MTI Consulting to help Ethiopia privatize five state-owned enterprises

An international team from MTI Consulting has arrived in Addis Ababa to work on a major privatization program.

Ethiopia’s Public Enterprises Holding and Administration (PEHA) selected MTI Consulting to conduct an in-depth strategic assessment of five state-owned enterprises: Ethiopian Chemical Industry Corporation, Ethiopian Business Trading Corporation, Ethiopian Pulp and Paper Share Company, Ethiopian Construction Works Corporation, and Berhanena Selam Printing Press.

The contract is part of a broader government program aimed at improving the performance of Ethiopia’s portfolio of state-owned enterprises. A key component of the program is the privatization of state-owned enterprises, which is expected to enhance efficiency, performance, and the commercialization of services.

The primary objective of the project, funded by the Agence Française de Développement, is to gain a comprehensive understanding of the business ecosystem in which the five enterprises operate and to develop appropriate business development and strategic direction plans.

MTI Consulting’s project team is led by CEO Hilmy Cader and includes members from Ethiopia, Sri Lanka, Kenya, Rwanda, India, Bahrain, and New Zealand. Headquartered in Bangladesh with offices across Asia and in several African countries, MTI Consulting has extensive experience supporting governments to improve state-owned enterprises.

According to Cader, many state-owned enterprises face the challenge of operating more effectively while developing new, future-proof business models. “That road, however, is not easy,” he said. “State-owned enterprises must make difficult business decisions, such as restructuring their balance sheets, adopting competitive cost modelling, and reorganizing their operations.”