By Diplomacy Journal Lee Kap-soo

Ambassador of Ethiopia to Korea Dessie Dalkie Dukamo met with Incheon Mayor Yoo Jung-bok at the reception room of Incheon City Hall on Dec. 31 to discuss cooperation, the Incheon Metropolitan City announced.

The meeting was held at the request of Ambassador Dukamo, and they exchanged views on how to cooperate in the development of a smart city in Addis Ababa, the capital of Ethiopia.

“I would like to express my deepest gratitude for the warm welcome of the Ethiopian Economic Mission to Incheon during the Korea-Africa Summit in June and for organizing this important meeting today,” said Ambassador Dukamo. “Ethiopia aims to position itself as a continental hub for smart infrastructure and digital innovation, centered on its capital city of Addis Ababa, home to the African Union headquarters,” he said.

“I believe that Incheon's advanced model of urban management and technological innovation will play an important role in solving the challenges of urbanization and economic growth faced by Ethiopia and Africa,” the ambassador said, adding, ”I would like to share Incheon's success stories and promote practical cooperation in the future.”

Mayor Yoo Jung-bok said, “Thank you for your interest in Incheon's smart city creation project.” “Incheon City is deeply interested and supportive of Ethiopia's smart city development strategy, which aims to become a middle-income country by 2030,” said Mayor Yoo.

“We hope that the practical exchanges between Incheon and Addis Ababa will make a great contribution to the development of both countries, and we will actively cooperate with Incheon if there is anything that Incheon can do to help.”

Meanwhile, Ethiopia is the only country in Africa that sent ground troops (3,518 soldiers) during the Korean War and is the largest recipient of South Korea's ODA to Africa. 

The 2024 Korea-Africa Summit has expanded opportunities for practical cooperation in the economic field, including trade and investment between the two countries. The meeting is expected to serve as an opportunity to further strengthen the cooperative relationship between Incheon and Ethiopia.