Written by Ethiopia is at an early but pivotal stage in its Building Information Modelling (BIM) journey. As the country begins rolling out national BIM standards, this story highlights the critical role of government leadership, clear standards, and skills development in accelerating BIM readiness across the construction sector.
Ethiopia’s experience shows that while standards create momentum, skills create impact. The introduction of a national BIM standard has brought clarity and confidence to the market, enabling government bodies, industry organisations, and private companies to align around a shared direction for digital transformation.
Turning policy into practice through skills
A key theme of this story is the essential role of training providers as capacity builders. By focusing on trainer development, practical application, and close alignment with national standards, CMI-BIM Training Center is helping transform policy intent into real, usable capability.
Its train-the-trainer model demonstrates how skills development can be scaled efficiently across universities, professional networks, and regulatory bodies. This approach allows BIM capacity to multiply far beyond a single organisation, accelerating adoption across the wider ecosystem.
Building long-term digital confidence
With strong government backing, increasing industry demand, and a focus on real-world application, Ethiopia is laying foundations not only for BIM adoption, but for long-term digital confidence across its construction sector. The combination of leadership, standards, and structured skills development is creating the conditions needed for sustainable transformation.
About CMI-BIM Training Center
CMI-BIM Training Center is based in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, and operates under the Construction Project Management Institute (CMI), re-established by Proclamation No. 1263/2014.
CMI plays a central role in strengthening Ethiopia’s construction project delivery by building national capacity. Its work includes developing policies and strategies, establishing internationally aligned certification and competency systems, and providing research, training, and consultancy services. CMI also identifies skills gaps, standardises methodologies, facilitates technology transfer, benchmarks project competitiveness, and collaborates with local and international institutions to improve efficiency, quality, and professionalism across the sector.
