By Esseye Mengiste and Mulatu Belachew
Minister of Transport disclosed that some three trillion Birr investment is required for the realization of transport sector 10-year development plan.
Speaking during ‘Policy Matters’ interview series’, Transport Minister Dagmawit Moges stated that huge finance is required for a joint venture and active participation of foreign investors and private sector as the sole effort of the government doesn’t suffice to achieve the plan in the transport sector.
Infrastructure development is the major shift that has to be realized in 10 year-development plan apart from creating access to address quality issues, which is an element of SDGs, it was learnt.
In due course of running towards attaining the ten-year development plan, international standards that have been set for infrastructure development like constructions of roads, railway lines, inland and aviation sectors into consideration, she said.
The Minister said, “We have identified 20 projects within a semi-annual performance, but many more projects will be singled out in the future. We will also have different platforms where we will be able to introduce projects, which could be buttressed in the form of Public-private partnership incorporating foreign investors, too, according to the Minister.
The transport sector is enabler in its nature. Hence, the ministry has planned in association with various ministries and institutions because 30 to 40 percent is all about mobility in urban centers.
Such moves are instrumental in supporting the entire national economy in due process of supplying logistics in the years to come as the plan is designed in such away.
“We are preparing a 30-year transport master plan, which is expected to be wrapped up in the coming few months. Besides, the master plan is believed to enhance integration of actions in all modes of transportation.”
“The volume of import and export is significantly increasing from time to time; even this year, we have a plan to make an import and export of nearly 17 million metric ton of produces, which is huge in number to create coordination among different stakeholders,” she said.
She further said, if the logistics system is made more efficient, the country can be a hub for the neighboring African countries and get advantage of creating employment opportunities via enhancing services and other related accompanies,” she underlined.
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