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Tuesday, December 29, 2015

EPRD F meeting on the recent revolt Ethiopian Amharic Eve news dec 27, 2015

Sunday, December 27, 2015

Ethiopian opposition figures arrested over land protests

NewsWires : euronews : the latest international news as video on demand: "Ethiopian opposition figures arrested over land protests
REUTERS, 25/12 17:47 CET

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By Aaron Maasho

ADDIS ABABA (Reuters) – Ethiopian police have arrested two senior opposition members on suspicion of inciting weeks of protests against government plans to set up a new economic zone near the capital that would displace farmers, their party leader said on Friday.

The Oromo Federalist Congress (OFC) says 87 protesters have been killed by police since demonstrations broke out this month in Oromiya region, in the country’s worst civil unrest for a decade.

On Dec. 15, a government spokesman said police had a list of five people who had died during the protests, but casualties could be higher. Officials have yet to announce an updated number.

OFC chairman Merara Gudina said police rounded up his deputy Bekele Gerba and the party’s assistant secretary Dejene Tafa on Thursday, and both remained in custody.

“They suspect that our party and some of our members are part of the protest movement, that we have been inciting the demonstrations,” he told Reuters, denying that the OFC had incited violence. “We do not know when Bekele and Dejene will be released or be charged for anything.”

Government officials were not immediately available for comment, but Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn told parliament on Friday that “anti-peace forces” had incited violence by spreading false information about the so-called “Addis Ababa Integrated Development Master Plan” to create an investment and industrial zone near the capital.

He said members of “terrorist groups” had infiltrated protesters and that the government would take “unflinching measures” against them.

Addis Ababa has accused the secessionist Oromo Liberation Front (OLF) and opposition group Ginbot 7 of involvement in the protests. It labels both groups as terrorist organisations.

Oromiya is Ethiopia’s largest region by size and population. Dissident groups such as the OLF, which is waging a low-key rebellion, accuse the ruling EPRDF coalition of marginalising ethnic Oromos.

The second most populous nation in Africa with 90 million people, Ethiopia has long been one of the poorest countries in the world per capita, but has made startling strides towards industrialisation, recording some of the continent’s strongest economic growth rates for a decade.

But reallocating land for new uses is a thorny issue in a country where the vast majority of the population still survives on smallholder farm plots. The opposition says farmers have often been forced off land and poorly compensated.

(Reporting by Aaron Maasho; editing by Edith Honan and Mark Trevelyan)"



'via Blog this'

