Pawe is a special woreda in Ethiopia’s Benishangul-Gumuz Region, set in the Beles valley on the eastern side of Metekel. Its largest town is Almu, and it counted 45,552 people at the 2007 census and about 76,700 under the 2022 CSA projection, in 568 square kilometres.
Pawe belongs to none of the region’s zones and reports directly to the regional government. It is the smallest district in Benishangul-Gumuz by area and by far the most densely settled, at about 80 people per square kilometre in 2007 against a regional average nearer 15. The reason is its history: Pawe was built by resettlement.
| Main town | Almu |
| Region | Benishangul-Gumuz |
| Status | Special woreda (outside any zone) |
| Population (2007 census) | 45,552 |
| Population (2022 projection) | 76,744 |
| Area | 567.51 km² |
| Density (2007) | 80.3 per km² |
| Coordinates | 11°20′N 36°20′E |
Towns
| Town | Role |
|---|---|
| Almu | Largest town and administrative centre |
| Felege Selam | Second town |
| Ketema | Third town |
The district and its main town are both commonly called Pawe. No separate town population is published for any of the three, but 10,068 people, or 22.1 percent of the 2007 total, lived in urban places. That is the highest urban share of any district in Benishangul-Gumuz outside Asosa town. The rest of the population lives in the planned settlement villages laid out across the valley in the 1980s.
Geography
Pawe sits in the Beles valley at around 1,050 to 1,200 metres, lower and warmer than the Gojjam highlands immediately to the east but higher than the Gumuz lowlands to the west. It is bordered on the south and west by Metekel Zone, and on the east and north by the Amhara Region, mainly Agew Awi Zone.
The Beles River and its tributaries drain the district westward towards the Abay (Blue Nile). Land here is deep, previously uncultivated soil with reliable rainfall and standing forest, which is precisely why it was chosen for resettlement.
History
Pawe was the site of Ethiopia’s largest resettlement scheme, carried out between 1984 and 1986 under the Derg government as part of the wider Tana Beles project. Officials recorded 16,425 people moved from Gojjam into Pawe in that period, and further arrivals followed.
The scheme went badly. Settlers were moved into lowland conditions they had no immunity to and little preparation for, and tens of thousands died across the resettlement programme. The villages that survived became the core of the present district, which is why a woreda in a Gumuz-majority region has an Amhara majority and an Orthodox Christian majority today.
Demographics
The 2007 census recorded 45,552 residents, 23,265 men and 22,287 women, in 11,808 households averaging 3.86 people, with 11,436 dwelling units. The 2022 projection is about 76,700.
The Amhara are the largest group at 69.71 percent, with Kambaata, Hadiya, Agaw-Awi and Oromo minorities making up most of the remainder. Amharic is the first language of 71.88 percent of residents; Kambaata, Hadiya and Awngi are the other languages of any size. Ethiopian Orthodox Christians form 63.49 percent of the population, Muslims 26.46 percent, Protestants 7.61 percent and Catholics 2.38 percent.
That mix is unusual for the region and is a direct result of where the settlers came from. Kambaata and Hadiya households were resettled here from the far south, several hundred kilometres away.
Economy & Local Life
Pawe is farming country with better land than most of the region. Maize, sorghum and sesame are the main crops, with cotton and soya on the larger holdings, and the Beles valley carries commercial farms alongside smallholder plots. Rainfall is adequate without irrigation, and second crops are possible in a good year.
Forest and bamboo supply timber and building material, and minerals occur in the surrounding hills. Almu’s market is the trading point for the settlement villages, and grain moves east to Chagni and Injibara and on to Bahir Dar.
Getting There
Pawe lies on the main road from Amhara into Metekel. From Addis Ababa, drive north to Bahir Dar, then west through Injibara and Chagni; Almu is on the asphalt road that continues south-west to Gilgel Beles. This is the easiest district in Benishangul-Gumuz to reach by road.
Buses run from Bahir Dar and Chagni. There is no airport at Pawe; the nearest scheduled flights land at Bahir Dar.
FAQ
Where is Pawe special woreda?
In north-western Ethiopia, in the Benishangul-Gumuz Region, in the Beles valley on the border with the Amhara Region, at roughly 11°20′N 36°20′E.
What is the main town in Pawe?
Almu, which is also the administrative centre. Felege Selam and Ketema are the other towns. All three, and the district itself, are often referred to simply as Pawe.
What is the population of Pawe?
45,552 at the 2007 census, projected to about 76,700 for 2022, in an area of 567.51 square kilometres.
Why is Pawe a special woreda?
Because it sits outside the region’s three zones and reports directly to the regional government. Benishangul-Gumuz has two special woredas, Pawe and Mao-Komo.
What language is spoken in Pawe?
Amharic, the first language of about 72 percent of residents, with Kambaata, Hadiya and Awngi minorities.
How do you get to Pawe?
By road from Bahir Dar through Injibara and Chagni, on asphalt. Buses serve Almu from both Chagni and Bahir Dar.