SIDE POCKET


SIDE POCKET

A new road around the Sheraton Addis Hotel opens a quick detour across aesthetically pleasing scenery. A severe shortage of cement as the 12 operational factories meet less than half of the 36 million tons demanded has caused the delay of several road projects in the country. With only a few key projects in selected areas receiving priority, the inability to juggle contractual delays are leading to constant disputes between contractors and clients. A staggering 41pc of projects administered by the Ethiopian Roads Administration operated at less than half of the planned capacity, with 20pc lacking both planning and implementation.

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In-Picture

WAITING HOOVES

A donkey “parking lot” along Dejazmach Mekonin Demisaw Street in Sebategna, Mercato, hosts a patient line of beasts ready for their next load. Each animal seems to carry more than goods, they bear memories of an era when hooves, not wheels, ruled the streets. Passersby rush past in the busy market, half-smiling, half-reflecting, as the scene whispers stories of grit, patience, and the slow rhythm of life that machines have since hurried past. Somewhere between nostalgia and necessity, these...


In-Picture

CROOKED PASSAGE

A once newly structured railway fence leans over to the side to let passersby have a way to cross the street rather than walking to a Zebra crossing, hinting at urban ingenuity, or stubborn shortcuts, where everyday life finds its own paths, no matter how crooked. In its sagging frame, the fence tells a story of compromise between order and habit, of city planning meeting human impatience. It is a small rebellion against rigid design, a reminder that the pulse of the city often beats in the spac...


In-Picture

CONTROLLED RUIN

A construction worker, headset firmly in place, pushes a concrete cutter along Ras Desta Damtew Street near Addis Abeba Stadium, carving a trench for new underground cables. The machine tears into otherwise smooth asphalt, leaving a temporary scar on a well-served road. Pedestrians flinch at the grinding noise, drivers sigh, yet beneath the disruption, silent wires quietly stitch the city's connectivity together also hinting the unpredictable plan changes of the city design...