Many towns in Ethiopia seem to be bursting with too many young people

Many towns in Ethiopia seem to be bursting with too many young people. Mekelle is one of them, but it is not the only town by any stretch of the imagination. Shashemene, Hawassa and Bahir Dar are in the same league. Those of us, who had lived in any of the places at one time or another, find it nostalgically disconcerting that nobody seems to know us any more.

On the other hand, everything is not black and white and this is one of them. In Japan the demographics is so skewed towords an aging population that most people are made to stay on and work. The boomer population in the United States, who are in their sixties are into retirement that innumerable studies are being conducted to cater to their well being, thanks they have the money. In Ethiopia, mandatory retirement ages change from government to government. The reasons mostly had to do with politics, ideology and perhaps, BPR too.

Adama town is a crowded place, at least the main streets are. Like other crowded towns across the nation, the population bulge is supposed to being caused by constant immigration both from near and far.