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Requirements for work permit (Addis Ababa)

Hello All!
I am a... "wanna be" expat to Addis. But a problem arised and I hope to have some advice from you.

I have been offered a position at the (little) Addis Ababa office of a foreign company, which is working for a local State owned Utility. My CV fulfils the needs and I am totally available to relocate there for a few years.

The problem arised whith the fact that I do not have a University degree: I have a highschool degree, and I have been working in a technological field (not medical) since then.
My experience and skills are more than enough for the position (and possibly greater and better than that of some bachelor or even master degree holders) and the company selected me on this basis, perfectly knowing that I had no University titles.

Now, we have been told that Ethiopia may require that the emploiee has a Uni degree in order to issue a work permit. Can this be true?
I could not find any info on this at the websites of the Foreign Affairs or the Labour and Social Affairs Ministries.
I suppose there can be some discretion to avoid foreigners taking positions that could be given to a qualified Ethiopian citizen. This would be very understandable.
But what if another requirement for the position is (say) the additional knowledge of French (over English). Could this (for example) prevail on the Uni degree requirement?

I undertand that such subtilities need deep local knowledge to be faced, and this is why I am asking you experienced people.

Many thanks for your attention!

Francesco

Addis Ababa Forum

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