Thursday, December 24, 2015

Blood and terror in Ethiopia as protests sweep the streets - Yahoo News



AFP 





People in Wolenkomi, some 60km west of Ethiopia's capital Addis Ababa stand on December 15, 2015 near the body of a protester from Ethiopia's Oromo group allegedly shot dead by security forces
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Wolenkomi (Ethiopia) (AFP) - Two lifeless bodies lay on the ground as the terrified crowd, armed only with sticks against gun-toting Ethiopian security forces, fled the fierce crackdown on protesters.
Blood seeped through a sheet covering one of the bodies on the road outside Wolenkomi, a town just 60 kilometres (37 miles) from the capital Addis Ababa.
"That was my only son," a woman sobbed. "They have killed me."
Back at the family home of 20-year-old Kumsa Tafa, his younger sister Ababetch shook as she spoke. "He was a student. No one was violent. I do not understand why he is dead," she said.
Human Rights Watch says at least 75 people have been killed in a bloody crackdown on protests by the Oromo people, Ethiopia's largest ethnic group.
Bekele Gerba, deputy president of the Oromo Federal Congress, puts the toll at more than 80 while the government says only five have been killed.
The demonstrations have spread to several towns since November, when students spoke out against plans to expand the capital into Oromia territory -- a move the Oromo consider a land grab.
The sight of the protesters on the streets of towns like Wolenkomi -- shouting "Stop the killings! This isn't democracy!" -- is rare in a country with little tolerance for expressions of discontent with the government.
Tree trunks and stones are strewn on the asphalt on the road west from Addis to Shewa zone, in Oromia territory, barricading the route for several kilometres.
Chaos broke out on a bus on the road when it emerged that the police were again clashing with demonstrators in Wolenkomi.
"My husband just called me," said a woman clutching her phone, as others screamed and children burst into tears.
"He's taking refuge in a church. Police shot at the protesters," she said.
The man next to her cried in despair: "They're taking our land, killing our children. Why don't they just kill everyone now?"
The army raided Wolenkomi again the next day, the rattle of gunfire lasting for more than an hour.
"They grabbed me by the face and they told me, 'Go home! If you come back here, we'll kill you'," said Kafani, a shopkeeper.
Rights groups have repeatedly criticised Ethiopia's use of anti-terrorism legislation to stifle peaceful dissent, with the US expressing concern over the recent crackdown and urging the government to employ restraint.
But Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn declared on television that the government would act "without mercy in the fight against forces which are trying to destabilise the region."
- 'Land is everything' -
Oromo leaders have vowed to keep up their resistance against proposals to extend Addis, and Human Rights Watch has warned of "a rapidly rising risk of greater bloodshed".
"The government can continue to send security forces and act with violence -- we will never give up," said Gerba.
Land is at the heart of the problem. Under Ethiopia's constitution, all land belongs to the state, with owners legally considered tenants -- raising fears amongst the Oromo that a wave of dispossession is on its way.
"For farmers in Oromia and elsewhere in the country, their land is everything," said Felix Horne, a researcher at Human Rights Watch.
"It's critical for their food supply, for their identity, for their culture," he said.
"You cannot displace someone from their land with no consultation and then inadequately compensate them and not expect there to be any response," Horne warned.
Some Oromo have already seen their lands confiscated.
Further west, in the town of Ambo, a woman named Turu was expropriated of her two hectares, receiving only 40,000 birr ($1,900, 1,700 euros) in compensation.
"We had a good life before," she said.
Today she struggles to support her four children and her disabled husband with the 30 birr a day ($1.40, 1.30 euros) she earns working in a factory.
With their own language distinct from Ethiopia's official Amharic tongue, the 27 million Oromo make up nearly 30 percent of the country's population.
"The Oromos are seen as more of a threat by the government in part because they are by far the largest ethnic group," said Horne.
The proposed expansion of Addis is part of a 25-year development plan to boost the city's infrastructure and attract new investors.
It sparked demonstrations last year, but on a smaller scale.

Ethiopia Opposition: 80 Killed in Protests Against Land Plan - The New York Times

ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia — Ethiopian government forces have killed more than 80 people in the past four weeks in protests in the country's Oromia region, an Ethiopian opposition party charged Wednesday.
The killings should be investigated, said the Ethiopian Federal Democratic Unity Forum, a coalition of four opposition parties, at a press conference.
"Trigger-happy government forces have killed more than 80 peaceful protesters in Ethiopia during the past four weeks," Beyene Petros, president of the party told reporters, adding that hundreds of others were wounded and arrested. "We are still discovering disfigured bodies in various locations. The government has continued its brutal killings so we call on the international community and donors to step in and force the government to stop these inhumane actions."
Party officials provided names of the alleged victims to The Associated Press.
The government has rejected, for the second time, the opposition party's request to hold a public demonstration on Dec. 27 to protest the controversial Addis Ababa Master Plan, the opposition leader said.
The opposition party's charge comes after a report last week by Human Rights Watch that said government forces killed at least 75 people protesting the government plan to incorporate some rural areas into the capital city, Addis Ababa.
Violent clashes between protesters and security forces have spread across Ethiopia's Oromia Region, the biggest and most populous of Ethiopia's federal states. Oromo students have led protests against the government's plan which they charge will take lands from their region and displace thousands of farmers.
The government charges that the protesters are working with "terrorists." It claims that only five protesters have been killed and that the development plan for Addis Ababa will not deprive farmers of land. Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn warned that the government "will take merciless legitimate action against any force bent on destabilizing the area," speaking on Ethiopian state television.
But the protests have continued.
"This is the biggest demonstration in the region's history. The immediate cause is the so-called Addis Ababa Master Plan that will rob Oromo farmers of their land and rights, the main reason is that people are fed up with cadres and politicians of the ruling party," said Merara Gudina, a prominent Oromo opposition figure, told the Associated Press.
Many of the areas of Oromia are now under military control, said Gudina, vice-chairman of the Ethiopian Federal Democratic Unity Forum.
Amnesty International urged officials not to use draconian anti-terrorism measures to quell protests.
"The suggestion that these Oromo — protesting against a real threat to their livelihoods — are aligned to terrorists will have a chilling effect on freedom of expression for rights activists," Muthoni Wanyeki, Amnesty International's Regional Director for East Africa said.
The U.S. State Department has expressed concern over the clashes. "The United States is deeply concerned by the recent clashes in the Oromia region of Ethiopia that reportedly have resulted in the deaths of numerous protesters," said spokesman Mark Toner in a statement. "We urge the government of Ethiopia to permit peaceful protest and commit to a constructive dialogue to address legitimate grievances. We also urge those protesting to refrain from violence and to be open to dialogue."
The situation in and around the Woliso University campus seems calm but all the entrances to the Woliso town are guarded by soldiers, Seyoum Teshome, a professor at school, which was one of the protest sites, told the Associated Press by phone: "The situation seems calm at the moment but you could feel the tense atmosphere."

