The Council of Ministers, convening for its 50th regular session today, passed several critical decisions, most notably approving the foundational Digital Ethiopia 2030 Strategy and endorsing two major International Development Association (IDA) credit agreements totaling 314.9 million Special Drawing Rights (SDR) aimed at funding sustainable energy and skills transformation projects.

The Council's decisions spanned national digital strategy, international financial agreements, domestic regulation, and bilateral legal cooperation.

Strategic Digital and Economic Development

The Council first deliberated on the Digital Ethiopia 2030 Strategy. This strategic blueprint is designed to better achieve ongoing efforts to create new opportunities for citizens, enhance technological capacity, expand infrastructure, establish good governance, and accelerate economic growth. Following extensive discussion, the Council unanimously decided that the strategy shall be implemented starting from the date of its approval.

The meeting then focused on the two financial support agreements signed with the IDA:

• Sustainable Energy Access: A credit agreement for 294,900,000 SDR designated for the Sustainable and Clean Energy Access Transformation Acceleration Program. The loan is repayable over 38 years, including a 6-year grace period.
• Skills Transformation: An additional credit agreement for 20,000,000 SDR intended for the East Africa Skills Transformation and Regional Integration Project, repayable over 31 years, including a 6-year grace period.

Both loans are interest-free but are subject to a $0.75\%$ service charge. The Council confirmed the agreements align with the country's debt management strategy and decided to refer them to the House of Peoples' Representatives for legislative approval.

Enhancing Legal and Administrative Frameworks

The Council passed several decisions aimed at updating administrative and legal frameworks:

• Bilateral Cooperation Treaties: The Council deliberated on four Bilateral Agreements focused on crime prevention: a Mutual Legal Assistance in Criminal Matters agreement with the Government of the People’s Republic of China; two agreements for the Transfer of Sentenced Persons with the Governments of China and the Federative Republic of Brazil; and an Extradition Treaty with the Republic of South Africa. Recognizing the importance of creating a legal framework for effective bilateral cooperation in crime prevention, the Council unanimously decided to refer the four draft proclamations to the House of Peoples' Representatives.
• Electronic Signature Regulation: The Council discussed the Draft Electronic Signature Regulation, prepared to facilitate the clear and accountable implementation of the Electronic Signature Proclamation (No. 1072/2010 and the amended No. 1358/2017). The Council unanimously decided the regulation shall be implemented from the date of its publication in the Federal Negarit Gazeta.
• Service Fee Regulations: The Council discussed two draft regulations to set service fees for services provided by the Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) and the Ethiopian National Theatre. The goal is to cover operational costs, increase revenue, and improve service quality while considering the users' financial capacity. The Council unanimously decided the regulations shall be implemented from the date of their publication in the Federal Negarit Gazeta.
• Immigration Regulation: Finally, the Council approved a draft regulation to amend the Council of Ministers Regulation No. 114/1997 concerning Immigration, enabling the institution to better fulfill its mandated duties. The Council unanimously decided that the regulation shall be implemented from the date of its publication in the Federal Negarit Gazeta.