Ethiopia kicked off the sixth edition of the All African Leather Fair (AALF) Wednesday at the Millennium Hall in its capital city Addis Ababa.

With about 202 exhibitors from 22 countries, the three-day exhibition showcased products including finished leather, shoes, garments, gloves, components and accessories, chemicals, and machinery.

The fair is organized by the Ethiopian Leather Industries Association (ELIA) with support from the Ethiopian government, the Ethiopian Leather Industry Development Institute and other ELIA partners.

According to Solomon Getu, chairman of ELIA, the fair attracted a large number of domestic and foreign companies, including 154 local ones with some being small and micro enterprises, and 21 from 11 other African countries, eight from six European countries and 19 from Asian countries.

The fair is said to be an ideal platform to explore new business opportunities in the leather industry.

It also provides opportunity for national, regional and international exchanges, and for meeting prospective buyers and tapping the huge market potential, according to the organizers.

Solomon noted that the leather fair, which includes some entertaining events like fashion shows, also enables discussions on the current leather market scenario and its future development and technologies.

The first AALF was inaugurated by late Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi in 2008 when Ethiopian leather industry was exporting non-value added products like semi-processed leather, recalled the chairman.

"We are now celebrating the sixth edition of AALF at the stage where we are exporting not only value added leather but also final products like footwear and gloves in large quantity to many destinations globally," he said.

Hailemariam Desalegn, incumbent Ethiopian prime minister, launched the fair at the opening ceremony attended by senior government officials, ambassadors, heads of organizations and prominent figures from different countries.

The prime minister stated that the leather industry is one of the Ethiopian government's priority areas and the exhibition contributes to the development of the sector as it provides opportunity to share experience.

In his remarks, Mekonnen Manyazewal, Ethiopian Minister of Industry, hailed the exhibition as very important for the development of the leather industry in the country.

According to ELIA, the number of participating countries in the exhibition is increasing from year to year.

This year's event has drawn 202 exhibitors from 43 countries and 2,000 foreign visitors, while the previous one attracted 196 exhibitors from 38 countries, said the ELIA chairman.

He said the annual exhibition has created an opportunity to bring together leather and leather products and industrial partners from all over the world.

"The last five fairs have served as a unique networking platform for both African and international participants, which has facilitated exchange of information on business deals and the latest trends and technology in the industry," Solomon said.