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Three years ago, no one thought that a massive reform program was reserved for Ethiopia. A wave of public unrest in various parts of the country triggered by socio-economic problems and stalled development programs along with political demands over recognition of ethnic identity and disputes over internal border demarcations added more fuel to the urgent need for reforms.
Several factors forced the EPRDF to decide to carry out reforms in a wide spectrum of sectors that culminated in the resignation of former Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegen.
Hailemariam tendered his resignation from office on February 15, 2018 in reaction to the aftermath of the widespread mass protest and riots that led to the transfer of leadership to Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed. Therefore, Abiy Ahmed Ali was sworn in as Ethiopia’s new prime minister in parliament on April 2, 2018, which has paved the way for reform. This article will analyze the achievements, opportunities and challenges of reform in Ethiopia under the presidency of Abiy Ahmed.
Achievements:
Addressing the Parliament and people of Ethiopia, Abiy has expressed his commitment to undertake comprehensive reforms, including despotic laws. His first year in office showed many encouraging far-reaching reforms and a new sagacity of dynamism after years of dissent and change. Immediately after his inauguration, and as part of the reform, thousands of political prisoners were released in an attempt to broaden the political landscape in the country. It has removed opposition groups from the list of terrorist organizations and has expressed its desire for political plurality in the country.
The reform program incorporated various measures ranging from political reforms, introduction of changes in government structures that led to the reduction of the number of ministries and the formation of new ones such as the Ministry of Peace.
After a few months in his leadership, as part of his promise to the HPR in his inaugural address, the Premier traveled to Asmera to cement peace with Eretria after 20 years of a state of calm and tension.
Abiy traveled to neighboring countries and even managed to resolve the conflict that broke out in Sudan and planned the formation of an interim government that incorporated civilians and the military.
Among other things, the sector reform programs were designed to accelerate the pace of the country’s economic development. A reform program in the army, police and security forces envisaged a kind of apolitical formation and non-ideological security and defense forces.
A national economic reform program was led by a macro team, chaired by the Prime Minister. The macroteam has four subteams that lead reform in the relevant sectors. The background study of Ethiopia’s long-term outlook plan suggested reviewing the exemptions and tax incentives provided to attract Foreign Direct Investment (FDI). Megaprojects and State-Owned Companies (EPE) that failed due to the weak capacity to execute projects to be privatized in order to improve competitiveness.
As part of the national monetary and financial reform program, the government issued new banknotes that enabled millions of citizens to open bank accounts and saved billions of birr. In the services sector, the Government has begun to globalize services in the aviation, logistics and finance sectors. The opening of the logistics and financial sector to foreign companies is expected to improve competitiveness.
The 10-Year Local Economic Development Plan also prioritizes infrastructure development in areas with growth potential and development corridors based on their comparative advantage. Due attention will be paid to energy, ICT and roads to boost productivity. In addition, the Government intends to provide land and financing for small and medium-sized enterprises to improve efficiency and competition.
The government introduced citizen-centered foreign policy and diplomacy to determine the livelihood of citizens in foreign lands. In his subsequent visits to African countries and the Middle East, Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed facilitated the immediate release of thousands of citizens who were detained in these countries.
Finally, on October 11, 2019, the Norwegian Nobel Committee decided to award the 2019 Nobel Peace Prize to Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed for his efforts to achieve peace and international cooperation, and in particular for his decisive initiative to resolve the border conflict with neighboring Eritrea. .
Challenges:
For nearly three decades, Ethiopia has been administered by the Ethiopian People’s Democratic Front (EPRDF), which was an alliance of four ethnic parties. Hypothetically, the coalition that formed the EPRDF seemed to give equal representation to its four members, but in truth it was totally subjugated by its architect, TPLF. This severe inequality called into question the legitimacy of the ruling coalition and made reforms within the EPRDF a compelling inevitability.
In November 2019, Prime Minister Abiy introduced a new political party that merged three of the four allied parties that made up the ruling EPRDF coalition. Most Ethiopians seem to be satisfied with the merger and introduction of the Prosperity Party (PP), seeing it as a prospect to merge the nation and help end ethnic conflicts. However, the measure was heavily belittled by the then dominant TPLF and caused a lot of storm across the country.
During the two years that followed the inclusive reform, growing tensions and conflicts, mainly ethnically motivated, have led to considerable displacement and a disruption of public order in much of the country, threatening the progress of critical reforms that a Once the Prime Minister started. Minister Abiy. Right at the beginning of the reform program, a battle was fought between the reformists led by the Prime Minister and his cabinet and those who were willing to distort or destroy the reform process.
On November 4, 2020, the TPLF and its loyal forces attacked the Ethiopian National Defense Forces base in Tigray. Ethnic conflicts instigated by the TPLF resulted in the death and displacement of citizens in MaiKadra, Humera, Metekel, Gulisso and various other parts of the country, putting national peace and tranquility at risk.
The TPLF Special Forces attached the Northern Command of the Ethiopian army in an attempt to render the country defenseless and weak in the eyes of the enemies of reform. Several attempts previously made by the government to resolve the dispute with TPLF in a more peaceful and friendly manner failed.
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These were not the only challenges faced by the reform initiated by Prime Minister Abiy. The COVID-19 pandemic also posed another challenge to the nation’s socio-economic and political reforms alongside the desert locust infestations.
The onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in Ethiopia further complicated the path to the national reform program, as billions of birr were re-budgeted to take austerity measures to minimize the effects of the virus. Furthermore, the war and disinformation campaign about GERD have continued unabated. It was under such murky conditions that the reform was able to record notable achievements in several respects, including economic growth of 6.1 percent this fiscal year.
Opportunities:
Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed has embarked on a series of reforms aimed at straightening the beams and tackling national policy failures. He managed to keep the momentum of growth and resilient peace.
With the VI National Elections in the offing, the reform programs have continued, but certainly not without great challenges. But there are still opportunities to overcome existing challenges, and much work remains to be done to create a situation that helps take the reform agenda one step further. General elections must be concluded well so that peace and democracy building can be promoted. The government should focus on restoring law and order throughout the country.
As we all know, difficult roads often lead to beautiful destinations, so too Prime Minister Abiy’s reform was devoid of setbacks. Despite the ups and downs, the reform programs will continue as they finally reveal the desire of the majority of Ethiopians. Given that the reform is still developing, there is still more to be desired.
