Addis Int’l Convention Center: New Impetus to Ethiopia’s Emerging MICE Industry

Addis Ababa, March 8, 2025 (ENA)—In the momentous event, Ethiopia’s newly built Addis International Convention Center (AICC) was inaugurated last weekend in the Presence of Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed and high-level Ethiopian and foreign dignitaries.

 The completion of the center has been truly making Addis Ababa, ideal for global events. The Center is the latest addition to the country’s ongoing efforts to strengthen the MICE sector.

Addis Ababa, considered as a political capital of Africa, has now completed the construction of the Center, the first and largest world-class convention and exhibition hub in Ethiopia. The Center is much anticipated to elevate the city’s status as a premier destination for global conferences and exhibitions.

As the first, largest, and internationally standardized facility of its kind in the country, this world-class convention and exhibition center can accommodate major regional and international events.

Addressing the inaugural ceremony of this world-class venue, Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed underscored that the Convention Center plays a crucial role in attracting international events. He further revealed that the Center has become instrumental in fostering business tourism, and positioning the East African nation as a premier destination for global gatherings.

 

“It (the center) will serve us a trade venue and we exchange ideas as well as do diplomacy in this center. Major events that connect Africa will take place here. For example, in the forthcoming few months, the World AI Conference and Exhibition will be hosted here.

Many ideas and knowledge will be exchanged. Since this Center will remain   open to Ethiopians for the next 10 days starting today, I would like to invite young people and students to come and see this treasure and exchange ideas that express Ethiopia's aspirations,” the Premier underscored.

The Convention Center is situated on 40 hectares of land and features two large halls, each with a capacity to accommodate 3,000 to 4,000 people. The center also includes 8 small and medium meeting halls, accommodating a total of up to 10,000 people and offers two hotels with a combined capacity of 1,000 beds.

Addis International Convention Center is designed to meet international standards and accommodate a diverse range of events. The center will also house four large exhibition pavilions that are engineered for flexibility, allowing for easy division and combination to serve multiple events simultaneously.

 

Equipped with state-of-the-art venue facilities, the convention center is expected to be a prime location for large-scale exhibitions, trade fairs, and international conferences.

Essentially, Ethiopia is embarking on a massive homegrown development, relying on its own capacity and development model, Prime Minister Abiy said. He further added the country has now been witnessing tremendous successes as result of its sound development policy approach.   

To this effect, PM Abiy referenced the comments from the 38^th African Union Summit participants, which the event was held during last month February 15^th and 16^th 2025.

 According to him, those leaders from the rest of the continent and other attendees lauded Ethiopia’s incredible development trajectory and success stories, particularly the ongoing Addis Ababa corridor development.

 “At the recent African Union Summit, representatives from North, South, East, West, and Central Africa unanimously acknowledged that Ethiopia is shaping its own path and contributing to the broader vision of Africa in a remarkably short period of time.”

 For the Premier, the Addis International Convention Center is a testament for Ethiopia’s aspiration to realize all-round prosperity in this historical African nation.

Prime Minister Abiy farther stated that the progress that has been made in the capital Addis Ababa through corridor development is being reinforced across many major cities of Ethiopia.

“Now is the time for prosperity and success. The desire of the government and the people is to prosper, change, and progress. With the right timing and policies in place, we have an opportunity to ensure that our children do not inherit the burden of unjust debt. I urge the Ethiopian public to stand together, to prosper Ethiopia, to bring peace to our nation, and to serve as an inspiration of hope for our fellow Africans.”

On her part, Addis Ababa City Administration Mayor Adanech Abebie echoed the same sentiment about Addis International Convention Center which is set to unlock significant trade and tourism opportunities for Ethiopia and the entire African continent at large.

 

From the outset of the far-reaching reforms, the mayor stated that Addis Ababa has been continuously carrying out massive infrastructure development activities based on the leadership and direction of Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed. For her, those development projects are increasingly transforming Addis into an exciting hub of continental and international diplomacy. Evidently, the transformative endeavor in Addis Ababa is sustainable, rapid, and continuous, according to Adanech.

She further highlighted the projects in the capital such as the Adwa Victory Memorial, ‘Lenegewa’ Women’s Rehabilitation and Skill Development Center and other various projects that have been achieved over the last year alone.

Above all, the newly built Addis International Convention Center will elevate the competitiveness of the city and Africa to a higher level, the Mayor emphasized. Apart from Ethiopia, the convention will unlock lots of opportunities for Africa to forge regional trade integration, attract tourists and foster image building endeavors, she added.

Recently interviewed by Press Secretary for the Office of the Prime Minister, Billene Seyoum on Ethiopia in Focus social media platform, Tourism Minister Selamwit Kassa said the newly constructed Convention Center is going to change the game for, for, for Ethiopia in the MICE industry.

 

According to Minister Selamawit, Ethiopia is emerging as an important MICE and conference tourism hub, pointing out  that the capital Addis Ababa has hosted more than 40 International, continental and regional conferences  over the past 3 or 4 months alone.

All in all, the Addis International Convention Center is highly anticipated to significantly boost Ethiopia’s position in the global event-hosting market. By attracting international conferences and exhibitions, the center will drive tourism, create new business opportunities, and provide a platform for local industries to showcase their products and services. It will also play a crucial role in fostering economic growth, offering a venue that can accommodate both public and private sector events, thereby attracting investors, businesses, and entrepreneurs from around the world.