Rapid Development in Ethiopia's Amhara District

Written by Jenni Young

One of the first things I noticed upon my arrival in Ethiopia was scaffolding. Scaffolding made of thin eucalyptus trunks wrapped precariously around enormous empty concrete structures. The blocks around our hotel in Bole were littered with half-constructed high rises and sidewalks covered with sand, dirt, and rocks. These signs of skyward movement were just one indicator of how quickly Ethiopia is developing…one of many that I observed. 

The city of Addis Ababa is building its’ first light rail which is to run north to south and east to west, connecting the city’s sprawling population. One hot highland day we decided to take a trip to a beautiful lakeside resort and hired a van and driver to take us there as well as a few other touristy sites. On the way out of the capitol, we hit a crowd of standstill traffic. Hundreds of busses packed with people, double loaded semi-trucks, and family-sized economy cars alike were stuck in the dusty heat for over two hours. We later learned that this traffic jam was unusually long but was partially the result of detour around a giant highway construction project that was being undertaken by the Ethiopian government. The massive and empty four-lane highway was a stark contrast from the crowded dirt road that served as the temporary on-ramp. 

Other surprising sights included brand new tolls booths erected next to wooden huts on the side of the road, and a city comprised of almost completely finished apartment buildings that was completely, and eerily, uninhabited. Even the university campus that we visited in Debre Berhan was showed signs of rapid development. Debre Berhan University covers a sprawling area of hillside with brightly colored school buildings and cobblestone pathways. The university itself is only seven years old, but the number of students enrolled has soared to 18,000 individuals. I was pleased to see the spacious campus because its continued construction and bustling student life represented an optimistic outlook on the growth of the university and the emphasis on building a reputation as one of the best colleges in Ethiopia. 

Despite the modernity and rapid development that I witnessed in Ethiopia, there is a beautiful juxtaposition of old and new in all of the construction. The campus buildings still seemed to be made of a mixture of straw and cement, the cobblestones were hand cut by local students and workers, the construction of 10-story buildings still relied on eucalyptus tree truck scaffolding wrapped with twine and hand-mixed concrete. Rarely would I see a construction crane or cement mixing truck. The lesson I learned through these observations is that Ethiopia is definitely pushing forward structurally, economically, and societally, but it still retains many traditions and elements of its beautiful culture through the use of local products and ancient practices.