Ethiopia, Japan Sign MoC to Promote Quality Infrastructure

Ena January 10/2019 Ethiopia and Japan signed Memorandum of Cooperation (MoC) to promote quality infrastructure and bridge the existing demand-supply gap.
The agreement was signed during the 2^nd Ethio-Japan Quality Infrastructure Conference held in Addis Ababa today.

The objective of the MoC is to outline a framework in the move to address Ethiopia’s quality infrastructure challenges, opportunities and cooperation.  

In her opening remark Transport Minister, Dagmawit Moges said “since 1930s till now, we have witnessed an unfolding cultural, social and economic partnership and mutual exchange between the two countries.”

Ethiopians associate Japan for its quality and durable electronic and vehicle products, she said, adding “it is no doubt that we should also associate it for its quality infrastructure services and development.”

According to the minister, Ethiopia plans to extend its 137,000 kilometers existing road to 220,000 kilometers and 656 km railway to 4000 km.

Providing quality transport infrastructure in Ethiopia is mandatory as it ensures safety, reliability and resilience against natural disaster, Dagmawit added.

“We need quality infrastructure to promote innovative solutions, to harness proactive maintenance system, to have sustainable industrialization, to support economic development and human wellbeing,” she noted.

Japan’s Land, Infrastructure, Transport, and Tourism State Minister, Nobuhide Minorikawa said that Ethiopia with over 100 million population has strong demand for infrastructure in order to respond to further economic development and urbanization.

Mentioning that the Ethiopian government is making great efforts to improve business environment, infrastructure, and privatization of state-owned businesses, Minorikawa added “we expect that there will be increasing business chances for the private sector.”

The new-found peace between Ethiopia and Eritrea is expected to increase exchange and create demands for infrastructure, the State Minister pointed out, and noted “”under these circumstances, we now have great opportunity to enhance cooperation in the field of infrastructure.”

He expressed that the high quality technologies and know-how developed by Japanese companies will contribute greatly in Public Private Partnership (PPP).