The Huajian Group signed an agreement with the Ethiopian authorities on the end of May for the management of Jimma Industrial Park.

As part of this agreement, the Chinese group will invest 100 million US dollars in the construction of shoe manufacturing and coffee processing plants. The agreement also includes setting up a Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) center.

Built by the China Communications Construction Company, Jimma industrial park was inaugurated in December 2018 by Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, and according to Lelise Neme, Managing Director of the Ethiopia Industrial Parks Development Corporation, the Jimma Park is expected to create 15 000 jobs in the long term.

Huajian Group has been operating in Ethiopia since 2011, where it already owns two footwear  manufacturing plants, producing annually 5 million pairs and employing more than 7 000 people.