Ato Tebarek Hussen, the Ethiopian investor, who plans to import the technology from the parent company in Turkey, will be the first Ethiopian to set up an assembly plant here. Ato Tebarek Hussen, owner of the United Tebarek and Family Plc., has been importing Vestel TV sets in Ethiopia for the past two years. Ato Tebarek said his company has sold over 10,000 TV sets in the two years.

Set up at a cost of 4.5 million birr, all of which financed by the company, the assembly plant employs 65 Ethiopians including managers. The plant which will produce 100 TV sets per day at its initial stage is expected to grow and satisfy Kenyan, Tanzanian and Zimbabwean markets.

The second stage of the investment will be made as a joint venture with the Turkish firm called Vestel Foreign Trade Company and hopes to raise the local components of the TV sets through transfer of technology.

"Vestel Group of companies is a Turkish industrial group which produces hi-tech electronic equipment selling in Europe. Vestel is entering the Sub-Saharan African market for the first time," said a press release received from the Turkish embassy here.

The president of the group Dr. Metin Caglar and the Turkish Ambassador will preset the company at the opening ceremony Saturday which will be officiated by Kassahun Ayele, Minister of Trade and Industry, the release said.