The Volunteers for Economic Growth Alliance (VEGA) is the world's largest consortium of economic growth volunteer organizations who, collectively, have assisted over 140 developing and transitional countries by sending out more than 67,000 volunteer experts to help promote economic growth. With over 350 years of collective experience, VEGA works to mobilize American and Diaspora volunteers to support economic growth in developing countries (including post-conflict and transition) as well as design and implementing successful technical assistance projects across the spectrum. (For more information please visit: ( www.vegalliance.org )

VEGA's Africa Growth and Opportunities Act (AGOA Plus) program in Ethiopia is an export promotion program under the broader trade initiative AGOA, which was signed into law on May 18, 2000. The program has been operating since 2005 and has registered tangible successes in terms of increased export value.  This program aims to develop and promote Ethiopia’s export market to the United States and other international markets.

The VEGA Ethiopia project focuses on increasing exports, job creation, and facilitation of trade linkages for Ethiopian businesses and increased knowledge of trade issues amongst the Ethiopian public sector through business linkages, business support organization (BSO) strengthening/support, technical assistance for private sector firms, and trade related public sector entities linking to the Ethiopian Diaspora, particularly in the US, for support and trade linkages.