By Jalene Gemeda | VOA
Addis Ababa — The power shortage in Ethiopia is affecting many areas of service. Addis Ababa and large urban centers experience blackouts for three or four nights a week.
Mehret Debebe, the CEO of the Ethiopian Electric Power Corporation says the outages will continue through July. Urban neighborhoods are without water, health facilities are without light and water, factories have shut down, shelves in many stores are empty and a growing number of people are without jobs.
The price of candles, lanterns and kerosene are rising every day, according to some residents.In some communities, residents complain that they are being billed for the electric power they haven’t used. The power outages frequently interrupt classes in schools, colleges and universities in many regions in Ethiopia where students follow lessons on large-screen plasma television monitors and perform research on computers. Evening classes are often plunged into darkness and cancelled.
“Because the country is going through a transforming economic growth, we are experiencing power shortages,” Mehret said. “Industries are booming, trade and the rate we are bringing electricity to rural towns created the shortage.
“We saw a 24 percent increase in demand. The problem persisted because our planned commissioning of two hydro-electric generating projects was postponed.
Minister of Energy and Mines Alemayehu Tegenu says upon completion of projects, Ethiopia not only will cover its electricity demand, but also, plans are already in place to export power to neighboring countries. “We are completing the construction of power cables that connect our hydro-electric power stations to neighboring countries,” he said.
Prime Minister Ethiopia’s tribal junta leader Meles Zenawi said, “The country is unable to curb the problem of power shortage on time, because our development partners didn’t provide us the support they had promised earlier. The shortage and the untimeliness of rain in Ethiopia is also another major factor that contributed to the problem.”
21 thoughts on “Ethiopia’s capital plunges into darkness”
The west is hit by ECONOMIC recession while Ethiopia – in POWER Recession. The former is when Capitalism reaches the pick point while for the later when policy and governance fail and hit the bottom pick.
10% Economic growth, in woyane’s definition, means complete power balackout in the coyntry!
This didn’t happen, even in Derg’s time-who was fighting so many wars. Addis Ababa and all major cities in Ethiopia didn’t have this kind of power balckout. It shows that woyane didn’t produce a single megawat since it came to power in 1991. It was simply re distributing what Derg already produced.
What a shame for woyane and its stooges (like those in Aiga website). Is this the defintion your “economic growth”?
Parasitic woyanes, you can’t hide from the truth now. You are exposed to what you really are. You have taken the country 50 years back wards!
that is a lie. the prime minster meles say some thing and the electric corporation say some thing else.
Woyanne always blaming somebody else, “development partners” in Meles speak. Has any one ever heard a Woyyane leader taking responsibility?
Their Nazi-like propaganda never stops. The more Ethiopia plunges into darkness, the more double digit growth the country’s Prime Minister claims.
There has to be some kind of UN-sponsored psychiatric exam for these pathological liars.
I have never seen such crisis in my life time.Telephone lines are not functioning as well.Woyanes are saying the economy is growing by double digit though major cities are experiencing blackouts frequently.By the way big rivers are drying and forest areas are also becoming plain land after woyanes took power,they have bad karma and spirit.
Thanks to PM,
We are witnessing the fruit of 18 years double digit growth and democracy. I have never seen in my life time very long black out .
They are telling us they are going to export soon, that is good story , now i know these guys are leading the country by guess, even they do not know what is going on, they were busy passing laws to suppress the mass, and charging ordinary people and spending time how to lie, and decit their people.
Even Somalia, with out functional government enjoys electricity, internet and mobile phone, this is a good sign where we are but the sad thing is it is the beginning.
TPLF spends billions of dollars of country reserve to build EFFORT, factories and facilities in Tigray while ignoring the nations very important issues.
Look at the era of Hailselasie, he built Ethiopian Airlines, Ethiopian shipping lines, Ethiopian electric authority, ethiopian Air force, navy and very important infrastructure which even the woyane utilize, Even derg while fighting in cities and shabai, and woayane, he built , Melka wakana, Gibe 1, and partially gibe 2, and derg also credited for builting Assaba in to modern port, also contributed in building Gambela, Metekle, and some rural areas,
The Woayane credited with ethnic hatred, economic down turn, begging , poverty, and they have not built any thing to be remeber ,and also spend 1 billion dollar to build a dam in tigray tekezie , which is no where to go except for their political agenda, where is the power dude.
Are they going to plunder the country for the rest of their life, i think every body working with these dangerous people should be held responsible.
If not for annual handout of 2 billion dollar, ethiopia would have got worse than somalia, let alone to be compared with growing economies even the militia in somalia knows how to run their country.
I believe this isn’t a major problem. If people live with freedom and feel motivated, they can handle it the problem is that people live in a constant fear and darkness would make that hell. Thanks to the visionary leader whose kindness extends from somali to djibouti, eritrea and sudan. Kenya should also get negele then the prime minister would be fair to or neighborly tradition. I think our prime minister is smart but a coward, whose paranoia is limitless like most student movement era crowd.
10% growth rate of GDP in the DARK
THAT IS THE MELES MIRACLE!!!!!!
The G 8 have given him a special honor as “champion
mitzccle mzaker” and have promessed to copy his method
to cure their own economies.
Lack of basic utilities like electricpower and water is one of the biggest achievements the country has had under the ethnofascistic rule of Meles Zenawi. Even under the derge which was not receiving any western aid, the capital used to have a regular supply of electric power and water. With billions of western aid and budget support, the ethnofascist regime has nothing to show except shoddy bulidings and roads designed to siphon off public money and hide the grinding poverty and famine in the country. The ethnofascist ruling clique in the country have put in place an elaborate system riddled with corruption and nepotism to intercept western aid. Western aid has enriched the ethnofascist Meles Zenawi and his thugs which control almost all sectors of the country`s economy. That is why western aid has not had any positive effect in the country other than nourishing and propping up a very brutal and repressive ethnofacistic regime.
when are these people going to admit thier mistakes …… and may be resign……
If the government is not able to rule the country properly, it has to resign. There is no WHEN and IF about mismanagement and lavish expenditure.
