Malaysia, Ethiopia To Tap Into Each Other’s Strengths

From Saraswathi Muniappan

ADDIS ABABA, Nov 20 (Bernama) -- Malaysia and Ethiopia have announced that no stone will be left unturned in tapping into each other’s strengths, especially in trade and investment, bilateral ties, and leveraging multilateral platforms.

“Bilateral discussions were comprehensive and, of course, diplomatic engagements must ultimately result in strong economic fundamentals of trade, investment and ties,” said Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.

“As a trading nation, the way forward for Malaysia is to spread out and explore new markets, especially in Africa, Latin America and beyond,” he said at the joint press conference with his Ethiopian counterpart, Dr Abiy Ahmed Ali.

Anwar said Ethiopia is strategic as the African Union is headquartered in Addis Ababa.

The 55-member African Union, which was set up in July 2002, is the representative voice for Africa on the global stage, and among its functions is to encourage international cooperation.

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Anwar, who is also the Finance Minister, said Putrajaya will also utilise mechanisms like the Group of 20 (G20) to further strengthen the traditional relationships with the United States, Europe and China. 

Members of the G20 are Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, South Korea, Mexico, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Turkiye, the United Kingdom, the US, the African Union and the European Union.

Meanwhile, Abiy Ahmed described the discussion as being productive and forward-looking, reaffirming Malaysia and Ethiopia’s shared commitment to deepen cooperation across key sectors. 

“We discussed key areas of cooperation to begin with industrialisation and investment. Ethiopia seeks to grow from Malaysia’s industrial success and attract investment in our industrial park, agro-processing and electronic sectors.

“We have also covered the digital economy. We have discussed corporate and digital finance, financial inclusion and data-driven innovation," he said.

Abiy Ahmed said they also discussed skills development, aligning training with industry needs and boosting youth employment in Ethiopia.

“We have a huge amount of skilled employees, skilled youngsters, but we really want to learn new experiences on how we can link those skilled youngsters to the industry,” he said.

Abiy Ahmed said Anwar’s visit marks a new charter of South-South partnership grounded in shared values of harmony, inclusivity and solidarity.

He said both countries are also focused on a more connected and equitable global south.

Both leaders also witnessed the exchange of memoranda of understanding (MoU) on cooperation in health, an air services agreement and an MoU on cooperation in tourism.

Others include a collaboration document between the Kuala Lumpur City Council and Addis Ababa City Administration, which will formalise the mechanism for maintaining strategic dialogue, setting the stage for long-term cooperation between the two nations.

Also present at the ceremony,  Minister of Investment, Trade and Industry Tengku Datuk Seri Zafrul Aziz, Minister in the Prime Minister's Department (Federal Territories) Datuk Seri Dr Zaliha Mustafa, Malaysian Foreign Ministry secretary general Datuk Seri Amran Mohamed Zin and Embassy of Malaysia in Ethiopia Chargé d'Affaires (Ad Interim) Mohd Afandi Abu Bakar.

In 2024, Ethiopia was ranked as Malaysia's 26th largest trading partner in the African continent. 

The value of bilateral trade between Malaysia and Ethiopia stood at RM625.6 million, with exports from Malaysia valued at RM579.9 million, representing a 50 per cent increase from the previous year. In 2024, the trade balance was in Malaysia’s favour. 

Malaysia’s exports to Ethiopia are mainly electrical and electronic products; palm oil and palm oil-based agricultural products; chemical and chemical products; and textiles, apparel, and footwear. Imports from Ethiopia include agricultural products, transport equipment, and metalliferous ores and metal scrap.

Ethiopia is Anwar’s first stop in his visit to the African continent.

Anwar’s three-day visit, which started on Nov 18 to the “Horn of Africa” – the first for a Malaysian Prime Minister – is also to reciprocate Abiy Ahmed's visit to Malaysia in October last year.

From Addis Ababa, the prime minister will proceed with a working visit to Johannesburg, South Africa, from Nov 20 to 23 to attend the G20 Leaders’ Summit, and Nairobi, Kenya, from Nov 23 to 24, before heading home. 

-- BERNAMA