Cobblestone audit throughout the nation

A team from the Ministry of Construction and the Office of the Auditor General traveled throughout the country to audit cobblestone projects that were started in 2005.
The World Bank supported the project financing close to 8 million USD for the construction audit.
The Cobblestone Project started in 2005 in a bid to create job opportunities for youth, and to provide attractive and long-lasting road and pavement in Ethiopian cities. According to data from the Ministry of Construction and Urban Development, the cobble stone project has created close to half a billion jobs and more than 2,220 km of roads in over 140 cities between 2005 and 2014.
“The purpose of the cobble stone projects audit is to check the status of the road and to know the exact km of those constructed,” sources from the general auditor confirmed.
The dispatched group is traveling with civil engineers and accountants and moved in four direction began their task last week.
For the Addis Ababa city alone, close to 100,000 people were engaged in cobblestone project with an estimated budget outlay 2 billion USD for funding for urban housing development and transport infrastructure development programs according to a study made by Solomon Dejene for his Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements to the Degree of Master of Arts in Public Management and Policy.
The cobblestone industry has made a positive impact and has advantages over other construction methods, especially asphalt paving. Some of these outcomes are visible: the aforementioned 350 km of roads and pedestrian foot paths constructed in over 140 cities.
Other, equally-important advantages to Ethiopian cities’ engagement in cobblestone sector activities are briefly described below
The positive impact of cobblestone paving versus other paving methods on both the local and global environment is profound. Cobblestone is much more durable and entails less rehabilitation and maintenance over the long run than asphalt.
In addition, the cost needed for maintenance and renewal activities reduces the amount of environmental stress caused by construction apart from it can be reused.
The Addis Ababa City Roads Authority already stopped the construction of pedestrian roads with cobble stone and is substituting by tiles mainly in the center of the cities with possible extension through different phase.
The construction audit is common everywhere to know the statues of the roads, bridges, etc so as to follow and maintain on time as they consume huge public expenditure. The audit is said to be concluded and may take up between six months and a year.