Ethiopia Passport

[Country Name] The Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia.

[Area] The area is 1.1036 million square kilometers.

The population is about 120 million. There are over 80 ethnic groups in the country, mainly including Oromo, Amhara, Tigray, Somali, and Sidamo. The residents believe in Ethiopian Orthodox, Islamic, Protestant, primitive religions, etc. Amharic is the working language of the federation, with English being the common language. The main ethnic languages include Oromo and Tigris.

Addis Ababa, the capital, has a population of over 5.46 million (as of 2023). The annual average temperature is 16 ℃, and the average annual rainfall is 1237 millimeters.

President Taye Atske Selassie Amde was elected on October 7, 2024. The "Presidential Act" passed by the Ethiopian People's Representative Assembly in October 2001 stipulates that the President shall be a non partisan and shall not have any political organizational background, and shall not participate in political party activities after leaving office; If the president is unable to attend to matters due to illness or passes away, the parliament shall appoint a substitute president.

[Important Festival] Victory of Adwa Day: March 2nd; Downfall of the Derg: May 28th; Egyptian New Year: September 11th (New Year).

[Overview] A landlocked country in northeastern Africa. It borders Djibouti and Somalia to the east, Sudan and South Sudan to the west, Kenya to the south, and Eritrea to the north. The plateau covers 2/3 of the country's area, with an average altitude of nearly 3000 meters, and is known as the "Roof of Africa".

It has a civilization history of 3000 years. The Kingdom of Nubia was established in the 8th century BC. The Aksum Kingdom was established around AD and was replaced by the Zag Dynasty at the end of the 10th century. In the 13th century, the Kingdom of Abyssinia emerged and split into several principalities in the early 19th century. In 1889, King Menelik II of Shaoa declared himself emperor, unified the country, and established Addis Ababa as the capital, laying the foundation for the modern territory of Ethiopia. In 1890, Italy invaded and forced Ethiopia to accept its "protection". In 1896, Menelik II defeated the Italian army in Aduwa and Italy was forced to recognize Ethiopia's independence. Haile Selassie ascended to the throne in 1928 and was crowned emperor on November 2, 1930. In 1936, Italy invaded again and occupied the entire territory of Ethiopia, causing Selassie to flee to England. In 1941, the Allies defeated Italy and Selassie returned to his homeland on May 5th. On September 12, 1974, a group of young military officers staged a coup to overthrow the Selassie regime, depose the monarchy, and establish a temporary military administrative committee. In February 1977, Colonel Mengistu staged a coup and took office as the head of state. In 1979, the Ethiopian Labor People's Party Organization Committee, mainly composed of military personnel, was established to oversee national politics. In September 1987, Mengistu announced the end of military rule and the establishment of the People's Democratic Republic of Ethiopia. In March 1988, civil war broke out in Ethiopia. On May 28, 1991, the Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front (ERDF) overthrew the Mengistu regime and established a transitional government in July, with ERDF Chairman Meles Zenawi serving as president. In December 1994, the Constituent Assembly passed a new constitution. The first multi-party elections were held in May 1995. On August 22, the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia was established, with the presidential system replaced by a parliamentary cabinet system. Meiles assumed the position of Prime Minister as the Chairman of the Majority Party in the House of People's Representatives. In the three general elections of 2000, 2005, and 2010, Meiles won and was re elected.

In August 2012, Prime Minister Meiles passed away, and Vice Prime Minister and Foreign Minister, as well as Vice Chairman of the Egyptian Revolutionary Front, Haile Mariam, succeeded him as Prime Minister. Haier Mariam generally continued Meiles' governance policy, and the political situation remained stable in the early stage. After Haile Mariam was re elected as Prime Minister in October 2015, the long-standing ethnic and social conflicts in Ethiopia began to erupt, with continuous demonstrations and riots in many areas, causing significant casualties and property damage. The Ethiopian government declared a state of emergency twice. In February 2018, Haile Mariam resigned from his party and government position. In March, Abi, a candidate from the Austrian Democratic Party, a member of the Egyptian Revolutionary Front, was elected as the chairman of the Egyptian Revolutionary Front and subsequently became the prime minister of the federal government. In early October, Abi was re elected as chairman at the 11th National Congress of the Egyptian Revolutionary Front. In December 2019, three member parties of the Egyptian Revolutionary Front and five alliance parties held a signing ceremony for the merger of administrative parties in the capital Addis Ababa, announcing the establishment of the Prosperity Party, replacing the Egyptian Revolutionary Front as the ruling party, with Abi serving as the party chairman. Abi was re elected as the Prime Minister of the Federal Government in October 2021. In November 2020, the Ethiopian Federal Government launched a military operation in the northern Tigris state, which lasted for two years. In November 2022, the federal government reached a peace agreement with the Tigray People's Liberation Front.

On December 8, 1994, the Ethiopian Constituent Assembly passed the fourth constitution, the Constitution of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, which came into effect on August 22 of the following year. The new constitution consists of 11 chapters and 106 articles, which stipulate that Ethiopia is a federal state, implementing a parliamentary cabinet system and a federal system based on regional ethnic autonomy. The President is the head of state and exercises the honorary duties conferred by the Constitution. He is elected by the Parliament for a term of 6 years and can be re elected once. The Prime Minister is the head of government who holds real power and serves a term of 5 years. He is appointed by the majority party in parliament or the leader of a political alliance, with no clear term limit, and is accountable to the House of People's Representatives. All ethnic groups enjoy equal autonomy and the right to self-determination and separation. After the legislative body of any ethnic group passes the separation request by a two-thirds majority, the federal government should organize a referendum for that ethnic group within three years. If the majority approves, the ethnic group can leave the federation. Each state may use its own language as the working language of the state. Protecting private property, but the state has the right to engage in compensated expropriation. Urban and rural land and natural resources belong to the state and cannot be bought, sold or transferred. Establish a multi-ethnic national army and police force, and the army shall not interfere in politics. Ensure the democratic freedom and fundamental rights of citizens.

The Federal Parliament is composed of the House of People's Representatives and the House of Federation, and is the highest legislative body of the country. The Department of People's Representatives is the federal legislative and highest authority responsible for formulating and revising the Constitution and federal laws. It is elected by universal suffrage and re elected every five years. Generally, there are no more than 550 seats. The 6th national parliamentary election was held in June 2021, and the Prosperity Party won with a significant advantage, with the current Speaker Tagesse Chafo. The Federal Council has the power to interpret the Constitution, decide on national self-determination and separation, and resolve disputes between ethnic groups. The term of office is 5 years, elected by the state legislatures or directly elected by the people. Each ethnic group can have at least 1 representative, and each million people can elect 1 additional representative. The current Federal House has 163 members, with the Speaker Aden Farah Ibrahim taking office in June 2020.

The current government was formed in October 2021 and has undergone adjustments since then. At present, in addition to Prime Minister Abiy, there are 23 cabinet members, including Deputy Prime Minister Temesgen Tiruneh, Foreign Minister Gedion Timotheos, Peace Minister Binalf Andualem, Defense Minister Aisha Mohammed, Trade and Regional Integration Minister Kassahun Gofe, Finance Minister Ahmed Shide, Justice Minister Hanna Araya Selassie, Industry Minister Melaku Alebel, Innovation and Technology Minister Belet Mora. Belete Molla, Minister of Urban Development and Construction Chaltu Sani, Minister of Water and Energy Habtamu Itfa Itefa, Tourism Minister Selamawit Kassa, Education Minister Birhanu Nega, Health Minister Mekdes Daba, Women and Social Affairs Minister Ergoge Tesfaye, Labor and Skills Minister Muferiat Kamil, Culture and Sports Minister Shewit Shanka, Taxation Minister Aynalem Negussie, Transport Minister Alemu Sime, Mining Minister Habetamu Tegern Habtamu Tegegn, Minister of Agriculture Girma Amente, Minister of Planning and Development Fitsum Assefa, and Minister of Irrigation and Lowlands Abraham Belay.

The country is divided into two autonomous administrative regions, including the capital city of Addis Ababa and the commercial city of Dire Dawa, as well as 12 local states including Amhara, Oromia, Tigray, Somalia, Afar, Benishangul Gumuz, Gambela, Harar, Sidama, Southwest, Southern Ethiopia, and Central Ethiopia.

