On March 8, 2017, the 2017 China-Ethiopia Cement Summit Forum and the First Ethiopian Cement Enterprise Management Training were held in Addis Ababa, the capital of Ethiopia. The forum was co-hosted by the Ethiopian Ministry of Industry, the Ministry of Science and Technology, China National Building Material Group, and Derba Cement Company. Chen Fei, Director of the International Cooperation Department of the China Cement Association, was invited to attend and deliver a speech, and presented a keynote report titled "Overview of China's Cement Industry."

From 2010 to 2016, Ethiopia's GDP growth rate remained at around 9.8%. The country currently has 15 cement plants with an annual cement capacity of approximately 13 million tons. Driven by real estate, bridge, dam, and road construction, cement demand has maintained an annual growth rate of about 10%. Apart from certain special cements that need to be imported, the domestic cement market is basically self-sufficient, and cement prices are stable. The government attaches importance to industrial development, especially the raw materials industry, and plans to increase investment in domestic infrastructure construction in the future and introduce fiscal and tax policies more conducive to enterprise development.

In addition to the above favorable news, the Ethiopian cement industry also faces many challenges. In 2016, the domestic capacity utilization rate was about 48%, and the problem of overcapacity is severe. The industry lacks domestic professional practitioners and technical experts, and the capacity of higher education and vocational education related to the profession is insufficient. There is an urgent need to build a high-quality team of domestic experts and to cultivate a stable supply channel for frontline workers.

Mr. Alemu Sime Feyisa, Minister of Industry of Ethiopia, Mr. Afework Kassu, Minister of Science and Technology, Mr. Haile Assegide, President of Derba Cement Company, and Zhi Xiao, General Manager of the Science and Technology Management Department of China National Building Material Group Co., Ltd., each delivered speeches to the conference.

The Ethiopian Cement Association was initiated and established under the leadership of Mr. Haile, and will establish long-term, regular business exchange relations with the China Cement Association in the future.