Ethiopia could be a model country for tuberculosis control

Abstract

Construction is booming in Addis Ababa. The skyline of Ethiopia’s capital is dotted with cranes. Much of the city is a sprawl of building sites. Work on the metro, mostly fi nanced by China, continues apace. The stretch leading south of the city centre opened earlier this year—sub-Saharan Africa’s fi rst light railway system. A railway connecting Addis Ababa to Djibouti, also funded by China, is expected to be operational next year. The huge US Embassy testifies to the interest the country excites in Washington. USAID describes its Ethiopian portfolio as “one of the largest and most complex in Africa”. In all but two of the past 10 years, Ethiopia has seen double-digit economic growth, which has helped attract foreign investors to the country. But, except for its marketplaces, Addis Ababa does not feel overcrowded. “We have kept our farmers”, explains State Minister of Health, Kebede Worku. More than four-fi fths of the Ethiopian population live in the countryside. The national airline flies to 17 domestic destinations. The population of Addis Ababa is less than 3·5 million, in a nation of close to 100 million people. In the clean and orderly heart of the city, where four-by-fours inscribed with the light blue lettering of UN agencies prowl the streets and multinationals hire hotel bars for their staff parties, it is easy to forget that this is an exceptionally poor country. GDP per head hovers at around US$485. 22% of the population live below the poverty line, and an astonishing 97% of the population manages on less than $10 per day—meaning Ethiopia has one of the smallest middle classes in sub-Saharan Africa.