A few days ago the redeveloped neighbourhood called Kazanchis (Casa Incis) has been inaugurated by Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed (PhD). This neighbourhood is a vast one with thousands of residents some of whom have been living there since time immemorial. One person whom I met and asked told me that he has lived there for forty eight years. The name itself comes from Italian language that was labeled during the Italian occupation in the late 1930s. It was one of the neighbourhoods where many Italians used to live or have administrative offices. Since those days, Addis Ababa has been expanding tremendously, both in size as well as in the number of residents. While more houses were constructed without any viable plan of the city, there were so many mud houses constructed to meet the rising demands of the city.
Like countless other neighbourhoods Casa Incis as well continued to expand and be more and more congested. So many new businesses arose, so many bars and restaurants were opened, and there were so many evening recreation places where there were residents who took delight in drinking beer and alcohol. In fact, the neighbourhood is also famous for this characteristic among many residents. Kazanchis also had a large terminal for buses and taxis, but not enough to accommodate all the intense traffic that crosses the quarter. It is a neighbourhood that is densely populated and very busy as well. One can say it is a kind of business center even more than a residential area to live in. But it was also full of houses which were congested in a small plot, and the houses did not avail of the necessary and proper sanitation services, such as sewerage and clean running water.
The sewerage facility was either inexistent or insufficient to accommodate all the waste that the neighbourhood produces. It was one of Addis’s neighbourhoods that go to bed very late and rise up the next day very early. This means that there were a lot of informal and formal businesses engaging thousands, many of whom live depending on what they manage to earn on a daily basis. It is hence clear that it could not be left out of the redevelopment plan of the city because it actually needed it more than others.
Indeed, it was one of the first to be taken care of by the project, and when it was inaugurated the other day by the premier, he said, ‘We are transforming a once neglected area, and not for personal gain but for the common good, for the joy of our children, and for a better future. Our only goal is to see a country transformed and free from poverty.’
Visiting those who were moved out of Kazanchis to a new area called Gelan Gura, the premier told the residents, “This is your new neighbourhood, your new home. I encourage you to visit and see the place where you once lived. As promised, Kazanchis has been beautifully renewed. Our children now have hope—they can dream bigger and live better lives than we did.’ Abiy underlined, ‘The resurrection of Ethiopia is near. We will witness it, and our children will inherit it.’
Similarly, Mayor Adanech Abiebie remarked concerning the Kazanchis redevelopment plan that it was a result of the collective commitment and hard work among the government and the private sectors.
Speaking at a banquet on Wednesday, 23rd April, organized in recognition for those who have been engaged in supporting the project, the mayor said the first phase of the Kazanchis segment of the Corridor Development Project has been completed with the required standard in five months through collaboration among government institutions and the private sector. She said the project demonstrated the potential of collective commitment and hard work to realize such types of projects with the required quality in only five months. It marked a significant milestone in the urban landscape into a smart city.
She emphasized that the Corridor Development Project aimed to improve living standards for all residents of the city and that Kazanchis was a dilapidated area that was not comfortable for the residents. But the revitalization effort has enabled the area to undergo a remarkable transformation. In an effort to ensure enduring dignified living conditions, the residents of the Kazanchis area have been relocated into new and conducive environments with better facilities and a sense of community in their new surroundings. She said this project embodies the vision for green, clean, and modern urban centers, which is essential for accommodating the growing population of Addis Ababa.
Only the Arada segment of the Corridor redevelopment plan preceded it in terms of beginning with the renovation activities. The city council has said that it has given ample time for all those likely to be affected by the Corridor Project and briefed them on what was the plans of the city council and how they were about to navigate through it. The residents were also briefed on where they could be redeployed especially those who lived in government owned houses. For those who owned their residence and their business, other arrangements were made including giving them a plot of land outside the area and compensation for the value of the houses.
