UNIDO, together with representatives from Ethiopia’s Ministry of Industry agreed on the design for the formulation of twelve projects, covering thematic areas of sustainable industrialization, agriculture modernization, and talent development, under the China-Africa-UNIDO Center of Excellence (CoE) initiative.
The China-Africa-UNIDO Centre of Excellence, based in Addis Ababa, is a tripartite cooperation programme between UNIDO, Ethiopia and China International Development Cooperation Agency (CIDCA), the first of its kind. UNIDO Director General Gerd Müller, China International Development Cooperation Agency (CIDCA)’s Chairman, Luo Zhaohui and Ethiopia’s Minister of Industry, Melaku Alebel inaugurated the Centre of Excellence in China, in 2024.
During the meetings convened at UNIDO headquarters in Vienna, teams deliberated on refining the CoE’s programme design and implementation roadmap. “We are positioning the China-Africa-UNIDO Center of Excellence to deliver significant development impacts, bridging the knowledge, technologies, and talents across sectors and regions,” said Ciyong Zou, Deputy to the Director General and Managing Director, Directorate of Technical Cooperation and Sustainable Industrial Development at UNIDO. We welcome the continued commitment of all stakeholders to expedite the initiative and ensure fruitful achievements this year, he added.
UNIDO is a specialized agency of the United Nations with a unique mandate to promote, dynamize and accelerate industrial development.
“Under the guidance of Ethiopia’s Minister of Industry, we have been working in close collaboration for the project development. The productive discussions held this week further strengthen our shared commitment and consensus toward achieving our common objectives,” said Ayana Zewdie Workneh, Senior Advisor to the Minister of Industry of Ethiopia.
The meetings aligned programme design with industrial development priorities of Ethiopia and Africa, and with UNIDO’s Programme for Country Partnership (PCP), providing a solid basis to ensure impactful and demand-driven results.
