Politics and Society

First in Africa: Ethiopia introduces first smart parking system

Ethiopia’s high economic growth can be linked to the country’s use of new technologies. The country recently introduced Africa’s first smart parking system. This parking system is cheaper and more efficient. 90 cars can be parked in a space which previously parked 9 cars. Certainly a project other countries and cities can emulate.

Published

8 years ago

June 22, 2017

Socrates Mbamalu

It is just 1pm and finding a place to park a car in Lagos, Harare, Johannesburg, Nairobi or Cairo is a great challenge, if not a nightmare. One ends up driving many blocks away from the initial destination just to find secure parking. In some cases, there are unofficial car guards at these parking bays and lots, some demand as much as $4 just to park, depending on the length the car is parked for.

Sometimes these unofficial car guards watch over the vehicles, other times they are busy looking for spaces where others could park so they can make more money, leaving cars unattended. Parking space is probably one of the major problems in most major African cities.

Read: Ethiopian Airlines wins Airline of the Year Award, for the fifth year in a row

Ethiopia introduces 1st smart parking system in Africa. I'm soon leaving for Addis Ababa, to learn more about this wonder.#LetsFixNairobi pic.twitter.com/0LyXGT3vBO
— Mike Sonko (@MikeSonko) June 13, 2017
Advertisement

Ethiopia has been at the forefront in introducing new technological innovations for the benefit of its citizens. One of the major success stories is the electric railway linking Ethiopia and Djibouti, amongst other big infrastructural projects. The electric railway which cuts down a three day journey to 12 hours runs for more than 750km. The country which is progressing faster than many of its counterparts in the region has more major projects lined up.

Read: Ethiopia surpasses Kenya to become east Africa’s top economic giant

Just recently, a new parking system was introduced in the country’s capital Addis Ababa, the first of its kind in Africa; the smart parking system. In many African metropolitan cities, from Lagos, Nairobi, to Addis Ababa, parking space is always a huge problem, but Ethiopia seems to have found a solution to this urban problem. Instead of a normal parking lot where many cars are arranged, this new smart parking takes place in a building and it is discreet and more secure. With this new parking system, 90 cars can be parked where space could have been previously occupied by only 9 cars.

This new parking system could solve a huge problem if adopted by cities across Africa.