Abiy urges China's CCCC to expand engagements in Ethiopia

ADDIS ABABA, May 23 (Xinhua) -- Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed on Thursday called on the Chinese construction company, China Communications Construction Company (CCCC), to further enhance its positive engagements in Ethiopia.

The call was made during his meeting with Wang Tongzhou, chairman of the CCCC, in the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa, according to the Office of the Ethiopian Prime Minister.

Noting the CCCC's "active engagements" across various construction activities in the East African country, Abiy emphasized the need for the Chinese construction company to further strengthen its positive contribution to the country's construction sector.

During his discussion with Wang, the Ethiopian PM "shared the various national potential areas that warrant further engagement and investments from the CCCC," the statement indicated.

The CCCC has won acclaim for its robust engagements across large-scale infrastructure development projects in Ethiopia, including industrial parks, roads and major national development projects.

Last week, Ethiopian Airlines commended the CCCC upon the successful completion of its newly inaugurated 50 million-U.S. dollar domestic passenger terminal project at Bole International Airport, which is set to more than double the terminal's annual passenger handling capacity.

The Addis Ababa-Adama expressway, regarded as the first expressway in Ethiopia and East Africa, is one of Ethiopia's flagship infrastructure projects constructed by the CCCC. The expressway went operational in September 2014.

The CCCC is also praised for its success in the construction of the China-aided Friendship Square in Addis Ababa, a landmark development project covering an area of around 30 hectares, containing an artificial lake, a plaza that can accommodate tens of thousands of people at a time, several restaurants and areas for sports exercise.