World Bank has allowed Ethiopia USD 370 million loan on May 18, 2015 for further expansion of its transportation system and provision of safe and efficient roads, Ethiopian News Agency reported.

The new Expressway Development Support Project is devised to help Ethiopia overcome the difficulties of limited size and poor quality of roads.

Ethiopia began the Road Sector Development Program (RSDP) in 1997 to expand quality roads. Under RSDP, the country’s road network has grown three fold from 26,550km to 99,522km and 70 percent of the road is now in better condition related to 22 percent at the start of the program. Nevertheless, the demand for fast growth and economic transformation of Ethiopia exceeded the road network.

The project will assist the construction of the 57 km Batu/Zeway-Arsi Negele portion of the Modjo-Hawassa new high capacity highway, linking the southern region to central, northern Ethiopia and Djibouti port.

The project further sets the framework for expressway development via the preparation of a strategic master plan and the provision of institutional capacity building.

Moreover, it will extend road safety and institutional development support of the Ministry of Transport.
The Ethiopian Roads Authority handles the responsibility for the implementation of the expressway construction, the framework for expressway development and institutional strengthening components.

The Ministry of Transport will implement the Road Safety and the institutional development support to the transport sector.

Source: Ethiopian News Agency