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Los Angeles, CA, USA – In reponse to an article in the Los Angeles Sentinel – the L.A. community’s Black newspaper – about opportunities for African Americans in Ethiopia, Meredith Beal engaged the Ethiopian Consulate to find out more. He met with Ethiopia’s newly-appointed Consul General for Los Angeles, Dr. Birhanemeskel Segni and Muktar Ware, Economic & Public Diplomacy Consul. They offered more detail about programs mentioned in the news story and Beal filled them in on his recent meeting with Ambassador Meles Alem, Ethiopia’s Ambassador to Kenya, in Nairobi the previous week.

The Sentinel story talked about Ethiopia rolling out the welcome mat for African Americans to explore business opportunities and tourist destinations in the historic nation. Ethiopian Ambassador to the U.S., H.E. Fitsum Arega was in L.A. outlining the prospects for investors, companies and entrepreneurs to benefit by engaging with the country. A number of people asked Beal where they could get more info and people had been calling the Consulate seeking more details as well. Beal suggested sharing the information more broadly so Dominque DiPrima, host of “The Front Page,” a community affairs program on Stevie Wonder’s radio station KJLH 102.3 FM, agreed to host a discussion on those opportuntities and other developments in Africa.

Consul Ware talked about the reforms brought by the new Prime Minister Ahmed, the promise of the new African Continental Free Trade Area and shared an example of an American company partnering with an Ethiopian company to build more than 50 factories in the country to manufacture textiles.

KJLH "Front Page" host & producer, Dominique DiPrima & Meredith Beal/Los Angeles Sentinel article, June 20, 2019/Meredith Beal & Ambassador Meles Alem, Ethiopian Ambassador to Kenya.

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