10 ON GOING MEGA PROJECTS IN ADDIS ABABA Ethiopia is Africa’s oldest independent
and second most populated country.
Despite having the fastest economic growth in the continent, the nation is the third
poorest in the world with a multidimensional poverty index of 83.33%.
In order to address the growing capacity issues in relation to the large population and poverty
rate, the Ethiopian government has focused on advancing development in the country.
Next to agriculture, the Ethiopian construction industry has provided a very large amount
of employment in the country.
From launching of mega construction projects to minute projects, the Ethiopian government
is putting in as much efforts as possible to eradicate poverty, expand Ethiopia’s
infrastructure and create jobs.
These projects are of different categories including urban development projects, bridges,
dams and industrial projects.
With a population of over 2.8 million people, Addis Ababa is the capital and largest city
of Ethiopia, and headquarters of the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa and
the African Union.
Being the cultural, artistic, financial and administrative center of the country, Addis
Ababa has a high human development index and so it is the center for multiple development
efforts in the country.
Since the beginning of the 20th century, Addis Ababa has been undergoing urban development
till date where the following projects are being carried out.
PUSHKIN-GOTERA HIGHWAY Stretching from the Alexander Pushkin Square,
to the end of the Gotera interchange, in the Silk Laphto District, the Pushkin-Gotera Highway
is a replacement of the previous thin and narrow asphalt road.
It is made up of a 320-meter long tunnel and covers a 3.8km long distance with a side width
of 30-40 meters.
Including Bus Rapid Transit Lane and a lengthy suspension bridge built above the ground,
the highway accommodates many vehicles at a time.
With an interest free loan from the Chines government, the construction of this project
began in 2019 with an initial estimated cost of 1.5 billion birr.
The Pushkin-Gotera Highway has greatly changed the social, economic and environmental aspects
of not just Addis Ababa but Ethiopia as a whole.
MESKEL SQUARE Being the main public gathering space in Addis
Ababa for decades, the renovation project has given the square a major facelift.
Enabling Meskel square to accommodate more than half a million people for religious and
outdoor holidays which include the Meskel-Demera Religious Festival, inscribed by UNESCO as
World’s intangible heritage, the project has equipped the gathering place with integrated
facilities like an underground parking space capable of accommodating 1400 vehicles.
The renovation project has also refurbished the 3.5km Churchill Avenue that stretches
from Addis Ababa City Hall to the square with commodious sidewalks and greenery areas.
With the aim of making Ethiopia a beacon of National prosperity as stated by Prime Minister
Abiy Ahmed, the project has upheaved the metropolitan city with a stature befitting its name.
It is part of the beautifying Shegar Initiative with an estimated total cost of 2.6 billion
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CB TOWER Located in the core business area of Addis
Ababa, with a total construction area of about 160,000 square meters and height of 209.15
meters, the CB Tower is the tallest building in East Africa which was constructed by Chinese
contractors.
Representing a reflection of Ethiopia’s ambition to advance the modernization and
development of the banking sector, it will also help the development of Ethiopia’s
modern services and persuade more African countries to accept the yuan as a legal settlement
currency for border markets, further widening China-Africa cooperation.
The tower of the Central Business District of Egypt’s new administrative capital, constructed
at a total cost of $681 million has brought about advanced technology to Ethiopia\s construction
industry.
ADWA CENTER Being constructed on the vicinity of Emperor
Menelik II, the construction is held at 3.3ha of land at the heart of the capital city.
The project includes multipurpose units like the Adwa memorial museum, an amphitheater,
libraries and youth centers and is expected to be the biggest of its kind in the country.
Still on the road to completion, the 4.6 birr Adwa Center mega project is equipped with
the state-of-the-art parking which has a capacity of accommodating more than 1,000 cars at a
time.
As a monument for African victory, the center is expected to serve as a platform for revival
of the spirit of Pan Africanism.
Also known as the anticolonial struggle memorial center, the construction design features the
letter A and is being handled by the Chinese firm, China Jiangsu International Economic
and Technical Cooperation.
ENTOTO NATIONAL PARK The Entoto National park is one of serenity
and resounding joy which lacked necessary infrastructures and stayed underdeveloped
for a long while until the renovation project was initiated by Minister Abiy Ahmed.
Aimed at changing the looks of the capital city, Addis Ababa, by beautifying the riverside
stretching from Entoto in the North to Akaki in the South, the Entoto project contains
numerous recreational facilities including restaurants and sporting events.
Completed in less than a year, the Addis Ababa Entoto National Park demonstrates the capacity
of Ethiopians to achieve big things when united.
It is part of the “sheer beautifying” project, anticipated to create hundreds of
employment opportunities.
Constructed with eminent inventiveness and ingenuity, the organization and establishment
of the park in terms of knowledge and finance was carried out by only Ethiopians.
With an estimated total cost of 4.8 billion birr, it is among Ethiopia’s mega projects.
SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY MUSEUM Perched on seven hectares of land, the museum
consists of two buildings with multipurpose.
It has its own auditoriums which have been assigned to permanent and fleeting science
and art exhibitions and it is equipped with a solar system for generation of electricity.
At a total cost of 1.1 billion birr, the museum was designed and built entirely by MadaTech’s
exhibition crew.
The new building is 250 square foot and show 30 interactive exhibits which exhibit multiple
diverse scientific subjects.
The giant science and technology museum among others is aimed at serving as a center of
research and preservation of ancient and modern technology in different fields.
As an initiative of Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, the Museum will showcase Ethiopians ancient
wisdom such as traditional medicine, cultural and traditional knowledge, just to name a
few.
It is an attempt by the Ethiopian government to promote science and research among African
youths.
ABREHOT GRAND LIBRARY Located in front of the parliament hall, with
an accommodation space for over 4,000 users at a time, it is a four-story facility and
the biggest library in Ethiopia.
It is made up of 8 bookstores, a meeting room, A cafeteria, children’s reading area and
a parking that can accommodate 115 vehicles at a time.
The Abrehot Grand Library is equipped with 1.5km long shelves that are able to carry
1.4 million books and apart from books, the Library houses more than 300,000 local and
120,000 foreign research papers.
Officially opened in January 2022, the 1.2 billion birr project, constructed by Addis
Ababa City’ administration is one which brings enlightenment to Ethiopians.
About 3km from the City’s center, the facility is set to solve the great need of libraries
and related resources in Africa’s political capital and it ids a promise of the Government
to made the City beautiful.
It is one of the largest Libraries in Africa.
LA GARE Developed by Eagle Hills along with Addis
Ababa’s city government, La Gare is a 21-story apartment block with 87 units including 24-hours
security, resident parking and an expensive lobby.
On completion, it is estimated to be a $1.5 billion complex which has 4,000 homes, along
with hotels, retail and leisure amenities.
Set to become the beating heart of Addis Ababa, delivering main benefits to local communities
and the economy via commerce and creation of jobs.
On completion, La Gare will be a sign that Addis Ababa can sustain a commercial property
market, which in turn activates its design, and finance sector and captivate foreign investment.
The project is one of Ethiopia’s soon to be victories in achieving a middle-income
economy.
SHEGER RIVERSIDE PHASE TWO Also known as the “Beautifying Sheger Project”,
it is sponsored by the Ethiopian government backed by their Chinese counterpart.
With the objective of cleaning rivers and creating public works in Addis Ababa, the
project was launched by Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed to run for a period of 3 years.
Being executed by First Highway Company, the project’s first phase is under development
and close to completion on a 27ha piece of land stretching from the Sheraton hotel.
It consist of the establishment of a friendship square, the “Central Axis of Etiquette”,
a central rally plaza, five amphitheaters, a waterfall belt on Banteyiketu River, a lakeside
fountain, a music square and an artificial pond.
Already undergoing construction, the second phase of the project, controlled by Jiangsu
Nantong Sanjian Construction Group Co, will cover a 179,000Sqm piece of land situated
on the National Palace garage, adjacent to the premises of the state’s Ministry of
foreign affairs.
Expected to take about 14 months for its completion, at an estimated total cost of $54.78 million,
the second phase of the Beautifying Sheger Project mainly involves the construction of
a central square including a children’s amusement park, a sports center, a waterfront,
a science and technology museum, auxiliary buildings and a domed theater alongside supporting
facilities such as roads, pavement, landscaping and ornamental lighting among others.
UNITY PARK Ranked as one of the most beautification projects
in Addis Ababa, it features historical, cultural values and natural gifts and is being established
on 20 hectares of the palace.
The park which can accommodate 1500 visitors a day, has 37 mammals, nine types of animals
namely giraffes, zebras, kudu, impala, eland, gemsbok, nyala, white rhino and wild beast,
thirteen species of aquatic animals, various birds in the aviary and the black mane lions.
Also, the park exhibits historical artifacts, ranging from simple objects to ancient civilization.
From Emperor Haile Selassie’s throne to common restaurant materials, the artifacts,
including jewelries, photo frames, book covers, sculptures and utensils are all made up of
gold.
Among other things, the park also exhibits religious books written in Amharic, English
and Ge’ez languages which can be used for research and study worldwide.
Backed by the United Arab Emirates, the Unity Park has an estimated total cost of $160 million.
The Inauguration of these Mega projects in Addis Ababa from the Pushkin-Gotera highway
to the Unity Park has brought about significant outcomes for residents and the economy of
the city.
These projects and many more are not just changing Addis Ababa into a highly technological
modern City but Ethiopia as a whole.
Our message to all African countries is of Encouragement, like Ethiopia, you can all
plan and establish mega projects in order to level up the development standards of the
continent.
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