The Series Reports of Zhuang Jidong‘s Visit to Ethiopia

On the afternoon of December 8, local time, the Ethiopian hub city of Jimma.

H. E Ismail, the President of Djibouti, and H.E. Mr Bashir, the President of Sudan, and H.E. Abiy, the Prime Minister of Ethiopia  attended the opening ceremony of the Jimma-Agaro-Deddasa River Road Upgrading Project which was to be built by the Contractor of China Rialway 21st Bureau Group Co.,Ltd

Zhuang Jidong, Chairman and Party Committee Secretary of CRCC 21st Bureau Group, and tens of thousands of employees and local people witnessed this exciting moment together.

It is reported that this is the third road project that CRCC 21st Bureau Group Company has secured through bidding after the Gambella and Shishenda Road Project in Ethiopia. This is also another vivid practice of the “Overseas Priority”Strategy centered on the “One Belt and One Road ” Initiative Construction of the group company.

President Ismail, President Bashir, Prime Minister Abiy and other political figures, the Ethiopian Roads Authority Director Habutamu, and the Chairman of the Group Company Zhuang Jidong laid the foundation for the project.

Mr Abiy delivered speech at the opening ceremony and said that he was very glad to attend the ceremony of the Jimma Road project with the two presidents of Djibouti and Sudan. The Jimma highway is the main traffic artery connecting the east and west of Ethiopia which has great construction significance. It is hoped that CRCC 21st Bureau Group Company will be able to complete the construction task at an early date. He strongly believed that the Chinese Enterprise would be capable to do a good job on the project.

In an interview with China Central Television and Xinhua News Agency in Africa, Zhuang Jidong expressed his gratitude to the heads of states, senior government officials and guests who came to the groundbreaking ceremony.

He said that this historic moment is a great encouragement to our Chinese Companies. Ethiopia has a long history of three thousand years, and the friendship between the Chinese and Ethiopian peoples goes back to ancient times. Ethiopia will surely enter a period of rapid development under the leadership of Prime Minister Abiy. We, CRCC 21^st Bureau Group Company is very willing to participate in the social and economic development of Ethiopia and make its due contribution. We had again won the bid for the Jimma Road Project this year after the starting of the Gambella and Shishenda Road project. Under such circumstances, we will select excellent staffs, carefully organize and construct to ensure the quality, accomplish the works within the contract period and strictly obey local laws and regulations. We shall attach great importance to environmental protection, establish good relations with people along the line, create more employment opportunities for local people, actively participate in public welfare and charity, ensure the successful completion of the construction tasks, and finally submit a satisfactory answer to the Ethiopian government and people.

In recent years, China Railway 21st Bureau Group Co., Ltd has expanded overseas operations in three continents and more than a dozen countries. Among them, projects in Africa are located in Ethiopia, Kenya, Algeria, Nigeria and other countries. The Jimma Road Upgrading Project won a bid of 13.07 billion Birrs (Equivalent to RMB 323 million), with a total length of 79.07 kilometers and a construction period of 3.5 years.

Mr Demeke, the Vice Prime Minister of Ethiopian, Mr Muferiat kemal, the Chairman of National Peace Council, Mr Ato Lemma Megersa, the Governor of Oromia Region, Mr. workneh gebeyehu, the Foreign Minister, Mr. woithero Dagmawit Mogess, the Minister of Transportation, Mr.Endale, the Minister of Taxation, and Mr.Habutamu, the Ethiopian Roads Authority Director, and other senior government officials attended the groundbreaking ceremony

The related personnel from the Overseas Business Department, Economic Management Department ,No.3 Engineering Company, the Ethiopian Branch and African Project Department participated in the groundbreaking ceremony of the Jimma Road Project.

After the ceremony, Zhuang Jidong hosted a symposium for personnel who are working in Africa to express his solicitude to the front-line employees, saying that the Group Company will unwaveringly adhere to the "Overseas Priority" Strategy, strengthen overseas construction forces, and continuously improve the dvelopment of "Four Sector Integration , Multi-wheel-drive" pattern for providing an inexhaustible motive force for the Group Company's better and fast development.