The government of Ethiopia has given significant attention to the road sector considering its massive impact on the socio-economic development of the country as road transport reaches the majority of the people. In this sense, the Ethiopian Roads Authority (ERA) is mainly responsible for its administrative role in the construction and maintenance of federal road networks of the country. And in line with responsibility, ERA has been working hard aimed at improving the country’s road network, in a bid to boost transport, trade and thereby to develop the country’s economy, which is much appreciated.
The ‘Chencha-Humbo-Tebella’ road project, located in Southern Nations Nationalities and Peoples’ Regional State (SNNPRS), is an ‘old’ road project that was launched by the Ethiopian government (the then transitional government) back in 1992 G.C/1984 E.C; however, the project has never been implemented. I believe it is either ‘deliberately’ canceled or the authorities overlooked the benefits of it to the people it is supposed to connect. The reason behind the decision not to implement the project is not yet clear. For years, people in this region have been asking the government to start construction of the road, but the request didn’t get an answer. The road is expected to connect people from five different districts/woredas within two administrative zones in SNNPRS, namely:
- Chencha Woreda-Gamo Zone
- Dita Woreda-Gamo Zone
- Kogota Woreda-Gamo Zone
- Boreda Woreda-Gamo Zone
- Humbo Wored-Wolyta Zone
The economic benefit of connecting these woredas through the road network is unquestionable. Undoubtedly, the completion of this project will enhance socio-economic development in the area. It will make it easier for farmers of the region to transport their products to bigger markets. In addition, this road project, if completed successfully, will reduce travel time, increase travel speeds, and reduce vehicle operating costs. Also, the construction of this road will facilitate the administrative and social service coverage in the region by connecting the above-mentioned districts. In light of what I have said above, there is absolutely no justification to disregard this a very important road project. And therefore, I call upon the ERA to start the project as soon as possible, and also I urge the government to investigate why such an important project is disregarded, left unimplemented after it was officially launched.
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