Ethiopia, China Strengthen Development Cooperation with New Grant Agreement

Addis Ababa, February 4, 2026 (ENA)—Ethiopia and China have further deepened their longstanding development partnership following a high-level bilateral meeting held on Tuesday between Ethiopia’s Finance Minister, Ahmed Shide and Chanese Ambassador to Ethiopia, Chen Hai.

During the meeting, the two sides signed a development cooperation grant agreement and held discussions on ongoing and future areas of Ethiopia–China collaboration.

Minister Ahmed Shide expressed Ethiopia’s strong appreciation to the Government of China for its continued support through public project financing and foreign direct investment.

He reaffirmed Ethiopia’s commitment to strengthening the historic partnership between the two countries and called for enhanced cooperation in financing priority development initiatives, including Ethiopia’s new international airport project.

Ambassador Chen Hai reaffirmed China’s commitment to supporting Ethiopia’s development agenda.

He highlighted continued cooperation in key areas, including the AI Sovereign Model and Application Project, supplementary works on the Ethio–Djibouti Railway, and sustained engagement under the Comprehensive Agreement on Development and Economic Partnership for Africa (CADEPA).

At the conclusion of the meeting, the two parties signed a 200 million RMB grant agreement, which will finance “small but beautiful” development projects designed to deliver quick, tangible results and direct benefits to the Ethiopian people.