On 6 July, Mr Cham Ugala Uriat, Ethiopian ambassador extraordinary and plenipotentiary to Japan, and Mr Yoshiaki Kobayashi, Honorary Consul of Ethiopia in Osaka, visited Kyoto University to meet with President Juichi Yamagiwa and other KU executives, including Dr Kayo Inaba, executive vice-president for gender equality, international affairs, and public relations, and Dr Masayoshi Shigeta, assistant to the executive vice-president for international affairs.
The meeting will be followed by a visit by President Yamagiwa and other KU delegates to Addis Ababa University in Ethiopia in September 2017.
In the 6 July meeting, Ambassador Cham stated, "The Ethiopian Embassy is ready to extend all possible support to the two universities as they work to forge a productive academic-exchange partnership." Consul Kobayashi, whose grandfather was also Honorary Consul of Ethiopia in the 1960s, expressed his high expectations for Kyoto University's role in bridging Japan and Ethiopia.
On the following day, Kyoto University's Center for African Area Studies (CAAS) and Interdisciplinary Unit for African Studies (Africa Unit) co-hosted a special lecture by Ambassador Cham, entitled "Diplomatic, political, and economic ties between Ethiopia and Japan", at the Inamori Center. Ambassador Cham discussed the 50-year history of the bilateral relationship, and the current situation in Ethiopia, which boasts one of the highest economic growth rates in Africa. The lecture was followed by a lively Q&A session with the packed audience of 40.
Honorable Consul Kobayashi
Ambassador Cham delivering a special lecture
President Yamagiwa presenting a commemorative gift to Ambassador Cham
Meeting attendees
