Bite Voyage: Travel, Food & Stays

Sembel Residential Complex, Asmara: A Model of Modern Urban Living in Eritrea The city of Asmara has been rapidly transforming over the past few decades, particularly in the housing sector. Among its most iconic developments is the Sembel Residential Complex , widely recognized as one of the largest and most well-planned housing complexes in East Africa . Commonly referred to as "Corea" due to its construction by Keangnam Enterprises , Korea’s first contractor, the complex stands as a powerful symbol of international cooperation and visionary urban planning.

Eritrea sells luxury houses to earn hard currency It may look like a truck park by Asmara's Halibet Hospital on the edge of town, but the Eritrean Government, keen to tap the hard currency held by the large overseas Eritrean community, has other plans. The poor Red Sea state plans 766 "new residential-style" two and three-bedroom apartments there, with shopping centres and sports facilities, the project's website halibet.com says. The prices, between US$97,000 and US$139,000, are low by London and New York standards, but out of reach for most Eritreans whose average income is just US$130 per year. Glossy brochures are available in Eritrean embassies abroad and payment can be made in US dollars, euros and British pounds but not in nakfa, the national currency. The government has hard currency reserves equal to only one month of imports, according to the International Monetary Fund ( IMF ), and must find innovative ways of earning crucial cash. "This econ...