BY AHMED MOHAMMED
The Confucius Institute of Addis Ababa University (AAU) received acclamation for further strengthening the longstanding and historic relationship between Ethiopia and China, reported Xinhua.
The institute earned the accolades today as it marked its 10th year of service since it launched the program here in Addis Ababa.
State Minister for Education, Kora Tushune hailed the institute which he says has fostered the Sino-Ethiopian cultural and people to people ties.
"Over the past ten years, with the joint efforts of the Addis Ababa University and TUTE, the Confucius Institute at the AAU has made positive contributions to promote the friendship between Ethiopia and China through language education and cultural exchange," he said.
AAU interim president, Samuel Kifle (PhD) congratulated the Confucius Institute for its decade of dedicated service, highlighting its role as a connecting bridge between the two countries.
The institute renewed its seal once again, Xinhua wrote, “as it marked its ten years of academic and cultural exchanges.”
Chinese Ambassador to Ethiopia, Zhao Zhiyuan praised the progress of the Confucius Institute, pledging further contributions to fostering educational and cultural cooperation between the respective countries.
"With the strong support of our two governments and the joint efforts of the two universities, the institute will make even greater contributions to mutual learning between our two civilizations," the ambassador said.
During the celebration, the launch of a local Chinese language textbook, "Hello, Chinese," was announced, also featuring Chinese-Amharic and Chinese-Afan Oromo language versions.
The Confucius Institute launched program since November 2013, and enrolled over 10,000 students for Chinese language studies across the country,