Addis Ababa, January 1, 2022 (FBC) – Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed along with various senior officials including Mayor of Addis Ababa, Adanech Abiebie has inaugurated the Grand Abrhot Library in the capital Addis Ababa. The named Abrhot is equivalent to the English term “Enlightenment”.
The state-of-the-art library which is built at 19,000 Square meter is the first in its kind and in Ethiopia and the biggest in East Africa.
Inaugurating the Library, Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed underlined that the facility will serve as a key to unlock immense resources of Ethiopia. Saying that Ethiopia is one of the eighteen countries in the world and the only nation in Africa to have its own alphabet, the Prime stressed need to explore knowledge and wisdom contained in ancient manuscripts of the country.
Knowledge is the main instrument to overcome poverty and backwardness, the Premier said, adding that the government is building a science museum in the capital to enhance the academic sector.
He called on residents of Addis Ababa and Ethiopians at large to maintain and protect the library. Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed further called for peace and forgiveness to realize the better Ethiopia.
Mayor of Addis Ababa, Adanech Abiebie, for her part, said the construction of the Library is initiated by Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed.
Addis Ababa City Administration has inaugurated the first of its named Abrhot in the presence of senior government officials.
The huge library which has been built 1.1 billion birr has a capacity to accommodate more than 2,000 users at a time.
Abrhot library has 8 bookstores, a meeting room, a cafeteria, children’s reading area and parking that can accommodate 115 vehicles at a time. It also includes a special room for people privileged to the service.
Four storey building of the library is equipped with 1.5km long shelves that are capable of holding 1.4 million books. Moreover, more than 300,000 local and 120,000 international research papers are included in the facility, the Mayor noted on the inaugural ceremony.