Building Bridges and Bright Futures: Huajian Group’s Potential Contribution to Ethiopia’s Economic Growth and Sino-Ethiopian Partnership

Addis Ababa, June 3, 2025 (FMC) — As Ethiopia pursues ambitious development goals and deepens economic ties with China, Huajian Group stands out as a pioneering investor driving progress and partnership between the two nations.

The Chinese company recently signed a $100 million investment agreement to develop solar energy production in the Geda Special Economic Zone (GSEZ), marking its position as the first investor in the zone and reinforcing its long-term commitment to Ethiopia’s growth.

 Founded in 1997, Huajian Group is one of China’s leading footwear manufacturers and exporters, renowned for combining innovation with industrial scale. The Group has built a strong presence in Ethiopia over the past decade, having invested $150 million in its Dukem Industrial Park project. This previous investment has created thousands of jobs and contributed to local capacity building in manufacturing and exports.

Speaking exclusively to Fana Media Corporation on the sidelines of the Oromia Investment Forum 2025, Huajian Group’s Founder and CEO, Mr. HuaRong Zhang, expressed his confidence in Ethiopia’s economic reforms and highlighted the strategic advantages of investing in the Geda SEZ.

“I am so glad to attend today’s Oromia Investment Forum 2025 in Addis Ababa. And I also know about a lot of favorable policies in Oromia region of Ethiopia as well as the opportunities for investment. And especially, I think the planning of Gadda Special Economic Zone is very good,” Mr. Zhang said.

On why the Geda SEZ was chosen, he noted, “For its location, the geographic location for Gadda Special Economic Zone, it is very good. And also, my old friend, Chief Administrator of Oromia Region Mr. President Shimels, has mentioned about the promising future of Gadda Special Economic Zone. And also, I am so delighted to sign the MoU with Mr. Motuma Temesgen, CEO of Gadda SEZ.”

Mr. Zhang praised the leadership of the Oromia regional government: “The Chief Administrator of Oromia State, Mr. Shimelis, is also a good leader. He is very open and also practical. So the attitude of his work, that he is a practitioner, he is very practical. And that’s why I decided to invest in Gadda Special Economic Zone, and we want to be the first company to enter operation.”

He added that the new solar energy project, called New Energy Industrial Park, will be the Group’s first in GSEZ. “We hope to get support from Oromia regional state as well as the Ethiopian government. As long as we have decided to invest in Gadda SEZ, we decided to be mature, to grow up, to develop together with Gadda SEZ. And I will bring my experience of success in China as well as in Dukem Industrial Park to Gedda SEZ.”

Mr. Zhang emphasized the benefits the project will bring: “We can provide more jobs to the local people. And we can export more goods. We can introduce new types of knowledge techniques inside Gadda SEZ and also cultivate the local people, local employees.”

Reflecting on Ethiopia’s ongoing reforms and the Ethiopia-China relationship, he remarked, “Firstly, I think Ethiopia should be more open and serve the foreign investors better. And let more foreign companies to earn money in Ethiopia. This is very important. Just like China’s reform and opening up, during that time China let a lot of foreign invested companies to earn money in China. When these foreign companies earn money in the local, they will increase their investment and they will give promotion to this country, to this place and bring more investment.”

On the long-term partnership between China and Ethiopia, Mr. Zhang said, “Ethiopia and China both are very friendly countries. Ethiopia is also a BRICS country. And I hope that Ethiopia and China can deepen their cooperation regarding the financial sector. And I hope that the two governments can promote the economic development of the two countries and provide more policies.”

He further underlined the importance of supporting foreign investors: “Especially he hopes that the economic development in Oromia regional state could be more open and more practical. And protect us foreign invested companies. Support us foreign invested companies. I am experienced in this.”

The $100 million solar project in the Geda SEZ will support Ethiopia’s vision of expanding renewable energy, creating jobs, and strengthening export capacity. The investment aligns with national priorities of industrialization, technology transfer, and sustainable development.

With its pioneering role, Huajian Group is not only advancing Ethiopia’s industrial agenda but also reinforcing the robust Sino-Ethiopian partnership. As Mr. Zhang aptly summarized, “Just as our Chinese President, Xi Jinping has said, we need to develop with a mutual consensus, with a mutual negotiation and with mutual development, to achieve a win-win result and develop a high efficiency industrial park. And we can share the outcome of economic development. And create more jobs for the local people.”

This latest investment complements the Group’s earlier commitments and highlights the increasing role of Chinese enterprises in Ethiopia’s evolving industrial landscape — building bridges between the two countries and bright futures for both.

By Mesafint Brlie and Meraol Kedir