Friday, December 4, 2015

Taste for luxury: Ethiopia’s new elite spur housing boom | GulfNews.com



Taste for luxury: Ethiopia’s new elite spur housing boom

Over the past decade, this Horn of Africa nation has seen an annual growth rate of nearly 10 per cent
Image Credit: AFP
The affluent suburb of Yerrer View is just 20km from the capital of Addis Ababa and has attracted wealthy Ethiopians looking for homes reflecting their success in business.
Gulf News
Addis Ababa: White fences and manicured lawns surround the villas of an elegant housing estate in Ethiopia, a potent symbol of the emerging elite in a country better known for drought and famine.
Just 10 years ago, the affluent suburb of Yerrer View was little more than fields. Today, imposing villas with pillars stand behind neatly-trimmed oleander hedges.
A comfortable commuting distance of 20 kilometres (12 miles) from the capital Addis Ababa, the 600-hectare (1,500-acre) estate has tapped into a growing taste for high-end luxury among wealthy Ethiopians, who are looking for a home which reflects their success in business.
Over the past decade, this Horn of Africa nation has seen an annual growth rate of nearly 10 per cent, World Bank figures show, due to a boom in construction, manufacturing, trade and agriculture.
For those in Africa’s second most populous country who are enjoying that growth, the estate symbolises much more than a home.
“We are selling a lifestyle more than just housing,” says Haile Mesele, a civil engineer who heads Country Club Developers, the property firm behind the development.
“We don’t do any advertising. We prefer that the residents themselves spread the news, and in a way, chose their own neighbours,” he said.
According to a recent study by New World Wealth (NWW), a South Africa-based market research consultancy, there are now 2,700 millionaires in Ethiopia, reflecting an increase of 108 per cent between 2007 and 2013 — the fastest growth rate in Africa.
“There is a demand for luxury real estate,” said Wunmi Osholake, who runs the Ethiopian branch of online real estate platform Lamudi, which focuses on emerging markets, with customers eyeing property costing over $330,000 (Dh1.1 million).
The price, she adds, has no upper limit.
And the luxury boom is not just in the suburbs.
In the centre of Addis Ababa, the bustling Kazanchis business district is also undergoing major renovations.
Eighteen months ago, May Real Estate Development began a new residential development called the Addis Gojo project, which incorporates 113 apartments in three 10-storey towers located near several embassies.
“For those working for the UN or diplomats, it is very central. The district is a new sort of Manhattan,” says project manager Bitania Ephfrem.
“The lifts work, which is not the case elsewhere,” says Bitania, adding they are planning rooftop swimming pools, a gym and a restaurant “so that residents don’t need to leave the premises.”
A standard apartment between 140-170 square metres (1,500-1,800 square feet) rents for about $1800 per month (1,700 euros).
Such luxury housing has been designed to meet the needs of Ethiopia’s emerging new middle class. At the estate in Yerrer View, hundreds of the homes from stand-alone villas to modern apartments are already occupied with plans for a total of 5,400 houses for some 20,000 people.
When completed, the estate will also include a golf course, a five-star spa hotel, a shopping centre, school and clinic and an organic farm covering about 200 hectares.
“When we began, economic growth wasn’t very strong,” recalls Haile. “Half of our clients came from the diaspora. But since then, the economy has become a lot stronger and nearly 85 per cent of our residents are local.”
The customers have high expectations. Pushing open the door, Mesele shows off a 500 square metre (5,380 square foot) property built on a plot measuring 1,000 square metres.
A large open plan kitchen and a curved imitation-marble staircase leads up to the first floor where there are three bedrooms, all en suite.
The master bedroom has a fireplace and a dressing room, while the bathroom has “an open space in case the owners want to install a sauna,” he explains.
All that remains is to install surveillance cameras able to read a licence plate before opening the gate, smoke detectors and a security system.
And the price tag? $400,000 (377,000 euros) — a fortune in a country where the gross domestic product per capita is $565.
“No matter what we build, it will always be too little to meet demand,” he says.
But others have spotted the growing demand, with several other sites popping up nearby.
Since the overthrow of a Marxist junta in 1991, Ethiopia’s political and economic situation has stabilised, although rights groups have criticised the government for suppressing opposition.
The economy is still heavily dependent on agriculture, especially coffee, with the vast majority of the country’s workers involved in that sector.
Meeting the demand for new housing has called for bringing in foreign workers as Ethiopia lacks a skilled work force.
Haile said his firm recruited around a thousand specialist workers from China.
Yoseph Mebratu, the major shareholder in May Real Estate Development, also complains that he had to import 70 per cent of raw materials.
“Windows, doors, wood panelling ... everything comes from China,” he said, adding that taxes are “very heavy.”
Inflation, which hit a record 64.2 per cent in July 2008 but has since stabilised at around 13 per cent, has also caused delays.
“We had to slow down our business and missed deadlines ... but since last year, we have become profitable again,” Mesele added.

