Since its first establishment back during the reign of emperor Minilik II, Addis Ababa, the capital of Ethiopia, has taken plausible measures to get the picture and history that the city has got today. Addis Ababa has been the focal point of Africa and the whole world for a number of reasons. As a beacon of freedom and resistance, Ethiopia is considered the promised land of hope by many Africans and black people around the world.
The city has been on fast track in order to achieve and become as an ideal destination as its name. As the place is a home of many continental and international organizations, Addis Ababa is expected to be equivalent with other international cities like New York and Geneva. To this end, the City Administration and the federal government have been working closely to upgrade the whole picture of the city by adding more values to the existing cultural and historical scenes.
Professor Tasew Woldehana, former president of Addis Ababa University, while presenting paper on “About Ethiopia” forum, photography exhibition and panel discussions organized by the Ethiopian Press Agency (EPA) in collaboration with the City Administration of Addis Ababa said that Addis Ababa is making education available for the next generation by building feeding centers.
According to Prof. Tasew, Addis Ababa is not only the political but also the economic center of the country. The capital city’s economy is growing at 8.8% every year. He said that the annual package production has reached more than 1.9 trillion Birr.
Addis Ababa is a transit point for foreign and domestic trade and transport. It has three large state universities and more than 150 private colleges, the professor said.
Mentioning that the capital city is the world’s diplomatic seat, he said that it is where the first library “Abrehot” in East Africa is providing services. Besides, prof. Tasew described Addis Ababa as a capital city with entertainment facilities such as Entoto and Unity Parks and fast transportation facilities.
As the city is the biggest economic center; there are many banks, factories, educational institutions, parks and industrial parks in it, he said. He stressed that it is not possible to clap with one hand, so everyone should own it for peace.
After the current incumbent has assumed political power, numerous actions have been applied across every direction of the city and the whole nation. Actions have been taken to make the capital the perfect hub to incorporate all the foreigners and local people so that the city becomes a place of inclusion without marginalizing anyone. In the past five years, the City Administration has built marvelous projects and opened to the public service. Besides, both the administrations have done their best to expand the experience to the neighboring towns.
The City Administration of Addis Ababa has been working on making the city a favorable place for both the people and tourists who come from different places. Addis Ababa has got the new faces in all directions to be attractive for anyone who wishes to visit the city. It has been adding new projects that feel human and open for the public.
Having built and finalized those mega projects, the city administration and the federal government have reaped what they have sown. More tourists from local and abroad have been keen to visit the city and expand the new experience to the world. On top of that, the city has generated more income from these sites. The projects have become the hub of job creation. Addis Ababa has been working on many mega projects at this time.
According to the city mayor’s website, The Meskel Square is one of the many projects in the city. It was built to accommodate 1,400 parking lots, including religious festivals, concerts and other special events. In this regard, the construction of the project was completed within the scheduled time.
In the square, it has been replaced with six modern digital screens by removing the advertisements that were posted on every wall, and it has solved the parking problem to a great extent, and it is providing many other public services, including the previous religious ceremony. 100 percent completed as of February 25, 2022.
Furthermore, the public library, Abrehot, is the other project. The construction of the public library project, which is the biggest library not only in Ethiopia, but also in the continent, has been completed and started work. Project Construction of This modern library with comprehensive infrastructure has been completed in a speedy manner so that the residents of the city, especially the young generation, can enrich themselves by reading, change their thinking and stay away from the old places.
As the project is big and needed more than a billion Birr investment, it has many special features. The project is laid on 1.1 hectares of land. It is a 2000 seats library that can serve 25 thousand students at a time by its E- library. It incorporates 1.5 Km long bookshelf, cafeteria, 113 car parking, books shops, amphitheater, event garden, seating/meditation areas, open plaza – shopping & café spaces, terraced urban seating spaces, lecture and discussion rooms.
What has been learnt in the case of the city administration’s activities is that the governing body has planned, started, progressed, and finalized all the projects on time amid so many ups and downs. In addition, the city administration has continued its progresses in coming up with planning and finalizing new projects and also working in collaboration with the federal government to stretch such projects across the entire nation.
Unlike the previous face of the city and its design, the new projects of the city administration are designed to include all the necessary inputs so that citizens can get services in the nearest place possible. Some of the mega projects will be equipped with places and service centers that help people to achieve their social, economic, and personal activities.
Recently, one of the many mega projects in Addis is Adwa Museum which is about to be finalized within three months. Addis Ababa Mega Projects Office is in charge of those mega projects in the city. The office announced that it has been working on finalizing a 4.6 billion Birr Adwa Museum construction in the next three months.
Addis Ababa Mega Projects Office Contract Administration Director, Dawit Tibebu told the Ethiopian Press Agency (EPA) that the construction of Adwa Museum Project has reached 87% completion. The project is one of the multipurpose mega projects that are being constructed in the metropolis and would be finalized in the coming three months. To finalize the project on schedule time, important inputs are put into place.
As to him, the museum contains a center that pays tribute and commemorates Adwa patriots, recreational centers, cafeteria, cinema houses and halls. It would have a key contribution to preserving history.
Furthermore, it would have doors that symbolize heroes who join Adwa battlefield gathering from every corner of the country. The museum also symbolizes the heroic development activities of the current generations, he added.
Hence, it contains stairs that symbolize the long journey from the starting point to the battle field where the victory of Adwa was gained. In addition, Adwa Mountains would be painted on the walls to familiarize the museum with the battlefield.
The museum was built in a way that showed women’s participation in the war. Administration Council hall, libraries and research offices are built in. Moreover, a bus terminal was also included in it to lessen transportation crowded around Piazza. As a result, it is aimed to reduce traffic jams, he noted.
All in all, the city is walking on the path of development via satisfying its citizens’ needs step by step that includes providing well furnished residential houses to the elderly, the disabled and the needy people, it was learned.
BY DANIEL ALEMAYEHU
The Ethiopian Herald September 7/2023
