Content: Editorial

The idiom that one rotten apple spoils the barrell was given a reality check in an experiment undertaken by sociologist and physician Nicholas A. Christakis. The purpose was to discover how long a person could remain incorruptible against the powerful pull of unethical (not necessarily illegal) acts. Lo and behold, all it took was a […]

It does not matter who the constituents of a country turn out to be, how liberal or conservative the government is, whether or not it adapts a more authoritarian or democratic stance – taxes are here to stay. Some political groups, Libertarians mainly, have argued that taxes are unnecessary and that it is possible to […]

International trade never used to be an issue, at least, not one borne out of apathy or misrepresentation. Ancient civilisations seldom traded with outsiders, but rarely because they did not want to. The malefactor was inconvenience, owing to the fact that transporting anything from point to point used to be such a headache. But as […]

In the books of the Revolutionary Democrats, under-development, primarily in its economic sense, is the source of internal and external threat to the nation-state. They adopted and have been practising the agricultural development led industrialisation strategy accompanied by massive public infrastructure investments for more than two decades. Now, in a calm mood, without publicly stating […]

It is a rare event to find a minister being comfortable in his skin, at ease and comfortable in facing members of the private sector on widely varied issues. That was what Abraham Tekeste (PhD), minister of Finance & Economic Cooperation (MoFEC) did last week, appearing at a chief executive officer (CEO) breakfast organised by […]

Gil Messing, Israel’s politician behind the formation of the Kadima Party, first used the phrase “Seeking no war – achieving no peace” to describe the stalemate his country has with the Palestinian Authority (PA). Considering the deadlock for nearly two decades between Ethiopia and Eritrea, following the border conflict in 1998, may well fit this […]

It is not unusual for members of the ruling party to sit with the opposition in the name of dialogue and negotiation every time their rule is challenged. What is customary in their deliberations and negotiations, however, is that there is scarce sincerity. For the Revolutionary Democrats, embracing their opponents in such a situation has […]

Putting the enormous damage inflicted on the country aside, the ruling EPRDF has a history of changing tough challenges into policy opportunities its leaders proudly and often speak of. Guided by policies of opportunities, many reforms have been instituted over the years, of which reforming the taxation system is one. It is not unusual to […]

In an environment of institutional weakening and increasing impunity by heads of too many federal and regional agencies, it should be refreshing for members of the public to see exceptions to the rule. The Office of the Federal Auditor-General and successive chiefs of this office stand taller than few in this category. It should also […]

In the same month, authorities are exciting Ethiopia as a host of a major international conference on information technology, the nation has made a headline across the world for having a complete shutdown of the Internet beginning mid-last week, for the third time in just a year. To the dismay of many, including those in […]

Whether Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) has a positive role in economic growth is a subject of controversy. While the classical concepts and the conventional assumption seem to suggest that FDI has an overwhelmingly positive contribution to economic development, on the contrary, the dependency theory sees FDI as a channel through which the centre – advanced […]

It is not unusual to hear people preferring not to file cases before the courts to claim their rights through them, despite the fact that article 37 of the Ethiopian Constitution reads “every person has the right to bring justifiable disputes to and to obtain a decision or judgment by, a court of law or, […]

Next month will mark the 25th year since Ethiopia made a significant stride in the spirit of freedom of expression and that of the press. For the first time in its history, the very existence and the functions of an undisputedly unpopular office, the Ethiopian censorship office, whose authority had been entrusted with the powers […]

There are few countries left in today’s world with regimes that are terrified of popular uprisings due to shortages of supplies on essential commodities such as cereals and fuel, if not outrage due to skyrocketing retail prices. Nonetheless, it is widely practised policies of governments in many countries to have some subsidy regimes aimed at […]

Ethiopia`s Parliament, the highest legislative body in the land, has had an unusual meeting with members of the public, including media leaders, late last week, where the Speaker, Abadula Gemeda, was in attendance. It was called to consult with stakeholders of Parliament`s journey over the past 15 years and provide a stock of its accomplishments, […]

Last week saw a series of events where the political bigwigs from the federal and the Amhara Regional State observed groundbreaking ceremonies for the launching of a number of industries across the region. Promoted under the Abay Industries Development S.C., a quasi-public company under the chairmanship of Tesfaye Getachew, who also serves as a vice […]

Last week, Ethiopia got a vindication of a sort of its gains over the years in its pursuit of economic growth. A London-based magazine, “World Finance”, has joined the foray listing it second in the five fastest growing economies in the world, next to Bhutan’s 11.1pc. Neither is the prospect of economic growth, projected by […]

In the 18th Century Great Britain, one that was on the brink of losing its treasured colonies, William Pitt was in the mood of negotiating with the revolutionaries now popularly referred to as founding fathers of the United States. A great statesman of his time, known as First Earl of Chatham, he had served his […]

It has come far from a surprise. The officialdom has been hyping the public up, hoping to make the inevitable decision to extend the state of emergency declared in October 2016 a rather less of a shock. Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn, appearing before Parliament a couple of weeks ago, said to have commissioned a public […]

Two weeks ago, a landslide in the Repi area of Addis Abeba, commonly known as Qoshe, dominated the headlines in the country and abroad. A mammoth garbage collapsed in the late hours of March 11, 2017, claimed the lives of 125 people and left the nation shaken by the tragedy. Belatedly, Parliament declared a three-day […]

Last week Diriba Kuma, mayor of Addis Abeba, was in attendance for the inauguration of the uncompleted condominiums in Aqaqi-Qality and Lideta districts, meant for the use of people with middle income. The inauguration was for 1,292 units under a housing scheme that allows citizens to raise 40pc of the cost, while the banks cover […]

Native Ethiopians with foreign nationalities are being kicked out from the banking industry, unceremoniously. Banks have been forced to sell shares held by foreign nationals they had as shareholders following a new directive from the National Bank of Ethiopia (NBE). For the last two weeks, they have been holding public auctions and bidding off these […]

It is that time of the year when insurance companies are releasing their annual reports at their annual shareholders meetings, making their profits and losses known to the public at large. Most insurance companies are registering profit declines. This should be a cause for concern for the industry which is still in its infancy because […]

To the shock of many people a building around Summit in the Bole District has recently collapsed. It was a three-storey building, which had been under construction for almost a year. This is the second time in a year that a building has collapsed in the same area while under construction. Thankfully no one was […]

The news that the Administration of Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn is in talks with a Hong Kong registered Chinese company to divest a reported 40pc of the state-owned Ethiopian Shipping & Logistics Service Enterprise (ESLSE) was met with utter shock by many in the logistics industry and disbelief among some policymakers. Many more are frustrated […]