ADDIS ABABA— Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed (PhD) said Ethiopia is indeed undergoing a political and economic renaissance through the adoption of reform to achieve sustainable economic growth, and build democratic and pluralistic political order.
Speaking at the 2019 World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland yesterday, the Premier said the country’s reform initiatives are set out to realize vibrant democracy, economic vitality, regional integration, and openness to the world. “On the political front, we are working tirelessly to fulfill the constitutional promise of building a democratic and pluralistic political order.
Freedom of the press, political freedom, women empowerment and private-public partnerships are means to achieve the lofty reform agendas,” he underlined. The Premier also reaffirmed that his government is working uncompromisingly to address political, economic and social challenges, though they remain formidable. “Ethiopia today is among the fastest growing economies in the world, consistently averaging economic growth of over 9 percent.
Poverty has been halved and education enrollment has markedly increased,” said Abiy. The significant investment in infrastructure is contributing to the rapid economic growth and is attracting foreign direct investment, making Ethiopia one of the leading FDI destinations in Africa. “Our challenges, however, remain formidable,” he said adding among the major one is sustaining that level of growth and creating jobs for a rapidly expanding young population.
”We are determined to bring the Ethiopian family to the center of international market. To do so, we will rely on the collective power of our people, especially women and the youth. We are also striving to build a strong private sector to drive more inclusive and socially sustainable growth.” “We see democracy and development as interlinked and we have acted decisively on this understanding,” he stressed.
Mentioning 60 percent of Ethiopia’s population is under the age of 24; Abiy emphasized “we need to focus on further utilizing the demographic dividend.” He also reminded his audience that the country has maintained 50 percent gender parity in the cabinet for the first time. “In addition, women are occupying the presidencies of the country and Supreme Federal Court among the others.”
According to the Prime Minister, enabling small and medium enterprises to grow and flourish, easing the way of doing business, recognizing the private sector as an integral part of the economy, and fostering Private Public Partnership are key measures the government will undertake to maintain economic vitality.
The Premier underscored regional integration and trade will be crucial to the future of the African continent to go beyond the production of primary commodities and accelerate development. Ethiopia’s determination can simply be seen through the discussions of Africa Free Trade Zone and its sense of urgency to finalize its accession to the WTO, he added.
Stating that neighbors that engage in intimate rule-based trade and economic integrations are unlikely to resort to conflict, the Prime Minister noted “that is why we believe integration must be viewed not just as an economic project but also as a crucial element to securing peace and reconciliation in the Horn of Africa.
The Ethiopian Herald, January 24/2019
BY GIRMACHEW GASHAW
