Construction companies development programme: The case of URRAP in south regional state, Ethiopia

The continual development of construction products is linked to the actors' long-term persistent viability, capacity, and reputation involved in the construction process. If these businesses fail, the skills and expertise available to the construction industry today will be lost to future generations. One of the actors is Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) which play a crucial role in developing countries' economies. Keeping this in view, this research aimed to identify the weakness and suggest the mechanisms for the effectiveness of the construction companies development programme in the Southern Regional State under the Universal Rural Road Access Program (URRAP). Besides the URRAP program design document analysis, a desktop study on contractor development programmes of six African countries' practices was conducted for comparison. The program’s design document lacked: specific detailed objectives on methodology and a detailed time-frame to achieve construction company development, business and management-related training, holistic development addressing all of the essential issues, and supporting financial institutions for access to credit and financing. For developing URRAP construction enterprises, there is a felt need to create a conducive business environment, and improve access to work opportunities, training and advisory services, and programme structure, such as support initiatives, should be planned and implemented.