Transport Master Plan to Assure Dry Ports to Three Cities

Nov 12 , 2022


[ssba-buttons]

Three cities in southern and western Ethiopia will see the erection of dry ports if a transport master plan gets implemented. Hawassa in the southern, Jimma in Oromia and Assosa in the Benishnagul Gumuz regional states have been selected to build dry ports in 2025, disclosed transport authorities. Last week, the Ministry of Transport launched a national transport master plan to develop the transport industry and logistics infrastructure in federal and regional cities. The Ministry has been preparing a 10-year implementation strategy for the past two years, drafting laws, and increasing the use of technology in infrastructure development. It has partnered with various ministries such as Agriculture, Industry, Mines, Urban Development & Infrastructure and Finance to foster the strategy for roads, water, railway, and air transport development. The federal government plans to expand 10 new airports and eight dry ports. Dagmawit Moges, minister of Transport & Logistics, said the national master plan serving for the next three decades aims at making the country a logistics services hub, promoting economic development, increasing domestic production, innovation and sustainable strategies. The Ethiopian Roads Administration (ERA) has overseen the study of the master plan, designed by the Italian consulting firm, Italferr. An international consulting and technology solutions company, MIC, has been part of the master plan development work. The African Development Bank (ADF) has funded the project with plans to build 5,049Km of new expressways, 22,000Km regional roads, and the rehabilitation of 5,741Km. Authorities at the Roads Administration said that nearly half a trillion Birr was invested in road projects in the past 10 years.


Radar

US Renews National Emergency, Sanctions on Ethiopia

The United States has extended the national emergency and sanctions on Ethiopia for another year under the African Growth & Opportunity Act (AGOA). Signed by President Donald J. Trump, the measure was first declared on September 17, 2021, through an executive order citing the conflict in northern region of the country as an "unusual and extraordinary" threat to U.S. national security and foreign policy. The extension, effective until September 17, 2026, keeps in place restrictions targeti...


Radar

Rockefeller Pitches Clean Cooking to Curb School Meal Emissions

A recent study has revealed the staggering environmental toll of school feeding programs. A single school serving 400 students can burn through the equivalent of 56 hectares of forest each year to fuel cooking. The Rockefeller Foundation flagged the health risks too, with most cooks, predominantly women, breathing smoke levels ten times higher than the World Health Organisation's safe limit. "If every school meal transitioned to clean cooking with electricity and solar, the emissions saved wo...


Radar

Sun-Powered Grid Brings Light to Qunbi District

A new 600KW solar mini-grid in East Hararge'sQunbi district has connected 2,200 households to electricity, marking a milestone in the recent rural electrification push. Ethiopian Electric Utility (EEU) laid seven kilometres of medium-voltage and 10 kilometres of low-voltage lines, installing four transformers to reach communities long cut off from power. Customers cover only meter and installation costs before accessing the service. The project is part of the national strategy to expand energ...