Ethiopia launches training base to promote smart building technology

The Ethiopia Luban Workshop smart building technology training base was launched in Addis Ababa, the capital of Ethiopia, on Saturday to promote smart building technologies and practical engineering expertise.

Speaking at the launch ceremony, Liu Xiaoguang, minister counselor of the Chinese Embassy in Ethiopia, said the establishment of the training base is a concrete step to advance the objectives of the 2026 China-Africa Year of People-to-People Exchanges and deepen China-Ethiopia cooperation in vocational education.

According to Zheng Qingchun, president of Tianjin University of Technology and Education, the Luban Workshop in Ethiopia was inaugurated in 2021 in collaboration with the Ethiopian Technical and Vocational Training Institute (TVTI), focusing on key areas such as industrial sensors, mechatronics and industrial robotics while cultivating a large pool of skilled technical professionals for Ethiopia's industrialization.

"The official launch of the smart building technology training base marks not only an important expansion of the Luban Workshop's services to Ethiopia's industrial development, but also another new milestone in China-Ethiopia cooperation in vocational education," Zheng said.

For her part, Tsedale Teklu, deputy director general of the TVTI, noted that as Ethiopia accelerates its industrialization and digital transformation, smart buildings, intelligent systems and energy-efficient solutions are redefining the industry.

"This transition requires a new generation of professionals, technicians equipped not just with theoretical knowledge but with practical and cutting-edge skills. This new training base directly answers that call," Teklu said.

It is noted that the training base adopts a collaborative model, bringing together a Chinese university, an Ethiopian vocational education institution and a Chinese enterprise. Based at the new headquarters building of the Commercial Bank of Ethiopia, it seeks to closely integrate vocational education with real-world engineering practice.