Ethiopia’s  Meskel Square mega development project in downtown Addis Ababa has been inaugurated earlier this week. The event was commissioned by Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed with former President Mulatu Teshome, senior government officials, and representatives of diplomatic missions witnessing it. Meskel Square, Ethiopia’s most prominent public gathering area, has been refurbished as part of the Meskel Square-Addis Ababa City Hall Project, which has seen the most iconic public gathering space in the country’s modern history. Meskel Square has been a focal point for a variety of cultural, religious, political, entertainment, and sporting activities for nearly sixty years.

Churchill Avenue, a 3.5-kilometer section of road that extends from Meskel Square to Addis Ababa City Hall, was also beautified as part of the project. This section of the project featured things like roadside landscaping, sidewalk improvements, and more. In his inauguration speech, Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed said “Congratulations as we inaugurated the Meskel Square project, which is an integral part of our life and history.”

According to the Prime Minister, “The project was built in a way that fits our country’s dream and aspirations.” Ahmed said, Meskel Square,  may serve as a model development project for other ongoing and planned big projects in the capital and throughout East Africa.

Meskel Square is a cutting-edge development that includes an underground parking garage with space for 1,400 automobiles, six LED advertising screens, stores, and business centers, among others. The Meskel Square project is the latest in a series of mega-development projects in Addis Ababa, most of which are being carried out by Chinese businesses, such as the 56-kilometer riverside rehabilitation project known as Beautifying Sheger. Friendship Square, which is part of the Beautifying Sheger project, was also recently launched in the East African country.

Prime Minister Ahmed initiated the Beautifying Sheger project, as well as a number of other mega projects, with the goal of providing a clean and habitable environment for Addis Ababa’s more than 5 million citizens.

The Chinese contractor’s work was praised by Adanech Abiebie, deputy mayor of Addis Ababa, who noted the project’s effective completion in a short period of time. According to her, the Meskel Square project demonstrates Ethiopia’s dedication to completing mega-projects on time and on budget.

Addis Ababa is also home to the African Union’s headquarters, the UN Economic Commission for Africa, and more than 100 diplomatic missions.