4.1 Urban Economy and Role of the Town

The town serves as zonal administration, commercial and tourism center. There are 124 manufacturing

industries, 27 wholesale trades, 1020 retail trades, 854 service trades and five fuel stations and 12

garages. There are five banks and four microfinance institutions. 

The average annual revenue of the municipality within the 2007-2011 period was 7,331,772.84 Birr. The

major sources of revenues were different taxes, rents and service charges. The major investment

potentials opportunities in the town are: agro-industry processing,  urban agriculture, hotel and tourism development.

Robe town has economic linkages with the surrounding hinterland areas, Adama and Addis Ababa. The

town gets grain products, livestock supply, natural resources (fuel wood, and charcoal) and labor from

surrounding areas and agricultural inputs from Addis Ababa.

4.2 Social Characteristics

Social services

Education

There are 6 private and six government owned kindergartens; six government and 8 private 1-4

grade primary schools; five government and five private 5-8 grade primary schools; two

government senior secondary (9-10 grade) schools, one government preparatory school; one government

TVET; one government college in Robe town.  

Health

Regarding health services in the town there are one government hospital, one government health center

one government and 27 private clinics, two government and 17 private pharmacies and an ambulance that

gives service for emergency cases.                  

Municipal services

Robe town has one public meeting hall, abattoir; general and cattle markets meeting once a week on Thursdays and two daily markets. Solid waste is collected by donkey drown carts and disposed in authorized open dump site. Three associations with 30 members organized in Micro and Small-scale Enterprise are engaged in collection and disposal of solid waste. There are two public toilets in the town, and liquid waste is collected by vacuum trucks rented from Hawasaa town and dumped in open dump site.

There are urban green areas covering 9.5 ha, one public library and a stadium in the town. Regarding religious services in the town there are 17 mosques, four churches for Orthodox Christians, and six churches for Protestants.