Ethiopia! Summer 2006
A trip report of what I saw and heard and some conclusions

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Isayas A.
July 31, 2006

Ethiopia in six years time has changed a lot. Last time I visited Ethiopia was six years ago, and to my astonishment a lot has changed since. The construction business is booming cement is in short supply. The service industries are seeing unprecedented growth. Hotels are booked and restaurants and small café’s are crowded all the time.

Addis, being the hub of all economic activities, has taken the big share of all the activities but almost every city I visited is sharing this unheard of expansion. I have seen Mekelle, Axum, Lalibela, Bahrdar, Addis and Awasa. With out no doubt the country is on a solid footing to win the battle against poverty.

My recent trip started with a tour of historical places in the north and a weekend excursion to WondoGenet and Awasa. Seeing Awasa and vicinity (wondo 1, 2,3,4 and awasa 1,2, langa 1) I can only guess how much more I am missing by not going the Dire Dawa-Harar route and Jimma-Nekemet route. God willing I will have a chance next time. In the mean time let me share with you what I saw and heard both from a development and political perspective.

After living with the vocal Diaspora for a year long and having been the primary recipient of all the negative news spewed on the internet and church halls, you can imagine how much I was apprehensive to go back myself, let alone to take my family with me. In fact a week before my trip started I saw a news where there were nine bombs exploding in and around Addis. Vowed not to be deterred, I encourage my children to accompany me and we landed safely in Addis for over a month long vacation.

My observation and impression From Axum to Awasa

There are over 300 hundred (1, 2) multistory buildings currently in progress in Addis alone. This is on top of the thousands of family housing( 1, 2) quarters that are mushrooming every day all around Addis. To the South west of Addis there is an area where hundreds of small scale manufacturing plants producing all kind of clothings. There are equal number of new buildings under construction in this area. The streets of Addis are busier than ever and one would not know there was a major disturbance of any kind few months back! The number of cars crowding the streets is beyond comprehension. New roads have been built and talking to city residents more are needed. This becomes more obvious once one experience the “confusion square” at Gotera area. This intersection is a nightmare for the uninitiated driver but some how the local drivers seems to be unfazed and always finds a way to escape the confusion. I have heard help is on its way for this square and a bypass bridge is in the making.

If one is fond of Starbuck then Kaldis is the place for there are no Starbucks in Addis. A sip of Kaldis cappuccino will force any one to ask who needs Starbuck? Kaldis has become the favorite place for expatriates and foreigners alike. And it’s not cheap! Yet the place is always packed and the parking in front is a night mare, specially the one in Bole area. And more Kaldis branches are opening.

Like Kaldis almost every restaurant and hotel I visited was busy and full of visitors. Gihon seems to be the favorite hotel for those adopting Ethiopian children who are orphaned. I saw many families of European decent with their adopted children at the Hotel. Some have come to adopt a second child so that the children grows up as normal as can be. I only hope these families adopting the children are decent God fearing people.

Addis with out a doubt is changing for good. The political atmosphere that poisoned the city is phasing out. Every Taxi driver I talked wants peace. All they want is order and peace. Some, even after realizing I was new to the city, told me that things are much better and to some extent they regretted they were part of the strike called by Kinjit. They seem to realize the whole approach to the election and the aftermath was wrong. In fact one taxi driver told me “this county is not blessed…there is much change in the city and business is good. I just could not understand now why things were handled the way they were handled”.This does not mean there are no political problems. There are and I have heard political problems! Even members of the EPRDF I met realizes this fact. They think things are quiet for now but if they do not do their home work things will explode again.

Once I saw the burgeoning Addis, the one question I have that needed an answer was “How come people who are investing heavily in Addis -judging the hundreds of new buildings and the many thousands of private business, there is a sizable business community in Addis- did not defend the status quo? Why was it necessary for the government to use force to quell the unrest?” For those of us living in America we all know who the system relies to keep the status quo- Politicians are elected with the help of lobbyist financed by the small and large business enterprises. Last year’s election in Ethiopia does not fit the mold of a typical election, if you ask me!.

