A major housing initiative in Ethiopia has resulted in the construction of 1.5 million homes over the past three years, Minister of Urban Development and Construction Chaltu Sani revealed.
She also mentioned that numerous effective projects have been implemented in the infrastructure sector, ensuring public access to infrastructure services following the change in government.
Minister Chaltu provided an explanation of the activities undertaken and the results achieved in the infrastructure sector following the party's first congress.
In her explanation, the Minister recalled that only 380,000 houses were built from 1996 to 2012, highlighting the successful work accomplished in the housing development program after the change in government.
She explained that the housing development program is implemented through cooperative societies and real estate, employing public-private partnership initiatives. Therefore, while the plan was to build 1.2 million houses in the past three years, 1.5 million were actually built.
While acknowledging the encouraging results compared to the target, she noted that more work is needed to meet the public's demand.
She also reported success in corridor development, improving the quality of substandard areas and creating more livable environments. She mentioned that 74% of urban constructions were substandard, and that corridor development is improving urban quality and standards.
The Minister further highlighted achievements in road development, citing the construction of 18,790 kilometers of asphalt roads in the past three years alone. She stated that the total road coverage has now reached 171,174 kilometers.
Finally, she reported positive results in modernizing and digitalizing urban service delivery and ensuring sustainable food security, reported ENA.