The Portuguese Embassy in Addis Ababa celebrated Portuguese National Day on Thursday June 5, 2025 with a special reception attended by ambassadors and dignitaries, marking the announcement of Ethiopian Airlines’ upcoming new flight to Porto, Portugal.

Tourism Minister Selamawit Kassa, the guest of honor, extended her best wishes on the occasion and highlighted the enduring Ethio-Portuguese friendship that has spanned centuries. She emphasized that the new air route connecting Addis Ababa and Porto will enhance connectivity for Portuguese nationals, offering them greater access to explore Ethiopia and the broader African continent, which is well served by Ethiopian Airlines, the country’s flagship carrier.

This new flight is expected to strengthen tourism and business ties between Ethiopia and Portugal, further cementing the historic relationship between the two nations.

By our staff reporter

A regional seminar titled “Multilingualism and Multilateralism in International Organizations: Challenges, Issues, and Prospects for Inclusive Governance” was held in Addis Ababa, focusing on the critical role of language diversity in fostering democratic debates and effective governance within international and regional organizations (IROs).

Languages serve as vital tools through which international organizations recognize and respect the cultural and linguistic diversity of their member states. The seminar underscored that promoting multilingualism is essential for ensuring transparency, inclusivity, and equitable participation in multilateral decision-making processes. It also enables citizens to understand and engage with policies that affect them directly.

Despite the formal adoption of multilingual systems by many IROs, the seminar highlighted a persistent trend toward monolingualism or bilingualism, which marginalizes certain official or working languages in favor of dominant vehicular languages. This imbalance poses challenges to member states’ abilities to fully defend their interests and participate equally in international forums.

The event emphasized the need for IROs to take proactive roles in promoting and preserving multilingualism by implementing rigorous monitoring and compliance mechanisms. Such efforts are crucial to respecting linguistic and cultural diversity, fostering equity, and advancing a pluralistic vision of international relations.

For over 15 years, the International Organisation of La Francophonie (OIF) has been a key advocate for multilingualism in global forums such as the United Nations, African Union, and International Criminal Court. The OIF supports the enhancement of French language skills among diplomats and officials and provides conference management services to facilitate linguistic diversity.

The Francophonie’s commitment is rooted in its 321 million speakers across 93 countries, spanning a wide range of languages including French, Spanish, English, Arabic, and Portuguese. This linguistic diversity reflects the complex realities of many member states, including those in Africa, where multilingualism is a daily norm.

The seminar also addressed recent developments, such as the United Nations Secretariat’s launch of a “Strategic Framework on Multilingualism” in March 2024, aimed at strengthening language diversity across the UN system. This initiative follows several General Assembly resolutions and recommendations to ensure equitable language use in international diplomacy.

The seminar’s context was framed by the 2022 Francophonie Summit in Djerba, which adopted a declaration and strategic framework emphasizing the promotion of French and multilingualism internationally. A renewed cooperation agreement signed in 2023 between the OIF and the African Union Commission reaffirmed commitments to linguistic pluralism and capacity building for diplomats.

Participants at the seminar included ambassadors, representatives of states and IROs, officials from the African Union, United Nations Economic Commission for Africa, regional economic communities, and language experts. The one-day event featured interactive sessions such as lectures, roundtables, and panel discussions.

Key topics included strategies to strengthen multilingualism, capacity building for translators and interpreters, digital solutions for conference management, recruitment and human resource management, communication tools, and funding mechanisms for multilingualism within IROs.

By the seminar’s conclusion, participants gained a deeper understanding of multilingualism’s challenges and opportunities, compiled a database of best practices, formulated concrete recommendations for integrating multilingualism in international organizations, and established a network of experts committed to advancing linguistic diversity.

The seminar represents a significant step toward fostering inclusive governance and equitable participation in Africa’s multilateral institutions, reinforcing the importance of language as a bridge rather than a barrier in international relations.

• The event is endorsed by Ethiopia’s Ministry of Urban and Infrastructure, taking place at Millennium Hall, Addis Ababa
• Ethiopia’s construction market is supported by major projects including the La Gare, Abusera International Airport and Mesob Tower
• The launch of East Africa Infrastructure & Water Expo supports $395 billion infrastructure market

Ethiopia’s construction market is valued at $67 billion, driven by the country’s economic growth priorities under its Ten-Year Development Plan 2020-30. Supporting this ambition, the 2025 edition of Big 5 Construct Ethiopia, the country’s largest construction event, will take place from 26-28 June at the Millennium Hall in Addis Ababa. Endorsed by the Ministry of Urban & Infrastructure, the event connects international companies with regional opportunities, enabling business networking, knowledge sharing and collaboration.

Co-located with Big 5 Construct Ethiopia, the inaugural East Africa Infrastructure & Water Expo, broadens the event’s impact by engaging government representatives, utilities service providers, regulators and public project owners. This expanded focus strengthens regional cooperation and supports critical infrastructure development across East Africa.

This comes at a time, as Ethiopia accelerates investment in transformative projects across transport, water, power and ICT. The Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD), the Mesob Tower, airport expansions and major expressway projects are some of the region’s mega projects and modernization initiatives. From residential properties to logistics hubs, Ethiopia’s pipeline of multi-billion-dollar projects, including the $1.5 billion La Gare urban redevelopment and the $7.8 billion Abusera International Airport, is attracting growing interest from construction firms, material suppliers and technology providers.

