Ethiopia Internet Case Study

which accounts for approximately

In 1999 imports accounted for

50 per cent of the national GDP, 90

USD 1.3 million, and mainly

per cent of exports and employs

comprised machinery, manufactured

80 per cent of the workforce. Industry

goods and chemicals, while exports,

and manufacturing still have a minor

which in 1998 totaled less than half

role in the formal economy, accounting

of imports, consisted of coffee, as well

respectively for 11 and 7 per cent of

as oil seeds, hides, skins, sesame

GDP (1999 data).

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seeds, pulses, chat/qat, live animals,

honey and beeswax, fruits and

Most of the revenues from agriculture

vegetables.

are derived from coffee, which is

estimated to constitute 60 per cent of

To achieve long term economic and

national exports and contributes

social development goals, and to feed

10 per cent of national GDP, providing

a rapidly growing population, the

a livelihood for more than 15 million

Government of Ethiopia focuses on

people, i.e. about 25 per cent of the

agricultural development as the

total population.

catalyst for economic growth and is

increasing reliance on free market

From 1993 1998, the country

forces and the private sector to

achieved an annual average economic

expand exports and supplant imports.

growth rate of 6 7 per cent and an

Ethiopia is a member of Common

annual average inflation rate below

Market for Eastern and Southern

4 per cent. Despite the wide reform

Africa (COMESA).

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programme, the Ethiopian economy

weakened in the late nineties,

1.4

Human development

following a three year drought and the

conflict with Eritrea in 1999, during

Ethiopia ranked 158 out of

which increased military expenditure

162 countries in the UNDP's 2001

further harmed the economy,

Human Development Index.

classified by the World Bank as

Indicators of human development for

`severely indebted'. Ethiopia also has

the country are shown in the UNDP

a large current account deficit

report on the country at  http://

resulting from a highly negative

www.undp.org/hdr2001/indicator/.

balance of trade and a high ratio of

debt outstanding to exports and GDP.

Ethiopia ranks very low in almost all

In April 2001, Ethiopia, classified by

the indicators, particularly in respect

the UN as a least developed country

to life expectancy and literacy rate, in

(LDC), was permitted to reschedule

which the country is among the last

two thirds of its international debt

entries. This is also reflected in a high

until 2004.

human poverty index (HPI, see

Table 3 ).This index measures

deprivation in three main areas:

longevity (percentage of people

expected to die before age 40),

Table 3: Human Poverty Index

knowledge (percentage of adults

who are illiterate), and standard of

living (percentage of populations

Sudan

37

without access to health services

and to safe water, and of children

Tanzania

30

under five who are under weight).

Uganda

41

Mozambique

50

1.5 Political

Ethiopia

56

Ethiopia has been through almost

every form of government during

the last century: the empire of Haile

Source: UNDP Human Poverty Index,

Selassie in the 1920s, the short 

online at  http://www.undp.org/

lived occupation by Italian armed

povertyreport/.

forces in 1936, Lieutenant Colonel

Mengistu's Marxist dictatorship

4