Ethiopia signed an agreement with MasterCard Foundation that enables it to open a branch office in Addis Abeba. The agreement was signed between State Minister for Foreign Affairs Markos Tekle (PhD) and Alemayehu Konde, MasterCard Foundation Ethiopia Representative, on September 6, 2019. “I’m happy by the decision of the Foundation to open its branch office in Addis Abeba,” said Markos. “The opening of the office will contribute its share for the achievement of the plan set by the Ethiopian government to empower women and youth.” “Ethiopia is one of the ten strategic nations selected by the Foundation for financial and technical support in the areas of agriculture, manufacturing, tourism and other sectors,” said Alemayehu. About 70pc of beneficiaries of the employment opportunities will be women, he said. Headquartered in Toronto, Canada, MasterCard Foundation is a global foundation established by MasterCard in 2006.