Japan and Ethiopia signed a 36-month technical cooperation project on August 19, aimed at strengthening urban planning in secondary cities to ease the population concentration in Addis Ababa. Meanwhile, Ethiopian Airlines has shortlisted Chinese firms for a $12.5 billion airport project southeast of the capital.
Urban expansion in Ethiopia is facing a dual approach, as international partnerships target the growth of secondary urban centers even as aviation authorities push forward with massive infrastructure plans near the capital.
Japanese Technical Cooperation Aims to Decentralize Urban Growth
The Japan International Cooperation Agency and Ethiopia’s Ministry of Urban and Infrastructure signed the Record of Discussions for a new initiative in Addis Ababa on August 19. Titled the Project for Capacity Building in Urban Planning and Urbanization
, the 36-month technical cooperation project seeks to decentralize development away from the capital.
State Minister Fenta Dejen signed the agreement on behalf of the ministry, while Hiroyuki Yakushi, chief representative of JICA’s Ethiopia office, signed for the Japanese agency. The project will train officials and urban planning experts at the ministry, regional urban planning institutes, regional urban planning directorates and selected cities. It will also establish a system for developing trainers who can pass urban planning skills to officials working in secondary cities.
Selected cities will receive practical training tailored to their specific urban challenges. Topics will include transit-oriented development, smart cities and urban data management. The programme is intended to strengthen the ability of officials to formulate and implement urban development plans outside the capital, according to JICA. The agency said the initiative would help address the rapid concentration of people and economic activity in Addis Ababa and support more balanced national development. The project will be implemented by the Ministry of Urban and Infrastructure and is scheduled to run for 36 months.
Chinese Firms Dominate Shortlist for Multibillion-Dollar Airport
While secondary cities prepare for administrative capacity-building, aviation expansion is moving forward near the capital. The airport, likely to cost around $12.5 billion, is to be built southeast of the capital Addis Ababa, and is intended to ease pressure on the airline’s current hub of Bole International Airport and eventually handle up to 110 million passengers annually. The airline got the contract for design work on the four-runway airport in January.
Several Chinese firms and joint ventures were short-listed for the construction of the terminal, support facilities, airfield and road-links, Ethiopian Airlines said in a report seen by Reuters on Thursday. Chinese companies or Chinese-led ventures appeared in 15 of the 33 short-listed entries. Bidders will now proceed to the tender stage, Ethiopian Airlines said.
- China Communications Construction Company
- China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation
- China Road and Bridge Corporation
- Beijing Urban Construction Group
The short-listed Chinese firms will compete with groups from other nations such as Italy’s Webuild, France’s Vinci, South Korea’s Samsung C&T and Turkey’s Kalyon and IC Ictas. Ethiopian officials have said that the project is expected to be Africa’s biggest airport when completed in 2030. African Development Bank is one of the institutions arranging financing for the project, and is also expected to provide $500 million towards it.
Regional Infrastructure Pressures and Financing Dynamics
Other countries in the region like Kenya and Rwanda are also racing to invest in their aviation infrastructure to support these sectors.
