Potential agency would oversee city government properties

The Addis Ababa City Government which wants to strictly control their properties located in government institutions will establish a property and building control administration in a few weeks.
The new institution will administer the vehicles, buildings, equipment and furniture owned by the city administration. In addition, it will dispose of properties which are no longer needed by the city government.
Currently the city’s public properties are administered by an independent institution.
The city cabinet which will have a meeting in two weeks will decide on the fate of the new institution.
A source in the administration told Capital that the agency will make a complete count of the buildings and manage them in a coordinated manner.
“An investigation showed that the government owned buildings are not properly managed. Some are being rented to people who are not involved in the government. Many of them need maintenance as well. Having one city government agency working to manage public buildings will save time and money and will fight corruption which is occurring in government owned properties.’’
Last week Takele Uma, Vice Mayor of the city announced that they would slash city institutions from the current 114 to 64 to save the city form redundancy.
Currently the city is trying to professionalize its operation.
The city’s executive branch has been criticized by opposition parties and some political experts, who think professionals should hold positions instead of political appointees.
In the new restructuring the Trade Bureau and Industry Bureaus will fold and become one institution.
In other news an expected lottery for 17,000 40/60 condos will place 23,000 people on a list if they save 40 percent of the total price of the houses.
In the previous draw those who saved 100 percent of the house price were placed in the condo draw.
The houses which will be transferred soon are located in Gerji, Bole Bulebula, Hayat Meri and Summit.
Recently Capital reported that The Addis Ababa Housing Development & Administration Agency (AAHDAA) who administers the 20 /80 condos and the Addis Ababa Savings & Houses Development Enterprise (AASHDE) which constructed the 40/60 condos are revising prices to transfer over 35,000 condos in the coming few months.
The price has not been finalized but it will take into account the rising prices of labor, materials and inflation.