The biggest prison in Gonder Town of Ethiopia put on fire.

The Protest at Haramaya University - Dec 1, 2015

Thursday, December 3, 2015

The main prison in Gonder burning - December 01, 2015

Taste for luxury: Ethiopia's new elite spur housing boom | ET RealEstate

Just 10 years ago, the affluent suburb of Yerrer View was little more than fields. Today, imposing villas with pillars stand behind neatly-trimmed oleander hedges

ADDIS ABABA: White fences and manicured lawns surround the villas of an elegant housing estate in Ethiopia, a potent symbol of the emerging elite in a country better known for drought and famine.

Just 10 years ago, the affluent suburb of Yerrer View was little more than fields. Today, imposing villas with pillars stand behind neatly-trimmed oleander hedges.
A comfortable commuting distance of 20 kilometres (12 miles) from the capital Addis Ababa, the 600-hectare (1,500-acre) estate has tapped into a growing taste for high-end luxury among wealthy Ethiopians, who are looking for a home which reflects their success in business.
Over the past decade, this Horn of Africa nation has seen an annual growth rate of nearly 10 percent, World Bank figures show, due to a boom in construction, manufacturing, trade and agriculture.
For those in Africa's second most populous country who are enjoying that growth, the estate symbolises much more than a home.
"We are selling a lifestyle more than just housing," says Haile Mesele, a civil engineer who heads Country Club Developers, the property firm behind the development.
"We don't do any advertising. We prefer that the residents themselves spread the news, and in a way, chose their own neighbours," he said.
According to a recent study by New World Wealth (NWW), a South Africa-based market research consultancy, there are now 2,700 millionaires in Ethiopia, reflecting an increase of 108 percent between 2007 and 2013 -- the fastest growth rate in Africa.
"There is a demand for luxury real estate," said Wunmi Osholake, who runs the Ethiopian branch of online real estate platform Lamudi, which focuses on emerging markets, with customers eyeing property costing over $330,000.
The price, she adds, has no upper limit.
- A new Manhattan? -
And the luxury boom is not just in the suburbs.
In the centre of Addis Ababa, the bustling Kazanchis business district is also undergoing major renovations.
Eighteen months ago, May Real Estate Development began a new residential development called the Addis Gojo project, which incorporates 113 apartments in three 10-storey towers located near several embassies.
"For those working for the UN or diplomats, it is very central. The district is a new sort of Manhattan," says project manager Bitania Ephfrem.
"The lifts work, which is not the case elsewhere," says Bitania, adding they are planning rooftop swimming pools, a gym and a restaurant "so that residents don't need to leave the premises."
A standard apartment between 140-170 square metres (1,500-1,800 square feet) rents for about $1800 per month (1700 euros).
- Villas for locals -
Such luxury housing has been designed to meet the needs of Ethiopia's emerging new middle class. At the estate in Yerrer View, hundreds of the homes from stand-alone villas to modern apartments are already occupied with plans for a total of 5,400 houses for some 20,000 people.
When completed, the estate will also include a golf course, a five-star spa hotel, a shopping centre, school and clinic and an organic farm covering about 200 hectares.
"When we began, economic growth wasn't very strong," recalls Haile. "Half of our clients came from the diaspora. But since then, the economy has become a lot stronger and nearly 85 percent of our residents are local."
The customers have high expectations. Pushing open the door, Mesele shows off a 500 square metre (5380 square foot) property built on a plot measuring 1,000 square metres.
A large open plan kitchen and a curved imitation-marble staircase leads up to the first floor where there are three bedrooms, all en-suite.
The master bedroom has a fireplace and a dressing room, while the bathroom has "an open space in case the owners want to install a sauna," he explains.
All that remains is to install surveillance cameras able to read a licence plate before opening the gate, smoke detectors and a security system.
And the price tag? $400,000 (377,000 euros) -- a fortune in a country where the gross domestic product per capita is $565.
"No matter what we build, it will always be too little to meet demand," he says.
But others have spotted the growing demand, with several other sites popping up nearby.
- Labour challenge -

