As one thinks of the name of a certain city on the planet, there comes a vivid picture which represents that particular city’s unique features that specifically identify it. Apart from serving as residence and business centers, buildings depict a country’s culture, architecture, and civilization.
Many cities across
the globe have architecturally designed and artistically decorated buildings
that are considered their landmarks. The presence of such buildings has
paramount importance in promoting their peoples’ culture and attracting
tourists.
Ethiopians have mysterious architecture that always mesmerizes the world. From its roots in the Aksumite Empire; to the arrival of Arab, Indian, Turkish and Portuguese settlements; to the impact of Italian urbanism, Ethiopia has been affected by a diverse array of architectural perspectives that have outwardly expressed themselves in some of the most remarkable structures in the world today. Many of these structures have stood up against the test of time. Monolithic churches of Lalibela, obelisks of Axum, Harar Jegol Wall, the Castel of Gondar and other indigenous arts remain to be precious architectural and cultural marvels.
Though the construction industry is booming in Ethiopia, the newly built buildings hardly depict the architectural fingerprint of Ethiopians. As a result, sadly Addis Ababa, the third diplomatic city in the world, lacks buildings and landmarks which represents and gives it a unique feature.
As part of the plan to establish integrated metropolis and the desire to attract more tourists and elongate their stay, the country’s authorities are planning to change the image of Addis Ababa and other emerging urban centers. The Sheger River Side Development project is one of the notable examples in this regard.
More recently, the construction of another ambitious project which was supposed to be the landmark of the capital is about to start. Mesob Tower Ethiopia said that it is going to begin the construction of a70 story building which will be located in the country’s capital city, at Genet Hotel, near Mexico square. It will have 250 shopping malls, a cultural center and representation of all regions of Ethiopia and a gym and a golf club, among other things. The development is projected to be completed in five years’ time.
Ethiopian Minister of Culture and Tourism, Hirut Kassaw (Ph.D.) revealed the plan and said that a memorandum of understanding (MoU) was signed between the ministry and the architects who designed the tower to commence construction.
According to Tsegaye Teklu, General Manager (Founder) of Mesob Tower Ethiopia the design of Mesob Tower is unique and reflects Ethiopia’s culture. Upon completion, the public-private partnership development will contribute to attracting young tourists.
Mesob is a shared value among the diverse nations, nationalities, and peoples of Ethiopia and signify the sense of togetherness, woman and the country itself.
“The launch of the project in a period when the country is undergoing overall reform and reflecting on the practical vision and idea of Abiy Ahmed’s of Medemer/synergy.”
According to him, his organization has also ambitious plan to build other towers in states of Ethiopia which reflects cultural and traditional values.
Mesob has also planned to construct similar buildings, for instance, Oda Tower in Oromia State, Agelgil Tower in Amhara and Shafeta in SNNP.
Tsegaye told The Ethiopian Herald that his organization is striving to give the country its own brand. “So this took the initiation to build Mesob Tower which signifies the country’s indigenous art, harmony, country, and mother.”
The Tower will also have luxurious rooms for each and every nation, nationalities and peoples of Ethiopia and will be a potential to attract young tourists from every corner of the world. And it is believed that the tower will extend tourists’ stay in Ethiopia.
“We are working with the Ministry of Culture and Tourism with the principle of Public Private Partnership (PPP),” he said
According to him, the project has been finalized and received recognition from International Engineers. “International engineers have assured that Mesob Tower can structurally be erected based on studies regarding the evaluations, structure, space, and wind engineering.”
He further said a foreign joint venture agreement secures 49 percent of finance. The rest will be covered by domestic sources.
“The construction of such building, apart from adding some sort of sensuous beauty, it promotes indigenous knowledge and values we failed to utilize overtimes. Moreover, it maintains the peaceful co-existence of people through unity in diversity.”
According to The Ethiopian Ministry of Culture and Tourism, once completed, the 250 meters (70 floors) hotel called Mesob Tower will be one of the tallest towers in Africa and create jobs for 20,000 citizens.
As Ethiopia is one of the countries with ever-increasing population growth, the time demands that it diversifies its economic activities. The primary economic activity alone could not shoulder the rising population. Thus it is essential to engage in lucrative businesses like hotels and tourism and diversify the sources of foreign currency earning. To achieve this, it is imperative that the effort to making the country a preferred tourist destination is successful.
Ethiopia has to exploit its material resource, domestic arts and human resource and learn from the newly emerging cities which reap a staggering amount of money from the tourism sector.
If the country is able to overcome its political instability, it would be able to exploit the immense economic opportunities in the construction industry and hotel tourism sector. The presence of an increasingly educated population, improving infrastructure, investment inflow from various countries and untapped culture and indigenous knowledge gives Ethiopia the chance to maintain its place among the world’s brightest development stories.
The Ethiopian Herald March 5/2020
BY LAKACHEW ATINAFU
