Trillions on Paper, Inflation on the Ground: Who Does Ethiopia’s New Budget Really Save?
The Council of Ministers has once again executed its most practiced ritual: rubber-stamping a staggering 2.33 trillion Birr draft budget for the upcoming fiscal year with a unanimous, unquestioning show of hands. Passing a fiscal package that ventures this deep into the trillions requires more than mere administrative compliance; it demands rigorous macroeconomic justification. Yet, as the draft heads to Parliament, the official narrative surrounding this astronomical figure feels less like a grounded fiscal strategy and more like a carefully manicured public relations campaign....