Land theft in Ethiopia - Nazret.com - March 13, 2008
There is a stream of foreign investors coming to Ethiopia who can acquire land to start a business in the horticulture sector. All they have to do is request the land from the government and buy out the farmers who are using the land. And many farmers are glad to make a career move from being the slaves of the TPLF/EPRDF system of agriculture to becoming laborers for a foreign investor. And the current rulers are happy because the population stays poor and dependent.
There are, of course, Ethiopian investors, too, taking over land from the local communities; many times with huge loans from the Development Bank of Ethiopia. With some lubricant, which this Bank is famous for, and preferable connections with the right political officials, it is easy to become a landowner (well at least for the lease period) ...