Addis Fortune (Addis Ababa)
Wudineh Zenebe
11 March 2008
The project that envisages constructing a 'nations and nationalities village' in Adwa Park, off the road around Bole overpass and the road to Gerji, seems to have been engulfed with challenges.
Developed by Ethiopian Village Adventure Plc, the project is surrounded with three enigmas; questions of land availability, feasibility of the business plan and its short-lived nature.
The village was planned to be constructed on a 160,000sqm plot, and unveiled on May 28, 2008. Infrastructures in the village are planned to be constructed by Ethiopian Village Adventure while each region installs its own series of traditional dwellings in the grand village with a projected expenditure of 10 million Br and 10-12 million Br respectively.
In a consultative meeting held at the Sheraton Addis last Thursday, representative of regional states and other stakeholders were called upon by the Addis Abeba City Millennium Secretariat Office to cooperate to realise the park.
This project proposal was initially submitted to the Millennium Secretariat in mid-2007.
"We got the project earlier but we advised the investors to do it their own way," Seyoum Bereded, director of the Secretariat, told Fortune.
Ethiopian Village Adventure later took the project to the City Secretariat, which saw potential.
"Of the 250 project proposals we received, we chose this one as the best," said Kiros Haileselassie, director of the City Secretariat Office.
According to him, the Secretariat has finally secured Adwa Park from the Addis Abeba Environmental Protection Authority.
However, officials in the Authority are not sure if the park has been granted for the project.
Hailu Worku (PhD), general manager of the Authority, told Fortune the park has not been granted to anyone.
"No decision has come from above too," he said.
Adwa is one of the 17 new parks in the city whose design work is in progress.
The business plan of the project also has not satisfied some regional states.
According to Mohammed Ibrahim, representative from the Oromia Investment Commission, making regions undertake the constructions of the villages and giving the management rights to the company does not sound logical.
The biggest concern, however, relates to the short lifespan of the village considering the size of investment required for its erection.
The village is planned to be demolished after only three months.
Tamene Tessema, head of the Southern Nations President Office, told Fortune that the region would need to construct at least 56 types of traditional houses, which would cost close to 10 million Br.
"Why would we invest in these, if it is to be demolished in three months while we have pressing development needs?" wonders Tamene.
But Murad Mohammed, managing director of Ethiopian Village Adventure, still believes that the project would benefit the country.
Ethiopian Village Adventure was established in 2003 with a capital of 10 million Br. Since its establishment the company has been organising various exhibitions, and festivals.
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