The plan by Ethiopia’s Ministry of Industry to construct a leather tannery village in Mojjo town is still impractical for it has not yet secured USD 58 Million.

The Ministry has already conducted a feasibility study for the first phase of the construction that will cost USD 58 Million. The design for the village was prepared a year and a half ago in the aim of concentrating leather factories in Mojjo town. This was done because of the high impact the factories put on the environment and humans. The design shows there will be 20 leather factories that will share waste treatment plant for the purpose of minimizing hazard on the environment.

Birhanu Serjabbo, Public Relation Head of Leather Industry Development Institute (LIDI), explained the village will have all the necessary machineries which will be used to process any kind of leather product.

“Some interested partners like the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) and French Development Agency (AFD) has showed their willingness to assist us and I hope the construction will begin in a short time,” Birhanu furthered.

The Ministry’s plan was to relocate leather factories from three to five years, to Mojjo where there will be different units ranging from animal skin store to final product processing unit.

The common waste treatment plant is going ot be used by 20 factories and this will lure leather factories to move to Mojjo, Birhanu explained.

Source: Capital