UCBP infrastructure contract signed

On 29th of April 2008, GTZ IS and the Ministry of Education signed the additional UCBP contract for infrastructure works on UCBP sites.
Ato Esayas Abebe, program director GTZ IS Ethiopia, describes the process around the contract negotiations with an old Ethiopian expression: „Kes be kes enkulal be’egru yehedal – It takes time for an egg to learn how to walk”. The negotiations were ongoing since December 2006; on 18 April 2008, GTZ Executive Director Wolfgang Schmitt took part as well when he talked to H.E. Ato Tefera Waluwa, Minister of Capacity Building.

The infrastructure contract includes the following components on each UCBP site:

• Roads and Walkways;
• Sewage water systems;
• Water supply systems;
• Electrical power supply; and
• Sewage water treatment plant.

But the additional contract does not only regard UCBP- other projects, such as the Low Cost Housing Project will benefit from the infrastructure measures due to the application of innovative and adapted infrastructure methods, which are new to Ethiopia. The approach of UCBP’s integrated capacity development is extended to the infrastructure sector and strengthens an additional part of the construction sector. The consequence will be an upgraded workforce as well as the foundations of small and medium enterprises and cooperatives. Also the UCBP will employ new staff: 60 German skill up-graders, 15 German engineers as well as around 100 Ethiopian employees will support the infrastructure team in the near future.