IN SHORT: Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed inaugurated the Entoto-Kebena River and Riverside Development Project in Addis Ababa on June 28, together with the Kebena Dam Project. The development spans 87.6 hectares along a 10.5-kilometre river corridor and includes flood-control walls, modern bridges, pedestrian walkways, landscaped green spaces and public amenities. It is the latest phase of Ethiopia’s Beautifying Sheger urban regeneration programme, launched in 2019. Earlier in June, the government inaugurated the 22.25-kilometre Entoto-Kechene Medhanealem Riverside Development Project. The Kebena project complements a €5 million programme financed by the Italian government, signed in May 2026, to restore polluted tributaries feeding the Kebena River. Abiy described the project as a step toward transforming Addis Ababa into a climate-resilient, globally competitive city.
Ethiopia has completed another major phase of its ambitious Addis Ababa riverside regeneration programme, with Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed inaugurating the 10.5-kilometre Entoto-Kebena development that combines flood protection, green public space and urban infrastructure in a transformation the government frames as central to positioning the capital as a climate-resilient tourism and economic hub. The June 28 inauguration continues the Beautifying Sheger programme that has become one of the most visible expressions of Abiy’s urban development vision, delivering rapid, high-profile infrastructure that reshapes the physical character of the Ethiopian capital.
- The project’s specifications are substantial: 87.6 hectares of development along a 10.5-kilometre river corridor, integrating flood-control walls, modern bridges, pedestrian walkways, landscaped green areas and public amenities along the Kebena River. The scale reflects the government’s approach of delivering comprehensive corridor transformations rather than piecemeal improvements, converting neglected and polluted river channels into functional urban infrastructure and public recreational space.
- The flood-protection dimension addresses a genuine urban challenge. Addis Ababa has faced increasing pressure from rapid urbanisation, encroachment on waterways and seasonal flooding, which have contributed to environmental degradation and public health risks. By restoring river corridors and integrating flood-control infrastructure with parks and public spaces, the government aims to reduce flood vulnerability while simultaneously improving urban livability and creating commercial and tourism value.
- This is part of a rapid sequence of riverside projects. Earlier in June, the government inaugurated the 22.25-kilometre Entoto-Kechene Medhanealem Riverside Development Project, which included river purification systems, walking and cycling paths, landscaping and rehabilitation of degraded land. The pace of delivery, two major riverside corridors inaugurated within a single month, reflects the political priority Abiy places on visible urban transformation and the government’s capacity to mobilise resources for flagship projects.
- The economic and employment dimension is significant. Abiy emphasised that the riverside development extends up to 50 metres beyond the rivers, creating green corridors, public gathering spaces, walkable areas, recreation zones and commercial spaces. The projects have created jobs across construction, engineering, landscaping and logistics, with much of the work designed and delivered by Ethiopian firms, which the government highlights as evidence of growing domestic capacity in urban development and infrastructure.
- International partnership features in the financing. The Kebena project complements a €5 million programme financed by the Italian government, signed in May 2026, to restore polluted tributaries feeding the Kebena River. This blend of domestic execution and targeted international environmental financing reflects Ethiopia’s approach of using external partnerships for specific technical components while maintaining domestic control over the broader development agenda.
- The Beautifying Sheger programme sits within Abiy’s broader narrative of national transformation through visible achievement. At the inauguration, Abiy framed the project as a symbol of a renewed way of thinking, arguing that Ethiopians working in coordination can overcome discouraging narratives and achieve major development milestones through practical action. This framing connects the physical infrastructure to a political message about national capability and self-belief that has been central to Abiy’s governing philosophy.
The riverside development programme is one dimension of Ethiopia’s broader ambition to modernise Addis Ababa and position it as a continental hub. The city hosts the African Union headquarters and is a major diplomatic centre, giving its physical transformation significance beyond Ethiopia’s borders. The Beautifying Sheger projects, alongside the corridor development programme and the new airport under construction at Bishoftu, collectively represent a coordinated effort to elevate Addis Ababa’s status and infrastructure to match its diplomatic importance and its ambition to be a gateway city for the continent.
The Bigger Picture: Ethiopia’s riverside transformation programme demonstrates the visible, rapid infrastructure delivery that has characterised Abiy’s urban agenda. The projects are genuinely valuable: flood protection, green public space and river restoration address real environmental and quality-of-life challenges in a rapidly urbanising capital. The speed and scale are impressive, and the emphasis on domestic execution builds Ethiopian construction and engineering capacity. The question that surrounds all of Ethiopia’s flagship development, from the riverside projects to the airport to the GERD dam, is one of prioritisation: whether the resources devoted to high-visibility urban transformation are optimally allocated in a country still facing significant poverty, food insecurity and the aftermath of conflict. The Kebena riverside is a real achievement. It is also a choice about where a developing nation directs its finite resources, and those choices carry opportunity costs that the inauguration ceremonies do not capture.
Source: Ecofin Agency, June 29 2026 / AllAfrica / ENA, June 29 2026
