Abiy Ahmed, the Prime Minster of Ethiopia, has inaugurated Bulbula Integrated Agro-Industrial Park, a third of its kind in the country, in Oromia Region.
The Bulbula Integrated Agro-Industrial Park, which occupies 271 hectares of land in Western Oromia Regional State, has been inaugurated in the presence of Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, Shimelis Abdissa, President of Oromia Regional State, and Melaku Alebel, Federal Minister of Trade and Industry. The inauguration ceremony was also attended by Vera Songwe, UNECA Executive Secretary; Abdul Kamara, Country Manager of the Africa Development Bank Group; and Ousmane Dione, Country Representative of the World Bank Group, as well as senior government officials, UN representatives, diplomats, potential investors, construction companies, and members of the local community, including Jarso elders and farmers’ unions.
The Bulbula Integrated Agro-Industrial Park, strategically located between Lake Langano and Lake Abiyata in the heart the Great Rift Valley of Ethiopia, includes a bank, a waste treatment plant, a health clinic, a police station, training centers and managerial facilities.
During the inauguration ceremony, Prime Minister Abiy underlined the effort underway to modernize the nation’s agricultural capabilities through the development of agro-industries. “The inauguration of the Bulbula Integrated Agro-Industrial Park is a demonstration of Ethiopia’s vision for prosperity through the agriculture sector.”
The park will enable the processing of agro-value chains that include, among others, fruits and vegetables, dairy, honey and poultry. Once the park is fully operational, it is estimated that it will create jobs for more than 100,000 people drawn from local communities.
The Prime Minister expressed his gratitude to all those who have had a stake in the establishment of the park. The UNIDO Representative, Aurelia Calabrò, was presented with a bulco, a traditional locally-made blanket that is given to people recognized for their exceptional engagement in promoting the local community.
In the mid of March 2021, Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed and other senior government officials inaugurated Yirgalem Integrated Agro-Industrial Park in Sidama Regions, Ethiopia.
Over 3,000 participants attended, including representatives of the European Union delegation, the UN country team, farmers’ unions, and the private sector, as well as community leaders.
In his remarks, the Prime Minister stated that he was delighted to see such huge potential for national as well as international markets. He visited the first three of the 11 production facilities in the IAIP that are occupied by investors: the Sunvado Avocado Oil Company, Doely Processing, and Hebron Coffee.
With a total investment of over US$60m, the Yirgalem Integrated Agro-Industrial Park is located on 294 hectares and is expected to create direct jobs for more than 100,000 people, and indirect jobs for more than 400,000 people.
UNIDO, through the Program for Country Partnership (PCP) Ethiopia, has being supporting Ethiopia in the development of the IAIPs program since its inception, in close coordination with other development partners including, the FAO, AfDB, EU, AICS and BMZ, within the framework of the PCP Ethiopia. Just some five weeks before Yirgalem IAIP inaugration, the Prime Mister and other senior government officials inaugurated Bure Integrated Agro-Industrial Park in Amhara Region. Further, Baeker Integrated Agro-Industrial Park in Tigray Region will be inaugurated in the coming months.
Source: UNIDO