News
Cement, steel and other material prices, contractors and building rules in Ethiopia.
Other topics:MarketLaw and policyMortgage and financeDevelopersHousing programsInvestmentTaxLandRoads and transportHotels and tourismCity lifeEconomy
· The Reporter
Ethiopia has revised its national building codes for the fourth time. The 2026 update makes seismic evaluation and retrofit rules mandatory, gives the first rules to assess existing buildings, replaces one national wind assumption with regional wind data and covers newer materials. Experts presented the changes at a civil engineers' convention in Addis Ababa.
· Capital Ethiopia
Local contractors say heavy machinery rental rates have moved far above domestic levels, partly because foreign firms with international finance pay more. The gap puts fixed-price contracts at risk and contributes to suspended projects. The warning came at the launch of a national standard that measures the physical progress of construction projects with local benchmarks.
· Fana
Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed and his ministers visited a housing demonstration site in Addis Ababa that used 3D printing, light steel prefabrication and container-based units side by side. He said such methods can deliver good homes in days and weeks and could be scaled across the country to change the national housing programme.
· Birr Metrics
A fuel shortage linked to shipping disruption around the Strait of Hormuz has slowed or stopped construction sites across Ethiopia. Official diesel prices rose about 16.6 percent in three weeks. Contractors report idle machines and halted projects, while cement neared 1,000 birr a quintal and steel and finishing materials rose more than 50 percent in a month.
· ENA
Ethiopia has 5,964 hotel rooms in 34 hotels under development, and 79.9% of them are under construction, the highest share in Africa, says a W Hospitality Group report. Addis Ababa has about 25,000 visitor beds and wants more than 80,000 before the COP32 climate summit in 2027. MIDROC plans a second Sheraton and a renovated Wabe Shebelle Hotel.