ADDIS ABABA — Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed inaugurated the “Sheikha Fatima Bint Mubarak” boarding school in Addis Ababa today, dedicated to educating visually impaired students. The school is a project led by the Office of the First Lady and supported by Sheikha Fatima, the mother of Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed, President of the United Arab Emirates.

According to Ethiopian News Agency, the new facility is designed to cater to the educational needs of students from grades 9 to 12, featuring classrooms, a cafeteria, a library, and other modern amenities to support visually impaired students. The boarding school is part of a broader initiative by the Office of the First Lady, which has previously constructed 34 schools across Ethiopia primarily serving low-income populations.

During the inauguration, the Prime Minister highlighted the importance of integrating the needs of disabled individuals into broader city infrastructure projects, inspired by the school’s model. He announced that the school will accommodate over 300 blind students from across the country, emphasizing the government’s continued focus on development projects that benefit low-income citizens.

First Lady Zinash Tayachew spoke at the event, expressing her office’s commitment to projects that alleviate the challenges faced by the economically disadvantaged. She thanked Sheikha Fatima for her significant contribution to the project, which reinforces the strong bilateral relations between Ethiopia and the UAE, as noted by Kelifa Mubarek, Humanity Department Chancellor at the University of Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed. Mubarek highlighted that the enduring partnership between the two nations has been particularly robust since President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed’s official visit to Ethiopia in 2018.