BY MENGISTEAB TESHOME
Surrounded by mountains with majestic appearance, Addis Ababa shares the chronicles of cities around the globe. The city has got an opportunity of becoming Capital City of Ethiopia for various reasons since the late 19th century and of Africa as well following the establishment of Organization of African Union (OAU) now African Union (AU). Getting developed gradually through time, it has become also the hub of economic, political and social issues.
Its immediate predecessor, Entoto, which is situated on a high tableland was initially assumed to be the capital city of Ethiopia, but soon found to be unwelcoming because of its extreme cold and an acute shortage of firewood. The Empress Taitu, wife of Emperor Menelik II, persuaded the emperor to build a house near the hot springs, known as Finfine in Oromo language, at the foot of the tableland and to grant land in the area to members of the nobility. The city was thus founded in 1887 and was named Addis Ababa (“New Flower”) by the empress.
Experiencing myriads of ups and downs during various regimes, Addis Ababa now stands at a new chapter since the new leadership came to power and taking over renovation and execution of various delayed projects and launching new ones. Numerous of these projects are already inaugurated whereas some are under construction. This article entertains on recent incumbents’ effort in renovating various parts of the city’s land marks and completing a number projects in transport, housing and industrial parks and schools as well as recreation facilities among others.
And the factor of these all efforts creates positive impacts to making the city more attractive, comfortable and clean. Its residents are witnessing that the Addis Ababa City Administration is committed in paving ways to ensuring residents’ demand of social as economic benefits and making the Capital the epicenter of nation’s prosperity engine.
While approached by The Ethiopian Herald, Addis Ababa City Administration Education Bureau Communication and Public Relation Director, Abebe Cherinet noted that though Addis Ababa is endowed with a bunch of manmade and natural resources, the development of facilities and infrastructure had not been in the way it should be because of steady and poor management of the preceding leadership. As a result, residents have been exposed to a number of problems due to lack of provisions of essential services.
In here remark, Deputy Mayor of Addis Ababa, Adanech Abebie said that the city has to offer the services the businesses community and the residents deserve. Beautifying Sheger projects notably the Addis Ababa Friendship Park, Unity Park, Entoto Arts Center, Grove Garden Walk, and many more exciting areas have added beauty to the city and are providing services for the dwellers. The friendship Park with its enthusiastic view in particular, is hosting a number of events since its inauguration.
She further noted that through the collective cooperation of the city’s businesses community, civic organizations, and residents, Addis Ababa city administration is striving to realize the quality of life that its dwellers are appealing to. In line with this, The City of Addis Ababa strives to be a city of excellence and outshining on top of serving the wellbeing of the communities that live, work, and enjoy life in it.
The City is getting convenient being hub for industrial parks, commercial centers, wholesale and retail businesses, as well as a wide variety of government run housing programs and real estate firms that aimed to address the ever growing queries of its residents.
“The Grand Meskel Square project that recently inaugurated is human centered design with aesthetic value and aspiring to unlock the city’s economic and social potential. It is the demonstration of the national vision for prosperity,” she underlined.
According to her, Meskel Square has a capacity of parking over 1,400 vehicles in its underground facilities equipped with the latest technology, and also equipped with the facilities such as 35 shops, 140 rest rooms, 120 washing rooms and many other facilities that could be the factor for healthier way life of the community and letting tourists stay longer in the capital.
Zemedeneh Nigatu, an optimistic Ethiopian-American, Global Chairman, Fairfax Africa Fund, in his recent tweet noted that Commercial Bank of Ethiopia’s new 46-story headquarters lit-up Sunday night with colorful neon messages to celebrate the opening of the redone Meskel Square. Nice to see Addis Ababa’s sky shine so beautifully at night like other major international cities.
It is well known that more than 120 international missions and embassies are found in Addis Ababa that makes the city a hub of international diplomacy and Africa in particular. The headquarters of the African Union, the crowning symbol of Addis Ababa’s growing prominence as Africa’s diplomatic hub and the presence of UN Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA) make the city politically and economically active. At the same time, the European Union and the United States both have two delegations in Addis Ababa, one for bilateral relations with Ethiopia and the other for the African Union.
Addis Ababa has also the busiest airport in East Africa. It is the main hub for Ethiopian Airlines, one of the most successful and reputable airlines in Africa. The airport hosts Lufthansa, Air Djibouti, Eritrean Airlines, Sudan Airways, Kenya Airways, Rwanda Air, Saudi Airlines, Turkish Airways, Fly Emirates, Qatar Airways, and Egypt Air and Fly Dubai. There are also daily flights from and to Europe, the United States, Asia, and many African cities including Accra, Bamako, Brazzaville, Cairo, Dakar, Dar es Salaam, Djibouti, Khartoum, Harare, Johannesburg, Nairobi. From the U.S., there are direct flights from LAX, Newark Liberty, and Washington, D.C., stopping over at either Dublin or Lomé.
Dr. Atlaw Alemu, an economist at Addis Ababa University, for his part noted that the beautifying Addis Ababa is wonderful it needless to say it could bring back return in many ways, the city administration should keep on in tracing also other priorities to investing and making its residents and all Ethiopians proud of it.
“In my view, the cost to develop these projects is huge and when we weigh the demand and the supply, there much has to be done and I want to urge stakeholders to strengthen efforts more than ever before in various fronts of development and making Addis Ababa, ‘New’ as it name implies,” he urged.
THE ETHIOPIAN HERALD JUNE 17 /2021
