Regional cooperation is a key element of the strategy and is expressed through programs on dairy in East Africa and programs on logistics and horticulture in Sub Sahara Africa. The Netherlands continues its engagement with specialized and commercial farmers and growers in Ethiopia to contribute to sustainable agriculture: particularly; on integrated pest management, food safety and quality, and food loss and waste.

The Netherlands also contributes to improving the Ethiopian business climate to enable both local and international private sector sustainably develop their business, create jobs (with special focus on youth and women) as well as increase exports. We capacitate Dutch private sector on Responsible Business Conduct (RBC) and conflict sensitivity. These activities are linked to the EU regulations on RBC. We invest on Public Private Partnerships in order to achieve the sustainable development goals in Ethiopia.

Together with the private sector, the Netherlands further promotes skills development, trigger entrepreneurship and professionalize local supply chains. Skilled and competent young people are the enablers of economic and social development. That’s why the Netherlands works on the nexus between skills, jobs and education. The Netherlands invests in technical and transferable skills development of young people to unlock Ethiopian economic potential and to contribute to socio-economic stability. The Netherlands invest in TVET and Higher Education institutions by capacity building, facilitating the cooperation between education and private sector, building entrepreneurship skills, and linking start-ups to joint ventures and impact investors.