“The launch of East Africa Infrastructure & Water Expo alongside Big 5 Construct Ethiopia supports Ethiopia’s development vision by enabling the exchange of expertise, technology and investment,” said Josine Heijmans, Senior Vice President – Construction, dmg events. “With Ethiopia’s infrastructure market valued at $395 billion, these events allow international companies to form strategic partnerships with Ethiopian and East African stakeholders, enabling knowledge exchange and creating opportunities to realize some of the region’s construction and infrastructure goals (Source: ABiQ).”

International exhibitors and country pavilions

The exhibition offers visitors the opportunity to engage with over 230 exhibitors, including international and local brands that will showcase high-quality products, materials and technologies tailored to Ethiopia’s growing construction and infrastructure demands.  Some of these include Jotun and Asian Paint, known for durable coatings and finishes; NAFFCO, a leader in firefighting equipment, fire protection, alarm and safety systems; USG, manufacturer of interior construction products; Emirates National Copper Factory, an electrical and construction-grade copper solutions provider; and SCAFFCO, a recognized major player providing efficient scaffolding and formwork solutions.

The event also welcomes first-time exhibitors such as Signify (Philips Lighting), known for high-quality, energy-efficient lighting solutions; Thomsun Industries, a brand in the building materials sector; and Bitumat, a manufacturer of advanced waterproofing and roofing solutions; further expanding the range of solutions on display and the growing demand in the sector.

Country pavilions from Germany, Türkiye, China, Italy and India, among others, highlight rising international interest in the market. Across Big 5 Construct Ethiopia, exhibitors will cover sectors such as Mechanical, Electrical and Plumbing (MEP) Services, building materials, construction tools & personal protection equipment, heavy construction equipment, digital construction and more. Meanwhile, East Africa Infrastructure & Water Expo will spotlight solutions in smart cities, urban mobility, waste and water management, power and communications infrastructure.

Knowledge sharing and CPD-certified talks

Big 5 Construct Ethiopia and East Africa Infrastructure & Water Expo feature CPD-certified talks and practical sessions focused on regional priorities, offering valuable opportunities to learn, connect with decision-makers and engage with government entities and industry leaders. Big 5 Talks will cover sessions on architecture and design, project management, technology and sustainable building materials. New themed programmes, Infra360 and Water360, will explore practical solutions to East Africa’s infrastructure and water challenges, from smart systems and Public-Private Partnerships (PPP) to resource-efficient technologies and urban resilience.

East Africa Infrastructure & Water Summit, a premium, invite-only programme, will convene policymakers, project owners and technical experts to explore unique strategies and infrastructure development pathways for the region. “Urbanization across Ethiopia and the wider East African region is creating new business opportunities at an unprecedented pace. Big 5 Construct Ethiopia alongside the East Africa Infrastructure & Water Expo, will support and accelerate this growth,” concluded Heijmans.

The United Kingdom “considers Morocco’s autonomy proposal, submitted in 2007 as the most credible, viable and pragmatic basis for a lasting resolution of the dispute” over the Moroccan Sahara, and “will continue to act bilaterally, including economically, regionally and internationally in line with this position to support resolution of the conflict”.

This position was expressed in a Joint Communiqué signed, Sunday in Rabat, by the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, David Lammy, and the Minister of Foreign Affairs, African Cooperation and Moroccan Expatriates, Nasser Bourita.

This document underlines that the UK “follows closely the current positive dynamic on this issue under the leadership of His Majesty King Mohammed VI.” It adds that London “recognises the importance of the question of Western Sahara for the Kingdom of Morocco,” noting that this settling this regional dispute “would strengthen the stability of North Africa and the relaunch of the bilateral dynamic and regional integration.

”The UK affirms, in the Joint Communiqué signed at the Foreign Ministry headquarters, that UK “can consider supporting projects” in the Sahara, notably as part of “the UK Export Finance’s £5bn commitment to support new business across the country

.”It also underlines that the UK “recognises Morocco as a key gateway to Africa’s socio-economic development and reaffirms its commitment to deepening engagement with Morocco as a partner for growth across the continent”.

In this document, “both countries support, and consider vital, the central role of the UN-led process,” reaffirming “their full support for the efforts of the UN Secretary-General’s Personal Envoy, Mr. Staffan de Mistura.” To this end, the UK underlines that it is “ready, willing and committed to lend its active support and engagement to the Personal Envoy and the parties

.”“As a Permanent Member of the UN Security Council, the United Kingdom agrees with Morocco on the urgent need to find a resolution to this long-held dispute, which would be in the interest of the parties”, the document notes, adding that “the time for a resolution and to move this issue forwards is long-overdue, and would strengthen the stability of North Africa and the relaunch of the bilateral dynamic and regional integration,”.

This new position of the United Kingdom, a permanent member of the UN Security Council, aligns with the strong stances expressed by many major powers, notably the United States, France, and Spain.

This new position of the United Kingdom, a permanent member of the UN Security Council, reinforces the growing international momentum driven by His Majesty King Mohammed VI in support of the Autonomy Plan under Moroccan sovereignty. It also confirms the credibility of this initiative and the broad consensus backing it to reach a final resolution to the regional dispute over the Moroccan Sahara.