Since the overthrow of a Marxist junta in 1991, Ethiopia's political and economic situation has stabilised, although rights groups have criticised the government for suppressing opposition.
The economy is still heavily dependent on agriculture, especially coffee, with the vast majority of the country's workers involved in that sector.
Meeting the demand for new housing has called for bringing in foreign workers as Ethiopia lacks a skilled work force.
Haile said his firm recruited around a thousand specialist workers from China.
Yoseph Mebratu, the major shareholder in May Real Estate Development, also complains that he had to import 70 percent of raw materials.
"Windows, doors, wood panelling... everything comes from China," he told AFP, adding that taxes are "very heavy."
Inflation, which hit a record 64.2 percent in July 2008 but has since stabilised at around 13 percent, has also caused delays.
"We had to slow down our business and missed deadlines... but since last year, we have become profitable again," Mesele added.

Thursday, November 26, 2015

Saudi investors say Ethiopian govt officials ‘robbed’ them | Arab News

RIYADH: Saudi investors have accused some Ethiopian government officials of robbing them of their land and equipment.

Mohammed Al-Shehri, who leads a body of investors in the African country, claimed that certain Ethiopian officials falsely accused him and others of criminal activities so that they could confiscate their property.

Al-Shehri was quoted as saying in a local publication that the alleged corruption was rife in certain areas, with some investors imprisoned and accused of forgery, and not allowed to bring their equipment back to Saudi Arabia.

He said that all farming operations of Saudi citizens in Ethiopia had come to a virtual standstill six years after their inception. The African country had failed to live up to promises made to investors, he said. 

Al-Shehri said that 50 percent of Saudi investors in Ethiopia have left the country, some leaving behind their farms and others selling them. He said many do not want to return there because they fear being framed for crimes they did not commit.

He said that the investors have contacted the foreign ministries of both countries but have yet to get a response on the allegations. Saudi investors were facing similar problems in other countries, including Sudan, he claimed.

Sunday, November 1, 2015

Ethiopia arrests ISIS-linked cell ?

Ahmed Shiwesh Ethiopian authorities have arrested a group of suspects belonging to the radical group of Islamic State (ISIS), who apparently sought to declare an ISIS-linked province in Ethiopia, an official told reporters on Wednesday.

This is the first time Ethiopians disclose the existence of ISIS extremists in their country.
“Our security forces were able to arrest a group of 20 ISIS suspects, trying to establish an Islamic autonomy in Ethiopia,” Ethiopian Prosecutor Tedros Bahro said on Wednesday.
“The hardline group was trying to carry out terrorist attacks to destabilize our country’s security,” he added.
Bahro expressed concerns, saying the militants were active in some areas of Oromiya, Jima, Laqqa, Chourabi, Khamisi, the Somalia region and the Ethiopian Jiqjiqa area.
“ISIS-linked sleeper cells are active in the territory of southern Ethiopia,” he said.
According to the prosecutor, the extremist group leads its members from its headquarters in kolfi Qranyo area in ​​the capital Addis Ababa, and that they were “plundering the citizens’ money” in the Jima district of Oromiya region.
Source: ARA News

Tuesday, October 6, 2015

Dessalegne Hailemariam elected as Ethiopian Premier Amharic Evening News, October 5, 2015



Addis Ababa (AFP) - Ethiopian Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn was re-elected as prime minister Monday for a second term in widely expected result with the ruling coalition holding all seats in parliament.

