Commentary | Oct 20, 2026

Steering the Leviathan — What Tariku Demissie’s Rise Means for Ethio Telecom and Ethiopia’s Digital Future

Tariku Demissie's nomination as Acting Chief Executive Officer brought an end to Ethio Telecom's two-week administrative void. After Frehiwot Tamiru left to join Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed's Cabinet as Minister of Innovation & Technology, Tariku assumed control of one of the most influential, politically sensitive, and commercially significant positions in the Horn of Africa. This leadership change is much more than a straightforward business handoff for an organization that is both the nation's digital backbone and a significant source of governmental money. It marks a critical turning point in Ethiopia's navigation of its quickly changing digital transformation, market liberalization, and telecoms ecosystem....

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Commentary | Sep 15, 2026

The Illusion of Clemency: How Ethiopian Executive Discretion Sabotages the Rule of Law

The recent release of over 600 prisoners on the eve of the Ethiopian New Year was publicly framed as a grand gesture of reconciliation—a bridge toward national healing. Yet, behind the official rhetoric lies a deeply alarming practice: the executive branch’s manipulation of judicial processes under the guise of "clemency." Rather than demonstrating political goodwill, forcing pre-trial political detainees to request pardons and sign self-incriminating conditional documents exposes a troubling erosion of procedural integrity, institutional independence, and constitutional governance....

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Commentary | Jul 28, 2026

Navigating Ethiopia’s Cross-Roads Through National Dialogue

The ongoing Ethiopian National Dialogue in Addis Ababa marks a historic juncture as delegates grapple with foundational questions surrounding the nation's identity, governance, and institutional framework. ...

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Commentary | Jul 16, 2026

Beyond the Numbers: Why Real Peace on the Ground is the True Test of Dialogue

The launch of the National Dialogue Commission’s final conference in Addis Ababa marks a highly anticipated moment in Ethiopia’s modern political history. For more than four years, the Commission has gathered agendas and selected representatives across a deeply fractured nation. Now, as four thousand delegates gather at the Addis Convention Center, Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed has used the opening stage to signal a profound shift: the potential dismantling or heavy modification of the country’s thirty-year-old constitution....

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Commentary | Jul 09, 2026

A rare, bruising debate in the Parliament exposes the vast, destabilizing chasm between state-sponsored growth statistics and the brutal reality of inflation and active conflict

The atmosphere inside the House of Peoples' Representatives in Addis Ababa this week was far from the choreographed rubber-stamping that often characterizes state reviews. Instead, the chamber became a political fault line, witnessing a bruising collision between official triumphalism and the lived reality of a population pushed to its absolute limits....

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Commentary | Jul 03, 2026

A Ballot Forged in Resilience: June 1st as a Testament to National Grit

On June 1st, 2026, polling stations across the capital city of Addis Ababa and various regions of the country were bustling with long, orderly lines of voters. Under calm skies, blue ballot boxes, digital fingerprint scanners, and millions of citizens holding their voter cards stood as symbols of hope and democratic decorum. Rather than being defined by the multifaceted security and political challenges facing the nation, this historic day went down in the books as a triumph of democratic enthusiasm and institutional resilience....

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Commentary | Jul 03, 2026

The "Solidarity" Mirage: Why Andargachew Tsige’s Horn of Africa Blueprint is a Dangerous Illusion

At the recent Horn of Africa Peace Conference, aptly titled “Tsimdi” (Solidarity) and hosted in Sudan, prominent political figure Andargachew Tsige delivered a virtual keynote address that was quickly swallowed by his supporters as a masterclass in regional statesmanship. ...

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Commentary | Jun 30, 2026

Tax-Free Deals: Growth Engine or Risky Bet?

The recent decision by Ethiopia’s Ministry of Finance to grant income tax exemptions to investors operating within free trade zones marks a significant policy shift—one that is as ambitious as it is consequential. At its core, this reform seeks to alleviate financial pressures on investors while catalysing industrial growth. Yet, beyond the optimism that accompanies such fiscal incentives lies a deeper question: does this policy represent a sustainable pathway to economic transformation, or merely a temporary reprieve from structural constraints?...

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