Going up north to historical Ethiopia one wonders what has become of our Ethiopia. Similar to Addis, Mekelle is seeing unprecedented growth in the construction area. (1,2,3, 4)There is a whole new large neighborhood built just recently. New two story house have mushroomed all over the hills surrounding the old city. Private colleges offering different disciplines are abundant. Hotels are booked most of the time and small scale restaurants with superb service are found in every corner of the city.

Unlike six years ago where the number of taxis in Mekelle can be counted in one finger, today, Mekelle residents have the luxury to choose among the over one thousand taxis and mini buses. The number of cell phone users is staggering. It is quite a challenge to make a call to Addis using mobile from Mekelle. The problem is caused by the large number of users coupled with poor infrastructure of ETC. The congestion is real! Although I was not pleased by the lousy service I was getting with my mobile service, I was amazed how fast people have adopted this technology.

Ethiopia’s small towns((1)) and cites are growing at a fast rate. Mekelle is a typical example. Along with a growing economy comes a growing pain. And for those of you who have been victimized by the irresponsible vocal Diaspora telling you all is well in Mekelle but not in Addis and elsewhere, I have news for you.

The government is as much loved in Mekelle as it is elsewhere. Basically people are complaining from the soaring price of cement and other construction items. You hear all kind of complaint(side walks are built and destroyed at the same time) and people swear come next time if things do not get fixed they will not vote for EPRDF! I have been told by many the only reason TPLF/EPRDF got the vote last election was because of CUD’s ineptitude and negative campaign towards Tigreans. Apparently almost every Tigrean I talked dislikes CUD and is vehement about CUD coming to power.

EPRDF’s challenge as a governing party is how to manage the growth in the cities. New city blocks are being built with out proper city planning, except for water there are no infrastructure, no visible city road in all the vast new neighborhoods I saw in Mekelle. Expensive villas are being built in the middle of no where waiting for roads and telephones and full water services. Due to the fast growth water is becoming scares commodity in Mekelle. This has exacerbated the complaints people have towards the city and state government.

If you are like me who sees the glass half full instead of half empty , all of this is considered a good problem to have. People are full of hope that they can make a difference in their life style. As we all know people with hope are people living in a stable and peaceful country. Americans have what they call “American dream”, and Ethiopians have A HOPE, I found out. A hope of becoming millionaire and a hope of owning a business establishment and above all every one has a hope to own a home. This I found out is the most common aspiration of Ethiopians all across.

Ethiopians are complaining but they are complaining that the government is not supplying enough cement, enough sugar and enough Teff. Go figure if this is a typical problem of a free market economy or a bad habit of yesteryear where the government was one below God where the people look up to it. Growth is the source of all economic problems in Ethiopia that I saw and heard. It is good to see people complaining about cement rather than about not having enough food to feed the children if you ask me..

Similar to Mekelle Bahrdar is a fast growing city. Blessed with Lake Tana and the majestic river Abay the city is pleasant to the eye and charming. There are many new multi story buildings and all main city roads are asphalted. Hotels are busy with conference and café and sea side park restaurant give an evening in Bahrdar a special charm. I sat to watch a sun set drinking my Dashen beer in an open Bar in the middle of many other compatriots by Lake Tana shore and the image still remains inscribed in my memory. The only drawback for Bahrdar is the flies. It needs to do something about the flies in the small restaurants that serve magnificent tibs and other fish plates!

Bahrdar has a beautiful towering monument. I went to visit the magnificent monument built to remember the many unsung heroes of The Amhara Nation Democratic Movement (ANDM). To my disappointment I was not allowed to visit inside because I did not have a proper permit. I was told to go back to town to the head office of the organization to ask for permit. The monument ought to be a place where people can come and visit any time. Even if there needs to be some sort of prior permit, I encourage the organization to open a near by office.

The Monument in Mekelle is also a huge monument that has added a new face to the city. Similar to the monument in Bahrdar the Mekelle monument commands a splendid view of the city. My kids and I were fortunate to visit the monument in Mekelle and saw first hand a pictorial view of the struggle. My kids and I saw the very first crude knife that chopped off the hand of a living EPRDF official. My family saw the many faces that are no longer with us today among them one of my own cousin. It was with such background I went to see the monument at Bahrdar but was not successful in convincing the guard to let me in.

