Breaking: Omar al-Bashir, Ismaïl Omar Guelleh to join PM Abiy to inaugurate Jimma Industrial Park tomorrow

Yared Tsegaye

Addis Abeba, December 07/2018 –  Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed will be joined tomorrow by Presidents Omar al-Bashir of Sudan and Ismaïl Omar Guelleh of Djibouti to inaugurate Jimma Industrial Park (IP), sources close to the matter told Addis Standard.

Home to one of the oldest state Universities, Jimma city, some 347 km south west of Addis Abeba, in Oromia regional state, will host the inauguration of Jimma Industrial Park, which is constructed on a 75 ha land and is equipped with no less than nine manufacturing sheds.

In August this year, PM Abiy took investors from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in an impromptu visit to the IP, which was “being constructed at a cost of $61 million.” Jimma city communication bureau said at the time that 93% of the first phase of the Industrial Park was already completed.

In addition to the Jimma IP, multiple facilities built by Jimma University at a cost of more than 1.5 billion birr will be inaugurated tomorrow. The facilities include a state-of-the-art medical center which is expected to serve some 20 million people in and around Jimma; a sports stadium and sports academy, according to information from the university. Although Addis Standard couldn’t confirm, it is expected that the trio will attend the inauguration of the facilities at the university compound. PM Abiy Ahmed has served as the board of directors of Jimma University until recently.

In November this years, PM Abiy was accompanied by Eritrea’s President Isaias Afwerki and Sudan’s Omar al-Bashir to inaugurate the Bahir Dar University’s Tibebe Ghion Specialized Hospital, which was built at a cost of 207,221,970.00 birr. The 500 bed hospital is planned ti cater 2000 patients a day & has eleven  operation chambers. AS