ADDIS ABABA, May 6 (Xinhua) -- Chinese construction giant, International First Highway (IFH), and the Great Ethiopian Run (GER) on Monday announced partnership to organize a 6-km relay race in Addis Ababa on May 26.

The race is expected to attract thousands of participants, featuring various other activities that aimed to create awareness on road traffic safety, IFH officials revealed on Monday.

IFH's Communications Department Manager Zhang Cuoliang told Xinhua, "Through this athletics event, the IFH wants to create awareness among Ethiopians about its commitment about road traffic safety in the country."

"Already IFH has donated road construction equipment and traffic safety clothes to traffic police and conducted classes to primary students on the need to obey traffic rules," Zhang said.

GER annually organizes Africa's largest road race in the streets of Addis Ababa, in which the latest 2018 edition of the race witnessed more than 47,500 participants.

Ethiopian government officials, representatives from private firms and non-governmental organizations, staff members of Chinese firms, and professional athletes are expected to participate in the 2019 relay race, according to the organizers.

The annual relay race has been held since 2003 in Addis Ababa on the backdrop of the United Nations Global Road Safety Week, which is annually commemorated worldwide from May 6 to 12.

This year's UN Global Road Safety Week, which kicked off on Monday under the theme "Leadership for Road Safety," acknowledged that "stronger leadership is needed to advance road safety in countries and communities worldwide," according to the UN Economic Commission for Africa (ECA).

IHF, a subsidiary of China Communication Construction Company (CCCC), has been engaged in more than 30 projects in the construction of roads, bridges, and other civil engineering projects in Ethiopia since its establishment in 1998. Enditem

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