Wolaita Sodo, 29-30 June 2023: Wolaita Sodo University hosted a two-day workshop to share lessons and build capacity around renewable energy in the context of south-south trilateral cooperation with China. The event was co-organised by Ethiopia's Ministry of Water and Energy (MoWE), China Agricultural University (CAU) and UNDP Ethiopia.

The workshop, providing a platform for interactive learning and collaboration between Ethiopia and China, and fostering south-south cooperation, follows the recent launch of the Research and Extension Center (JREC).

The workshop sought to strengthen the capacity of governmental officers, experts, and focal persons from MoWE, regional energy bureaus, and selected institutions and to strengthen the South-South cooperation experience exchanges and sharing on renewable energy applications between Ethiopia and China.

The participants also gained practical knowledge and skills to design, install, operate, and maintain the biogas, biomass, and solar PV systems, exchanged perspectives on renewable energy practices, national priorities, and plans for driving Ethiopia's sustainable energy transition and contributing to climate change mitigation.

Key partners also had the opportunity to visit two selected demonstration sites featuring solar and biogas technologies, which provided firsthand experience and practical insights into the implementation and operation of these renewable energy systems. Moreover, the detailed design and work plan of the JREC setup was fully communicated among parties during the event, laying a solid foundation for future implementation and collaboration.

The south-south trilateral cooperation project is funded by the Ministry of Commerce of China and co-financed by MoWE as well as UNDP, in partnership with the Ministry of Science and Technology of China - the Administrative Centre for China’s Agenda 21 (MOST-ACCA 21). The project supports Ethiopia and China to collaborate and promote trials and demonstrations on sustainable energy use in public institutions and agro-industry, particularly biogas, biomass and solar technologies.