City Administration to get first of its kind Botanic Garden

Addis Ababa, September 13 (WIC) - Addis Ababa City Administration is constructing a Botanic Garden, the first of its kind in Ethiopia, on 705 hectares of land in Gullelle and Kolfe Keranyo sub cities.

Research Coordination Core Process Owner of the Botanic Garden, Berhanu Ayele, said the garden will serve as a research, educational, eco-friendly recreational and flora resource center.

Situated at the height of 3000 meters, the Botanic Garden will also serve as a nice sightseeing for local and foreign tourists, Birhanu further indicated.

Seifu Leggese, Recreational Development Task Manager of the Botanic Garden, on his part said the garden’s botanic nursery is producing indigenous and exotic plant species.

Some 45,000 species were collected on top of the 25,000 seedlings nurtured in 2010 by the garden’s center. Additional 35,000 seedlings are being produced, he said.

Tekle Woldegerima, Project Manager of Gullele Botanic Garden said roads, athletic track lanes, gardens, watching towers and rest rooms are being built as part of the project.

According to Tekle, the artificial garden is equipped with varieties of plant species that show the five traditional agro-ecological zones of Ethiopia.

The agro-ecological zones serve as teaching aid for students and tourist attraction showing the agro-ecological and social setup of the country. For this, Tekle said, several traditional houses of each zone will be built in the site.

Gullele Botanical Garden is being built jointly by Addis Ababa City Administration and Addis Ababa University. Upon completion, the garden will have its own library, laboratories, gift and souvenir shops, museum and halls.