A Little Taste of Addis Ababa

I adore Ethiopia. Adore it!



Now you may think that I’m ill-qualified to make such an emphatic statement, considering I have not spent long in the country. But as Malcolm Gladwell (of Blink fame) would attest, there is more to first impressions than superficialities—gut reactions more often than not accurately convey the same impressions about substance and character that individuals hold about people, places, and things over the long-term. Plain English – the place rocks, my gut told me soon as I landed!




Highlights? The delightfully friendly people, the country’s rich cultural history and diversity (did you know that Ethiopia was the only country not colonised by a major power in the scramble for Africa?) and of course, the food. My word, the FOOD! A mixture of African, European and Arabic influences makes eating local food an experience of note. Even the air is a potpourri of spicy stews (wots), incense, coffee, sweets and well, smog (Addis is a large city, after all).




Lowlights? Naturally in any emerging economy, the difference between rich and poor is a thorny issue and Ethiopia is unfortunately no different. The juxtaposition of wealthy government officials and homeless individuals in Addis is apparent. What I found particularly disturbing was the visible lack of housing available for Addis' population. Staggering statistic: 70% of people in Addis either do not have a home or are living in sub-standard housing. In other words, every two in three individuals you meet in the city barely have a home to go to.




This got me thinking about a solution to housing the world’s poor using simple business principles. Surely there’s a business model that allows for housing to be developed on a large scale at a low cost to the end user that is financially sustainable? Never, I hear you say? Well, it turns out there’s a world out there of people who are asking exactly the same questions. Check this link out:

www.300house.com


Enter Vijay Govindarajan and his AMAZING blog 300house.com. Basic concept: an abode that is more than a shack that is made up of materials that can withstand hostile conditions. Basic idea: if Tata can produce a car for $2000 and GE can sell an electrocardiogram for $400 and Phillips can produce a cheap and environmentally sound cooking stove, then why can’t durable houses for the poor be produced and sold at an affordable rate? Will it work? Who knows. Land rights for one remain a problem but it's certainly worth a try.

Anyway, getting back to the point of this post: Addis is a GREAT city. Go visit!