On the occasion of his state visit to Ethiopia, President of the Republic of India, Shri Ram Nath Kovind addressed the Addis Ababa University (AAU) community at Nelson Mandela Hall on 6^th Oct. 2017.

The long standing relation of the two countries in education development was at the heart of his speech.

“Indian professors have been teaching in Ethiopian higher education institutions since the two countries established ties to cooperate in trade, investment, education and capacity building. Indian teachers mark a milestone in the history of Ethiopia’s education as many of them were teaching even at elementary schools in remote areas,” said the President.

“The two countries have had long standing bilateral relations that can be traced back to centuries when Indian traders used to trade silk and spices for gold,” he added.

Taking the opportunity, former AAU President, H.E. Ambassador Professsor Admasu Tsegaye stated that it is an honor for the AAU to host a world leader. “AAU recognizes and appreciates the country’s contributions in training graduate students at various Indian Universities,” said the Professor.

Professor Admasu further noted that the AAU has set strategies to be a research hub and demand driven. He then noted that the university cannot solely carryout these responsibilities unless it cooperates with renowned higher institutions overseas citing Indian institutions as example.

Kovind is the first Indian President to visit Ethiopia since 1972.