Manufacturing sector aims to generate $5.6 billion through import substitution in fiscal year 2025/26

Addis Ababa, January 4, 2026 (FMC) – Ethiopia’s manufacturing sector is projected to generate $5.6 billion in import substitution production during the 2018 (2025/26) Ethiopian budget year, the Ministry of Industry (MoI) announced.

According to the Ministry, investments and industrial initiatives are being strategically directed to position the country’s manufacturing sector as a central engine of economic growth and prosperity.

In the previous 2017 (2024/25) budget year, Ethiopia earned $4.3 billion in foreign exchange through import substitution production, while this financial year, the sector is planned to generate $5.9 billion from locally produced goods.

Officials highlighted that the ‘Made-in-Ethiopia’ movement has played a key role in addressing sectoral challenges, boosting productivity, and attracting new foreign investors to the industry.

A delegation led by Ambassador Girma Biru, Chairman of the National Council of Manufacturing Industries, recently visited manufacturing facilities in several cities across the Amhara region.

During the visit, Industry Minister Melaku Alebel emphasized that emerging manufacturing industries are producing strategic products of diverse types and sizes. He also confirmed that the Ministry will continue to identify bottlenecks in the sector to enhance competitiveness and provide policy solutions.

Relevant institutions are collaborating to tackle challenges related to energy supply, resource shortages, and access to finance, the Ministry said, as part of ongoing efforts to strengthen Ethiopia’s manufacturing industry.