Freelance journalist William Davison joins Eric and Cobus to discuss his reporting from the Hawassa Industrial Park in Ethiopia, which is the latest high-stakes gamble taken by a number of African countries to lure Chinese manufacturers. Officials spent $250 million to build this new park in the hope that it will attract foreign manufacturers and create some 200,000 badly needed jobs for the region’s bulging youth population. So far, 18 companies, including apparel giant PVH, the U.S. owner of brands such as Calvin Klein and Tommy Hilfiger, have set up shop in the Hawassa Industrial Park.
Recommendations
- “Park Life: Workers Struggle to Make Ends Meet at Ethiopia’s $250m Industrial Zone,” William Davison, The Guardian, December 5, 2017
- “Made in Senegal? New Industrial Park Woos Chinese Firms,” Nellie Peyton, Reuters, April 3, 2017