Eritrea

ERITREA: TINY STATE STRUGGLES TO GET ECONOMY BACK ON RAILS

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• published: 21 Jul 2015
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English/Nat Five years after it wrested its freedom from Ethiopia, the tiny state of Eritrea is struggling to get its economy back on the rails. The fledgling republic has won praise from the U-S for its financial responsibility. And there are signs that one of the world's poorest nations may be heading for a brighter future. A new beginning for an old train. This 1957 locomotive has just been repaired in Eritrea's highland capital Asmara and is on its way down the coast to pick up a journey that was interrupted two decades ago. The railway was one of the victims of the country's 30-year struggle for independence against Ethiopia which ended in victory for the Eritreans in 1991. In wartime, the Eritreans applied their resourcefulness to defeat a mighty army. Now that peace has come they are using the same spirit and independence to rebuild their ravaged country. Veteran workers, many of them in their seventies, have been recalled to restart ancient steam locomotives using the skills they learned before the war. Five years after independence, the streets of Asmara are vibrant with optimism. During the war years there was a curfew at dusk. Today Eritreans stroll palm lined Independence Avenue passing newly-opened cafes, businesses and consumer goods shops. Everywhere there are signs of rebuilding and refurbishment. Eritrea has changed hands many times. It has been in turn an Italian colony, a British protectorate and then for three decades part of Ethiopia. Now the Eritreans are making their own future. SOUNDBITE: Many of us believe Eritrea will be one of the success stories of Africa. The national sense of purpose, the discipline of its people, the determination and hard work which is evident in the countryside gives us great cause for hope. The government has also been financially very responsible in the use of resources, investing wisely in roads, micro dams, reforestation to try to rebuild the infrastructure of the economy. SUPER CAPTION: Glenn Anders, USAID director, Eritrea The war claimed more than 100-thousand lives and forced nearly 750-thousand people to flee the country. Today hundreds of disabled former fighters live in camps, receiving only five (US) dollars a month. Eritrea is one of the world's poorest nations with a per capita annual income of only 150 (US) dollars. Most of the inhabitants live in the countryside scratching a subsistence living from the land. Drought is a persistent problem. But costly foreign assistance has been turned down in favour of home grown know-how. This dam is being built out of locally hewn rock rather than from expensive materials from abroad. SOUNDBITE: This is part and parcel of the reconstruction programme. In agriculture, the soil and water conservation is one of the projects we are really working. The Ministry is intending to construct 25 or 30 dams every year and this is all over the country. And as part of the reconstruction programme, I think we are really doing fine. SUPER CAPTION: Andom Keflemariam, Agriculture Ministry spokesman During the war years, trees provided a safe haven for guerrilla fighters and were cut down. Now the hillsides are being replanted and the fields being worked. Hopes of a better future are being nurtured as carefully as these green shoots in an arid landscape. You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/youtube/661b53aefe6aa915656419f8d5fa007d Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork