Commentary
How Bureaucracy Works—When It Escapes the Planner’s Trap.
This piece builds on two arguments we have made in previous pieces: first, that Ethiopian Airlines illustrates how bureaucracy can work when insulated from...
The Renowned, the Reluctant, and the Aspirant Ethiopian Migrant Commodities
The Tale of Coffee, Teff and Enset, and the Curious Parallel with Labor Migration Ethiopia, a land of ancient wonders and cultural heritages, has gifted...
Planners vs. Searchers in Ethiopia: What Clean Cooking Reveals About Institutional Design
Smoke, Dust, and Two Logics of Governance Ethiopia is not short on vision. From sectoral strategies to national plans, public institutions are awash in documents...
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Why GERD Matters: A Justified Journey for Light, Life, and Livelihoods
When Turkey began filling the Ilisu Dam on the Tigris River, there was strong opposition from environmental groups, legal teams, and the government of...
Farewell, Ethiopia – Reflecting on Five Remarkable Years
Next month, I am leaving Addis Abeba after five years as Sweden’s Ambassador to Ethiopia. It has been a privilege to spend half a...
Ethiopian Airlines Proves Bureaucracy Works—Why Can’t Ethiopia’s Public Institutions?
A lawyer who represents small businesses—coffee exporters, manufacturers, tech startups—once told me: “Every time I walk into a government office, I pray nothing goes...
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Tailor What Fits You, Not What’s Designed by Others: Reimagining African Health Systems Beyond Aid
The common belief that African countries depend almost entirely on foreign aid for health is misleading. While development assistance has helped expand services, most...
Ethiopia-Eritrea Diplomatic Relations: Advancing Collaboration over Confrontation
The Horn of Africa is one of the world’s most volatile regions, defined by its strategic geopolitical importance and intricate history. The region includes...
The $50 Loan That Could Save Ethiopia: Why Banks Don’t Finance Clean Stoves for Families Like Birke’s
At 5:30 in the morning in Addis Ababa, ten-year-old Lemlem is already awake—coughing. Smoke from the family’s charcoal stove coils through the one-room house,...
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Reparations, Justice and the 2025 Africa Anti-Corruption Day
The African Union Convention on Preventing and Combating Corruption (AUCPCC) was adopted on 11 July 2003, during the 2nd Ordinary Session of the Assembly...