AfDB Leads $7.8 Billion Financing for Ethiopia’s Africa Largest Airport

Ethiopia is advancing plans to construct Africa’s largest airport near Bishoftu, southeast of Addis Ababa, with completion targeted for 2029. The $10 billion project, designed to handle up to 100 million passengers annually, will feature four parallel runways and extensive infrastructure including maintenance hangars, cargo centers, and an express railway linking to Addis Ababa. Ethiopian Airlines will finance 20% of the project, while the African Development Bank (AfDB) has committed up to $500 million and will lead efforts to raise the remaining $7.8 billion from creditors. The initiative, formalized in agreements signed by Ethiopian officials and AfDB President Akinwumi Adesina, includes resettling approximately 2,500 farming households from the airport site. This project reflects the AfDB’s strategic role in mobilizing capital for large-scale infrastructure across Africa and marks a significant expansion of Ethiopia’s aviation capacity beyond the current Bole International Airport. Construction is expected to start in late 2025, solidifying Ethiopia’s position as a regional aviation hub.