Merkato, located at the centre of Addis Abeba, is the hub of a large chunk of Ethiopian, in-country business and trade activities, and is said to be one of the largest open markets in Africa.

The name was coined from the Italic word Mercato, meaning market, which now has evolved to Esperanto, a word referring market and sales activity.

And this little market place of Wolayta Sodo, in Southern Nations Nationalities & Peoples (SNNP) Region, 383Km South from the grand Merkato of Addis Abeba, shares the name, as it to depict its ambition to grow bigger.