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Efforts towards realizing regional connectivity
Tesfaye Lemma
In the efforts made by the African countries to develop their interconnectivity, Ethiopia has playing a significant role in its region. The means of interconnectivity includes electricity and road infrastructure. Studies indicated that Africa is one of the least connected continents in the world. It is hard for most African countries to connect to one another.
They were disconnected for decades even via air forget saying roads and other economic connectivities. Heads of states of African countries were coerced to move to Europe or Asian countries so as to visit other African countries. They go to another continent and then come back to their neighboring African country.
This was true until recent years until it was resolved by the Ethiopian Airlines which connected all African countries to one another and with the world. When road infrastructure is concerned, it remained being a challenge to African countries even today. There are a number of African countries that are connected with their neighbors.
Cognizant of this fact and the significant of connecting all the countries in the continent, the African Union Commission has been working towards realizing it. However, infrastructure connectivity among the African countries cost the continent a lot.
Inadequate data , lack of programs or plans, weak political commitment, scarcity of finance, weak governance and corruption are the major reasons for the continental infrastructure disconnectivity. In this regard, the continent aims to connect the countries in order to accomplish its overall poverty alleviation schemes. Therefore, the continent has been attempting to establish an infrastructure development program over a time horizon up to 2040.
As it is asserted by the African Union, the continent has envisaged about 360 billion USD up to 2040 in infrastructure, energy, trans boundary water supply, transport and information and communications technology. In this regard, the interconnectivity of neighboring countries is so essential for the overall connectivity plan.
As for the Horn is concerned into account, there is need to exert efforts and join hands in building road infrastructure among countries in the region. For instance, Ethiopia is connected with the Sudan by road infrastructure.
It is also connected with Kenya and other neighbors in the same way. In this regard, the interconnectivity could be accelerated in neighboring if all countries in Africa are connected. For instance, in East Africa Ethiopia could be connected with countries around it like Kenya, Somalia, Djibouti, Eritrea and the Sudan. In West, South and North the same action has been taken. If we come to East Africa that is what exactly Ethiopia has been doing in the past fifteen years.
One of the most crucial connectivity that Ethiopia has managed is building the Ethio-Djibouti Railways. During its trial ceremony, Ethiopian Railway Corporation Chief Executive Officer Dr. Getachew Betru said, “One of the major mega projects in this regard is the Ethio-Djibouti railway. It has started its regular trail service recently.
The railway line with state-of-art technology is expected to play a pivotal role in enhancing the import-export of Ethiopia. The railway will contribute to advance the integration between Ethiopia and Djibouti. This could further strengthen the bilateral relations and cooperation.
Ethiopia is one of the fastest growing economies in the world. It has recorded double digit economic growth in the past fifteen years. Due to the entire economic growth of the country, the import and export items has also significantly raised.
As a result, the country needs to be connected with its neighbor so as to enhance its economic integration with them as well as to use their ports and to provide them different produces of Ethiopia like electricity.
In connection to Ethiopians import-export items, Djibouti is at the frontier. Ethiopia uses Djibouti port to its 95 percent of import-export transactions. The Ethio- Djibouti railway is thus, pivotal to facilitate the import-export transaction.
Following the construction of the Ethio-Djibouti railway, the two countries established a joint company which will manage it. It is believed that the construction of the railway is so crucial for the economic integration of the two countries as well.
In addition to the railway connectivity, Ethiopia’s investment in roads, railway, industrial zones and power plants could help the Horn region in general and Ethio-Djibouti in particular.
The Ethio-Djibouti relation is not only focused on the railway and port services. There are different connectivity and other economic exchanges that have been facilitating their economic benefits.
We can consider electricity connectivity. Ethiopia and Djibouti have connected through power. That helped the Djiboutian people to access cheap electricity from the neighboring Ethiopia. In fact, the same is true with Sudan and Kenya. These countries have also become beneficiaries from the hydropower project Ethiopia has been generating.
Besides, Ethiopia has been supplying water to Djibouti besides their connectivity in electricity and other investment areas. The case of Djibouti, Sudan and Kenya is an implication how the country has been working towards realizing infrastructure connectivity among African countries. These kinds of regional connectivity could also play significant roles in continental connectivity.
As indicated in the aforementioned arguments, Ethiopia has been working harder to ensure the accessibility of infrastructures. All the constructions: roads, railways, hydropower and airports are the real witnesses of the very desire of the people and government of Ethiopia to mutual regional development. The construction of Ethio-Djibouti railway line is a case in point. The railway linking Addis Ababa with the port of Djibouti has been playing a significant role in economic integrations and enhancement.
