Ethiopia: Huajian shoe city faces delays
Press in Ethiopia have reported a court dispute over land is holding up construction of the giant Huajian shoe city, 30 kilometres from the capital.
The plaintiffs are 10 residents of Lebu area who assert they have rights to the land, according to the report. However, the city council is arguing compensation has been given to displaced farmers but the 10 do not own the land.
Huajian president Zhang Huarong told Fortune. "All is in place – 80% of the materials for construction of the factories has already been imported from China. What hinders the construction of the park is just the court case."
Huajian International Shoe City, when complete in 2019, should produce around 35,000 pairs of shoes per day.
See World Footwear July/August 2014, available to download as a pdf in the Technical Library (search with keyword 'Ethiopia')
