African Development Bank offers $500 mln for Ethiopia mega airport

IVORY COAST

The African Development Bank (AfDB) said it will contribute $500 million to the construction of an airport near the Ethiopian capital expected to become the continent's largest.

The massive travel hub in Bishoftu, roughly 45 kilometers (28 miles) south of the capital Addis Ababa, will cost an estimated $10 billion and be able to handle some 110 million passengers a year at full capacity, the AfDB said.

Egypt's Cairo International Airport took the title of Africa's busiest in 2024, followed by Johannesburg's O.R. Tambo in South Africa, according to the Official Aviation Guide.

Partly financed by national carrier Ethiopian Airlines, the Bishoftu hub is expected to replace the capital's Bole Airport, which can handle up to 25 million passengers annually.

Construction is scheduled to begin at the end of 2025.

"The Bank has itself earmarked up to $500 million, subject to Board approval, to anchor the funding," the AfDB said.

In a statement, it described the airport as a "transformational regional integration project" that would enhance "continental integration and connectivity".