Kazanchis is indeed right at the hub of the diplomatic village with the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA) and so many modern and luxurious hotels such as the famous Hilton Addis and the newly emerged ones such as Radisson Blu, Ellili Hotel, and Inter Luxury Hotel, where usually diplomats, business leaders, and CEOs, as well as journalists and other delegations and guests, sojourn when they come to attend conferences, meetings, and workshops in Addis. That is when they can easily come in contact with this neighbourhood that does not meet the standards of a modern city, let alone the ‘capital of Africa’.
Today, after the Corridor Development has reached its apex, no one would easily recognize the neighbourhood because all the old houses have been demolished, and all those which do not meet the new standard, even if they are new, were also demolished based on the enlargement of the newly constructed wide avenues and the newly made green areas. New shops have also been constructed so that people who want to engage in businesses can do that readily. Moreover, parking lots have been developed and public toilets have been constructed.
The Corridor Development Project has now touched every neighbourhood particularly in the central areas of the city that occupy a huge plot of land, but the roads that have been redeveloped and the sidewalks constructed for pedestrians and cyclists have been countless and comfortable to use. New parks have been prepared where pedestrians could take some rest or even come to take some fresh air while socializing. There are bars and sanitary facilities such as toilets, and there is no need to use the streets for physiological needs. There are also suitable and ample parking lots for cars, and no car can park along the main roads except in locations where it is indicated and allowed to. Even taxis and buses cannot stop everywhere as before but at indicated places only so that there will be less congestion on the roads and less traffic jams.
In the evenings, the street lights are very bright and there are other lights on the buildings that keep the neighbourhood bright. There will thus be little risk of criminality as there is little possibility of committing a crime and escaping. These are now the new features of many quarters in Addis and in the next phases of the Corridor Project, more and more quarters of the vast city will be redeveloped until the entire city assumes a new picture and becomes a clean, tidy and healthy city with less and less traffic congestion and less air pollution. New large highways will be constructed just as what is achieved at Kazanchis.
When redevelopment activities take place it is undoubtedly a huge project and it is inevitable that some people would object or be dissatisfied by the changes in their habits and their usual comfort zones are about to be menaced. This is natural but people should also be ready to accept certain realities because we cannot always live the way our forefathers used to. This generation of citizens needs lots of new modern facilities and the way Addis has been constructed and developed has not adhered to practically no rules and this state of affairs has given rise to so many illegally constructed houses and neighbourhoods just the one that was demolished in the Piassa area where the majestic Adwa Victory Memorial has been built. The same can be said of Arat Kilo where there so many slums that have been demolished and green areas have been developed such as the Friendship Park which is very spacious and comfortable for a walk and refreshment. Nearby a huge public library called Abrohot or Enlightenment has also been constructed to the delight of all those who have been looking for a place where to read books and engage in research etc.
All in all, this redevelopment activity of Addis is not only about changing the face of the city or making it more beautiful and healthier. But it has also helped develop a new habit of working harder and for more hours including during the evenings. In fact, those who were given the contract to engage in this project were given only a fixed span of time by which they have to deliver both the quality of the work to be carried out as per the established specifications and in time. Hence this has led to finishing the projects in time.
In fact the Corridor Project has been developing in multiple cities in the country practically in every sizeable city and town in the country. The same applies for them as has been applied to Addis Ababa quarters. People are now more conscious that it is also a health issue that this project addresses and a new working habit issue. It is also a psychological issue of convincing one self that it can be done and has enough confidence about the future that with the necessary will and commitment nothing is impossible. It is also an economic issue because tens of thousands have been employed and contributing to the economy. This gives everyone a sense of belonging, achievement and fulfillment. This will also be an impetus for future endeavours. Just as we were able to complete the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam on the Nile, we can say that we can change our way of life and our cities commensurate to the new needs of modern life.
BY FITSUM GETACHEW
THE ETHIOPIAN HERALD WEDNESDAY 30 APRIL 2025
