KEYIR NEWS - Ethiopia has deepened its international partnerships in skills development and job creation, following separate high-level engagements with the Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Eswatini, His Excellency Russell Dlamini, and Belgium’s Ambassador to Ethiopia, Dr Anneliese Verstichel.
During his official visit to Addis Ababa, Prime Minister Dlamini toured the Ministry of Labour and Skills and the Federal Technical and Vocational Training Institute (FTVTI). He was briefed on Ethiopia’s reform initiatives, including the Skills Bank, a platform designed to align workforce training with market demand.
Both sides agreed to collaborate in skills development, job creation, and institutional strengthening, with a framework for cooperation set to be formalised. The Prime Minister commended Ethiopia’s reform journey as “instructive and encouraging,” noting that lessons drawn from Ethiopia would inform Eswatini’s own policies.
In a separate meeting, Labour and Skills Minister Muferihat Kamil Ahmed held discussions with Ambassador Verstichel of Belgium. Their talks reviewed Ethiopia’s reform efforts and identified areas of cooperation in skills and technology development, employment creation, and industrial relations.
The Minister expressed appreciation for Belgium’s readiness to support Ethiopia’s human capital agenda, describing the talks as “fruitful” and affirming that such cooperation would reinforce long-standing bilateral ties.
Minister Muferihat underlined that Ethiopia’s skills reform is integral to its wider economic transformation agenda, and that international cooperation is key to sustaining progress. Both engagements highlight Ethiopia’s strategy of forging strong partnerships to enhance workforce readiness, expand job opportunities, and strengthen institutional capacity.
The Ministry of Labour and Skills stated that these collaborations with Eswatini and Belgium reflect Ethiopia’s broader vision of positioning itself as a regional hub for skills development and a model for Pan-African cooperation.