With a successful re-election under wraps, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is set to visit Addis Ababa. This would be a belated visit having been paused when the Prime Minister became embroiled in a political crisis at home that ultimately reduced his majority status to that of a minority.
Ethiopia’s Abiy Ahmed (PhD), a Nobel Laureate, has long championed the ideals of human rights, gender parity and peaceful resolutions in conflicts mirroring that of Canada’s young Premier. The lone Canadian to win the Nobel Peace Prize was Lester B. Pearson, who is credited with being the architect of the United Nations Peacekeeping program and went on to become Prime Minister.
While both nations have been partners in development and mining interests, there has never been a visit by a top politician. The few noted top politicians to visit Ethiopia was one-time Canadian Prime Minister, Joe Clark who came to Ethiopia briefly as the Foreign Affairs Minister under Prime Minister Brian Mulroney to witness the famine of 1984, that propelled the world to champion the cause and ultimately save thousands of lives.
Next month, there will be a business delegation coming to Ethiopia to explore bilateral trade partnership.
A nation of 37 million people, it has one of the largest Ethiopian diaspora communities, mainly concentrated in Toronto. The Weeknd, a.k.a. Abel Tesfaye, a superstar artist is one of many Ethiopian Canadians who reside in the suburbs of the city.
While the actual date has not yet been determined, it is likely to be in the summer. The Reporter reached out to the Office of the Canadian Prime Minister in Ottawa and was sent the following statement.
“We will keep you posted on any future international trips for the Prime Minister,” Chantal Gagnon, Communication officer from the Office, said.
