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ADDIS ABABA, Sept. 10 (Xinhua) – Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed inaugurated the iconic Entoto Nature Park, located on the northern outskirts of Ethiopia’s capital Addis Ababa, on Saturday.
The park, which took about a year to complete and is equipped with various facilities, including sports centers, restaurants, horseback riding, artificial lake, and sports centers, is part of Ahmed’s plan to transform Ethiopia’s tourism sector.
“We have a country naturally endowed with amazing and beautiful places. If we cooperate with each other, we can build spectacular places like this every year that can be used for various purposes, including recreation,” said the Ethiopian prime minister.
“We have shown that extraordinary efforts are not needed to build historic structures. Ethiopia has naturally endowed areas beyond what many of us have guessed,” Ahmed said.
Earlier this year, the Ethiopian prime minister unveiled plans to transform Ethiopia’s various natural wonders into modern tourist spots.
Entoto park has already provided employment opportunities for 463 low-income mothers living in the surrounding areas.
Ethiopian authorities hope that the Entoto Nature Park will create employment opportunities for thousands of locals, when it finally operates at full capacity.
While the Entoto Nature Park was built as part of efforts to boost Ethiopia’s tourism sector, it is also home to structures reminiscent of current challenges, including a statue dedicated to healthcare professionals battling the COVID-19 pandemic.
Among those invited to witness the inauguration of the Entoto Nature Park is Ataklitie Baraki, President of the Ethiopian Surgical Society.
Baraki said the memorial statue dedicated to healthcare professionals battling the COVID-19 pandemic is long-needed recognition for healthcare professionals who risk their lives to save the lives of patients.
“Health as a human right has its own specific characteristics and values. One of the values is sacrifice, the other is truthfulness,” Baraki told Xinhua.
“This statue will allow you to motivate the existing health force and at the same time motivate people to join the health sector, so I think it can have an impact. It could even be the beginning of a retention mechanism for Health professionals”. He further said.
Ethiopia has confirmed 82,662 COVID-19 cases and 1,271 COVID-19-related deaths as of Saturday morning.
Dozens of Ethiopian health professionals were among those who lost their lives fighting COVID-19 in the East African country. Final product
