Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed inaugurated on Wednesday the "Addis Tomorrow Special Economic Zone," a Chinese-contracted development located in the heart of Addis Ababa.
The inauguration ceremony took place a year after the signing of an agreement between the Addis Ababa City Administration and China Communications Construction Company (CCCC). The deal involves constructing the economic zone over a 35-hectare area, with an estimated cost of $700 million.
During the event, Abiy Ahmed highlighted that the economic zone is part of the government’s efforts to transform Addis Ababa into one of the world's most beautiful cities. It features smart communities with facilities like residential houses, shopping malls, hotels, and recreational centers.
"This is the start of our big dream of making Addis Ababa attractive, as its name 'New Flower' refers to, and my gratitude goes to CCCC and the city administration for kicking start this project," Abiy said.
He also mentioned that the Addis Tomorrow Special Economic Zone will be interconnected with other developing economic areas within the capital through the ongoing Addis Ababa corridor development.
Chen Zhong, deputy general manager of CCCC, reportedly committed to completing the project ahead of schedule while fostering cooperation and knowledge transfer.
"We will provide the wisdom, resources, solution and proposal of CCCC to benefit the government and people of Ethiopia," he was quoted as saying.