When you walk on the streets of Addis Ababa in Ethiopia, it feels like the city is one big building site.

Anyone with some money to invest is clearly putting it into property in this growing urban centre.

Construction can be a good sign in a developing country. Not only does it provide employment in the short term but infrastructural development supports the growth of other economic sectors in the long-run.

While it may argued that property is a safe bet in an uncertain economy, the boom in construction in Ethiopia is mainly driven by infrastructure development objectives.

Addis Ababa is devoting $1.3 billion annually to infrastructure, which is 10 per cent of its GDP.

As a share of GDP, Ethiopia’s spending on infrastructure is by far the highest on the continent. At a more basic human level it is a sign of optimism and hope for the future.

Ethiopia has ambitious plans to improve the infrastructure available for its 85 million people. There are large power plants being built by Chinese and European companies.

The Growth and Transformation Plan sees energy and transport infrastructure as priorities.

The energy sector presents the greatest infrastructural challenge to Ethiopia. Over the next decade, 8,700 megawatts of generating plant will be required. This is double Ethiopia’s current capacity.

In transport, there is a need to improve Ethiopia’s poor rural accessibility and ensure that recent investments in roads receive efficient maintenance.

Better roads to link Ethiopia to Mombasa and Port Sudan are planned. This would reduce reliance on Djibouti for access to the sea and the movement of many goods in and out of the country.

In terms of air transport, Ethiopia is a regional leader. Its national airline, Ethiopian Airlines, is one of Africa’s three top international carriers. It has an extensive network across Africa and an excellent safety record.

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