Immigration Requirements
Visas are required for all participants traveling to Ethiopia, except for nationals of Djibouti and Kenya. Participants from countries that have Ethiopian diplomatic missions are required by the Ethiopian immigration authorities to secure their visas from those missions. The Ethiopian visa costs US$ 20 - $50 per person depending on your nationality, and payment must be made at the time of issuance. Holders of diplomatic and service passports as well as United Nations Laissez-Passer will receive visas gratis.
If your country does not have an Ethiopian Diplomatic Mission, Addis Ababa University will assist you in obtaining your visas, subject to prior submission of complete passport details and flight information.
We encourage you to request visa assistance from Addis Ababa University well in advance, as it might take at least two or three weeks to process visa application and receiving approval from Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Immigration Authorities.
Travel
You will arrive at Bole International Airport, which is located just 5 kilometers from the centre of Addis Ababa. Event buses will ferry participants back and forth from hotels to the conference venue in the mornings and at the end of the daily sessions.
Health Care Requirements
Prior to entry, visitors to Ethiopia should be in possession of a valid inoculation certificate for yellow fever. Vaccination against cholera is also required for any person who has visited or transited a cholera-infected area within six days of arriving in the country.
ICT Services
The UN Conference Centre and the ECA Campus are set up to provide Internet connectivity to WiFi enabled laptops and personal computers; participants may contact organizers to take advantage of this service.
Mobile Phone Services
Participants are encouraged to come to Addis Ababa with their dual band mobile handsets (900/1800 MHZ). Ethiopian Telecommunication Company offers SIM Cards with pre-charged airtime. Kindly note that participants coming from the United States of America can only use triband mobile handsets i.e. (900/1800/1900 MHZ).
General Information about Addis Ababa and Ethiopia
Addis Ababa is a city at high altitude: 2400 meters above sea level. Safety standards are considered very well, but similar precautions as in other metropolitan cities should be taken. The predominant language spoken in Addis Ababa is Amharic, but English is widely understood as well. Communication in French is quite limited and minimal in Italian and Arabic. Right hand traffic rule applies. Regulations restrict certain areas from photography and movement in their vicinity after nightfall.
May is a dry season in Ethiopia. The temperature in Addis Ababa during May could be between 25 and 18 degree Celsius.
Additional information about Ethiopia can be found: