Ethiopia’s grand plans for Addis Ababa: 4 essential reads on the social cost of transforming an African city

Ethiopia’s capital city is undergoing a transformation. Addis Ababa is being redeveloped as part of Ethiopia’s broader economic ambitions. Mega road projects, ambitious housing developments and infrastructural changes, all aimed at modernising one of Africa’s fastest-growing cities, are shaping its facade.

Over the past three decades, Addis Ababa has expanded in area and population. Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed’s rise to power in 2018 accelerated the city’s transformation.

But the promise of a shiny, new Addis Ababa comes with social costs. Many of the city’s residents, including marginalised communities and those living in informal settlements, have lost homes and social bonds. So, will Addis Ababa’s evolution serve its estimated 4 million inhabitants?

At The Conversation Africa, we have worked with academics whose research seeks to answer this question. Here we share some essential reads on Abiy’s gentrification plans.

The challenges

Demolitions have become a common sight in Addis Ababa as the government pushes forward with plans to modernise the city. These plans are aimed at bringing foreign private capital into the country. However, to make this a reality, whole neighbourhoods have been levelled to make way for roads, high-rise buildings and modern housing complexes. Homes and livelihoods are being destroyed. Fikir Getaneh Haile has studied the impact of Addis Ababa’s urban renewal on residents. She suggests that policymakers should make sure the voices of affected communities are heard.

As it is, when bulldozers arrive in neighbourhoods, residents are left with little recourse and forced to rebuild their lives elsewhere. The destruction of these communities is not only material. There is a deep social cost. Neighbours who relied on each other are separated. The government is making efforts to relocate people to new housing projects, but houses are allocated by lottery. This is dismantling social networks. Further, with state housing developments located away from the city centre where jobs are concentrated, people are spending more time travelling to and from work, and less on building relationships with neighbours. Hone Mandefro’s research explains what happens when urbanisation plans disrupt the community ties that residents rely on for support and stability.

Political elites are driving Addis Ababa’s physical transformation. This has led to top-down planning that excludes the voices of the majority. Ezana Weldeghebrael explains that the state’s focus on aesthetics, with features like skyscrapers, shopping malls and luxury housing complexes, fails to address the needs of the 80% of the city’s residents who live in dilapidated housing. This is widening the gap between the wealthier parts of the city and the poorer neighbourhoods. For the most vulnerable residents, the megaprojects represent yet another layer of exclusion. The city’s gentrification is creating pockets of prosperity surrounded by areas of deep poverty.

What needs to change

Addis Ababa’s redevelopment must create a more inclusive and equitable city. Biruk Terrefe explains that this requires a shift in focus from large-scale megaprojects to more localised, community-centred development that takes into account the social and economic realities of the city’s population. Resources and investments should be distributed more equitably across the city so that all residents, regardless of their income level, have access to basic services and infrastructure.

Ultimately, Addis Ababa’s transformation presents an opportunity to build a city that works for everyone. This requires a more inclusive approach that centres the needs and voices of its residents.