CAIRO: Ethiopia wants more China development and investment in the country, Foreign Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn said on Wednesday. He said his government would like to promote a more “prosperous” relationship between Ethiopia and China, which he hoped meant an increase in investment from the East Asian country. Speaking at a meeting with He Ping, editor-in-chief of China's state media Xinhua News Agency, Desalegn praised China's contribution in promoting Ethiopia's social and economic development. “Ethiopia and China have been maintaining good relationship,” he said, continued to say that “China's investment has contributed its bit in making Ethiopia one of nations that have witnessed fastest economic growth in the past several years.” “Ethiopia hopes to learn from China's experiences in economic development and expects more involvement of Chinese enterprises in the improvement of infrastructure to realize mutual benefits,” said Desalegn. His comments come only a week after China announced it would help invest in Ethiopia's renewable energy sector. Ethiopia's State Minister of Water and Energy Wondimu Tekle told reporters that Ethiopia has an estimated potential of generating 60,000 MW of electricity, of which 45,000 MW could come from hydropower and 15,000 MW from other renewable energy sources including solar, wind, and geothermal. Tekle hoped that China could assist in making the East African country's efforts to develop the renewable sources a reality. Currently, Ethiopia generates about 2000 MW of hydroelectric power and the country has set a five-year plan has set to increase power generation four fold. Its strategies are to promote a mix of energy sources by developing renewable resources, to prevent power loss and promote proper utilization of energy, reduce unit cost of power generation investments and operations, and provide electricity at affordable prices. To develop these different renewable energy mixes we have to have cooperation with partners like the Chinese government, said the minister. He also recalled that Chinese companies have been participating in the development of renewable energy resources here in Ethiopia. “We have different Chinese companies who are working in our country, especially in hydropower development and also wind farm development," said Wondimu. He said his country would further collaborate with China through its companies operating in Ethiopia in renewable energy development including the geothermal energy.
