One of the biggest problems Ethiopia faces is how to ease transportation in the capital, Addia Ababa, with a rapidly growing population.
To try and alleviate traffic congestion in the city, the Ethiopian government contracted the Chinese Railway Engineering Corporation to build a tram system, also known as the light railway.
The project cost $475 million, 85 percent of which was covered by China’s Exim bank.
The Chinese-funded tramway is the first in sub-Saharan Africa, and has been hailed as a major step in the country’s development.
Although it has started off with some teething problems, officials are optimistic that this new form of transport will be beneficial to the country.
It is already being used by more than 120,000 people daily.
The tram is cheaper than using the bus and is supposed to be faster.
Opened in September 2015, the light rail is expected to ease traffic in the capital of Ethiopia, Africa’s second most populous country.
It caught the attention of other cities in Africa such as Lagos and Nairobi, which are planning their own traffic-reducing tramways.
