Kunzila, in the Ethiopian Amhara region, was supposed to have a state-of-the-art horticultural area that would have been an example to the rest of Africa, but the region turned out to be too unsafe. The two entrepreneurs seated there will be pulling out: Selecta One will be leaving the area, and Florius Flowers will also terminate its activities there.
“It’s too dangerous there,” Technical Officer Andrea Dohm states as the main reason for German company Selecta One to leave Kunzila, Ethiopia. In the years that Selecta has been producing cuttings on a 9-hectare plot in Kunzila, there has been constant fighting between local militias and the federal military. “Many people carry weapons, and there is always the risk of being kidnapped.”
This is exactly what happened to two Selecta employees just before Christmas. “Thankfully they came back in good health, but it does show that it’s very hard to run a business here,” says Dohm. “The situation is getting more and more tense. We are responsible for our staff. This includes expats from Kenya. They run a higher risk. We can no longer guarantee the safety of our employees.”
