The President of the Southern Nations Nationalities and Peoples Regional (SNNPR), Mr. Restu Yirdaw, visited the expansion project in Butajira town last month, June 15, 2020. The purpose of the visit was to appreciate the great contribution the factory is making to the country and the local community. During his visit, he said: “The factories are important in terms of creating great employment opportunities for the local community, as well as earning foreign currency for the country. Currently, the manufacturing industry is increasing its share of the economy in the country and investors who join the sector through their own efforts need encouragement.”
Young people who got job opportunities during the visit also said, that sewing, including work culture, has helped them gain knowledge. One of them, Kedija, a supervisor, said: “We learn a lot of sewing skills, including time management; now I know how to use the 60 minutes in an hour.”
Today, Desta PLC is similar to the garment factories in the Awassa Industrial Park. “We can produce what they produce and have the same problems”, says Mr. Eyob Bekele, Managing Director and owner of Desta. “What makes us different from them is, that we are built entirely by local investors. Currently, our organization in this expansion project has created employment opportunities for more than 500 employees and plans to earn 10 million in foreign currency. When it starts to produce at its full potential, it will create employment opportunities for more than 2.000 employees. Despite the challenges in the sector we exported over 5 containers in the past 6 months.”
Desta PLC is an independent, family-run and family-owned business based in Ethiopia. It provides a full range of knitting, cutting, sewing and finishing services, including accessories and embroidery. Desta specializes in t-shirts, uniforms and fashion items. Contact: info@desta-garment.com.