With a current road network spanning more than 121 170 km, the Ethiopian government has set an ambitious goal of doubling that figure in the next two years.

Three years ago, the country’s road network reached 100 000 km, compared to just 19 000 km in 1990, according to a Construction Review Online report.

Road building accounts for about a quarter of the government’s annual infrastructure spend. Over the past 20 years, US$11 billion has gone towards the East African nation’s road building programme, while the annual budget for its roads sector has grown 20%, reaching US$1.7 billion.

The programme includes the 200 km Hawassa expressway in the central-southern area of the country, with similar projects planned around Addis Ababa.

12 June 2018
Image: Gallo/Getty Images