November 5, 2011 - Swedish business delegation from four companies is visiting Ethiopia for three days to see textile factories in Addis Ababa and Tigray regional state beginning November 2, according to Capital news.

According to Madeline Rosberg Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Responsify AB the organization that took care of the trade delegation’s trip, the companies will visit the factories located in the two regions to find new suppliers for home textiles, garments and sewing with the aim to purchase cotton garments.

‘Some of the companies are vertically integrated, which means they do everything from raw cotton stage to readymade garments, while others are CMT which means they buy fabric from someone else and also do the sewing,’ she told Capital.

She added that the business delegation chose Ethiopia because both countries have a long bilateral relationship including through Swedish International Development Agency, SIDA. The country’s great potential, logistics and land area to produce cotton is also an attraction as well as being encouraged by the Ethiopian government’s efforts to develop the industry.

One of the companies that will come to Ethiopia is Kappahl which has a turnover capital of 5.1 billion Swedish Kroner.

The company’s plans include talks with government officials, visits to the Textile Industry Development Institute (TIDI) as well as the textile factories in the two regions where some of Ethiopia’s biggest factories are located.