China loans Ethiopia $349 mln for road building

Tue Nov 10, 2009 9:03am GMT
 

ADDIS ABABA (Reuters) - China has agreed to provide a $349 million loan to Ethiopia for the construction of a 79 km (49 mile) highway between the capital Addis Ababa and Adama, a business hub in the east of the Horn of Africa nation.

The loan agreement was signed between Li Ruogu, president of Export-Import Bank of China (Exim Bank) and an official of the Ministry of Finance and Economic Development, the state-run Ethiopian News Agency (ENA) reported.

The 12 metre wide road will be constructed by China Road and Bridge Corporation (CRBC) and is due to be completed by 2014.

The Ethiopian government has focused on improving links to the country's northern tourist sites and regions producing export crops such as coffee.

Foreign investors have been showing growing interest in exporting Ethiopia's commodities and exploring its deserts for probable oil and gas deposits.

Photo
Photo
Uganda gays feel threatened by bill

Being gay or lesbian in Uganda is illegal and those who are risk being locked away for up to 14 years. Now, a new parliamentary bill wants gay people to face even stiffer penalties and is proposing life imprisonment and even death sentences in some cases...  Blog 

 
Photo
Ethiopian plane crash should not sully success story

When news of the Ethiopian Airlines plane crash broke this morning my heart sank at the thought of covering yet another negative story about Ethiopia.  Blog 

 
Photo
How will Chinese culture influence Africa?

So far, media coverage of China’s involvement in Africa has mostly been about investment. Stories of Chinese engineers in hard hats standing by roads up mountains in Ethiopia. Stories of Chinese farmers moving to Zambia.   Blog 

 
Photo
The unnumbered dead

The simple answer to the question of how many people died in Congo’s civil war is “too many”.  Blog 

 
Photo
Guinea tests Western influence in Africa

Whether Guinea’s absent junta leader Moussa Dadis Camara makes it back to his home country or not will be the latest test of Western powers’ dwindling influence in Africa.  Blog 

 
Photo
Africa-Asia ties flying high

Investment from China and other Asian countries was an important factor in several years of unprecedented growth in Africa before the global downturn hit.  Blog 

 
Powered by Reuters AlertNet. AlertNet provides news, images and insight from the world's disasters and conflicts and is brought to you by Reuters Foundation.