Ethiopia Prime Minister: No force can stop our path towards prosperity

Wednesday October 2, 2019

Priests attend the Meskel festival at Meskel Square in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia on 27 September 2019. [Minasse Wondimu Hailu - Anadolu Agency]

This came in a speech at the opening of a project to ornament the facades of the capital Addis Ababa, in the presence of several government officials, including the acting deputy mayor of Addis Ababa, Takele Uma.

The project, called “Refined Ornamentation,” is aimed at beautifying the facades of the capital, i.e. areas adjacent to the small rivers of the city, and turning them into areas of attractions.

The Ethiopian pro-government Radio Fana quoted Abiy Ahmed as saying: “No force can stop Ethiopia’s path towards prosperity.”

“Ethiopia’s existence and prosperity depend on the hard work and commitment of its people,” Abiy Ahmed said, pointing out that the project, which is supported by the Chinese government, “aims to make Addis Ababa beautiful city just like its name.”

Addis Ababa is an Amharic term and means “the new flower.”

“Refined Ornamentation ” is a three-year initiative launched by Abiy Ahmed in February to turn Addis Ababa into a tourist destination.

The project extends along the rivers of Addis Ababa, through the development of 56 square kilometres of green areas starting from the area of Antuta east of Addis Ababa to the Aqaki region west of the capital, at a length of 12 km.

According to the same radio, Abiy Ahmed won on Monday the award of “Tourism Leader” of 2019, from the World Tourism Forum, for his outstanding and ideal efforts to improve and develop the tourism industry in Ethiopia.

The World Tourism Forum is an Istanbul-based organisation whose main objective is to develop tourism worldwide through its annual meetings.