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| Ba Beta Kristiyan Haile Selassie I |
| Selected Speeches |
| Haile Selassie the First - January 24, 1965 |
We feel very gratified indeed every time we lay, as, for example today, the
cornerstones for, or inagurate the successful completion of projects
which, because of the benefits they render to the nation, have been given
the proper study they deserve, for such occasions bring to mind the
day-to-day increase in the number of projects which have either been
launched or completed.
The full utilization of the power supply available before and after the
completion of the Koka Dam brought the need for still more production or
power. This in itself is proof enough of the gradual betterment of the
living conditions of Our people and the progress of Our country.
It can be said that the number and type of industries existent in any
country is a standing evidence of that country's path to modernization and
progress. In as much as Ethiopia abounds in raw materials which it
should industrially transform and utilize, We are convinced that the time is
not too distant when it can successfully do so both as a means of
self-sufficiency and further still for surplus export to the world market.
As We have noted in the past, however, such efforts require both a great
amount of capital and enough pooling of one's own skilled manpower; the
endeavours We have already made to bring Ethiopia as close to this
position as possible is well known to Our beloved people. Even if Our
efforts in this regard have not so far been fully crowned with complete
success, it may well be said that the realization of at least a part of our
overall plan is an omen that spells well for the future.
The realization by Our people that whatever We are doing is for their own
benefit has already brought them from a position of indifferent
spectatorship to that of enthusiastic participation in all endeavours for the
common good. National progress requires concrete and active national
participation, and it is a matter of great pride and satisfaction for Us to see
Our people sharing in our ideas and working more and more diligently.
Industrial growth and expansion not only enable us to derive better and
higher benefits from our raw materials which we export at low prices or
which simply lie unexploited, but also create great possibilities of
employment for thousands of people. On this, too, has already been made
some headway. The process enables us to be self-sufficient instead of
being a dumping-ground for foreign-made commodities. To be
self-sufficient is to be protected from a position where we may well be
judged for "burying the gold," and is as well a source of pride, a living
testimony to national progress.
Electricity is a basic requirement for all the industrial projects we envisage.
Apart from the hydro-electric pwoer stations that have so far been
installed, according to the limitations of our economy in various parts of
the country, in view of expanding the supply of electricity to benefit our
people at their homes, in their schools and day to day pursuits, We
inaugurated last November the Tis Abbay Hydro-Electric Power Station
now feeding the industrial establishments at Bahr Dar and serving Our
people in Gojjam and Begemder. This not only marks a further step in the
realization of Our overall national endeavours, but also lays the
groundwork for the implementation of other great projects to be launched
in the future.
We are gratified to be here today to lay the cornerstone of the Awash II
Hydroelectric Dam -- a project designed to extend the benefits of
electricity to Our Capital and beyond, to the people living as far away from
it as Harrar, as well as feed the industrial establishments already existing
and slated to appear in and between these regions. We beg the Almighty
to enable Us to see the day when it will reach completion and be put into
operation. We also wish success to the board of management and all
those entrusted with the implementation of this project.
cornerstones for, or inagurate the successful completion of projects
which, because of the benefits they render to the nation, have been given
the proper study they deserve, for such occasions bring to mind the
day-to-day increase in the number of projects which have either been
launched or completed.
The full utilization of the power supply available before and after the
completion of the Koka Dam brought the need for still more production or
power. This in itself is proof enough of the gradual betterment of the
living conditions of Our people and the progress of Our country.
It can be said that the number and type of industries existent in any
country is a standing evidence of that country's path to modernization and
progress. In as much as Ethiopia abounds in raw materials which it
should industrially transform and utilize, We are convinced that the time is
not too distant when it can successfully do so both as a means of
self-sufficiency and further still for surplus export to the world market.
As We have noted in the past, however, such efforts require both a great
amount of capital and enough pooling of one's own skilled manpower; the
endeavours We have already made to bring Ethiopia as close to this
position as possible is well known to Our beloved people. Even if Our
efforts in this regard have not so far been fully crowned with complete
success, it may well be said that the realization of at least a part of our
overall plan is an omen that spells well for the future.
The realization by Our people that whatever We are doing is for their own
benefit has already brought them from a position of indifferent
spectatorship to that of enthusiastic participation in all endeavours for the
common good. National progress requires concrete and active national
participation, and it is a matter of great pride and satisfaction for Us to see
Our people sharing in our ideas and working more and more diligently.
Industrial growth and expansion not only enable us to derive better and
higher benefits from our raw materials which we export at low prices or
which simply lie unexploited, but also create great possibilities of
employment for thousands of people. On this, too, has already been made
some headway. The process enables us to be self-sufficient instead of
being a dumping-ground for foreign-made commodities. To be
self-sufficient is to be protected from a position where we may well be
judged for "burying the gold," and is as well a source of pride, a living
testimony to national progress.
Electricity is a basic requirement for all the industrial projects we envisage.
Apart from the hydro-electric pwoer stations that have so far been
installed, according to the limitations of our economy in various parts of
the country, in view of expanding the supply of electricity to benefit our
people at their homes, in their schools and day to day pursuits, We
inaugurated last November the Tis Abbay Hydro-Electric Power Station
now feeding the industrial establishments at Bahr Dar and serving Our
people in Gojjam and Begemder. This not only marks a further step in the
realization of Our overall national endeavours, but also lays the
groundwork for the implementation of other great projects to be launched
in the future.
We are gratified to be here today to lay the cornerstone of the Awash II
Hydroelectric Dam -- a project designed to extend the benefits of
electricity to Our Capital and beyond, to the people living as far away from
it as Harrar, as well as feed the industrial establishments already existing
and slated to appear in and between these regions. We beg the Almighty
to enable Us to see the day when it will reach completion and be put into
operation. We also wish success to the board of management and all
those entrusted with the implementation of this project.
| Chapter XIII |
| Laying Foundation Stone of Awash II Jan. 24, 1965 |
| Light & Power |