Industrial Construction Technologies in Ethiopia

Promoting low-cost prefabricated building technology for better housing conditions and investment environment in Ethiopia

Towards a Solution

To help improve housing conditions and the investment environment, the China-Africa Business Council and its partner, Huajian Group, designed a project to train talent in the construction industry and promote low-cost wooden housing technology in Ethiopia. As the implementing unit, Huajian Group has years of experience in environmentally friendly wood construction and is dedicated to exploring the research technologies of prefabricated buildings. The company also provides a range of services, including architectural design, building material production, centralized procurement, logistics and transportation, as well as on-site technical training. Huajian Group has arranged for experts in relevant fields to provide training for local workers. Under the project, a three-month investigation was conducted to identify feasible technologies for prefabricated buildings in Ethiopia. Hands-on demonstrations and on-site construction practices were performed in the Huajian Industrial Park in Ethiopia to collect feedback and make adjustments and improvements for better wood structure. Finally, a seminar was held to facilitate experience-sharing and technical exchanges among Chinese experts, Ethiopian technical experts and the management team of the Ethiopia Huajian project.

A special committee was created for this project. Five professionals from relevant fields in Ethiopia and seven Chinese experts met in Addis Ababa. The Chinese experts introduced the principles of wood structure architecture and its application in China. Experts from Ethiopia discussed the type of architecture and construction technology used in their country and the existing problems. A number of small seminars were held to further the discussion of using wood structures in Ethiopia. Finally, the committee designated a location for the project, choosing the country’s largest city and port, which serves as a political, economic, cultural and transportation centre.

The project also provided an opportunity for four Ethiopian skilled construction workers to study at the headquarters of Huajian Group, in the Chinese province of Guangdong. During a one-month training, the Ethiopian workers mastered the theoretical concepts of wooden structure architecture and could carry out some simple practical operations. Upon their return, a technical training programme for Ethiopian technicians was conducted by the four workers and the core team from the Ethiopia Huajian Industry Park. They shared the wood structure technology that they had learned in China with the entire team. The core team from the Ethiopia Huajian Industry Park also invited three officials from the Construction and Housing Development Bureau and the Ministry of Industry to visit China and discuss rapid fabrication and low-cost wooden housing technology. The project highlighted the advantages of affordable assembly-type buildings in terms of construction speed, comfort, safety, affordability, practicality and environmental protection. This new wood construction technology system was suitable for Ethiopia and met the basic demand of low-income groups in the country and in neighbouring African countries. During the construction period, the project created hundreds of job opportunities for local workers in construction, retail, catering and the service industry and increased their wages by 30 to 50 percent. It not only promoted local economic development, but also helped people at the grass-roots level in Africa to understand China and improve public opinion for China-Africa cooperation.

Compared with traditional construction technology available in Africa, rapid fabrication and low-cost wooden housing technology has significant advantages in ensuring construction quality, increasing production efficiency, improving working conditions, reducing the requirements of operators and production costs, and implementing environmental protections. The technology was introduced to governmental agencies during several seminars. It helped to improve living conditions in Huajian Industrial Park and received acknowledgments from government officials and Chinese companies in Ethiopia. This project trained workers in the prefabricated construction industry and promoted rapid fabrication and low-cost wooden housing technology. This project could spread from Ethiopia to neighbouring African countries with similar conditions.