The Supreme Court of the United States is the highest judicial institution in the United States, consisting of the Federal High Court and the Court of First Instance.

There are currently over 70 registered political parties nationwide. The main ones are:

(1) The Ethiopian Prosperity Party, EPP）： The ruling party. In December 2019, three member parties of the Egyptian Revolutionary Front and five alliance parties held a signing ceremony for the merger of administrative parties in the capital Addis Ababa, announcing the establishment of the Prosperity Party, replacing the Egyptian Revolutionary Front as the ruling party, with Abi serving as the party chairman.

(2) Coalition for Unity and Democracy Party: The main opposition party. It was formed by the merger of four member parties of the original opposition alliance, the United Democratic Alliance, in September 2005, and currently has no seats in the People's House. Oppose the current federal system, advocate land privatization, and oppose the government's stance on the border issue between Ethiopia and Eritrea.

[Important Person] Taye Atsk Selassie Amd: President, born in 1956. Formerly served as the Director General of the US Europe Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ambassador and Consul General of Ethiopia to Los Angeles, the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs responsible for political affairs, the Ambassador of Ethiopia to Egypt, and the Permanent Representative to the United Nations. From 2023 to February 2024, served as the Foreign Affairs Advisor to the Prime Minister. Appointed as Minister of Foreign Affairs from February to October 2024. Elected as President in October 2024.

Abi Ahmed Ali: Prime Minister, born in 1976. Elected as the Chairman of the Egyptian Revolutionary Front in March 2018, became the Prime Minister of the Federal Government in April, and was re elected as the Chairman at the 11th National Congress of the Egyptian Revolutionary Front in October. At the end of 2019, the Prosperity Party replaced the Egyptian Revolutionary Front as the ruling party, with Abi serving as the party chairman. Abi was re elected as Prime Minister in October 2021.

One of the least developed countries in terms of economy. Mainly engaged in agriculture and animal husbandry, with weak industrial foundation. During Mengistu's reign, the economy was greatly impacted due to continuous internal strife and frequent natural disasters. After taking office, the Egret Front implemented a development strategy centered on economic construction and led by agriculture and infrastructure construction, transitioning to a market economy. The economy recovered quickly, with an average annual growth rate of 7% from 1992 to 1997. After the outbreak of the 1998 Eritrea Ethiopia border conflict, economic development suffered setbacks. In 2001, taking the progress of the peace process in Ethiopia and Eritrea as an opportunity, the Ethiopian government shifted its focus to economic development. In 2002, the government implemented sustainable development and poverty reduction plans, successively adopting measures such as modifying investment and immigration policies, reducing export taxes and bank interest rates, strengthening capacity building, and promoting vocational and technical training, which were recognized by international financial institutions. But in 2002, due to severe drought, the economic growth rate slowed down, and there was some recovery the following year. Since 2005, the government has implemented the "industrialization development strategy led by agriculture", increased investment in agriculture, vigorously developed emerging industries, export-oriented industries, tourism, and aviation, attracted foreign investment to participate in the development of energy and mineral resources in Ethiopia, and maintained a high-speed economic growth rate of over 8%. The United Nations regards Ethiopia as a model for achieving the Millennium Development Goals. In 2010, after winning the multi-party parliamentary elections, the Egyptian Revolutionary Front began to formulate and implement its first five-year "Economic Growth and Transformation Plan", focusing on strengthening infrastructure construction such as hydropower stations and railways, accelerating the development of manufacturing, and aiming to become a middle-income country by 2025. In 2015, the first 5-year "Economic Growth and Transformation Plan" was successfully completed. Starting from 2016, the second five-year "Economic Growth and Transformation Plan" will be implemented. In April 2022, the Ethiopian Ministry of Planning and Development announced a three-year plan to revitalize the economy, aiming to make agriculture, manufacturing, mining, tourism, and information and communication technology industries the main driving forces of Ethiopia's economic development, and strive to achieve a 17% contribution rate of industrial output to GDP. In recent years, Ethiopia has successively proposed development strategies such as the 2021-2030 Ten Year Development Plan and the Endogenous Economic Reform Plan, accelerating the country's development process.

The main economic figures for 2023 are as follows:

Gross Domestic Product: 156.1 billion US dollars.

