The office of the Ethiopian head of government confirmed this on his account on the social network X, formerly Twitter. Ahmed arrived in Prague on Monday and was greeted by his counterpart Petr Fiala at an official welcoming ceremony at the government office.
In their bilateral exchanges, the two leaders promised to improve cooperation in the areas of agriculture, mining and tourism while strengthening existing cooperation in the defense sector.
“We want to help Czech companies get new orders. Ethiopia is attracting investors from different sectors to the country and we want to take advantage of this offer,” Fiala wrote on the same digital platform.
He pointed to the possibility of closer cooperation in the field of mining and iron ore processing, as well as mechanical engineering, and noted the African country’s interest in Czech tractors. Trade between the Czech Republic and Ethiopia has the opportunity to grow significantly, he emphasized.
“Ethiopia is one of the fastest growing African economies and has great potential in various sectors. Czech companies have experience and technologies that could contribute to the development of the local economy,” he concluded.
On November 4 last year, Fiala arrived in Addis Ababa on an official working visit, during which he also discussed bilateral issues and ways to improve existing relations with Ahmed to promote mutual development.
A day later, he received an update on the cooperation of both countries in the hydraulic engineering sector from the head of the Water and Energy Department, Habtamu Itefa, who highlighted the Czech financial contribution to this local sector.
Itefa announced at the time that cooperation in hydrological studies amounts to more than 38 million euros and that the Czech presence in the field of surface and groundwater research exists in the Somali, Sidama, South and Amhara regions.
According to the Ethiopia News Agency, the Czech Geological Service (CGS) has a long history of cooperation since the late 1970s, including hydrogeological mapping of Ethiopia.
This latter information is crucial for the management of local water resources, which are under increasing pressure due to population growth and climate change.
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