The 50-year-old Hailemariam has overseen a smooth transition in the vast Horn of Africa nation since he took over in 2012 on the death of strongman Meles Zenawi.

Hailemariam was unanimously elected by the House of People's Representatives, the lower house of parliament, by all 547-members of the ruling coalition, the Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF), who won all the seats in parliament in elections in May.

"We successfully completed the implementation of the growth and transformation plan... we will continue to deliver the sustainable, rapid, double-digit economic growth, which was registered in recent years," President Mulatu Teshome said, promising economic growth of "about 11 percent" for the next five years.

Hailemariam himself did not speak, but is expected to make a speech in coming days when he names a new government.

Ethiopia, whose 1984 famine triggered a major global fundraising effort, has experienced near-double-digit economic growth and huge infrastructure investment -- making the country one of Africa's top-performing economies and a magnet for foreign investment.

It also remains a favourite of key international donors, despite concerns over human rights, as a bastion of stability in an otherwise troubled region.

Hailemariam -- in Ethiopian tradition, known by his first name, meaning "the power of Saint Mary" -- is a Protestant, the first to lead Ethiopia, where the majority of Christians follow Orthodox traditions.

In a country long dominated by its major ethnic groups -- most recently the Tigray, the ethnic group to which Meles belonged -- Hailemariam notably comes from the minority Wolayta people in the Southern Nations, Nationalities and Peoples Region.

Dessalegne Hailemariam elected as Ethiopian Premier Amharic Evening News, October 5, 2015



Addis Ababa (AFP) - Ethiopian Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn was re-elected as prime minister Monday for a second term in widely expected result with the ruling coalition holding all seats in parliament.

The 50-year-old Hailemariam has overseen a smooth transition in the vast Horn of Africa nation since he took over in 2012 on the death of strongman Meles Zenawi.

Hailemariam was unanimously elected by the House of People's Representatives, the lower house of parliament, by all 547-members of the ruling coalition, the Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF), who won all the seats in parliament in elections in May.

"We successfully completed the implementation of the growth and transformation plan... we will continue to deliver the sustainable, rapid, double-digit economic growth, which was registered in recent years," President Mulatu Teshome said, promising economic growth of "about 11 percent" for the next five years.

Hailemariam himself did not speak, but is expected to make a speech in coming days when he names a new government.

Ethiopia, whose 1984 famine triggered a major global fundraising effort, has experienced near-double-digit economic growth and huge infrastructure investment -- making the country one of Africa's top-performing economies and a magnet for foreign investment.

It also remains a favourite of key international donors, despite concerns over human rights, as a bastion of stability in an otherwise troubled region.

Hailemariam -- in Ethiopian tradition, known by his first name, meaning "the power of Saint Mary" -- is a Protestant, the first to lead Ethiopia, where the majority of Christians follow Orthodox traditions.

In a country long dominated by its major ethnic groups -- most recently the Tigray, the ethnic group to which Meles belonged -- Hailemariam notably comes from the minority Wolayta people in the Southern Nations, Nationalities and Peoples Region.

Monday, September 21, 2015

Interview with PM Hailemariam Desalegn: Part 1


China in driving seat as Ethiopian capital gets new tramway - The Economic Times

The two line, 34-kilometre (21 mile) system was built by the China Railway Engineering Corporation (CREC) . The project cost USD 475 million.
The two line, 34-kilomet .. 

Read more at:

http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/articleshow/49036659.cms?utm_source=contentofinterest&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=cppstADDIS ABABA: Sub-Saharan Africa's first modern tramway opened in the Ethiopian capital today, marking the completion of a massive Chinese-funded infrastructure project hailed as a major step in the country's economic development. 

Even before the ribbon was cut, several hundred residents were queueing for a ride on the Chinese-driven trams, which have the capacity to carry 60,000 passengers a day across the capital of Africa's second most populous nation. 

Even before the ribbon was cut, several hundred residents were queueing for a ride on the Chinese-driven trams, which have the capacity to carry 60,000 passengers a day across the capital of Africa's second most populous nation. 

The two line, 34-kilometre (21 mile) system was built by the China Railway Engineering Corporation (CREC) . The project cost USD 475 million, 85 percent of which has been covered by China's Exim bank. 

"I'm very excited and very proud as an Ethiopian. We ..