Ethiopia: Road That Connects Sugar Projects Takes Off

Sugar

This road will be the sixth project built to develop road infrastructure around Kuraz Sugar Project.

The Ethiopian Roads Authority (ERA) has started to connect the Omo Kuraz Sugar Project with Turmi, in the Southern Nations, Nationalities & People's Regional State, 656.8Km from the capital.

The Authority signed an agreement with two local companies to construct the project which will cost 15.4 million Br a kilometer.

 

This road will be the sixth project built to develop road infrastructure around the Omo sugar project. All the roads have already passed the 50pc completion mark. The project is expected to facilitate the production of sugar in the factory.

The new road project will help the company to supply sugar and sugar products to other market outlets. It will also contribute to boosting tourist inflow to the Omo Valley.

Afro Tsion Plc and Rama Construction were the local companies awarded contracts to undertake the 63.3Km long road project in the coming three years. Both companies were established in the late 1990s.

Afro Tsion Construction Plc has participated in the construction of road projects such as the Jimma University compound asphalt road and Philipose Bridge in Addis Abeba.

Rama Construction previously won a 100 million Br contract to build government owned projects including the Tsegede junction-Ketema Nigus road, which cost almost half a billion Br.

The Authority also signed two other contracts in conjunction with the Omo-Turmi road. Located in three regional states, the total cost of the projects is 2.7 billion Br. The Omo Turmi road project is the most expensive of all road projects.

"The volume of work is high compared to other projects," said Samson Wondimu, communication director of the Authority, explaining the reason behind the high cost of the Omo-Turmi project, which involves building drainage systems and bridges.

Besides Omo-Turmi, Rama and Afro Tsion have also inked a to construct the Robe-Gasera asphalt road project. The two companies will undertake the project jointly, to build the path at a cost of 13.2 million Br. The length of the road will be 60Km long and 19 meters wide.

It will help to facilitate trade with central parts of the country. Robe and Gamera are known for their wheat and sorghum production. It will also contribute to enhancing road infrastructures for tourists who come to visit the Sof Omar Caves, and Dinsho and Sente parks.

The Gambella- Elia Road is the biggest of all the awarded projects and will cost a billion Br, even though its per kilometer cost is lower, only 13.1 million Br. The project will involve upgrading of gravel roads to asphalt.

Orchid Business Group Ltd won the contract to construct the road project. The project is the second for the company which also built the Sawla Qaqo Road.

Owned and managed by Akiko Seyoum, Orchid is a business group composed of different investment companies, transport, machinery rental, transit, construction, horticulture and other businesses.

The Gambella- Elia road project will help companies in the area such as Saudi Star agro-industries industries to sell their outputs to central parts of the nation.

This year, the Authority has so far awarded 28 road projects worth close to 24.4 billion Br. The country's road networks have reached over 113,000Km, doubling over the past five years.