The road from Addis to Awassa is very beautiful. Being my first visit to this area those of you readers from the area may be bored to read what I have to say. The road is the busiest road I saw outside Addis. Often I have heard from friends and alike why Ethiopia is poor and prone to famine. Today I too wonder why Ethiopia has been poor and why millions of our people have been dying of famine. Forget Dembia and forget the Fogera and forget the flat plateau of Semien and flat lowland of western Tigray, if Ethiopia can manage the resource between Addis and Awasa it should not be facing famine period.

The (1,2)green lavish landscape surrounding WondoGenet and the vast flat land that lies left and right of the main highway can feed and sustain Ethiopia alone. If Ethiopia can developed the tourism industry simply by investing and managing the natural resource of WondoGenet the country can earn enough if not more hard currency than any other produces it has now. The natural hot water spring coupled with the many lakes present between Addis and Awasa if developed in an integrated manner can be a source for a very sizable economy. As it is the flower industry seems to have found this secret. I saw many large scale flower farms along the road from Mojo to Zewai

Awassa is growing. No surprise here. The University is expanding and with it also the city. If any one of you gets a chance to visit do not miss Pena #2. This semi outdoor restaurant has the best tibs and its is cooked in an open fire pit from a fresh kill.

Outside Addis one of the main issues I encountered as far as service goes is when you order dish out of the ordinary –not a common dish, you are on you own. The dish may not be fresh and the quality is certainly poor. I heard Shiek Alamudi has his own company to train restaurant workers. May be some of you reading with good knowledge of the business will take notice and realize the niche opportunity. There is a need and there is a demand for quality chef and restaurant etiquettes.

It will be a disservice if I did not tell you my stay in Lalibela.(1,2,3) But not to worry I left Lalibela for last and last in this case is the best. If any one is proud to be an Ethiopian it can not be because of the rivers we have nor the mountains. It has to be because we have Lalibela and Axum. The treasures our ancestors left us in the magnificent hills of Lalibela and in the many underground chambers in Axum are wonders.

Looking at any post cards from Lalibela one may think all Lalibela and Axum have is just churches and monuments. Lalibela has many churches carved out of a rock connected together except for one of them. The story each church holds is what one is missing until he/she visits the place physically. The story can only be told to the eye and smelled through the nose and listened through the ear. The mummies of our local nuns stashed to the side of the rock, the many church cross designs and the aromas and eye catching ponds that possess a powerful power to heal the sick are amazing.

Axum is revealing day by day the legacy of our ancestors. There has been a new discovery that is still being excavated. The huge obelisk that was returned triumphantly from Italy lies near to the entrance. Once the foundation is well studied, all excavation is done, the obelisk along with the new discoveries will be inaugurated. This can only bring a new economic boom to the city. Our ancestors may have passed long time ago but after visiting Axum and Lalibela I sure felt I was one step closer to them and felt their spirts all around me.

The political atmosphere has changed also for the better. Addis is calm and people are taking it one day at a time. One thing I found out that was common among many is that most TPLF supporters seem to detest CUD and its political leaders and similarly, though I was not able to talk to too many to conclude affirmatively, many CUD supporters hate TPLF and its supporters mainly Tigreans.

Many in the EPRDF circle know the calm I saw in Addis is temporary. I was told EPRDF is working hard to convince mainly the student population and educators that it stands for change. The student population response to the call is showing some fruits and many students are joining the EPRDF as active members. EPRDF in return has pledged to bring new young generation that will lead the next phase of the struggle. In fact I was told the coming next five years EPRDF wants to overhaul government and party leadership posts with new and young faces. Up to 50% of political and government positions will be filled by new and young faces. The only danger I saw in this plan is those that sacrificed all their lives may be left behind. I was told this will not happen but it remains to be seen.

The transition period will definitely be tough to swallow to those old time tegadelties but according to one veteran, the success of EPRDF’s struggle depends if the party peacefully and successfully transitions power to the next generation. To that end all in the leadership seems to be ready to accept the consequences. In fact in Tigray alone I saw many of the top leadership assigned to a new post within the party structure removed from day to day government position. This I was told will continue to be implemented across all EPRDF member organizations.

However those opposition groups who have invested in the vocal Diaspora seems to be stack in one position and in one place. That is Kaliti! I have no much to say on this group as I did not have the time to visit the court where they are being tried. However I met a friend that was doing some research who was able to visit the court proceedings. He told me aside a European and UN representatives who are following the case not much is happening. I was surprised not even a single Taxi driver seems to be interested to talk about it. BTW, there are many rumors but am not much for rumors.

