A delegate led by the mayor of Washington DC, Muriel Bowser, will make an official visit to Addis Ababa on Saturday. Along with the mayor, a group of diplomatic and business communities from Washington DC will also visit Ethiopian capital.
“See you soon! Excited to recognize the contributions of the Ethiopian community to Washington, DC.” tweeted the mayor notifying her arrival. During her stay in Addis Ababa, Bowser expected to visit various institutions in the city.
Washington, DC, is a home for a various number of Ethiopian immigrants. According to the 2010 census report, there are 30,000 Ethiopians live in the Washington DC area, which is 20 percent of the total Ethiopian immigrants in the US. Far more, Amharic is one of the five none-English government service languages in Washington DC since 2004.
In July 2018, Prime minister Abiy received a warm welcome from the Ethiopian community in Washington DC and the mayor while he was visiting the Ethiopian community in the US. At the time, Muriel Bowser announced July 28, as “Ethiopia Day in DC.”
The visit to the mayor is expected to strengthen the long-standing friendship between the two cities. According to local reports, during her stay, the two cities are expected to renew the sister city agreement.
The visit of Bowser happens according to the invitation of the Mayor of Addis Ababa Takle Uma during his visit to Washington dc months ago.