:
three equal horizontal bands of green (top), yellow, and red; Ethiopia is
the oldest independent country in Africa, and the colors of her flag were so
often adopted by other African countries upon independence that they became
known as the pan-African colors
*Ethiopia, Economy
Overview:
With the independence of Eritrea on 27 April 1993, Ethiopia continues to
face difficult economic problems as one of the poorest and least developed
countries in Africa. (The accompanying analysis and figures predate the
independence of Eritrea.) Its economy is based on subsistence agriculture,
which accounts for about 45% of GDP, 90% of exports, and 80% of total
employment; coffee generates 60% of export earnings. The manufacturing
sector is heavily dependent on inputs from the agricultural sector. Over 90%
of large-scale industry, but less than 10% of agriculture, is state run; the
government is considering selling off a portion of state-owned plants.
Favorable agricultural weather largely explains the 4.5% growth in output in
FY89, whereas drought and deteriorating internal security conditions
prevented growth in FY90. In 1991 the lack of law and order, particularly in
the south, interfered with economic development and growth. In 1992, because
of some easing of civil strife and aid from the outside world, the economy
substantially improved.
National product:
GDP - exchange rate conversion - $6.6 billion (FY92 est.)
National product real growth rate:
6% (FY92 est.)
National product per capita:
$130 (FY92 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
7.8% (1989)
Unemployment rate:
NA%
Budget:
revenues $1.4 billion; expenditures $2.3 billion, including capital
expenditures of $565 million (FY91)
Exports:
$276 million (f.o.b., FY90)
commodities:
coffee, leather products, gold, petroleum products
partners:
EC, Djibouti, Japan, Saudi Arabia, US
Imports:
$1.0 billion (c.i.f., FY90)
commodities:
capital goods, consumer goods, fuel
partners:
EC, Eastern Europe, Japan, US
External debt:
$3.48 billion (1991)
Industrial production:
growth rate 2.3% (FY89 est.); accounts for 12% of GDP
Electricity:
330,000 kW capacity; 650 million kWh produced, 10 kWh per capita (1991)
Industries:
food processing, beverages, textiles, chemicals, metals processing, cement
Agriculture:
accounts for 47% of GDP and is the most important sector of the economy even
though frequent droughts and poor cultivation practices keep farm output
low; famines not uncommon; export crops of coffee and oilseeds grown partly
on state farms; estimated 50% of agricultural production at subsistence
level; principal crops and livestock - cereals, pulses, coffee, oilseeds,
sugarcane, potatoes and other vegetables, hides and skins, cattle, sheep,
goats
*Ethiopia, Economy
Illicit drugs:
transit hub for heroin originating in Southwest and Southeast Asia and
destined for Europe and North America; cultivates qat (chat) for local use
and regional export
Economic aid:
US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-89), $504 million; Western (non-US)
countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-89), $3.4 billion; OPEC
bilateral aid (1979-89), $8 million; Communist countries (1970-89), $2.0
billion
Currency:
1 birr (Br) = 100 cents
Exchange rates:
birr (Br) per US$1 - 5.0000 (fixed rate)
Fiscal year:
8 July - 7 July
*Ethiopia, Communications
Railroads:
781 km total; 781 km 1.000-meter gauge; 307 km 0.950-meter gauge linking
Addis Ababa (Ethiopia) to Djibouti; control of railroad is shared between
Djibouti and Ethiopia
Highways:
39,150 km total; 2,776 km paved, 7,504 km gravel, 2,054 km improved earth,
26,816 km unimproved earth (1993 est.)
Ports:
none; landlocked
Merchant marine:
none; landlocked
Airports:
total:
121
usable:
82
with permanent-surface runways:
9
with runways over 3,659 m:
1
with runways 2,440-3,659 m:
13
with runways 1,220-2,439 m:
83 (1993 est.)
Telecommunications:
open-wire and radio relay system adequate for government use; open-wire to
Sudan and Djibouti; microwave radio relay to Kenya and Djibouti; broadcast
stations - 4 AM, no FM, 1 TV; 100,000 TV sets; 9,000,000 radios; satellite
earth stations - 1 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT and 2 Pacific Ocean INTELSAT
*Ethiopia, Defense Forces
Branches:
Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF)
Manpower availability:
males age 15-49 12,793,340; fit for military service 6,640,616; reach
military age (18) annually 576,329 (1993 est.)
Defense expenditures:
exchange rate conversion - $NA, NA% of GDP