Business
Ethiopia: The power house spearheading green energy in Africa
The project took 4 years to complete and became fully operational in October, but faced several hurdles along the way.
The turbines had to be driven to landlocked Ethiopia on semi-paved roads from Djibouti, which posed a major challenge. Completion was further delayed to relocate the site 5 kilometers north after the aviation authority said it was interfering with its airspace.
Doing business in Ethiopia can be challenging, with infrastructure shortfalls and crippling bureaucracy. Ethiopia ranks 125 out of 189 countries on the World Bank’s ease of doing business index.
“Government services like customs, land issues, other government services are improving,” said Minister for Water and Energy Alemayehu Tegenu, insisting the government was committed to improving conditions for investors.
The government says its investment in green energy is a central pillar of its development plan, crucial in a country where many of its people are still poor -and given the country’s goal of achieving middle-income status.
“Health, education, communication, water supply, industry, these all need sustainable and reliable power supply,” Alemayehu said.
Only 53 percent of the country currently has access to electricity, with large swathes of Ethiopia’s rural regions in the dark and relying on firewood for basic household needs.
