Alberto Varnero, a civil engineer who played an outsized role in shaping modern Addis Ababa, has passed away.
The cause of his death has not yet been made clear, but Varnero’s passing has drawn the attention of many, including Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, who offered his condolences in a social media post earlier today.
“His legacy stands in the foundations of these national landmarks and in the progress they symbolize,” wrote the PM.
On the long list of Varnero’s contributions to Ethiopia in his six-decade career in construction are Africa Hall (the headquarters of the UN Economic Commission for Africa), the symbolic Addis Ababa Hilton Hotel, the old headquarters of the Commercial Bank of Ethiopia, and Addis Ababa City Hall.
More recently, Varnero and his family business—Geom Luigi Varnero Impresa Construzioni—took part in the construction of Millennium Hall, Abrehot Library, and Unity Park, as well as the renovation of the National Palace.
A few of landmark construction projects carried out by Varnero in Ethiopia since the 1960s are the Addis Abeba city municipal building, the old circular headquarters of Commercial Bank of Ethiopia, twin building of the Awash Bank and Insurance Headquarters, upgrading works of Jimma Aba Jifar Airport, the Millennium Concert Hall, and the Addis Park facilities.
