Addis Fortune (Addis Ababa)
Wudineh Zenebe
16 September 2008
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) is to construct an eight-storey building on the 500Sqm plot behind the current headquarters located off Menelik Avenue. The Ministry also intends to construct a conference hall with a capacity to seat 250 -300 people. Expenditure for the erection of these structures - to be managed by the Ministry of Works and Urban Development (MoWUD) using low-cost construction materials - is expected to be 16 million Br.
"The building is designed in a manner that reflects Ethiopian architectural masterpieces, like the Rock-Hewn Churches of Lalibela, the Axum Obelisks, the wall of Harar town and the Castle of Fassiladas," Hailemeskel Teferra, head of Government Buildings Construction Project Office with MoWUD told Fortune.
This will be the first construction of a structure in a design that promotes Ethiopia's tradition, a deliberate move as the Foreign Affairs ministry is an agency mostly visited by the international community.
MH Engineering has come up with the design for the MoFA's future headquarters of the MoFA and would, in consultation with the project office, also develop representations that reflect Ethiopian architecture and souvenirs that would be placed in the building.
Prefabricated Building Production Enterprise (PBPRE), a state-owned firm supervised by MoWUD would undertake the construction.
Kebede Teshome, general manager of the Enterprise told Fortune that construction of the building had already begun, stating, "We will finalize the construction by the deadline given, which is September 2009."
The eight-storey complex - two stories of which are basement floors - will also have small conference rooms, an information technology centre and offices.
"The construction of the building and the partition of the rooms will be undertaken in accordance with the kind of furniture to be placed in them and would enable the effective use of spaces and the building in general," Hailemeskel said.
Ministries were first introduced into the Ethiopian government system in January 1907 during Menelik II's era. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs was one of the 12 ministries established at that time.
The first appointed Minister for the foreign affairs office in 1907 was Negadras (leader of merchants) Gebreegziyabher.
The existing headquarters building, constructed during that time is no longer able to accommodate the now about 380 employees of the ministry.
"There is not enough room. We are short of offices," Tekeda Alemu (PhD) state minister for MoFA told Fortune.
The Ministry's current office building has four floors, with each storey comprising about 30 offices for the about 380 staff at the home office. In addition, the MoFA has 218 mission diplomats and the 457 supporting staff in 52 countries across the world.
"We have hired about 205 new diplomats recently. However, the offices cannot accommodate the existing staff, let alone the new recruits," Werkalemahu Desta, acting director of Human Resources Management with MoFA told Fortune.
Up to three employees share an office.
"Having this number of employees in one room is not appropriate for the nature of work at the ministry. That is why we need the new building," Workalemahu said.
Hard-pressed by the gravity of the problem of a shortage of offices, MoFA is looking into the option of renting a facility that can accommodate 250-300 staff members, including some of the newly recruited diplomats who are due to start work next moth.
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