FORTUNE+ VIDEO SPONSORED CONTENTS ADVERTORIALS FORTUNE AUDIO Fortune Careers New TRADE AFRICA New

Fortune Logo

In a City Hall adorned with the theme of the New Year, Adanech Abiebie, 48, walked to a raised podium to take her oath for the highest executive office of the Addis Abeba City Council. She is the first female mayor of the 31 who had served the capital since its foundation over a century ago. Ironically, the diplomatic capital of Africa owes its founding to another female, Empress Taitu.


The only thing that could have taken away from the historical moment last Tuesday was that Adanech has been serving the capital as de facto mayor, but technically Deputy Mayor, for over a year. Like her predecessor, Takele Uma, now minister of Mines & Petroleum, Adanech held the highest office a municipal official not elected to the City Council could attain by law. After winning a landslide vote from the Nefas Silk District in the elections in June, the road was paved for her mayorship.


Mayor Adanech and her Council members, who want to see a "New Chapter" for Addis Abeba, will be in charge of a city at a significant juncture in its over a century-long existence. It is by far the most thriving part of the country, no less because it is undergoing an urban renewal in the form of the Beautifying Sheger Project and its attraction for Ethiopia's young and aspiring. The city has also been spared from the vicious, large-scale destruction and violence the rest of the country is beholding.


But there are also several short- and long-term challenges. The rising cost of living, wildly escalating property and food prices are the most glaring in the immediate future. It will be the most significant cause of urban poverty for quite some time to come. The long-term impediments to growth that would consume Madam Mayor’s attention will be housing shortages, poor public utility services provision, rapid migration from rural areas, unregulated urban sprawl, and Addis Ababa’s complex relationship with the surrounding Oromia Regional State. She has the job cut out for her.


PUBLISHED ON Oct 02,2021 [ VOL 22 , NO 1118]

How useful was this post?

Click on a star to rate it!

Average rating 2 / 5. Vote count: 2

No votes so far! Be the first to rate this post.



Related Posts

Editors' Pick

Exclusive Interviews

State Enterprises from Oracles to Apprentices

Dec 22 , 2024 . By TIZITA SHEWAFERAW

Charged with transforming colossal state-owned enterprises into modern and competitiv...

Agenda

Rising Costs, Inflation Threaten Insurance Industry

Aug 18 , 2024 . By AKSAH ITALO

Although predictable Yonas Zerihun's job in the ride-hailing service is not immune to...

Agenda

BREWING DISCONTENT

Jul 28 , 2024 . By TIZITA SHEWAFERAW

Unhabitual, perhaps too many, Samuel Gebreyohannes, 38, used to occasionally enjoy a couple of beers at breakfast. However, he recently swit...

Fortune News

Electric Vehicle Push Leaves Investors in the Lurch

Jul 13 , 2024 . By AKSAH ITALO

Investors who rely on tractors, trucks, and field vehicles for commuting, transporting commodities, and f...

Commentaries

Health Policy Reforms Walk a Tightrope of Bitter Pills, Bold Cures

Ethiopia's reform of health policies has been marked by bold initiatives, hard lesson...

In Business as in Football, Culture Shift Triumphs, But Silverware Remains Elusive

Mikel Arteta's tenure at Arsenal began in late 2019, when the football club was reeli...

Fineline

Leaders of the National . . .

Leaders of the National Election Board are in a charm offensive mood, of a sort. Last week, they organised a rare tour for members of the me...

When the country’s most. . .

When the country's most senior diplomats and envoys return back to their posts after two-week debriefings, they leave behind a point or two...

Editorial

Mismanaged, Trade Liberalisation Could Pour Cold Water on Local Hopes

Mar 2 , 2025

The domestic economy has endured a punishing half-decade. A global pandemic throttled...

Africa Wants to Mark Own Homework with Homegrown Credit Agency

Feb 23 , 2025

Africa is a place where the frustrations of its elites run high due to what they feel...

IMF Tells Ethiopia to Stay the Course, with Leap of Faith on the Market

Feb 16 , 2025

Madame Kristalina Georgieva, managing director of the International Monetary Fund (IM...

The Race to the AUC Follows Mahamat's Grand Entrances, Quiet Exits Legacy

Feb 9 , 2025

This week, the African Union's (AU) annual summit in Addis Abeba is set to be more th...

Gallery

Parliament Approves New Cabinet Members

Oct 6 , 2021

Parliament Approves New Cabinet, Incorporates Opposition Leaders Lawmakers have approved today the nominations of 22 ministers, including three opposition leaders. Two MPs have voted against, while 12 abstained...

2020 in Posterity

Jan 5 , 2021

TIGRAY VOTES DESPITE "NULL & VOID" THREAT

Sep 9 , 2020

IN-PICTURE: LAUREATE'S RECEPTION  

Dec 14 , 2019

PM Abiy Ahmed (PhD) at a Gala Dinner Called for the Awarding of the Félix Houphouët-Boigny Peace Prize

May 6 , 2019

Faces, Voices of Addis Abeba

Apr 26 , 2019

Sunday With Eden

The Emotional Toll of Worry

Last week, I spoke with an expecting mother from church. After congratulating her, I shared my excitement. Out of curiosity, I asked where s...

Soaring Rent Crisis Pushes Residents to the Brink

Addis Abeba is in the grip of a worsening housing crisis. Rent prices have surged to record levels, forci...

Life Matters

Online Toxicity Hijacks Social Media

One minute, people are laughing at a meme on social media; the next, they scroll through a barrage of com...

The Increasing Presence of Women in Leadership

Following the recently concluded 38th AU Summit, I was captivated by the presence of incoming heads of st...