Addis Ababa: African officials, who visited Ethiopia’s capital Addis Ababa this weekend, have expressed admiration on the transformation being underway in the city.

Mayors of African cities, ministers and head of various organizations visited development activities and exchanged views on leadership experiences with the Mayor of Addis Ababa, Adanech Abiebie.

The delegation has visited various development projects that aimed at improving the lives of residents of the city.

During the visit, members of the delegation have expressed their admiration on the transformation underway in the capital.

Former Member of Parliament of Zimbabwe, Faozayi Mahere said we Africans from across the continent inspired by the amazing transformation that is taking place in the city.

She said we particularly inspired by the work that is being done around Early Childhood Development (ECD), a program being carried in Addis Ababa with the objective of changing the lives of children residing in the capital.

The former MP is also a
mazed by the town planning and making the city more livable and the emphasis given on green spaces and enhancing the environment.

‘We really remember the name of Addis Ababa, (new flower), definitely a new flower that is blossoming and I think the activities are inspiring for everyone across the continent,’ she said.

Talking about the Adwa Memorial Museum built in the center of the city, she said, the construction of the museum has been completed in just a very short space of time. We inspired by the multipurpose nature of the museum, it is very friendly to tourists and pedestrians.

The artifacts and historical events depicted in the museum are vital to learn about Ethiopia’s history, which is a countries that fought against colonialism quite successfully, she stated expressing interest to learn more about Ethiopia.

The government certainly has a transformational mindset, she further explained, adding that we were also able to see that a lot of growth and expansion are being underway across the city. She
said the city is extremely clean with a lot of new parks which continues to expand.

We really want the Ethiopian leadership, the Prime Minister and the mayor of the city to continue to work together for the further development of the country.

Mayor of Chongwee District in Zambia, Christopher Habeenzu on his part said construction of the Adwa Memorial Museum is amazing and the documentation of history is unprecedented. Most of it we have read about it on books, but now we have been able to grasp firsthand experience in the museum.

‘Coming from history, what we saw at the museum to the current, and the way the government is working at the moment is amazing. There are a lot of changes in Addis Ababa…. a lot of modern concept have been built into the city. The city is all green now, massive construction are underway with a view to make it a livable city,’ he added

It (Addis Ababa) is a wonderful place, and we really appreciate the experiences and I hope we can transplant some of these ideas back home.

Mayo
r of Freetown, capital city of Sierra Leone, Yvonne Aki Sawyerr impressed by the magnitude of projects being underway in the capital.

“I think the whole of Addis is definitely construction sites right now which shows the mayor’s hard work. It is important to have adequate space for people to walk and green areas. I would say this goal is achieved’

Minister of Health of Sierra Leone, Austin Demby on his part stated that the activities being carried out to make the city livable, greener and beautiful is amazing.

‘For me the mega projects are very important what I was really impressed is making livable spaces, securing green spaces for people to enjoy and walk around, being able to develop sidewalks allows people to walk amicably,’ he said.

Source: Ethiopian News Agency