China, Ethiopia to enhance cooperation in science, technology, innovation

ADDIS ABABA, July 26 (Xinhua) -- China and Ethiopia have agreed to further strengthen cooperation in technology transfer, human resources development, and the establishment of scientific laboratories.

The agreement was made on Thursday during the 3rd Ethio-China Joint Committee Meeting on Scientific and Technological Cooperation in Addis Ababa, the capital of Ethiopia.

Speaking at the event, Belete Molla, Ethiopian minister of innovation and technology, said the meeting marks a significant milestone in Ethio-China cooperation in the field of science and technology to strengthen their partnership, exchange ideas, and chart a path toward mutual progress and innovation.

"Through strategic partnerships with China and other international partners, we are working toward building a robust innovation ecosystem that nurtures talent, fosters creativity, and accelerates technological advancement," said Molla while opening the meeting.

He said Ethiopia aims to position itself as a regional hub for technological excellence and innovation by investing in research and development, promoting entrepreneurship, and fostering collaboration among key stakeholders.

"We want to build a robust innovation ecosystem through strengthening research institutions, advancing technologies, facilitating skills development, and enhancing digital infrastructure," the minister said.

Lin Xin, Chinese vice minister of science and technology, said China has attached great importance to science, technology and innovation cooperation with Ethiopia since the two sides signed an intergovernmental science and technology cooperation agreement in 2011.

Noting that Ethiopia stands at the forefront of the China-Africa strategic partnership, Lin said China will deepen its relations with Ethiopia in science and technology based on mutual trust and win-win cooperation.

"We hope that we can take today's meeting as a new start to strengthen cooperation, expand the cooperation fields, optimize the models of cooperation, and enrich the content to bring about more fruitful outcomes and inject more science and technology impetus into the two countries' all-weather strategic partnership," Lin said.

The two parties signed a memorandum of understanding to collaborate in technology transfer and human resource capacity development that involves a long-term education and continuous professional development program.