Hawassa Industrial Park to be Fully Operational

Addis Ababa, June 16, 2017 (FBC) The first phase of the Hawassa Industrial Park, eco-friendly and the first of its kind in the continent, will be fully operational next week.

The construction of the park, Ethiopia’s flagship industrial park has been completed in a record time of nine months, and was inaugurated on July 2016.

Consistent with the Ethiopian government’s commitment to build green economy, it is designed, constructed and operated as eco-friendly, which uses the latest technology for treating and recycling about 90 percent of the water used in the park.

The park is the first Sustainable Textile and Apparel Industrial park in Africa with state-of-the-art infrastructure and facility.

Speaking on a press conference, Special Advisor to the Prime Minster Dr. Arkebe Oqubay said Ethiopia’s rapid economic growth can only be sustained through the realization of a structural transformation.

This in turn requires creating a robust and competitive industrial base.

The government has unwavering commitment to making the country the leading manufacturing hub in Africa by 2025.

Development of world class specialized sustainable, vertically integrated, export-driven and competitive industrial parks, is the central driver and catalyst of this vision, Dr. Arkebe said.

By developing industrial parks, the country is working to ensuring agricultural transformation; enhancing export capacity and building the capacity of manufacturing sector.

The Hawassa industrial park will be used as a model for other industrial parks whose construction is underway in the country and efforts will be exerted to implement the Zero-Liquid Discharge (ZLD) technology to promote environmental protection.

He indicated that park embodies the full execution of these principles, and hence represents a blue print that guides the development of similar parks in similar parks of the country.

Industrial Parks Development Corporation CEO, Sisay Gemechu on his part said that the government has planned to construct ten industrial parks across the country aiming at enhancing job opportunities, earn revenue and promote technology transfer.

Modeled after the Hawassa industrial park, the government has further embarked on the development of similar parks in Kombolcha, Mekele, Kilinto, Bole Lemmi II, Dire Dawa and Adama among others, of which Mekele and Kombolcha industrial parks will be inaugurated soon.

Some 18 global leading textile and apparel companies and eight domestic investors have occupied the park.

The government attaches high importance to the inclusion of domestic industrialists in the Hawassa industrial park and all other parks that are in the pipeline.