Recently, the government of Ethiopia has unveiled an ambitious and comprehensive reform program to address macro imbalances and sustain the economic growth. This requires ensuring successful implementation and continuity of the ongoing economic reforms.
As well, it necessitates the promotion of inclusive economic development which demands establishment of an independent National Council of Economic Advisors that the government has recently announced.
The decision to form the council is very interesting and timely. In developed countries there are caretaker groups to produce ideas for the government without siding to any interest. And this assists the government to run the economy in unbiased manner.
This will further improve the quality and transparency of economic policy making process. In turn, it leads to designing and implementing participatory, informed and effective economic policies.
Therefore, the question lays on member selection criteria. The council has to offer independent, objective, and evidence based economic policy advice to the Ethiopian government. The members have to be dicker and selfless thinkers of the development of the nation.
Members of the council have to be of high caliber expertise those are independent of any political affiliation and provide evidence based economic policy advice to the government on a regular basis. They must be extremely conversant of the Ethiopian economy and socio-political context as well as well-respected and established in their respective areas of expertise.
By the same token, the advisory council members should reflect the miscellany in Ethiopia according to their background, gender, profession, and other dimensions. And the council needs to be strong, vibrant, holistic and selfless resourced professional group to assist the nation transform easily and maintaining prosperity and development sustainably.
They must be those who can focus on the economic challenges, define the comparative advantages and guide the government’s economic activities. They need to be capable of predicting the economy scientifically to bring fundamental change.
This guides Ethiopia to withdraw starting from zero in a political transition and minimizes non-essential. It helps to maintain long term solutions and smooth transition.
Likewise, the government needs to pay attention to the professional associations related to planning and economic issues since they are well oriented on the skills of the professionals in their respective fields of study.
Moreover, they are also expected to be committed to serve the public interest. Any member has to be either an Ethiopian or of Ethiopian origin, who is passionate, seasoned and qualified to serve Ethiopians as a member of the council.
For these reasons, the government has to select potential members of the council in a more transparent and participative manner bearing in mind their professional skills, patriotism, independence, and selflessness with commitments.
The Ethiopian Herald, January 4/2020
