Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed has issued a stern directive to regional and local administrators, mandating a new "Zero Goals" policy designed to eradicate aid dependency, internal displacement, and economic sabotage.
Addressing senior Prosperity Party leaders under the banner of "In the Medemer View: Sectoral Leaps," the Prime Minister outlined a rigid performance metric for officials ranging from the Zonal to Woreda levels. He argued that for Ethiopia’s revival to translate into genuine prosperity, leadership must aggressively target absolute zero on critical negative indicators.
The 'Zero Goals' Mandate
In a move to enforce accountability, Dr. Abiy outlined specific targets that local leaders are expected to meet. The directive demands a complete elimination of:
Aid Dependency: Ending the cycle of reliance that "habituates begging."
Idle Land: Ensuring "zero uncultivated land" to boost food security.
Displacement: Bringing the number of citizens displaced from their homes and neighborhoods down to absolute zero.
Contraband: Launching a crackdown to paralyze illicit trade activities that undermine the formal economy.
Organized Theft: Eliminating fraud and banditry.
Economic Warfare and Inflation
Prime Minister emphasized the urgent need to stabilize the economy. He acknowledged the burden of the cost of living on the urban poor and set a distinct target for his administration: bringing inflation down to single digits.
He urged leaders to "save production" from contraband networks and bypass predatory brokers who exploit market gaps.
"Saving our produce from contraband and creating direct market linkages protects the urban poor from being manipulated by brokers. This is essential to creating a stable country."
Tackling Corruption and 'Village Mentality'
The Prime Minister also addressed deep-seated issues regarding governance and national unity. He instructed officials to crackdown on those who "traffic in justice and land," and to bring illicit gold trading into the formal national reserve.
In a notable comment on corruption, Dr. Abiy claimed that while "theft at the state level" has been halted—evidenced by visible development projects—the focus must now shift to eradicating theft at the individual level.
Concluding with a warning against parochialism, he urged leaders to rise above village mentality/clannishness.
"If we remain fenced in by the village, we cannot ensure prosperity; we will remain stunted. We must grow, sprout, and emerge."
