Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed stated that Ethiopia's rural corridor development initiative extends city corridor concepts to raise rural living standards. He pointed to poor conditions in rural homes despite agricultural productivity and warned of youth migration weakening the countryside.
Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed described Ethiopia's rural corridor development as an extension of city corridor projects, aimed at mirroring urban livelihood improvements in rural areas.
"Just as we are working to improve the livelihoods of our citizens in urban areas and make life easier, rural corridor development is about doing the same in the countryside," the prime minister said.
He noted that many rural households endure harsh conditions despite good agricultural yields. "If you go to rural areas, you will see that even when farmers produce well, they often live in a single-room house where livestock and family members share the same space. The living conditions are not convenient," Abiy elaborated.
The prime minister warned that youth exodus from villages to cities threatens agriculture. "Particularly, the youth are leaving rural areas. If this continues, the agricultural sector will gradually be weakened, and the countryside will be left without successors," he cautioned, highlighting risks from an aging rural population to national development.