ADDIS ABABA, May 25 (Xinhua) -- Rwandan President Paul Kagame on Friday visited textile and apparel manufacturing companies inside the premises of Ethiopia's flagship Chinese-built Hawassa Industrial Park.
Kagame, who is in Ethiopia for a three-day state visit starting Friday, prior to his visit to the Hawassa Industrial Park has received briefing by officials of the Ethiopian Investment Commission (EIC) on the East African country's aspirations in the development of industrial zones in a bid to realize its ambitions of becoming the light manufacturing hub of the African continent.
Kagame, as part of his tour inside the Hawassa industrial park, has visited some of the international textile and apparel companies, including PVH, a company known for marketing diversified portfolio of brands including Calvin Klein and Tommy Hilfiger.
He also paid a visit to the park's Zero Liquid Discharge facility, an environment-friendly sanitation facility.
Kagame's visit to the Hawassa industrial park and other infrastructures in Ethiopia is expected to share the positive aspects of Ethiopia's experience on the sector to Rwanda, according to the Ethiopian Government Communications Affairs Office.
The industrial park, which the Ethiopian government considers as a model for the construction of other industrial zones across the country, has proved successful immediately after its inauguration in July 2016. It has attracted world-class textile and apparel companies to the country.
Built by China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation (CCECC), the Hawassa industrial park, located in Ethiopia's southern city of Hawassa, was completed in a record time of nine months.
The Ethiopian government has previously disclosed its plan to generate close to 1 billion U.S. dollars in annual revenue from the park once it starts operations at its full potential.
