Ethiopia’s Shocking Electricity Tariff Hike: A Monument to Misplaced Priorities

By: Habte H. 

In a move that has stirred public outrage, the Ethiopian Electric Utility (EEU) is to introduce yet another steep increase in electricity tariffs – part of a plan that will result in an eight-fold rise in prices from the time the hikes began, with a four-fold jump still expected in the coming years. The unstated rationale? To fund the construction of what they describe as a “huge tower” in East Africa – a vanity project that offers little or no value to the ordinary Ethiopian. While more than 55% of the rural population still lacks access to electricity, the government is choosing to funnel public money and rising utility fees into a luxurious monument to ego, rather than investing in meaningful infrastructure for the poor.

The public outrage goes far beyond high electricity bills – it stems from a deep sense of betrayal. Ethiopians have already sacrificed financially and emotionally for the construction of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) – offering salaries, prayers, and national resources – with the hope that it would ease energy costs and expand access. Instead, they are now being met with punitive tariff increases, worsening an already unbearable cost of living crisis.

Cruelty and Ego: The Tragedy of African Leadership

It is hard not to feel disheartened when you see how many African institutions and leaders operate with impunity, prioritizing their own egos over public interest. Decisions are made not to solve problems but to impress foreign dignitaries or to erect useless symbols of prestige. One cannot help but ask: Who is this tower really for? Is it to light the lives of Ethiopia’s rural poor – or just to feed the vanity of a disconnected elite?

This pattern is sadly all too familiar. Leadership seems to take inspiration from a culture of starving the people while building empty monuments. A viral video recently circulated on social media, featuring a humble housewife – a woman not known to media or politics – pleading with the government to lower electricity tariffs. She was not asking for subsidies or handouts – just that the current, already high rates be reconsidered. Her voice resonated with millions. But what was the government’s answer? Not only to ignore her plea – but to punish her and others like her with an eightfold increase.

This is more than insensitivity; it borders on cruelty. As if the very act of speaking out triggers retaliation. We are in a situation where those in power have completely lost touch with the people they are meant to serve. The leaders and technocrats behind this decision must be reminded: electricity is not a luxury. It is a basic human right in the 21st century.

When the Poor Pay for Corruption and Incompetence

Across Ethiopia, civil servants – those who keep the country running – are already struggling with high rent, transportation costs, and skyrocketing food prices. It has become tragically common to hear of citizens eating leftover food from hotels just to survive. These are not isolated stories. They are symptoms of a collapsing public system, where survival is a daily battle and dignity is a luxury.

And now, they are being asked to pay four times more for electricity – not to improve rural electrification or ensure reliable service, but to fund a lavish tower project that serves no immediate national interest. Worse still, EEU’s service is among the worst in the world, notorious for power outage, sudden disconnections, and poor customer service. If anything, the public was expecting a reduction in tariffs following the completion of the GERD – a project built with collective sacrifice. But instead, they are met with betrayal.

Let us not forget that GERD was built through public contributions – both in cash and moral support. Many believed their sacrifices would translate into lower costs and better access. What we now see is the complete opposite: more burden, more debt, more anger.

It is no longer just about electricity. It is about a pattern of governance that continues to punish the poor while rewarding the corrupt. It is about institutions run by people who have no understanding of economic hardship, and no empathy for the silent suffering of millions.

Final Thought: Let the Lights Shine for All

Ethiopians are strong, resilient, and deeply patriotic. But even resilience has limits. You cannot keep tightening the noose and expect people not to resist. The EEU must reverse this inhumane tariff decision. The government must abandon the foolish tower project. And the public must rise – peacefully but firmly – to demand real development, not performative prestige.

If you really want to light up East Africa, start by lighting up rural Ethiopia.
Before you build towers, build trust. Before you raise prices, raise living standards.

Let the lights shine – not on towers, but in every home still living in darkness.

Editor’s Note : Views in the article do not necessarily reflect the views of borkena.com      

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