Addis Ababa: Ethiopia has been earning 50 million US dollars on average per annum from the marines it trains and gets hired in different countries, Ethiopian Maritime Authority Director-General Abdulber Shemsu disclosed.
Ethiopia has been executing training projects for seafarers in a public-private partnership arrangement for the purpose of employment at international shipping companies.
Having a long history in maritime transport, Ethiopia is a member state of the International Maritime Organization, a specialized agency of the United Nations.
The director-general told ENA that Ethiopia’s membership of the International Maritime Organization is enabling it to train marines for manning agencies and earn foreign currency.
Foreign currency has been obtained in a form of remittances from the marines, it was learned.
According to Abdulber, 36 million USD was earned during the first eight months of this Ethiopian fiscal year.
There is still untapped economic potential in this sphere, the director-general st
ated, adding that the nation will undertake a concerted effort to maximize the revenue.
Ethiopia has 7,500 qualified marines, and the plan is to raise this figure to 40,000 in the coming five years.
Abdulber further revealed that the Ethiopian Maritime Authority is working in collaboration with Ministry of Defense to train additional marines.
Moreover, the authority is also providing the necessary cooperation and support for Arba Minch, Adama Science and Technology as well as Hawassa universities to teach and train marines.
Source: Ethiopian News Agency