Economic growth rate: 7.8%.

Per capita Gross Domestic Product: 1055.8 US dollars

Currency name: Ethiopian Birr.

Inflation rate: 30.2%.

Total external debt: approximately 27.9 billion US dollars.

Foreign trade volume: 19.8 billion US dollars.

(Source: World Bank, etc.)

The proven mineral deposits include gold, platinum, nickel, copper, iron, coal, tantalum, silicon, potassium salt, phosphate, marble, limestone, oil, and natural gas. Companies from Malaysia, Saudi Arabia, the United Kingdom, Sudan, Jordan and other countries are conducting oil and gas exploration and development in Ethiopia. Rich in water resources, it is known as the "East African Water Tower". There are many rivers and lakes in the area, and the Blue Nile River originates here, but its utilization rate is less than 5%. The current forest coverage rate is 9%.

The industrial categories are incomplete, the structure is unreasonable, and components and raw materials rely on imports. The manufacturing industry is mainly focused on food, beverage, textile, and leather processing, concentrated in two or three cities including the capital. Leather is the second largest export product.

In recent years, Ethiopia has accelerated industrialization and actively built industrial parks. According to the plan, it is planned to construct industrial parks in key areas such as the capital Addis Ababa and four major cities including Awasa, Dire Dawa, Markre, and Kongpocha. In April 2015, the Ethiopian government introduced the Industrial Parks Law.

Agriculture is the backbone of the national economy and export earnings, accounting for about 40% of GDP. Farmers and herdsmen account for over 85% of the total population, mainly engaged in planting and animal husbandry, with a small amount of fishing and forestry. There are currently 12.4 million hectares of agricultural land, mainly used for cereal crops such as bran and wheat. In recent years, due to the government's cancellation of agricultural product sales monopolies, relaxation of price controls, encouragement of small-scale agricultural loans, strengthening of agricultural technology promotion and fertilizer use, grain production has increased. Economic crops include coffee, cattail, flowers, oilseeds, etc. Among them, coffee production ranks among the top in Africa, with an average annual output of about 330000 tons. Coffee exports account for about 24% of Ethiopia's exports and 15% of the world's production.

A large country in animal husbandry, with suitable grazing land occupying more than half of the country's territory. Mainly engaged in family grazing, with low disaster resistance, accounting for about 20% of the gross domestic product and absorbing about 30% of the agricultural population. The total number of livestock stocks ranks first in Africa and tenth in the world.

[Tourism] There are abundant tourism resources, many cultural relics, historic sites and wildlife parks, and 7 sites have been listed in the The World Heritage List by UNESCO. The government has taken measures such as expanding airports and simplifying visa procedures to promote the development of the tourism industry.

【 Transportation and Telecommunications 】 Railway: The Addis Ababa Djibouti standard gauge electrified railway, financed and constructed by China, was completed and opened to traffic in October 2016. It was officially put into commercial operation in January 2018, with a total length of about 760 kilometers and a length of about 670 kilometers within Ethiopia. It is the only electrified cross-border railway in Ethiopia.

Highway: Highway transportation accounts for 90% of the total national transportation volume. At present, the Ethiopian government is implementing a development plan for the highway sector to expand and renovate the highway system, with a planned future road mileage of 220000 kilometers.

Water transportation: The ports of Assab and Massawa in Eritrea were once the main ports. After the border conflict between Ethiopia and Eritrea, incoming and outgoing goods mainly pass through Djibouti Port, which uses 90% of its throughput capacity.

Air freight: There are over 40 airports in total, with Addis Ababa, Dire Dawa, and Bakhdar being international airports. Ethiopian Airlines currently has 82 aircraft, including state-of-the-art models such as Airbus A350 and Boeing 787. The routes cover all continents, with 19 domestic passenger destinations, 95 international passenger destinations, and 35 freight destinations. Addis Ababa International Airport, the capital city of Asia, has been awarded the Africa Airport of the Year award and provides ground handling services to 15 airlines.

Telecommunications: Currently, Ethio Telecom, the state-owned telecommunications company in Ethiopia, is the main telecommunications operator in Ethiopia. Out of every 100 residents, there are 44.5 mobile phone users, 1.4 landline phone users, and 23.8 internet and data users. Most parts of the country are covered by 3G mobile networks, but the internet speed is relatively low. Ethiopian Telecom has launched 4G network construction, and most areas of the capital Addis Ababa can use 4G network services.

