Ethiopia’s manufacturing sector is set to grow at 25% annually as the country implements the second phase of its Growth & Transformation Plan up to 2020, creating a conducive environment for the expansion of sub-sectors such as apparel, textile, food and beverage industries.

These industries are key consumers of diverse packaging solutions, which will be a key driver in the growth of the printing ink market.

At least 20 leading manufacturers have signed agreements with the government of Ethiopia to invest an estimated $1.4 billion in the existing and upcoming industrial parks. The manufacturing facilities to be established at these parks are expected to increase the consumption of printed packaging materials, leading to expansion of the country’s printing inks market both in the medium and long term.

The emerging manufacturing enterprises and revamping of existing ones is driven largely by Ethiopian government incentives.

These incentives include an income holiday of up to eight to 10 years, duty free on imports of machinery/equipment and construction, one-stop-shop for all government services, land lease terms of 60 to 80 years and a zero charge for all manufacturing plants.

Some of the industrial parks being developed are located at Hawassa, Mekele, Adama, Dire Dawa, Kombolcha, Kilinto and Bole Lemi, with nearly 90% of them hosting facilities for the manufacture of apparel and textiles, which analysts believe could drive growth of digital printing activities in the country, especially if coupled with expansion of Ethiopia’s fashion industry.

Packaging Industry Expansion

Ethiopia does not manufacture any of the key printing ink making raw materials, such as pigments, binders, solvents and additives, and therefore the country relies heavily on imports to meet its printing ink demand.

According to the Ethiopian Revenue and Customs Authority, Ethiopia mainly imports black and other types of inks, with the highest volumes having been imported in 2010, 2009, 2008, 2004 and 2007 at 620 tons, 496 tons, 461 tons, 460 tons and 418 tons, respectively.

However, there are higher demand projections for printing ink in Ethiopia up to 2023, nearly two years after the end of the country’s second Growth and Transformation Plan, when it would rise to 1,816 tons.

As of 2018, Ethiopia’s printing ink demand is estimated at 1,030 tons and is set to rise to 1,154 tons and 1,292 tons in 2019 and 2020, respectively.

It is estimated that in 2021 and 2022, the demand for printing inks would increase to 1,447 tons and 1,621 tons, respectively.

A large share of the increasing demand is expected to come from the country’s anticipated fast-expanding packaging industry, driven by growth in consumption of food and beverage products in this country of 102 million people.

“Packaged food and beverages form the best-performing industries in Africa, despite the challenges for the economies, especially for Ethiopia, the country with the second largest population on the African continent,” said Martina Claus, head of market development Africa, VDMA Food Processing & Packaging Machinery Association.

She said the annual value of food and beverages produced in Ethiopia has increased 13 times over a period of 10 years to nearly €6 billion in 2016.

“The annual imports of machinery for food and beverage processing and packaging from all over the world have quadrupled to nearly €130 million, reflecting the growing demand for processed and packaged foods and beverages in this country,” she said in her testimonial to Ethiopia’s 3rd International Plastics, Printing and Packaging Trade Show to be held this year.

Further, Ethiopia’s agriculture and agro-processing is one of the key economic sectors with a large demand for professional packing solutions according to Flexofit GmbH, a company engaged in the flexo printing industry.

It says Ethiopia’s agriculture and the packaging industries “are growing and there are multiple synergies in these areas in Ethiopia.”

Flexofit says Ethiopia’s packaging industry faces challenges such as “shortage of materials, devices and technology as well as learned professionals that handle machines and colors.”

It should be noted, however, that although Ethiopia has attracted major supermarket chains, with more than 20 outlets in the country’s capital Addis Ababa, food retail stores such as Shoa, Fantu, Safeway, Friendship, Bambis, All-Mart, Novis, and Loyal rely on food and beverage imports to meet the increasing Ethiopian market demand.

But with the emerging Ethiopian economic growth trend where the government is wooing brand owners and retailers to invest in manufacturing food and beverage products in the ongoing and planned industrial parks, production of flexible packaging is expected pick up alongside a surge in demand for printing inks for the packaging.

Some of the suppliers and users of printing ink in Ethiopia include African Printing, MGO Print & Advert, Falcon Printing Enterprise, ABS Printing & Imaging, Hubiz Advertising & Printing, Adyame Yordanos Printing Press, Belete Shibeshi, Andnet Trading & Printers, Master Printing Press, Heritage Printing & Trading, Paradise Printing Press and Print Digital & Advertising, among others.

Some of these companies are also importers of printing, writing, drawing and other types of ink and contribute a large share of the Ethiopian printing ink market with imports coming from markets such as China, Netherlands, South Africa, Belgium, Japan, Spain, UK, Italy, and Germany.

With the growing population in Ethiopia, the demand for food and beverage consumable products is set to increase and so will the demand for flexible packing, which will become a key driver in the printing ink market in this landlocked Horn of Africa country.