RAME “Region of Africa and Middle East” – the regional body within FIATA was founded in 2000. The Regional Meetings primary goal is to bring forward the regional issues, preparing them for discussion in the Institutes and technical bodies of FIATA. This helps to identify and assist regional members in solving their local industry problems. It is also an occasion for regional networking. The growing significance of Africa and the Middle East Region in world economies and trade necessitates a comprehensive database for this region to serve as a reference guide to member countries as well as the industry at large.

This important meeting is held in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Research conducted by the Frontier Strategy Group recently pointed out that Addis Ababa, Ethiopia’s capital, as one of the next 5 large cities in Africa with rapidly expanding economies.  Indeed, as a seat of the African Union, Addis Ababa is already the diplomatic capital of an emerging pan African community.

As one of the most important conferences of its kind, with independent freight forwarders and shipping agents from Ethiopia and all over Africa and Middle East, it expects to host more than 500 delegates to come together for face-to-face meetings with their peers from around the globe.

This gathering is a platform to create business opportunities to build new relationships and strengthen existing ties. RAME, a continuously growing yearly conference is gaining reputation for greater venues for you to develop new partnerships and secure more business.

Under the theme “Breaking Barriers: Creating Possibilities”, this conference will also tackle issues, challenges and opportunities facing the shipping and freight forwarding community using in-depth reports, up to date industry sources and expert contributions.

Globally, logistics services can be defined as having the right type of product or service at the right place, at the right time, for a right price and in the right condition. The major benefits of efficient and effective logistics operations are: (1) cost savings by centralizing inventory management by reducing the number of inventory holding locations, as well as the size and value of the inventory held, (2) faster order fulfilment by relying on a global transportation network and logistics inventory management system, giving them the ability to access and dispatch inventory 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, (3) improved cash flow by using bonded warehouses for testing and storage, providing the option to defer customs duties and taxes and (4) flexibility to efficiently change distribution patterns for new products, based on ever changing customer demands. (The importance of logistics, Talha Jamal)

A prerequisite to the development of any economy is an efficient logistics and transportation system and the driver of an efficient logistics and transport system is an efficient freight forwarding sector. In our nation and neighboring countries, the logistics industry is ridden with many challenges. This RAMI conference is to discuss challenges, discover possibilities and design the way forward & come to an understanding of what this industry should look like to help a nation’s economic development and our perspective businesses.

Ethiopian Freight Forwarders and Shipping Agents Association (EFFSAA) is the organizing body of this conference. EFFSAA, founded fourteen years ago, as one of the stakeholders in the Transport Economy in nation building, encourages all to promote efficiency and effectiveness in logistics industry.

Addis, the third largest diplomatic community in the world means you will connect with most senior officials that affect the world’s economy on a daily basis. Our guests include UN officials, representatives of World Bank, African Development Bank, African Union delegates and Ethiopian higher officials. The conference will be opened by the President of Ethiopia. The highlight of this conference is a visit to the African Union with a brief explanation of its history and functions by the chairperson, H.E. Dr. Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma.

Opening night is at the very prestigious National Theatre, built in the early 20^th century, presenting its popular musical show:  Folk Music and Dance Group, accompanied by modern, pop and string orchestra; The opening evening will also introduce the Ethiopian growing textile and leather industry through the most innovative young designers. The evening program lists such dignitaries as the President of Ethiopia, the cultural Minister, Transportation Minister and FIATA’s President.

The next morning the conference will start by RAME dignitaries, the organizers and sponsors. The panel discussions on: challenges, opportunities and way forward will be discussed and debated. Well known speakers in the field and great presenters will enhance this conference. The 2^nd day of the conference will be allotted to FIATA/RAME field meeting and smaller group plenaries on the skills needed to enhancing to excel in the Logistics industry.

Closing Gala Dinner will be at the African Union; acknowledgments and award giving ceremonies to the organizers, speakers and entertainment with ancient and modern infusion in motion…the best dance group in Ethiopia, Destino Group.

According to the conservative estimates of the Economist Magazine, Ethiopia will be the third fastest growing economy in the world in the period between 2011-­15. It is no surprise that the World Economic Forum has chosen Ethiopia as its host for its 2012 gathering of the continent’s best under the theme “Shaping Africa’s transformation.”

The 2^nd most populous country in Africa with population more than 90 million, which 70% of them under 30, Ethiopia is one of the largest unexplored markets in the world. The national economy has registered growth rates in excess of 10 percent for several years and the country appears to be emerging on the world scene and attracting much interest from investors. The country is already the third largest coffee producer in the world and boasts the largest livestock population in Africa. It is also the fourth largest sesame exporter in the world, second largest horticulture exporter in Africa, and one of the largest honey and beeswax producing countries in the world. For those who knew Ethiopia in the past as the unfulfilled promise of an African breadbasket, all the current noise the nation is making in agriculture and agro processing is none ­too surprising.

What has become a surprise is the rapid wave in which the country seems to be building value added industries on its increasing agricultural output. With labor costs uniformly rising across Asia, Ethiopia has now become a competitive location for sourcing garments, attracting the attention of some of the world’s leading brands. The chief economist of the World Bank, Justin Lin, recently lauded Ethiopia, citing a study that has shown that Ethiopia can be competitive with China in both these industries. While economic growth numbers are already impressive, Ethiopia is likely to surprise further in the coming years. With new mining finds in recent years, the country is poised to become among the top five gold producing countries in the world. With its heavy investments in renewable hydropower, it is clearly on the way to become a major exporter of power into the rest of Africa and the Middle East. (Ethiopia: World’s Third Fastest Growing Economy, the African Executive)

A nation of 13 months of sunshine, the cradle of civilization, one of the oldest history in the world… we invite you to learn and teach; to see and be seen, to count and be counted at RAME 2016.