On June 20, the Sino-Ethiopian International Talent Training and Practice Base in Civil and Transportation Engineering (the Base) was established at the Addis Ababa University in Ethiopia. H.E. Ahmed Shide, Minister of Finance of Ethiopia, Mr. LIU Wei, Deputy Secretary of the CPC Beijing Municipal Committee and President of the Beijing People’s Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries, H.E Kora Tushune, State Minister of Education of Ethiopia, and Mr. SHEN Qinmin, Minister Counselor of Embassy of the People’s Republic of China to the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, attended the meeting and delivered speeches. Mr. LIU Wei and Kora Tushune jointly unveiled the plaque for the Base and witnessed the signing of a letter of intent for cooperation on the Base by Dr. ZHENG Yu, University Council Chairman of Beijing University of Civil Engineering and Architecture, together with the Vice President of Addis Ababa University, President of the Addis Ababa Science and Technology University, and General Manager of the Regional Centre for East Africa of China First Highway Engineering Co., Ltd.

The inauguration ceremony

The signing ceremony among the four parties

Speech by H.E. Ahmed Shide, Minister of Finance of Ethiopia

Speech by Mr. LIU Wei, Deputy Secretary of the CPC Beijing Municipal Committee

Speech by H.E. Kora Tushune, State Minister of Education of Ethiopia 

Speech by Mr. SHEN Qinmin, Minister Counselor of Embassy of the People’s Republic of China to the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia

Speech by Dr. ZHENG Yu, University Council Chairman of Beijing University of Civil Engineering and Architecture 

Speech by Dr. Matiwos Ensermu, Vice President of Addis Ababa University

Speech by Dr. Dereje Engida, President of Addis Ababa Science and Technology University

Speech by Mr. WEI Qiangyu, General Manager of Regional Centre for East Africa, China First Highway Engineering Co., Ltd. 

The Base is established with an aim to build a cooperation and exchange platform between China and Ethiopia in civil and transportation engineering through joint training by universities and enterprises, scientific research cooperation, mutual visits of teachers and students, personnel training and curriculum development. In the meantime, it also intends to cultivate engineers and technical experts who can adapt to the future development needs of Africa, as well as professionals in the fields of civil engineering and transportation in China and Africa, and builders and communicators of China-Africa friendly cooperation, so as to continuously strengthen education and science and technology cooperation with countries along the Belt and Road, secure an abundant talent pool for the development of the construction and civil engineering sectors in China and Ethiopia

After the inauguration ceremony of the Base, the Belt and Road Cooperation Forum on Infrastructure Connectivity in East Africa was held.

Reports from four scholars on the forum