The opposition has to call for the resignation of Meles-Zenawi-regime and declare its preparedness to set up a provisional peoples government comprised of different political parties and Organizations.
There is no need of “wait and see”.
The Meles tribalist regime has demonstrated time and time again that it is incapable of ruling the country according to the wishes of the majority.
The country is in need of somebody that says “I can rule properly, rightfully and democratically.”
Let us call on general strike!
Let the Opposition take the initiative and should say “I am ready”.
This may indicate one of the signs of growing pain. If the growing base of industry and proliferation of electricity to rural areas are the main cause of the power outage, then it will be understandable. This is very common in China (especially in Guangdong Province) during the manufacturing peak season, in summer. There will be a lot of ills and pains that people will face during industrial growth. That is a good sign of pain. I hope the new hydroelectric dams will be able to alleviate this problem. I believe and all the current developments in the Fareast indicate that industrial entrepreneurs are looking for new areas where they can unload their new projects. Labor in China is increasing; India is not always the best choice for them in the long-run due to the prevalence of democracy-laced corruption. And it is also not always safe to operate in India. So countries with growing literate population and relative stability are the destinations for these industries. Labor is cheap and my people are disciplined or can easily adapt to work requirements. Politically these countries may not be the best choice now but with strong industrial presence, they can influence a change in that regards. And the goons will be tossed aside and then my people, my dearest of all people, will be able to say ‘who can stop us now?’ I know, 100% know, that my people are lightening fast learners. Just look back how fast they learned a lot from the 5-year occupation by the Italians. That was in the middle of constant war. These are brilliant people. All they need is someone to show them the right direction. I have confidence in my people more than some of these political groups overseas, that they will get rid of the goons currently gripping them by the ankle and push them aside. Forever!!! That is my firm expectation and it will happen. I dream it and dream about it often. God Speed Dear Countrymen!!!!!!
first feed the ethiopian people with full time electricity and the you will say we have enough, so that from now onwards we will sell to other nations. Period!
ህዝቡ ተራበ- መብራት የለም – ሰላም የለም- ስራ የለም —-ሁል ግዜ የፈረንጅ ጥፋት ነው የመለስ ማሳበቢያ ማፈሪያ የሆነ ፍጡር
blame blame aye woyane
Meles the habitual liar trying to put the blame on someone else – sometime back he was preaching that there would such a surplus of food everyone will have 3 meals a day and export the rest – the same story about the supply of power – they never run out of lies – small enterprises are closing and many are unemployed and this has been going on for the last 3 years nothing has changed – it is getting worse – there will soon be no water since that needs power too, we need to get rid of the tribal mafia group they are good for nothing bandas who are so greedy they don’t even know what is good for them
Please dont friggin talk about exporting energy, try to manage the local crisis before even starting to brag about export…Idiots…
“Because the country is going through a transforming economic growth, we are experiencing power shortages,” Mehret said. “Industries are booming, trade and the rate we are bringing electricity to rural towns created the shortage.
If the capital city hasn’t electricity, how a rural area is supplied with electricity? Look how the Meles clones are arguing! This is a fabrication of news. Meles Chenawi argues that the donor nations hadn’t supplied him the necessary fund that he anticipated. A beggar relies only on hand outs. But he didn’t answer how he deals with human rights, good governance, free press, independent justice etc. Meles could not swallow the the principle of genuine democracy. He understands only the phrase of “revolutionary democracy”(Maoist passage-but not an ideology in terms of political science)by which he uses his Agazi forces(similar to Hitlers SS combatants)to crach his military opponents by military means. The outing of Electricity is done purposelly to annoy the metropolitan population of Addis Abeba, for they had rejected him by the May election of 2005. In fact Addis Abeba should not be”administered” by Woyane cliques since 2005. The elected city mayor of Addis Abeba is in exile.
I left addis abeba 1996 I lived in ledeta area we used to get electricity by zone IF I REMEBER CORRECTLY TUESDAY AND THURSDAY WE WERE OFF. still the same shit after 11 years the same shit going on in ethiopia. what a losers!!!!!!!!!!!I mean woyanes
They came to power to suck everyone’s blood and leave the country dry.Didn’t we all know this?
It’s a heart-breaking news.As one of our sayings has it to say”Abbay’s son became thirty.”
I’m not mentioning the actual and potential capacity of Abbay as a source of energy for the current purpose-the black out in the capital city and other towns.
Let’s leave for now Abbay for the economic intrest of our neighring countries-Sudan and Egypt.
The inefficient regime based on Tribal principles and policies could harness our second largest river Awash.They could and should get technical and technical assistance from Egypt and Sudan,the main benificiaries of Abbay.
This simply shows lack of knowledge and good governance.
The second point I raise is that Mehret Debebe,the current manager was an ordinary staff of the PR of the company,10 years ago.He was inefficient in that small position even.
How can then could he become a manager? By bribe,blood relationship or pure allegiance to the regime? I asume the last.
To recap,what our poor but resourceful country lacks’s knowledg or expertise not water resource.Even the underground water of the country could’ve made a major change in the economic development of the country and the life of our large population.
If I were in the boots of Meles I would call all the trained personnel from the diaspora communty and open the flood gates of economic,social and cultural opportunities.This innovative method had been applied by John Kuffur-ex-president of Ghana,visited and described by President Barrack Obamma as a “Model of Democracy”for Africa.How about Ethiopia,a country driffted apart by ethnic division,tensioned by a potential second round of war with Eritrea?