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Published on: www.allafrica.com, 1 March 2014

A company established by over 200 Ethiopian physicians based in the US, Europe and Canada; Ethio-American Doctors Group, has requested a 120,000 sq.m additional plot of land to erect a state-of-the-art cancer center in Addis Ababa, 

The company had already received 30,000 sq.m from the city administration, which was initially owned by Sunshine Construction Plc. located in Yeka Sub city around Summit area. Sources told The Reporter that the request for additional land has been met with a positive response when Driba Kuma, mayor of city, met with board members of the company yesterday. The request for an additional plot of land is more likely to be accommodated through a plot located adjacent to the 30,000 sq.m they currently own, sources explain. The plot in question, which was originally given to Sunshine Construction PLC for the construction of a university building was later on repossessed from Sunshine and the Ethio-American Group received the 30,000 sq.m from it. Meanwhile, the rest of the plot that was adjacent to Ethio-American group’s was up for grabs after the city floated a tender dividing the plot into 81 smaller plots. The outcome of the tender is to be announced on Monday, while reports on changes of heart of the Mayor in favor of giving it to the Ethio-American Group surfaced. The group was founded by two companies, namely the American Doctors Group and the Global Ethiopian Medical Enterprise, both independently working to establish hospitals in the capital. After the merging of the two, they agreed to go with the name ‘Ethio-American Doctors Group’, according to sources.

With a starting capital of one billion birr, the company will build a general hospital that will feature a state-of-the-art cancer prevention and treatment center, which plans to serve the eastern region as a whole after signing an agreement with the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) to use the treatment center. The company is believed to have direct support from the Prime Minister, Hailemariam Dessalegn, and the Foreign Minister, Tedros Adhanom (Ph.d). The speedy coalition was also realized by the motivational pressure exerted by the two officials. Government officials are also likely to take part in the land request proposal presented to the city administration, say sources.