The President of Germany, Dr. Frank-Walter Steinmeier, arrived in Ethiopia for a four-day working visit at the weekend. During his visit; President Steinmeier held talks with President Sahle-Work Zewde on bilateral, regional and international matters and paid a courtesy call on Prime Minister Dr. Abiy Ahmed as well as meeting civil society and business representatives. The President visited a vocational training center in Addis Ababa, and the Rock-Hewn Churches of Lalibela, a UNESCO World Heritage site on Tuesday (January 29). President Sahle-Work hosted a state banquet in honour of President Steinmeier at the National Palace on Monday, attended by members of the German diplomatic community, religious leaders, higher officials, artists and other prominent individuals. The last day of President Steinmeier’s visit was devoted to the African Union where he held talks with the Chairperson of the African Union Commission, Moussa Faki Mahamat, discussing peace and security issues as well as developments in foreign and security policies.
During the talks with President Sahle-Work on Monday (January 28), both sides underlined the importance of further strengthening the longstanding and excellent relations between the two countries, and discussed Germany’s support for the political and economic reforms underway in Ethiopia, the growth of Germany’s development cooperation program with Ethiopia and regional issues in the Horn of Africa. At a subsequent joint press conference, President Sahle said that “This is the right time to be in Ethiopia as we are in a multifaceted transformation on all fronts,” adding, “Germany is an important partner in our development endeavours. We are determined to enhance the partnership and we wish to further strengthen our longstanding historical relations.” She said President Steinmeier’s visit was “not only vital but also timely.”
President Steinmeier said Germany really admired “the courage of the government of Ethiopia to continue on the reforms and loved to support the reform process.” He said significant changes had already been achieved and he came to Ethiopia “to identify where we can support more. For now, we focus on two areas. One is vocational training and the other is investment.” He said that there was a huge accumulation of knowledge and resource in Germany and he wanted to see more German Companies invest in Ethiopia. He believed many companies from Europe including Germany would be interested. He emphasized that Ethiopia and Germany were united by a long-standing friendship and that was why “we are following with particular interest the reforms your country has begun”, adding, “These reforms make me hopeful that social participation and democracy can continue to advance.” “I wish you patience and determination in pursuing this path.”
President Steinmeier hailed the peace agreement between Ethiopia and Eritrea. He said this was a harbinger of hope for the people in the two countries, the Horn of Africa and the entire Continent. Ethiopia, he said, played a crucial role in stabilizing the region, and he restated that Germany was happy to continue providing active support to both internal and external reforms.
During his visit, from President Steinmeier and his delegation paid a courtesy call on Prime Minister Dr. Abiy. Dr. Abiy underlined his appreciation of the German Government’s long-term and consistent technical and vocational support to Ethiopia. The President also attended a roundtable discussion with Ethiopia’s Minister of Finance, Ahmed Shide, and members of the German and Ethiopian business communities. He watched the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between Volkswagen AG and the Ethiopian Investment Commission, for Volkswagen to establish a vehicle assembly facility, localize automotive components, introduce mobility concepts such as app-based car-sharing and ride-hailing and open a training center. It will also work closely with Ethiopian higher education and training institutions for skills development and capacity building. Volkswagen said “it intended to tap into existing expertise and strategic resources in Ethiopia to help establish a thriving automotive components industry.”
Ethiopia and Germany have more than 100 years of bilateral diplomatic relations. They have regular bilateral political consultations at foreign ministerial level, and they are working to establish a Joint Ministerial Commission. President Steinmeier visited Ethiopia in 2014 when he was Foreign Minister; Chancellor Merkel was in Addis Ababa two years ago; and Prime Minister Dr. Abiy visited Germany last October. Ethiopia is a priority focus country for Germany under the G20 “Compact with Africa” initiative; and these high-level visits have helped to enhance the strategic relationship between the two countries. It is mainly focused on promoting and enhancing economic cooperation, finding solutions for regional peace and security impediments in the Horn of Africa. The engagement of German investors in Ethiopia has been increasing over time and supports Ethiopia’s transformation from an agro-led to an industrialized economy. Some 35 German companies are currently engaged in Ethiopia’s floricultural, logistics, transport and pharmaceutical sectors; and Ethiopia exports agricultural products, including coffee and textiles to German markets, and imports pharmaceuticals, medicines and machinery. German investors have expressed their firm desire to engage further in various sectors in Ethiopia.
