Company Database

ETHIOPIAN CONSTRUCTION WORKS CORPORATION (ECWC)

about this company

Vision

The Ethiopian Construction Works Corporation is dedicated to becoming a world-renowned and competent construction company by 2026.

Mission

To enable the country to utilize its limited resources by using skilled manpower and modern technology through delivering quality construction works, both domestically and overseas; through assembling construction machinery and equipment and manufacturing spare parts; through engaging in rental services of construction machinery and equipment, as well as buildings; through acquiring, owning, and administering irrigation as well as hydropower dams constructed and to be constructed by the federal government and collecting charges from the beneficiaries of such dams; and expanding such development activities through the resource generated.

Values

Our core values are quality service, customer satisfaction, transparency and accountability, teamwork, learning and continuous improvement, and social responsibility.

Organization

The Ethiopian Construction Works Corporation is a newly established public enterprise with the aim of becoming a leading, preferred and competitive construction contractor. The corporation was a result of the amalgamation of two formerly independent public enterprises, namely the Ethiopian Water Works Construction Enterprise and the Ethiopian Road Construction Corporation.

Although it is a new enterprise in its current form, the Ethiopian Construction Works Corporation has, therefore, accumulated experience in the construction industry.

Currently, the corporation has two operational sectors: the water infrastructure construction sector, and the transport infrastructure construction sector. The two sectors in turn have different projects located in different parts of the country.

The headquarters of the corporation is located in the city of Addis Ababa, and situated in the building of the former Ethiopian Water Works Construction Enterprise, around Gured Shola.

Among the services the corporation renders are:

• To engage in domestic and overseas construction works as a contractor in the construction, upgrading and maintenance of roads, bridges, works relating to dams, irrigations, hydropower generation, water supply systems, sewerage systems, drainage, deep water wells, reclamations, river diversions, construction of buildings, airfields, railways, ports and other civil works.
• To engage in the assembling of construction equipments and machinery, manufacturing spare parts and provide maintenance service for construction equipment and machinery and produce construction materials and different kinds of pipes necessary for its activities and sell them as may be appropriate.
• To acquire, own and administer irrigation dams, deep water wells and as may be necessary water supply canals constructed and to be constructed by the federal government budget and collect charges from the beneficiaries of such dams.
• To engage in the rental business of construction equipment, machinery, warehouses and buildings.
• To produce qualified human resources with required discipline, number and quality for the corporation by using its own training facilities or work in co-ordination with relevant domestic or international research, educational and training institutions.
• To make studies and forward proposals in line with directions given by the Ministry of Public Enterprises to get financial, technological and modern administrative inputs (including attracting investment or to engage in investment) to be competitive and profitable in domestic and overseas works.
• To sell and pledge bonds and to negotiate and sign loan agreements with local and international financial sources in line with the directive issued by the Ministry of Finance and Economic Co-operation and in accordance with policy direction given by Ministry of Public Enterprises.
• To undertake any other related activities necessary for the attainment of its purposes.

Background

The development of infrastructure has so far been given due emphasis along with the provision of utilities to the public. Increasing the road network of the country, provision of water and electricity to the public, construction of irrigation canals were among the priority areas in the government’s investment decision making during the last two decades or so.

The demand for the development of this infrastructure has been growing tremendously both domestically as well as in foreign nations.

The federal government of the Democratic Republic of Ethiopia has taken the initiative to establish developmental public enterprises to meet this growing demand. On the one hand, the establishment of these public enterprises has the objective of fostering the socio-economic development of the country. On the other hand, they are intended to fill the market gap in the development of these types of infrastructure. To meet their purpose of establishment, these enterprises need to be competent. With a growing number of domestic contractors and competitiveness in the industry, it has become difficult for many public enterprises to deliver what they were intended for. Thus it is necessary as well as compulsory to strengthen and enhance the competitiveness of some of the strategic developmental enterprises through different means.

At the end of the Ethiopian fiscal year 2007, the federal government of the Democratic Republic of Ethiopia announced the establishment of the Ethiopian Construction Works Corporation, which is formed through the amalgamation of the former Ethiopian Water Works Construction Enterprise and the Ethiopian Road Construction Corporation. The formation of the new corporation indicates the strengthening of the competitive power and enhancement of operational efficiency of the two former enterprises. Thus it can be said that the corporation can have a major impact in the construction industry both in terms of efficiency as well as competitiveness.

Major Businesses of the ECWC

The Ethiopian Construction Works Corporation has been established for state-of-the-art construction solutions. The following are among the major construction businesses that the corporation renders:

• Highways, bridges, tunnels, railways, runways and ports.
• Surface and subsurface water supply development.
• Sewage and effluent treatment,
• Dam construction.
• Hydropower development.
• Irrigation infrastructure, river diversions.
• Industrial projects and warehouses.
• Residential and commercial building construction.
• Management of dam and irrigation infrastructure.
• Management of bulk water production.
• Construction machinery, equipment and warehouse leasing services.
• Reclamations.
• Civil engineering works.

Location

Currently the corporation has three operational sectors, namely transport infrastructure construction, water infrastructure construction, and construction machinery and equipment management business units. The corporation has its head office located in Gurd Shola, Addis Ababa. In addition to this, the corporation through its business units has many projects located all around the country.

Executive Summary/Human & Material Resources

As per of the proclamation of its establishment, Ethiopian Construction Works Corporation has an authorized capital of Ethiopian Birr 20,313,608,143.90. This shows that the corporation is the biggest construction company in the country. In addition to this, the corporation has currently more than 15,000 workers. This also makes it the largest construction company in terms of job opportunity creation.

The corporation owns hundreds of modern construction machinery and equipment units, and different kinds of freight as well as transport vehicles.

Our advantage

Thus, the two most important competitive advantages of the corporation are:

Its geographical presence:

As indicated in the tables below, the corporation has different projects located strategically throughout the country. This makes the Ethiopian Construction Works Corporation the most accessible construction contractor in the country. This geographical presence can be an advantage even to indulge in different construction projects found in neighboring countries.

Its human and material resources:

It is a fact that human resources are among, if not the, most decisive factors influencing the competitiveness of any company. The Ethiopian Construction Works Corporation currently has more than 15,000 workers. This is in fact a huge asset if the corporation uses this resource in an efficient and productive manner. Therefore, the huge human resources that the corporation has can yield it a competitive advantage in the industry.

The following table summarizes the different projects of the corporation that are operational.

Water Infrastructure Construction Projects

Transport Infrastructure Development Projects