Signing of Record of Discussions on Technical Cooperation Project with Ethiopia: Contributing to the capacity development for training implementation in urban planning, development, and management for sustainable and decentralized urbanization On August 19, the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) signed the Record of Discussions on the framework to implement the technical cooperation project titled âProject for Capacity Building in Urban Planning and Urbanizationâ, with the Ministry of Urban and Infrastructure (MoUI) in the capital city Addis Ababa. The signatures were exchanged between State Minister Fenta Dejen of the Ministry of Urban and Infrastructure of Ethiopia and Chief Representative Hiroyuki Yakushi of JICA Ethiopia Office. Signing ceremony This project supports the capacity building of officials responsible for developing secondary cities in Ethiopia, addressing the rapid overconcentration in Addis Ababa. By developing trainers at the Ministry of Urban and Infrastructure, Regional Urban Planning institutes, and regional urban planning directorate, the project will establish a capacity-building system for urban planning in these secondary cities. Furthermore, to practically address the specific challenges of each secondary city, the project will conduct practical training for administrative officials and other relevant personnel in designated pilot cities. This training will incorporate themes tailored to on-the-ground needs, such as Transit-Oriented Development (TOD), smart cities, and urban data management. Through these initiatives, the project will build a framework for the continuous development of human resources capable of formulating and implementing urban plans in secondary cities. This contributes to mitigating overconcentration in the capital and realizing sustainable and balanced national development. The project outline is explained below. Project for Capacity Building in Urban Planning and Urbanization - Country (TargetAreas) Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia - ProjectObjective The capacity of officials and experts of MoUI, Regional Urban Planning Institutes, regional urban planning directorate and the target cities to conduct training program on