Ethiopia speeds up road construction

On December 6th, 2019, the Ethiopian Road Administration signed an agreement with four Chinese contractors to upgrade the four roads from gravel to asphalt. The total cost is US$188.5 million and will be funded by the Ethiopian government.

The total length of the road is 299 kilometers. The project includes: Hamusit-Este, Chulese-Soyama, Adale-Girawa and Gode-Kelafo Roads.

The first project is the Hamusit-Este Highway in Amhara State, which will be constructed by the Chinese construction company Ningxia Communications Construction Co., Ltd. The project is 76.6 kilometers long and cost 45 million U.S. dollars. Funds for the project are provided by the Arab African Development Bank and the Ethiopian government. The project is expected to be completed in three years.

The second project, Chulase-Soyama Highway Project, with a total length of 79.5 kilometers, will be built in the southern part of Ethiopia. The project will cost 58 million U.S. dollars and will be fully funded by the Ethiopian government. The project will be completed within three years to upgrade existing roads to asphalt pavements.

The third project, the Adale-Girawa highway project in Oromia State, is 55 kilometers long. Hebei Construction Group Co., Ltd. won a project contract worth approximately US$46 million. According to reports, the funds for the project will also be borne by Ethiopia and will be completed within three years.

The fourth project, the Gode-Kelafo Roads road project in Somalia, is 88.5 kilometers long. It was signed by the Ethiopian Road Administration and China Railway Seventh Group. The construction cost was 49 million US dollars and was funded by the Ethiopian government. The project will also be completed in three years.

On June 11th, 2020, China Civil Engineering and the Ethiopian National Highway Administration signed a contract for the Dre Dawa-Snelli and Dre Dawa-Beppers road projects. After the completion of the project, it will effectively improve the traffic and roads out of the city in the Dre Dawa area.

The Delaware-Snelli and Delaware-Beppers roads are 27 kilometers long, including municipal roads and country roads. The project construction period is 36 months.