ADDIS ABABA – September 4, 2018– The Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia and the Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI) signed a Host Country Agreement (HCA) to open a regional office for Africa in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. The agreement was signed by State Minister of Foreign affairs, Professor Afework Kassu and Mr. Dexippos Agourides, Regional Representative and Head of Programmes for Africa and Europe. The signing ceremony was held at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

GGGI’s regional office is being established in Ethiopia to strengthen GGGI’s delivery model and increase the organization’s visibility across the region. It will coordinate efforts in the African region, enhance the impact of country offices and support the delivery of country programmes in the region.

H.E. Professor Afework emphasized the importance of Green Growth especially in the context of developing countries and expressed the country’s interest to collaborate with GGGI to support its initiatives. Mr. Agourides noted that Ethiopia is one of the first countries to not only become a GGGI member country but to play a key role towards championing Green Growth by submitting the country’s Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) and developing Green Growth strategies.

GGGI has presence in seven African countries, Ethiopia, Mozambique, Burkina Faso, Senegal, Rwanda, Uganda, and Morocco with requests for expansion in Egypt, Tunisia, South Africa, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. Also, GGGI has/is developing institutional arrangements with organizations such as African Development Bank (AfDB), African Union (AU), United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA), and United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat). The HCA grants a legal status for GGGI’s Regional Office in Africa, providing immunities and privileges for GGGI staff that will enable them to deliver their official functions effectively.

About GGGI

Based in Seoul, GGGI is a treaty-based international, inter-governmental organization founded to support and promote green growth. The organization partners with countries to help them build economies that grow strongly, are more efficient and sustainable in the use of natural resources, less carbon intensive, and more resilient to climate change. GGGI works with countries around the world, building their capacity and working collaboratively on green growth policies that can impact the lives of millions. To learn more about GGGI, see https://gggi.org and visit us on Facebook and Twitter.