Ethiopia PM in Brussels, holds meetings with top EU officials

Ethiopia Prime Minsiter Abiy Ahmed arrived in Brussels, the seat of the European Union, where he is scheduled to hold meetings with top officials of the continental bloc.

Abiy has met with the European Council President Donald Tusk for a meeting. His office said the discussions focused on issues of mutual cooperation interests to both parties.

Belgium is the third stop of an official tour that started on Monday in Rome where Abiy met with his Italian counterpart and the president. He also met the Pope and heads of other international agencies.

From Rome, he traveled to Davos, Switzerland, where he participated in the World Economic Forum, WEF. In his address, Abiy stressed the resolve of his administration to see through and consolidate wide-ranging reforms started since April 2018.

Abiy held several high-profile meetings on the sidelines of his participation at the WEF as he continually wooed investors to Africa’s second most populous nation.

The #EU and #Ethiopia sign 3 agreements worth €130M to support #Ethiopia’s plans for economic development and job creation. pic.twitter.com/67l4neXpjC

— FANA BROADCASTING C (@fanatelevision) January 24, 2019

PM’s WEF schedule on January 23

PM Abiy Ahmed met with Bill Gates, co-Chairman of Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. He thanked Mr Gates for the work of the Foundation in health, agriculture and state capacity building. They further agreed to enhance cooperation in Ag. irrigation and technology sector.

He met with Jack Ma, Chair of the Alibaba Group. They discussed the future of disruptive technologies on mkts & society. Jack Ma agreed to consider potential investment in a tech city in Ethiopia that will impact daily lives of the people in the region.

Held a productive discussion on bilateral issues with Charles Michel, Prime Minister of Belgium.

PM Abiy Ahmed met with Prof Klaus Schwab, Founder & Executive Chairman of WEF. The PM & Prof Schwab discussed the importance of a collaborative approach among govt, pvt sector, civil societies in addressing key global challenges. They agreed that Ethiopia will host WEF in 2020.

PM’s WEF schedule on January 22

The PM met interim President of the World Bank Group, Kristalina Georgieva. PM Abiy appreciated the robust & strong technical & financial support & asked for the support to be sustained.The WBG remains Ethiopia’s reliable partner for dev’t finance & expertise.

He also convened an Investment Strategy Dialogue with selected CEOs of multinational corporations to identify opportunities for private investment. The robust discussion showcased untapped investment opportunities & policy priorities in Ethiopia.

PM Abiy Ahmed met with George Soros, Founder of the Open Society Foundations. The two parties shared views on electoral integrity, challenges of democratization, access to justice and economic inclusion, institutional and regulatory reforms.

On the sidelines of World Economic Forum in Davos, PM Abiy Ahmed met and held discussion with Mr Mohammed Al Shaibani, CEO of Investment Corporation of Dubai — a 200 Billion Sovereign Fund. ICD is keen to invest in hospitality and agro-business industry in Ethiopia.

#Ethiopia: PM Dr Abiy Ahmed’s speech at the 2019 #WorldEconomicForum. #WEF2019 #Davos2019, #Switzerland https://t.co/XFn3Vpomrx

— FANA BROADCASTING C (@fanatelevision) January 23, 2019