The Engineering Capacity Building Program (ecbp), together with the University of Bahir Dar Textile Engineering Department, organized a national workshop, “Future Prospects and the Role of Textile and Garment Sector in Achieving the Millennium Development Goals of Ethiopia”. The workshop took place on the 22nd and 23rd of May 2009 in Bahir Dar and was attended by representatives of government bureaus and agencies and international organizations as well as representatives from private companies in the textile and garment industry.
The Ethiopian textile and garment sector is playing a vital role in reaching the Millennium Development Goals (MDG) by providing employment opportunities to rural youth, allowing women entrepreneurs to start small scale textile and garment companies, increasing export opportunities and attracting foreign direct investment in to the country.
The workshop organized in Bahir Dar allowed the stakeholders in the textile and garment sectors to discuss the strategies laid out by ecbp, international organizations and Ethiopian companies and associations. The aim of the workshop was to create a sense of cohesion amongst the various stakeholders in Ethiopia so that everyone is working together to strengthen the textile and garment sector.