The loyal Opposition however seems to have made great progress in the democratization process. While I was there the main opposition parties and EPRDF made a remarkable agreement to uphold the constitution and help minimize the gap between them. Soon there after, watching the parliament debt on the Governments report I saw the effect of the new agreement. Member of the opposition were seen respective of the prime minister office and EPRDF high officials were like wise respective of the opposition.

The prime minister is now holding regular press conference with private press and was explaining economic issues not political issue that dogged him for years. The only issue that seems to be political in the Prime Ministers address to parliament was a question by the loyal opposition for the government to show leniency and go the extra mile to release the jailed cud leaders. The prime minister reiterated that the rule of law should be respected if democracy is to hold foot in the country and the issue should be left to the Courts

Infrastructure, Transportation , Education and the Country Side

On the infrastructure fronts, like I said the road to Awasa for sure and all the way to Moyale, as I was told, is paved and smooth. Most of the main high way roads linking Addis to other regions are also paved. Parts of Tigray are being asphalted now. Motor transport is picking up. If you visit any one of the main cities that are an end point or distribution center you will be amazed how many buses are parked. I visited Shire, and Shire being the end point for the Addis-Shire and Shire-Gondar as well as Shire-Humera , I saw (1,2) hundreds of Buses parked. Similarly the road from Mekelle to Abyi Adi which is carrying construction and building materials to Tekeze Hydro power project is busy as ever. As a Diaspora friend who drove from Bahrdar to Addis told me the new River Abay Bridge is progressing well courtesy of the Japanese government. Small cities along this corridor are benefiting from the big constructions like Tekeze power project.

Speaking of Tekeze Hydro power project, I was privilege to visit the Tweeze Hydro power project, courtesy of the Tigray women’s affairs regional office and TDA International office. The women affairs office was having employee appreciation day with a trip to Tekeze and was fortunate enough to join the tour bus along with few other Diaspora friends.

The project is located in south West Tigray. On one side it is overshadowed by the majestic Semien Mountains and on the other side carefully guarded by mountains of Dogai Tembien (Highland Tembien). Dogai Tembien among other things is home to the masterful Ethiopian Genera Ras Alula Aba Nega. The trip from Mekelle to Tekeze Hydro power project started near the Atse Yohannes Palace in Mekelle and passes through Ras Alula Aba Nega birth place. Fittingly so, Ras Alula’s home is located at a commanding hill side over looking the Tekeze Hydro power project. It is near a church covered with healthy lavish greens.

The Tekeze Hydro power Project is a jewel for the area and it is understandable the Semien Mountains and Ras Alula’s sprit is guarding it day in day out. Incidentally the Tekeze Hydro Power project is fully financed by the federal Government unlike the many other Hydro Power Plants financed by World Bank and others.

The Dam is progressing well and come next year Tekeze will be tamed to take a new route. Never mind about the technological challenges and intricate tunnels dug in to the hill side to host the turbines and other installations, the will and desire of the many unsung heroes that make Tekeze hydro power project a reality is in itself a sign of the new spirit of can do attitude of the government and its employees that we all should be proud off. When finished the Tekeze dam will cover over 62 kilometers of water all the way back to Wello province in Amhara region.

Similarly the majestic Abay River with its famous fall has been over powered by the sprits of development.Half of the fall that makes the might Tis Abay falls was conspicuously absent when I took my kids for the visit. Though the water is joined at a different location, it has been commanded to serve Ethiopians generating more electric power. This I found out to be the most exhilarating experience. Ethiopia does not need to pick a fight with Egypt in using Abay River. There is a win-win formula until the time is right, at least for the time being.

Passing through the country side and small cites in between one can see the transformation of the vast majority Ethiopians who live off the land. In Northern Ethiopia where I had a chance to see the country side first hand on the road, I saw villages transformed, huts given way to tin roofs, the hard labored terrace that were built the last decade resulting in shrubs becoming thick bushes and trees covering hillsides. I saw Relief Society of Tigray(REST)(1,2,3 and new drip irrigation ) projects transforming a community. Hand and motor pumps helping farmers grow fruits and spices. In some areas almost all residents have build homes with tin roofs and looking from a vantage point along the Adwa Shire road left and right you see vast country villages transformed. Feeder roads are clearly seen. It is said EPRDF’s strong hold is in the country side. It indeed is!

