Ethiopia is working together with China to tap its potentials in the digital economy, online trading, and supply chain development, Ambassador Teshome Toga revealed. According to the Ambassador, the cooperation on these sectors was independent of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).

During an interview with Xinhua in early July this year, Huria Ali, State Minister of the Ministry of Innovation and Technology, related that Ethiopia and China were enjoying growing cooperation in the digital economy sector as giant Chinese companies introduced advanced telecom technologies to Ethiopia. “When we say we will build a digital Ethiopia, it does not mean we will do it by ourselves but with the support of our partners”, she stated.

Huawei and ZTE, Chinese tech firms, are helping the country to modernize its telecom services. Ethio Telecom collaborated with Huawei when it launched a pre-commercial 5G services trial in Addis Ababa.

The Ambassador also stated that he was keen to promote Ethiopian coffee in the emerging Chinese coffee market. It is to be recalled that Ethiopian Embassy in China held Ethiopian Coffee Cupping and Promotion Event in China with a view to creating a better awareness of the unique quality and test of Ethiopian coffee. The country exported 12,380 tons of coffee to China in 2021 which showed a 196% increase when compared to the 2020 export which amounted to 4,178.9 tons.

Source: Fana BC and Xinhua

Image source: Fana BC