[Finance] The government has made great efforts to reform the tax structure, reduce the deficit, stop domestic borrowing, and issue treasury bond instead. The national financial situation has improved. Ethiopia is a beneficiary country of the heavily indebted poor countries initiative and the multilateral debt relief initiative. In recent years, it has received significant debt reductions from the United States, Russia, the World Bank, and the International Monetary Fund. Ethiopia has multiple state-owned banks and insurance companies, including commercial banks, development banks, and commercial construction banks.

The main export commodities include coffee, oilseeds, cattail, leather, and gold, while imported machinery, automobiles, petroleum products, fertilizers, chemicals, etc. The main trading partners are China, Germany, Japan, Italy, the United States, India, Saudi Arabia, etc.

Foreign capital: Ethiopia promulgated the Investment Law in 1992 and revised it in 1996, 1998, and 2002. In recent years, the government has taken measures such as relaxing investment areas, lowering the minimum investment quota, simplifying investment approval procedures, and tax exemptions to increase investment attraction, resulting in a rapid growth of foreign direct investment. At present, foreign investment is mainly distributed in the fields of real estate, manufacturing, hotels and tourism, construction, education, and services, with the main investments coming from China, the United States, India, and Saudi Arabia.

According to the Human Development Index (HDI) of the United Nations' 2020 Human Development Report, Ethiopia ranks 173rd out of 189 countries and regions worldwide. The average life expectancy is 66.2 years. The infant mortality rate is 96.8 ‰. 44% of the population lives on less than $1 a day, and 50% of the population has less than 15 kilograms of food per month. The population using electricity accounts for 13% of the national population. AIDS infected nearly 3 million people. The coverage rate of medical services nationwide has reached 87%.

The armed forces consist of the National Defense Force, Security Forces, and Militia. The Prime Minister of the Federal Government serves as the Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces, commanding the entire national armed forces. The Ministry of National Defense is the highest military administrative authority, which includes the Air Force Command and the Army Command. The Chief of Staff of the National Defense Forces is the highest military commander. The security and riot control forces are responsible for key policing and maintaining social order. Militia organizations are part of local armed forces and cooperate with regular troops in defense operations and maintaining public order.

Education: Making the development of education, the improvement of national cultural quality, and the cultivation of technical talents one of the government's key priorities. The country implements a 10-year compulsory education system, including 8 years of primary school and 2 years of junior high school. There are a total of 21000 primary schools with over 14 million students and approximately 216000 teachers. There are 33 comprehensive universities. The enrollment rate of school-age children reaches 90%, with enrollment rates of 40.5% and 17% for middle school and university respectively. The literacy rate for adult males is 63%, while for females it is 47%. At present, the enrollment of public universities in Ethiopia is close to 80000 people.

There are currently 121 newspapers and magazines nationwide. There are official Amharic language daily newspaper "Addis Zemen" and quarterly "Zemen", Oromo language weekly "Beresa", Amharic language and English quarterly "Ethiopia Today", English daily "The Ethiopian Herald", and Arabic weekly "Alem".

The official Ethiopian News Agency was established in 1942 and is one of the oldest news agencies on the African continent, as well as the earliest news organization in Ethiopia. There are 38 branch offices in China. There is also a private Walta Information Center, established in 1993, which mainly reports on domestic political, economic, and social news, and provides articles to various radio stations, television stations, and major newspapers in the country.

Ethiopian Radio currently has nearly a hundred journalists, broadcasting in eight ethnic languages including Amhara internally and in English, French, and Arabic externally. Ethiopian Television is the only television station in the country, which started broadcasting in 1965 and currently broadcasts programs in Amhara, Oromo, Tigray, and English. In order to strengthen the management of broadcasting and television, the Ethiopian government passed the Broadcasting Law in January 2002 and established the Radio and Television Authority (ERTA) under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Information.

[External Relations] The founding members of the United Nations, as well as members of organizations such as the African Union, the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IPCC), and the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa, officially joined the BRICS cooperation mechanism in January 2024.