Addis Ababa, April 17, 2026 (FMC) — Ethiopia and China’s Aladdin Holdings Group have signed a memorandum of understanding to establish a China–East Africa Modern Agriculture and Cultural Tourism Industry Innovation Center, marking a new phase in economic cooperation between the two sides.
The agreement was signed between the Chinese company and the Ethiopian Embassy in Beijing, according to a report by China Daily.
The proposed initiative aims to integrate renewable energy, modern agriculture, equipment manufacturing, and cultural tourism into a unified industrial and agricultural development cluster.
Under the memorandum, the two sides will focus on solar power development, industrial energy storage systems, cold-chain logistics, and agricultural robotics, with the objective of developing a scalable model for replication in Ethiopia, East Africa, and across the continent.
Aladdin Holdings Group Chairman Yang Renqiang said Ethiopia presents a large and expanding market, supported by abundant renewable energy resources and growing demand for agricultural modernization, food security, and job creation. He added that the initiative aligns with Ethiopia’s broader economic transformation agenda.
Ethiopia’s Ambassador to China, Tefera Derbew Yimam, welcomed the initiative, noting that it supports efforts to modernize agriculture, which remains a key sector of the economy and employs about 70 percent of the workforce. He further stated that the embassy will facilitate coordination as implementation progresses.
Ethiopia is a key participant in the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) and the Belt and Road Initiative, and maintains longstanding strategic cooperation with China across infrastructure, energy, agriculture, and manufacturing sectors.
The agreement is seen as reflecting growing interest in Ethiopia’s agri-industrial and renewable energy potential, which aligns with national development frameworks including the Homegrown Economic Reform Agenda and Digital Ethiopia 2030 strategy.