 Industrial Park in Ethiopia
The new Hawassa Industrial Park in Ethiopia will be inaugurated on July 13, 2016, the Ethiopian Industrial Parks Development Corporation (IPDC) has said.
IPDC Board Chairperson Dr. Arkebe Oqubay said that Hawassa Industrial Park in Ethiopia is a pioneer park. He added that it has the potential of creating 60,000 jobs for the youths.It is expected to inject US$ 1bn annually to the country’s economy.
Mr. Oqubay further said that the revenue from the textile sector at the park currently is not more than US$ 110m a year and with some of the leading international apparel companies like PVH and NHM, 15 foreign and five local manufactures have penetrated into the park. Internationally known companies from US, China, Indonesia, Sri Lanka, India and Hong Kong are also present in the park.
All the factories in the park have a good and expedient environment with access to all necessary infrastructure including power, telecom and water. Apart from the factories, one-stop shop services will also be established in the park so as to assist in the provision of multiple government services to tenants in the country.
Green economy
Hawassa Industrial Park which occupies 1.3m square meters of land was developed as an eco-park. It is consistent with the Ethiopia’s commitment to green economy. The park will also accommodate a water treatment plant which uses the most modern technology for treating and recycling 80 per cent of the water.
The park which was constructed at a cost of US$ 250m is majorly specialized as a textile and apparel park and is the largest in Africa.
Construction of other industrial parks in Ethiopia are underway in areas like Kombolcha, Makalle, Dire Dawa Adama and other cities and the main priority of these parks is for manufacturing products like leather, agro processing and construction materials, among others.
In recent years the economy of Ethiopia has been on a rising trajectory mainly attributed to its infrastructure.
