Ethiopian prime minister Abiy Ahmed Ali says exchanges during Anwar Ibrahim’s official visit have been productive and forward-looking, encompassing various industries and initiatives.
Abiy Ahmed said his country hoped to grow and learn from Malaysia’s successes, including in attracting investments in industrial parks, agro-processing, and the electronics sector.
He said exchanges between the two countries during Anwar’s three-day visit had been productive and forward-looking, with discussions centred on industrial development, innovation, and investment.
“Together, our two nations form a bridge between Asia and Africa through cooperation and shared prosperity,” he said at a joint press conference with Anwar at the National Palace here yesterday.
He said the talks also covered digital finance, financial inclusion, and data-driven innovation under the Digital Ethiopia 2030 framework, a government strategy aimed at further modernising the country’s public services, boosting its digital economy, and increasing inclusivity.
Abiy Ahmed said they also discussed skills development and boosting youth employment in Ethiopia, particularly the need to align training programmes with industry demands.
“Here in Ethiopia, we have a huge number of skilled employees, skilled youngsters. We really want to learn from (Malaysia’s) experience on how best to link these skilled youths to industries.”
He said the discussions also touched on Ethiopia’s green agenda, especially as the country prepares to host COP32, the world’s largest climate summit.
“We will definitely deliver and make everyone who has placed their trust in us proud. But for this, we need partners like Malaysia to support us in delivering COP in Africa,” he said, adding that Ethiopia was keen to collaborate on renewable energy, bioenergy, and carbon markets.
Tangible outcomes
Anwar meanwhile highlighted the importance of ensuring that diplomatic engagements such as his visit ultimately result in strong economic fundamentals.
“As a trading nation, the way forward for Malaysia is to spread out and explore new markets, especially in Africa, Latin America and beyond,” he said.
Anwar, who is also finance minister, said Ethiopia is strategically important to Malaysia as the African Union is headquartered in Addis Ababa.
He said Putrajaya would leverage platforms like G20 to further strengthen its traditional relationships with the US, Europe, and China. - FMT
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