Addis ababa: The Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) and Addis Ababa City Hall have formalized a strategic partnership through the exchange of a collaboration document, which promises to provide significant value to both cities.

According to BERNAMA News Agency, the collaboration was solidified in a ceremony attended by the Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Federal Territories), Datuk Seri Dr Zaliha Mustafa, and the Mayor of Addis Ababa, Adanech Abiebie. Dr Zaliha emphasized that the agreement opens new avenues for Kuala Lumpur to enhance its global presence and learn from development strategies in East Africa, thereby boosting the city’s technical capabilities.

Dr Zaliha highlighted in a social media post that the collaboration document focuses on five key areas: waste management and circular economy; tourism, culture, and sports; institutional capacity development; public park management; and flood mitigation and climate resilience. These areas underscore a joint commitment to building well-planned, resilient, and sustainable urban environments.

The minister further stated that the partnership aligns with the Federal Territories’ CHASE City vision, with hopes that technical exchanges with Addis Ababa will bolster Kuala Lumpur’s urban development policies, particularly in the realms of planning, green spaces, mobility, and climate change adaptation.

Dr Zaliha also noted that this initiative offers both cities opportunities for training, knowledge sharing, and joint projects aimed at enhancing Kuala Lumpur’s ability to address global challenges like urbanization and sustainable development.

Currently, Dr Zaliha is in Addis Ababa as part of an official visit with Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim to the country. Ethiopia ranks as Malaysia’s 26th largest trading partner in Africa for 2024 and marks the first stop on Anwar’s visit to the continent. Following Addis Ababa, the Prime Minister will attend the G20 Leaders’ Summit in Johannesburg, South Africa, from November 20 to 23, and then proceed to Nairobi, Kenya, before returning to Malaysia.