Ethiopia's capital gets a new look thanks to Chinese help

ADDIS ABABA－Afomia Solomon did not imagine the area of Ethiopia's capital Addis Ababa surrounding her office in the heart of the city would be transformed into an "earthly paradise" in such a short period of time.

Solomon, an adviser for the Chinese-aided Beautifying Sheger Project in the Addis Ababa City Administration, says the project has opened up green spaces in a city that was increasingly grasping for a clean environment.

"The main purpose of the project is to clean the river and also to develop the riverside areas in the city. This includes a 12-kilometer river treatment, and the Friendship Square, a park which consists of many recreational facilities," Solomon says.

The Friendship Square, a landmark development within the Beautifying Sheger Project, contains an artificial lake, a plaza that can accommodate tens of thousands of people at a time, several restaurants and areas for sports exercise.

The recreational avenue, which lies on around 30-hectares of land, was built by the Chinese construction giant, China Communications Construction Co and is expected to eventually accompany a palace of science and technology, a wedding garden and a children's park.

While Solomon is delighted at the physical structures installed inside the Friendship Square, the speed of construction by CCCC has motivated her to double down on visions for the project.

"The project was initiated by Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed two years ago. Within eight months, the first phase of the project was constructed and completed by CCCC," she says.

"It's amazing, and it shows us how a project can be accomplished in such a short period of time with this quality," Solomon adds.

The Beautifying Sheger Project and its landmark Friendship Square recreational avenue has given a lease of life to many Addis Ababa residents who want a fun, exciting venue for them and their children to enjoy.

Aziza Nuru, a first-time visitor to the Friendship Square, is excited to have in Addis Ababa a recreational venue that compares to those she has previously visited in major tourist destinations elsewhere in the world.

"This is very beautiful. I only saw these kinds of beautiful things in Dubai. I didn't expect it to be like this. This one is in Addis Ababa, meaning I can come with my family and visit any time," Nuru says.

Nuru is looking forward to when the square opens a full-fledged kids' playground.

Addis Ababa, whose name literally translated in Ethiopia's official working language Amharic as "new flower", has in recent years witnessed a rapidly declining number of green spaces, as open areas are increasingly taken up for real estate and similar other purposes.

Dagmawi Fikre, a native of Addis Ababa and an employee of CCCC in the Beautifying Sheger Project, says he is glad to play a part in re-greening the city which was turning into a concrete jungle.

"Addis Ababa was previously known for not being a good-looking city, even though it is the capital city of Ethiopia. We are undertaking projects as the city's name implies, we're making it a new flower," Fikre says.

"Friendship Square has been a big relief to people who enjoy spending time there," he adds.

In addition to the physical marvel, Fikre says he has learned from his Chinese colleagues the true value of a hard work ethic and the results it can bring.

"The Chinese have taught us through this project the importance of giving proper attention to the job and the importance of punctuality," he says.

Fikre is already planning for the future, when he will not just be part of the construction of the project, but also a visitor enjoying the fruits of his work with public events and other entertainment schedules on his mind.

The hard work and collaboration of the Chinese has also been noticed by Wang He, chairman of CCCC East Africa's labor union and head of the Beautifying Sheger Project construction team.

"I would like to appreciate the collaborative efforts of the Chinese embassy in Ethiopia, Ethiopian authorities and the hard work of CCCC staff to effect the successful completion of the first phase of the project," Wang says.

"CCCC has gained recognition and praise of the Ethiopian government and local people from this project and built a good image of our company," he adds.

Xinhua