My Opinion | Mar 06,2021
Jul 13 , 2019
By SELAMAWIT MENGESAHA ( FORTUNE STAFF WRITER )
The stalled construction of the Institute of Ethiopian Study library inside the Addis Abeba University (AAU) was inaugurated at the end of last week.
Fully financed by Midroc Ethiopia Group, the construction of the library took over 16 years and consumed a total of 116 million Br.
The inauguration ceremony, which was held at the end of last week, was attended by Arega Yirdaw (PhD), CEO of MIDROC Technology Group, Hirut Woldemariam, minister of Science & Higher Education, and Tassew Woldehanna (Prof.), president of the AAU.
The building construction agreement was signed by the former president of the University, Endrias Eshete (PhD), and Sheik Mohammed Hussein Ali Al-Amoudi back in 2002. Even though the construction was started in 2002, it was paused twice before it was resumed for the third time in 2016.
Covering 6,240Sqm, the building has two floors along with a basement. It has a lobby, 250 auditorium chairs, 365 sets of bookshelves, a store, a meeting room, two elevators and a projector room.
The new building, named after Sheik Mohammed Hussein Ali Al-Amoudi, will increase the limited capacity of the library in terms of floor space and modern facilities, according to Tassew.
"It will serve the ever-growing needs of users in line with its core information and documentation about Ethiopia," Tassew said.
MIDROC Construction Plc, a subsidiary of the MIDROC Group, established in 1993 with half a billion Birr and responsible for the construction of Sheraton Addis Hotel, Meqelle Referral Hospital and the Ethiopian Airlines Cargo terminal has carried out the foundation work, construction of the substructure and superstructure of the building.
Fasil Giorghis Consult, Consulting Architects & Planners, a local consulting firm, supervised the construction of the project.
MEPO Contracting & Management Services Plc, another sister company of MIDROC Ethiopia Group established in 2008, executed the finishing work, installation of facilities and construction of various utility infrastructure and furnishing. MEPO was also supported by companies from Midroc Technology Group that work as subcontracting partners.
The library, which was opened in 1963, collects and maintains books, manuscripts, newspapers and periodicals that can be used by scholars and historians, university students and external users. It maintains materials that were published before the inception of the printing press in the country, as well as those published in Ethiopia since the advent of the printing press in the country.
Once the building is delivered to AAU, the management of the University will fill the facility historical books and reference materials, according to Tassew.
"We have a plan to buy a sound system for the meeting room," Tassew said.
The librarians of the Institute should take full responsibility to properly administer the library, according to Hirut, who was previously vice president of the University before her appointment as minister of Culture three years ago.
"They have to ensure the Library remains functional," said Hirut.
This donation from Sheik Mohammed Hussein Ali Al-Amoudi for the Addis Abeba University is not the first one. He previously constructed a building to be used as a children's cardiac centre at Black Lion Hospital, which is administered under the University. He pledged 40 million Br for that centre, which was inaugurated back in 2009.
PUBLISHED ON
Jul 13,2019 [ VOL
20 , NO
1002]
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