4.1 Urban Economy and Role of the Town

Debrebirhan serves as zone and woreda administrations and trade center. There are two manufacturing industries, 2203 wholesale trades, 164 retail trades, 589 service trades and five fuel stations and 17 garages. There are five banks and one micro finance giving services in the town.

In 2005 the average annual revenue of the municipality was 3,669,549.25 Birr and the major sources of revenues were land rent, taxes, levies and service charges. The major investment opportunities in the town are agro industry and construction.

According to CSA 2007, economic activity rate was 46.25 for sexes, 53.3 and 39.2 for males and females, respectively. The rate of unemployment in the same year was 10.7% for both sexes, while the male and female unemployment rates were 7.0 and 15.6%, respectively.

Debrebirehan town has economic linkages with the surrounding areas and Addis Ababa. The town gets agricultural inputs, manufacturing and commercial products from Addis Ababa and grain products, livestock, natural resources (fuel wood and charcoal) and labor from surrounding areas

4.2 Social and Municipal Services

Social Services

Education

There are 15 privately owned kindergartens; 15 government and nine private primary schools; two government and one private senior secondary (9-10 grade) schools, one preparatory school; one TVET; one university; three private and two government colleges in the town.

Health

Regarding health services in the town, there are one government and one private hospitals, and two government health centers, five health posts and 18 private clinics in Debrebirhan town.  Two ambulances owned by Red Cross give service for emergency cases.                  

Municipal Services

Debrebirhan town has one general purpose hall for public uses; abattoir giving slaughtering services for both Christians and Muslims; a general market meeting twice a week on Wednesdays and Saturdays, a weekly cattle market meeting on Saturdays and 2 daily markets. Solid waste is collected by a tractor and five horse drawn carts and disposed in authorized open dump site. There are five Micro and Small Scale Enterprise associations and an NGO engaged in collection of solid waste. There are five public toilets in the town, while liquid waste is collected and disposed by vacuum trucks rented from Addis Ababa.

There are two parks, one playground located near Atse Zereyakob square, street trees planted along one Km of streets, two public libraries (one for children and 1 for adults), and hotels of different standards in the town. A River called Baresa exists in the town. Regarding religious services, there are twelve churches for Orthodox Christians, ten churches for Protestants and two mosques in the town.