Note from the publisher: The views in the article do not necessarily reflect the views of borka.com
“Cosmetic changes cannot disguise any deteriorating basis”
By: Habped H.
Among the supporters of Abiy Ahmed there is a growing choir that Ethiopia is going through a historical transformation. In its view, the country finally “develops” after decades of stagnation. Your evidence? New parks, unusual fountains and the demolition of aging vicinity in Addis Ababa, which were often replaced by shiny facades and street pollution systems. However, this view is not only superficial – but also what the development actually means.
The development of a serious definition is not about surface improvements or aesthetic improvements. It's about people. It is about expanding your chances of improving your quality of life and dignity to ensure justice and freedom. Economists, development theorists and practitioners around the world have long defined development as a multi -dimensional process that includes economic, social and political improvements. But even if we limit our definition to economic development – the aspect Abiy and its government seem to concentrate – the gaps between rhetoric and reality are blatantly.
What economic development really requires
The economic development relates to a continued increase in assets and living standards of a country. It includes increasing productivity, industrialization, improved infrastructure and the increasing level of income among the population. It is not defined by a few kilometers repaved roads or a public garden that is inaugurated by state media fanfare. The real development is based on measurable progress in a number of well -established indicators that require all deliberate guidelines, stable institutions and integrative governance.
Among the Basic prerequisites A stable political and legal environment, a strong rule of law and property rights that promote investments are a stable political and legal environment for economic development. Human capital – due to high -quality education and accessible health care – is essential. The infrastructure must combine people with markets and services. Financial systems must be functional and integrative so that entrepreneurs can grow. Innovation and technology must be encouraged. Open markets, solid macroeconomic management and competent institutions are of crucial importance. Without these columns, no country can achieve continuing development.
Ethiopian reality: progress or propaganda?
While Ethiopia once reported on high GDP growth figures, recent economic output was more illusion than a substance. The devaluation of the currency revealed the fragility of the past of growth, and the nominal GDP dropped drastically -from $ 207 billion in June 2016 EC at only 100 billion US dollars in September 2017 EC As a result, the PROO -head BIP falls to around 833 US dollars, a renewal value that questions the research claims. In addition to GDP, unemployment and underemployment remain high. Young people and women are particularly affected. Even those who are considered employees The lowest wages worldwide. Factory workers in industrial parks earn only $ 18 per month. Doctors and university professors have difficulties to make ends meet through salaries below 100 US dollars. This is not an economic strengthening – it is a national shame.
Poverty control, another alleged performance, hardly touches reality on site. Apart from a handful of politically connected business people and civil servants, most Ethiopians are poor – regardless of education or job title. If a professor cannot feed his family or raise his children, it is a bit broken. Health and education, two pillars of the human capital, are in crisis. In recent national exams, only about 3% of the students passed. Hospitals and health centers have no more essential medication, diagnostic care and even basic devices. The services are crumbling while slogans are louder.
The urbanization, which is advertised as a sign of modernization, is similarly overrated. Ethiopia is still one of the least urbanized countries in the world. Even its urban centers do not meet the basic standards. Addis Ababa, often presented as a success story, is indeed a city with informal settlements. According to the UN habitat, over two thirds of the houses are classified as slums. The visual improvements promoted by the Prosperity Party (PP) – flower beds, sidewalks, fountains – do not change the fact that most residents live in overcrowded, precarious apartments.
Calculation and investments instead of flourishing. Business owners routinely cite corruption, bureaucratic harassment and political instability as reasons to scale or completely close. Foreign investments are fragile. Domestic investors work under a cloud of uncertainty. Technology and innovation indicator of the real economic transition-like practically non-existent mobile phones and state-controlled Internet. Engineering graduates rarely practice their profession; Many are unemployed or forced into informal manual workers such as cobblestone paving stones.
The structural transformation – the shift from agriculture to production and services – is slow. While there is certain growth in the service sector, production remains underdeveloped. Agriculture still employs more than 60% of the population, mainly through activities at the level of subsistence. The infrastructure, as soon as an area of remarkable progress, has stalled. Many roads built in the past have become decay, and new projects are either stopped or scattered in inefficiency. What is not concluded is often politicized and does not respond to public needs.
Reflections in the government and the illusion of modernization
Perhaps the most serious setback of all is the government and institutional strength. The development of Ethiopia is fundamentally undermined by poor government, ethnic violence, weak federal coordination and a shrinking bourgeois area. The politicization of institutions, suppression of dissent and a lack of transparency undermines the trust of the public and the stabament innovation. No country can develop sustainably under such conditions.
Nevertheless, the government's propagandists and their supporters continue to frame road pollution and urban redesign as symbols of a new Ethiopia. But no economic theory has ever classified wells, flower beds or decorative fences as signs of development. These are urban improvements – not replacement for jobs, schools, hospitals or housing.
Ask normal citizens what is important to you and you will hear from living space, transport and living costs. PP has not delivered a single, meaningful public housing project. The residential programs 20/80 and 40/60 were given up. Country that has once been assigned to public benefits is now being handed over private developers that serve the elite. The transport remains inadequate and uncoordinated. And the cost of living is spiral. People are now taxed more than they earn – up to 51.5% between salary deductions, VAT and transaction fees.
A call to real development
These are the real challenges. This is the real Ethiopia. The development cannot be reduced to media roast or artificial services. The country does not march to prosperity; It lifts towards the crisis. The metaphorical “broken leg” unfortunately applies to the broader economy and government. Cosmetic changes cannot disguise a deteriorating basis !!!
It was time for a serious settlement with what the development really means. It's about people, not about appearances. It's about substance, not a spectacle. Abiy and his supporters have to wake up with this reality. Ethiopia's path forward is not in wells or flags, but in dignity, justice and opportunity for everyone. Until this is the focus, the country is not risking because of its ascent, but because of its missed opportunity to change the course.
Note from the publisher: The views in the article do not necessarily reflect the views of borka.com
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