Addis Ababa February 11/2015 The Ethiopian road sector development is becoming proportionate to its rapid economic growth, the World Bank said.
This was disclosed yesterday at a workshop held by Ethiopian Roads Authority, World Bank and other development partners to evaluate the implementation of road projects in Ethiopia.
World Bank Africa Region Transport Sector Manager, Supee Teravaninthorn, said on the occasion the Ethiopian road sector development is becoming proportionate to its rapid economic growth.
The road development in the country has registered significant change in the last 17 years, she said.
The contribution of the road development sector to the rapid economic growth of the country is vivid, according to the manager.
The road infrastructure development should continue unabated to ensure the sustainability of the growth, Teravaninthorn indicated, adding that special attention should therefore be given to finalizing road projects quickly and maintaining standards.
This workshop is expected to identify problems of the sector and contribute to measures that would resolve problems.
A research presented at the workshop pointed out that the performances of road projects is not at the desired level. Delays, weak execution capacity and lack of experience of contractors were cited as major shortcomings.
The researcher and Road Sector Advisor with the World Bank, Yosef Kidane, called on the contractors to finalize the projects within the schedules.
Ethiopian Roads Authority Acting Director-General, Sissay Bekele, said on his part road construction has grown by 275 percent during the last 17 years due to the special attention given by the government to the sector and the collaboration of stakeholders.
The 26,550 kilometers road 17 years ago has now reached 100,000.
The government allotted 69 percent for the roads constructed in the past years while the World Bank and other international development partners covered 21 percent, and the remaining was contributed by local sources.