Cast your mind back to 1984. The huge publicity that Ethiopia received when the BBC's Michael Buerk and subsequently our own Bob Geldof, visited and highlighted the famine in Ethiopia and the appalling situation on the ground there. This was seen by many commentators in the west, as a watershed in terms of how the west perceived the developing world.

Live Aid, Band Aid and other similar high profile fund-raising initiatives focussed our attention on the immorality and injustice of how the majority of the planets populations live. This was our wake up call. Things would be different in the future.

Yet, more than 20 years after Live Aid, the average Ethiopian has a substantially shorter life expectancy than in 1984 and is living on a smaller income than in those shocking days. If this is a measure of the success of the huge publicity garnered at the time, then perhaps we are seriously misguided about the effect western aid efforts are having in Ethiopia and in other poverty stricken countries.

It is widely accepted that aid is a stop gap measure. Leading experts agree that the way to combat poverty in third world countries is to provide an economic climate where countries themselves are given the opportunity to trade their way out of poverty.

CONNECT ETHIOPIA is an Irish business led initiative intent on changing the way poverty is tackled. Established in 2005 by co-founders Brody Sweeney and Philip Lee, the aim of the organization is to concentrate its efforts on one specific country and to facilitate a multitude of linkages between Irish and Ethiopian business and civil society, in an effort to stimulate economic activity.

The belief is that by making a determined effort in one country, as opposed to dispersing efforts and funding around the globe, and by transferring sophisticated western knowledge and expertise, we can help to create a favourable economic trading environment, where Ethiopians themselves will have the opportunity to trade their way out of chronic poverty.

Already, we are starting to see changes taking place...

Leading figures in the Irish coffee industry are making a concerted effort to buy a larger proportion of their coffee beans directly from coffee growers in Ethiopia, thus cutting out the middle man and ensuring that the coffee farmers receive a fairer price for their coffee beans. We are very encouraged that many Irish coffee retailers are specifically requesting Ethiopian coffee beans as part of their blended coffee, which in turn is purchased by Irish consumers.

The tourist industry in Ethiopia is another front we are tackling. Tourism in Ireland is very successful and sophisticated, thanks to the vision, belief and expertise of those who have played a part in developing the industry here. The economic benefits we experience as a nation are huge, with over 8 million tourists visiting our shores annually. In comparison, Ethiopia, a beautiful country about twice the size of France, with over 70 million inhabitants, received just 200,000 tourists in 2005.

Experts in the Irish tourism industry are currently analyzing the Ethiopian tourism market to see how Ethiopians can be helped to develop their tourist facilities and encourage more visitors to their country, which in turn will lead to job and wealth creation.

In addition, leading Irish business professionals in many sectors are becoming involved, for example: textiles, IT, telecommunications, dairying, flowers, computer refurbishment, banking, insurance, law, photography, academic and people in the music and the visual arts industry.

Ireland Inc. can and will lead the way in changing how poverty is tackled and will be a model for other nations to follow.

So please join us and be a part of this great journey!