BY DANIEL ALEMAYEHU
One is tired of listing what Ethiopia does historically and geologically possess as the country is endowed with indescribable tangible and intangible heritages, splendid scenes, spellbinding and superb sites. What the capital city, Addis Ababa, has partaken is a case in point in this regard.
Every corner of the city is bedecked with eye-catching passages winning the confidence of any passerby. To mention but a few, mount Entoto, Menagesha Suba Forest Park, Gulele Botanic Garden, the Lion Zoo and the likes. The city in most of the time encircled with the veritable physical landscapes. All what the capital has had doesn’t suffice as it is the center of international organizations, embassies, unions and renowned international companies; apart from this people coming from oversees are all the time fond of transiting at Addis.
If responsibly and diligently run, activities carried out in the capital all the time add value to its beauty and provide the city with a majestic look. For instance, Ethiopians have witnessed many positive changes over the past three years. Thanks to the reform indeed, Addis Ababa has been granted with a multitude of eye-catching spots, gardens, zoos, and walkways which are being built from the top of the city, Entoto, to the down town, National Palace and Meskel Square. These changes following the Prime Minister initiation, the “green legacy” move targeting at making the capital a “CEO Park City”. Citizens can see many beautiful buildings and greenery areas that can potentially help them have joyous feeling than any time before.
Untold activities have been carried out to anew the city and make it a place as its name bespeaks, New Flower. As the Premier explained on the documentary titled “Words in Action”, CEO is an abbreviation of letters with two concepts each.
First of all, the letter ‘C’ stands for cultural values and community development. Preserving cultural values helps beef up community progress and leads them from where to where. This in turn fuels prosperity as the general public starts benefiting out of their culture.
Second, the letter ‘E’ stands for Ecology and Economy under change trajectory. Commendably utilizing the natural resource in the ecosystem, Ethiopian can garner decisive revenue, as to the PM. The last letter, ‘O’ stands for Openness—an optimistic gesture to entertain varied views and being in a position to create Opportunity for the entire society.
The concept of making CEO park city has an immense contribution to the overall development and fate of the country. As stated by Dr. Abiy, all Ethiopians have to move in unison to bring about dramatic shift from sentiment of hostility, suspicious spirit, disintegration, to firm unity, fraternity, amicable stance and coexistence demolishing the deliberately constructed hatred walls, bridging difference and promoting amity. The positive stride commenced in the capital has to be duplicated to other parts of the nation to absolutely substitute the bad deeds by lucrative social values and returns as no one benefits pout of diabolic spirit and vice.
The Premier has mapped out goals for the country where to arrive and smash out the shackles of poverty and related repercussions it has pulled. If the promising move the country has been trekking at present keeps at the same rate, Ethiopia will meet the desired target within the shortest time possible.
The incumbent has formulated a ten year perspective plan in all aspects so as to come up with economic, social and political maturity. In so doing, Ethiopia can increase revenue attracting foreign currency. With the already completed projects and those underway, the city in particular and the nation in general can generate huge amount of revenue thereby being one of the magnificent tourist attraction sites.
If one requests ‘’is there any firm relationship between the CEO park city and the future of the county? The answer is an outright yes. Every concept embodied in the CEO abbreviation has swallowed the pillars of the ten years development plan of the country.
The cultural preservation, community development, the ecological safety and economic advancement, the prevalence of openness and the golden opportunities secured out of it have direct bearing with the Growth and transformation plans (GTP) and ten years development plans of the country. Promoting and appreciating cultural values potentially paves the way to viable co-existence and amicable relationships among the general public as they respect, give equal attention to one another with a view to making real difference in all aspects.
According to a research by Erasmus University of Rotterdam on Ten European Cities many developed cities use their culture as the main way for economic growth via tourism. For instance, Vienna uses its cultural products for higher tourism based economic stability. Many more cities used this way to make their vision a reality.
Coming back to the concept of community, for which one ‘C’, stands, without the change of the community’s life style and perceptions in every aspect, it will be challenging to change the country. Prime Minister Dr. Abiy Ahmed twitted that the ten years development plan aims at ensuring fair and equitable opportunities for women and youth. This shows that having better development on the community’s perspective and life style and giving opportunities for the citizens, there will be a melodramatic change as one nation.
The concepts of Ecology and Economy do have a similar purpose related with the safety biodiversity and economic growth of a country.
In December, the Council of Ministers and House of People’s Representatives passed a decision on the ten years development plan centering social and economic development. In simple terms, the whole projects of the city under ‘green legacy’ are steering to bringing about change among the society and upgrading the economic power of the country.
With regard to Openness and Opportunity, the reformist leadership has been trying to create stages to have common values among different stakeholders including the political parties. This practice has paved ways to national consensus throughout the country.
The Premier is a strong advocate of peace; fraternity and unity to well overcome any earthly power standing contrary to Ethiopia’s growth and prosperity. In a nut shell, since Ethiopians are now committed to create green Ethiopia with a well-developed economy, their unity matters the most more than ever before.
The Ethiopian Herald June 25/2021
