An Ethiopian dressed up as the Chinese God of Wealth (R front) hands out gifts for Chinese passengers at the Bole International Airport in Addis Ababa, capital of Ethiopia, Jan. 20, 2017. The Ethiopian Airlines held a special event for Chinese nationals returning home for the Chinese New Year, or Spring Festival. (Xinhua/Michael Tewelde)
ADDIS ABABA, Feb. 19 (Xinhua) -- The airport of the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa is training Chinese-speaking staff upon arrivals of more Chinese travellers.
The Addis Ababa Bole International Airport said it had seen 70 Ethiopian customer service professionals on Thursday graduate from a Chinese language training program aimed at providing better service to Chinese passengers.
The language training program was organized by the Chinese Embassy in Addis Ababa in partnership with Confucius Institute.
The graduates, composed of customs officers and security officials at Addis Ababa Bole International Airport, Ethiopian airlines and customs office, have attended a 10-week long Chinese language training session.
La Yifan, Chinese Ambassador to Ethiopia, and Tadele Barega, Managing Director of Ethiopian Ground Services, congratulated and awarded graduates with certificate of recognition in a ceremony held at the Chinese embassy in Addis Ababa.
La commended the program as a vivid indication of the growing Sino-Ethiopian partnership.
"Bole International Airport is the largest point for the Chinese passengers, not only to Ethiopia but also for the African continent," he said.
"By offering the most friendly and convenient service you are contributing to the national development and national renascence of Ethiopia," he told the graduates.
There are over 2,000 Chinese passengers transiting at Bole International Airport on average every day, according to the ambassador.
Barega also lauded the program. "We need to have qualified and educated Chinese-speaking employees who can very well serve our Chinese passengers, who can very well address and attend our Chinese passenger's needs on daily basis," he said.
The second round of the Chinese language proficiency training session will start soon. Enditem
