(January 25, 2024, Addis Ababa) Ethiopian Cities Association (ECA) has signed a memorandum of understanding with the Social Anthropology Department of Addis Ababa University to work together on various urban development issues.

The parties who signed this Memorandum of Understanding is head of the social anthropology department of AAU, Dr. Kiya Gezahegn, and the General Director of ECA, Ato Andualem Tenaw.

The main objective of this memorandum of understanding is to establish a framework for cooperation between the two institutions in order to promote sustainable urban development in Ethiopia and encourage research, policy advocacy and knowledge exchange in the field.

In particular this MoU has focused on sharing knowledge and experience on urban governance, urban planning and sustainable development practices. The MoU also emphases that undertaking joint research projects, conducting studies and advocating evidence-based policy recommendations to addres urban challenges.

It was also pointed out that it is an agreement to organize workshops, seminars and training programs in order to increase the capacity of urban management experts, policy makers and researchers.

At the signing ceremony, Dr. Kiya said that this agreement is of great importance to study the culture and other related values of Ethiopian cities to create better community interaction for their residents.

On the other hand Ato Andualem said that, since one of the goals of ECA in its five-year strategy is to create an institution that can solve the pressing problems of Ethiopian cities and make it a center of excellence in the field of urban development, this MoU will play a vital role for its dream to come true.

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