Prime Minister Dr. Abiy Ahmed announced that a new national consciousness, characterized by a belief that "Ethiopia can," is emerging, effectively challenging a historical culture of skepticism toward major development projects.

The Prime Minister explained that previous undertakings were often met with a deeply ingrained "we can't" attitude. However, by delivering tangible results, a conviction is now being established that "Ethiopia can achieve great things."

He warned that the inclination to only see how a task is impossible, and the subsequent effort to deny the achievement even after successful completion, is a dangerous attempt to undermine national confidence.

Dr. Abiy cited Corridor Development projects as a key example. Instead of embracing the possibility of success, critics immediately look for external validation by questioning: Who designed it for them? Who built it? Where did the money come from? This search for an external owner, he argues, reflects a persistent inability to believe in internal capacity.

He further highlighted the contradiction, noting that Ethiopia is a nation with ancient, great civilizations like Kush, Axum, and Punt. Yet, when the country undertakes less complex, modern works, the default response from some is still to look for "another owner" and ask who did the work for Ethiopians, rather than acknowledging the country's own ability.

The Prime Minister pointed to the successful construction models for rural villages, saying that the tendency of some to believe such models must have come from another country reveals a deep-seated "limitation in the faith of Ethiopians" in their own potential.

Concluding his remarks, Prime Minister Abiy stated that this "breakdown in mindset" has historically prevented the nation from undertaking substantive work.

He declared with confidence, "We can; there is nothing we cannot do." He clarified that past failures were not due to a lack of capacity but rather a "directional error"—an error that, once corrected, has now proven in practice that success is entirely possible.