Finally, the tallest building in central Addis Abeba, the majestic and ultramodern Nani Building, will soon open, after consuming an estimated 600 million Br (about twice the amount originally budgeted at 36 million dollars) and a staggering six-year delay in completion, reliable sources disclosed.

Developed by Huda Real Estate Plc, one of the subsidiary companies of MIDROC Ethiopia, the 22-storey building will be completely open for business in two months, according to these sources. Around 600 workers are currently deployed in shifts covering 24-hours to complete the finishing touches, while 28km of cable (not including telephone lines) has already been completed.

Addis Abeba’s true skyscraper is built to house the headquarters of MIDROC Ethiopia, including the VIP offices of its owner, Mohammed Hussein Ali Al-Amoudi and his brother Hussein Al-Amoudi, on the 19th and 20th floors. However, the finishing work and furnishing of these offices remains to be done, according to these sources.

Companies under the MIDROC Technology Group, including DERBA MIDROC and Saudi Star Agricultural Investment, are expected to be the first to move into the building, which will also include three modern restaurants in the next few weeks, these sources disclosed. The restaurants are planned to be run by a company under the holding, although our sources have declined to name them.

The Nani Building is one of three modern complexes Huda has been struggling to finish over the past decade, thus putting the company’s management and owner under public scrutiny for its failure to complete them on schedule. Huda is also undertaking the construction of Loli Building, a nine-storey twin tower (in Addis Abeba) originally projected to cost 19 million dollars, and Mohammed Yassin Business Centre, in the town of Dessie, 400km north of Addis Abeba, at a cost (originally) of 30 million Br. None of these structures have been completed to date. The Nani project, first launched in 1998, was planned to be completed in 2004.

Lying on a 2,586sqm plot in a prime part of Addis Abeba alongside the entrance to the historic Ghion Hotel, on Ras Desta Street, Nani prides itself in passing, with flying colours, the stringent standards of western earthquake requirements, according to experts. It incorporates a two-level parking deck in its basement to accommodate 150 vehicles at a time.

The modern edifice was designed by Innovators Consulting Engineers, a firm in Saudi Arabia that Al-Amoudi has controlling ownership of. This firm has also designed other structures in Addis Abeba, such as the Lideta Garden City (930 million dollars, 2001), Sarah Residential Development (260 million dollars, 2006), Sarah Complex Development (250 million dollars, 2006), City Centre Development (120 million dollars, 2005), Sheraton Extension Development (25 million dollars, 1999), Health Club and Villa Bungalows (25 million dollars, 2003), Al-Salam Hospital Development (27 million dollars, 1998), Debre-Zeit Hospital (70 million dollars, 2002), and Mekelle Hospital (10 million dollars, 2001).