Addis Ababa (or Finfine in Oromiffa) is preparing to host the 32nd Ordinary Session of the Assembly of the African Union. African leaders would gather in the city from 10th-11th February 2019 to discuss and decide on matters that would affect the lives of millions in the continent. A series of sessions before the AU Summit has so far been well underway.
Addis Ababa (in Amharic means new flower) or Finfine in Oromiffa meaning natural spring) is often referred by many as “the political capital of Africa.” The phrase derived from the historical, diplomatic and political significance the city has played for the continent. Addis Ababa is where the African Union (AU) is headquartered.
It is actually the city that AU’s predecessor known as the Organization of African Unity (OAU) was established. It is also the city where the headquarters of such important international organization as the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (ECA), as well as several other continental and international organizations, are based. Addis Ababa has become a hub of diplomatic conference as old as its age. A number of international and regional gatherings regularly take place in the city.
With the expansion of vital infrastructure, service providers, and investment, the tourists arriving at the capital has been steadily increasing. So has been the income generated. History tells us that Ethiopia started attracting the world diplomacy during and after the Victory of Adwa in 1996. Right after the victory, Addis Ababa was turned out to be an international diplomatic hub. That was exactly when a number of superpowers opened their diplomatic missions in the city, soon after to be replicated by many across the world.
The aftermath of Adwa Victory was also the time when Ethiopia had succeeded in forging a number of diplomatic cooperation in the unprecedented matter. Some of the major infrastructures, such as the AddisDjibouti railways are remnants of diplomatic cooperation that time. Yet another major event that would put a jewel on Addis’s crown was to unfold.
The key role Ethiopia played in liberating African countries and later on in forging their unity among themselves had to do with more recognition of the city as the political capital of the continent. Ethiopia’s contribution in that regard was so immense that Africans rewarded Addis Ababa by making the only choice of their organizational headquarters.
That was how the headquarters of the Organization of African Unity (OAU) was established in 1963, and later replaced by the African Union, which is still considered to be “an illustration of the unity of purpose by African leaders”. Since then Addis Ababa has been hosting the African Union, for more than 50 years.
It is really Africa’s diplomatic capital and has remained to be a symbol of Pan-Africanism. In recognition to the role played by Addis Ababa, the AU has recently installed Emperor Haile Selassie’s statue at the African Union Headquarters and has scheduled to unveil it during the Assembly of the Heads of State and Government on the 10th February 2019.
That would be an important recognition of the Emperor’s contribution to Africa’s liberation and unity. The establishment of AU’s Headquarters and the subsequent host the city has been making over the years for the headquarters of the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (ECA), and several other continental and international organizations has again become a pulling factor that turned Addis Ababa as one of the world’s diplomatic hub along with New York and the Hague.
That’s a jewel in the crown. That is not the end of the story. The city has still continued to lure the world’s attention in many ways. The recent expansion of Bole international airport, from serving 11,000 to 22,000 a day, coupled with the ever-expanding capacity of the aviation industry including the world-class Ethiopian Airlines and the establishment of major international hotels, like the recently inaugurated Hyatt and Skylight hotels added jewels that will boost the conference tourism the city hosts.
The reform measures taken by Prime Minister Dr. Abiy Ahmed are also added salts for recognizing the city striving for regional peace, stability, and integration. Meanwhile, the plan of the Addis Ababa City Administration to make the city a tourism hub is a recent unfolding event that would upgrade the city’s image. The city administration has announced its plan to develop a number of tourist attraction sites in its effort to make the city up to world expectations but also in creating thousands of job opportunities the city youth in the tourism sector would be a more glaring jewel in the crown of Addis.
Acknowledging the efforts of the city administration, the global tourism institution known as European Council on Tourism and Trade has already named the city as “World Capital of Culture and Tourism” on 19 January 2019 at the General Assembly of the council. This is certainly one of the expensive jewels in the crown.
The World Capital of Culture and Tourism is a city designated by the European Council on Tourism and Trade to be inscribed on World Heritage list with no limitation of time. The decision of the Council to register the city on the popular list of WORLD`S CAPITAL OF CULTURE AND TOURISM comes in recognition to the ambitious plans of Addis Ababa’s city administration led by its Deputy Mayor, Engineer Takele Uma to place tourism at the root of the city development.
That is a sort of leading humanity into development and using culture and tourism as fundamentals for a better life. It is one of the highest honor in tourism and cultural tourism awarded to special cities that are complying with UNESCO and European Council on Tourism and Trade (ECTT) principles on cultural tourism and historic preservation of cultural sites. The global tourism institution ECTT remarked in its official statement that: Addis Ababa is blending its position in one of the most beautiful regions in the world, with the potential of culture and history patrimony, becoming a true world treasure and without a doubt, one of the most impressive areas of Africa.
Becoming a World Capital of Culture and Tourism can be an opportunity for the city to generate considerable cultural, social and economic benefits and it can help foster urban regeneration, change the city’s image and raise its visibility and profile on an international scale. Even before the new plans of the city administration, reports indicate that tourism is growing fast in the city. An influx of tourists is always on the rise.
So, what we need now is to strengthen our achievements and contribute to the implementation of the plans of the city administration. This will certainly produce an impressive result more than ever. So, that is not a job to be left for the administration alone. Every city resident can have a role to play. The minimum contribution can be keeping the city safe and clean.
Herald February 7/2019
BY F. ZUL-KIFTE
