On the sidelines of the 49th Ordinary Session of the Executive Council of the African Union, the Minister of International Relations, Dr. Phenyo Butale, held a bilateral meeting with Ethiopia's Minister of Foreign Affairs, H.E. Dr. Gedion Timothewos, to strengthen the longstanding relations between Botswana and Ethiopia and explore new avenues of cooperation that support the two countries' development aspirations.

The two Ministers reaffirmed their commitment to enhancing bilateral and multilateral cooperation, with particular emphasis on accelerating collaboration in sectors that contribute to economic growth and industrial development. They agreed on the need to expedite the Memorandum of Understanding on Agriculture, recognising the sector as a key pillar for food security, employment creation and sustainable development

In line with Botswana's economic diversification agenda, Minister Butale expressed Botswana's interest in learning from Ethiopia's successful industrialisation journey. Botswana will undertake a benchmarking visit to the ELICO leather factory to gain insights into value addition and the development of a competitive leather industry. Ethiopia also offered to facilitate skills transfer and human resource exchanges in the leather sector to support Botswana's industrial ambitions.

Minister Butale further commended Ethiopia's remarkable infrastructure development and expressed Botswana's interest in drawing lessons from the country's transformative Green Legacy Initiative. Ethiopia committed to sharing its experience and best practices in implementing the initiative as part of broader cooperation on environmental sustainability and climate resilience.

The Ministers also exchanged views on the future of the African Union, agreeing on the importance of reforming the Union's working methods to enhance its efficiency, effectiveness and responsiveness to the needs of African citizens.