The Bishoftu Railway Academy project is intended to be Ethiopia’s first railway academy located in Bishoftu town. The Ethiopian Railway Corporation signed a grant agreement with the Chinese government for the project in September 2018. Afterward, the construction of the facility was supposed to commence the following year.
The Bishoftu Railway Academy project was unable to commence at the set timeframe. According to the railway academy’s acting deputy director, Abiy Getachew, the project was affected by the continuous reshuffling of officials and security-related challenges.
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Thus far, the developers were able to acquire the land for the Bishoftu Railway Academy project. The Bishoftu Town administration allocated 61 hectares of land for the first phase and the former residents on the property were compensated. The Corporation and its backers are still pushing for construction on the Bishoftu Railway Academy to commence.
The entire project will be built in two phases and it will occupy 151 hectares of land in total. Abiy said the facility will consist of classrooms, administrative buildings, meeting halls, dining rooms, dormitories, instructors’ residences, and more. In addition, it also incorporates an 800-meter-long railway line to provide practical training to students.
Reported in Sept 2015
Africa’s first railway academy in Ethiopia to be constructed
Africa’s first-ever railway academy in Ethiopia is set to be constructed in a bid to provide the needed manpower for the immense railway projects in the country. The project construction is a partnership between Ethiopia and the Chinese government.
The US$ 38m railway academy in Ethiopia will be timely and resourceful as Ethiopia is currently planning to undertake big railway projects to be constructed during the Second GTP period.
Economic Affairs Special Advisor to the Prime Minister, Dr. Arkebe Equbay confirmed the reports and said that funds were acquired from the Government of China.
According to Dr. Equbay, the railway lines that are yet to be built at the beginning of this GTP period are the Mojo-Hawassa railway line, the railway line that links Tadjourah Port with Bahir Dar Town via Asaita-Weldiya and the Sebeta-Addis Ababa-Jimma and Bedele, and Hawassa-Shashamane-Arbaminch lines.
Bids are invited by the Ethiopian Government to interested contractors for the mega railway line projects.
Ethiopia has so far been sending students to get training aboard, and the railway academy would save a lot of money and empower citizens, it will also serve as a center for other African countries.
The country is busy building roads and railways with Chinese help and when Premier Li Keqiang visited the country in May, he said China and several African countries planned to set up the Africa China Railway Academy in Ethiopia.