On the education front the coverage at a primary education level in Tigray and Amhara region is nearly close to 90%. Talking to a high official in Tigray, the government has decided not to build a secondary school any more. Apparently the coverage has so much expanded the meager budget of the State allotted to education does not cover any new high school. This is problematic on two fronts. With the primary level education expanding in few years time down the road existing high schools will have no space to accept new students. And secondly some existing high schools are falling apart and are already severely strained by the number of students.

In Adwa alone the only High school serves to over 7000 students and another one built in Weri Lehe (a district in central Tigray) is falling apart due to a negligence of criminal proportion. (highschool, sample of foundation issue) The high school built less than a decade ago is falling apart because of poor design selection and bad construction materials. The school was built on a soft soil and the foundation is falling apart. More than 3000 high school students may not have a campus in the coming two years. I ask who the builder was and what the government is doing about it and the answer I got was mute.

The Internet technology as well as telephone service has expanded. While mobile telephony is fast expanding all over the country,congestion and drop calls is causing an ear full of complaints against ETC. The further you go out side of Addis the worst the service is. In Mekelle one has to try 5 times to get through a single call. This gets better in Lalibela and Bahrdar two cites I visited.

The Internet technology also is expanding but it is too slow. For the first few weeks I could not have the patience to wait for an email window to open let alone to surf the web. I asked why and for most part the problem is attributed to bandwidth problem at the uplink.

The satellite connection, costly as it is, is becoming a bottle neck. I was told ETC will add another 34Mbs of bandwidth via Sudan soon. With out an IT infrastructure robust enough to support investors the new technology hub center sought will have hard time inviting potential investors. ETC as I saw it is ill equipped to lead and serve and the sooner the house is put in order the better. ETC needs to be restructured to serve better the government capacity building and economic expansion plan. One trick will be to introduce competition. If ETC can be organized in to three or four regional companies with identical mission to cover certain region areas then it is likely these regional companies will compete to out do one another. Government can put an incentive scheme to reward those regions with better performance. This off course is the second choice, the first choice will be to completely privatize but I know and readers know Ethiopia is not ready for such move. May be down the road.

I went to Ethiopia with Ethiopian Airline and the flight was full to capacity over 200 hundred people. I came back with a leased World Airways with half Ethiopian crew and half foreign crews. The plane capacity is over four hundred people I am sure. This, I was told, is due to the heavy influx of Ethiopians going for the summer. However I saw many foreigners flying Ethiopian Airline too. Ethiopian Airline can not wait until it gets its dream liner jet it ordered from Boeing. Thing seem to be all well in EAL world. Amen.

If you are an internet junky like me you would think the country is ablaze and peace is absent in Ethiopia until you visit the country yourself. Aside from the now and then shaibia messenger that tries to infiltrate the border from Sudan the country seem to be at peace. Most of the “arbognoch genbar” folks who have been feeding the vocal Diaspora all kinds of false news are in custody or dead. Apparently there was an attempt to infiltrate the country side some time before I arrive in the country. Unfortunate to these people and fortunate to peace and democracy the army was able to liquidate them within days of touching the Ethiopian soil. Those that manage to escape death or capture were hunted down and captured. Document seized tells about money transfer trails and future plans all cooked in Diaspora land and Asmara.

Ethiopia is facing a challenge as a result of rapid growth. In six year time I have seen many changes and, as many of my friends who went to Ethiopia to live there permanently told me, every year and every six months you see new developments. I hope this will remain true for eternity. Our people deserve peace and tranquility. Thank You.

Note: There is peace and order in the country. I know our vocal Diaspora by now have labeled me a biased person. How ever check the following picture and ask yourself what it is telling you. The lonely traveler entered Africa via Tunisia and has traveled on his bicycle through Egypt, Sudan and Ethiopia( Via Metema, Gondar, Debark and Shire) I met him near Shire in the morning and late that after noon near Axum. He told me he will continue his journey via Desse, Addis and Moyale to Kenya.

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