The Ethiopian government recently announced that the construction of the Chinese-contracted Bahir Day Industrial Park will be completed within three months.
Amhara region officials made this disclosure while briefing members of the Ethiopian House of People’s and Representatives, the Ethiopian parliament’s lower house.
The agreement for the construction of the industrial park, located in Bahir Dar city, capital of Amhara regional state, was made between China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation (CCECC) and the Ethiopian Industrial Parks Development Corporation (IPDC) in June 2017.
Construction of the industrial park, which is expected to create job opportunities for some 20,000 locals, is 37-percent complete.
The IPDC previously disclosed that the 75-hectare industrial park will focus on labour-intensive industries that would export value-added textile and apparel as well as food products.
Members of the lower house have also urged the regional government to conclude the industrial park within its timeframe. The park, being built with over 60 million U.S. dollars, was initially scheduled to be concluded in nine months.
Chinese companies are now major actors in the East African country’s ambition towards becoming manufacturing powerhouse in the African continent.
Built by CCECC, the Hawassa industrial park, located in Ethiopia’s southern city of Hawassa, was completed in a record time of nine months in July 2016.
The flagship industrial park has successfully attracted world-class textile and apparel companies to Ethiopia, including PVH, a company known for marketing diversified portfolio of brands including Calvin Klein and Tommy Hilfiger.
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Source: Ethiopian Embassy