The Tragedy of Wasteful Governance: A Critical Reflection on PM Abiy Ahmed’s Administration

Teshager Yilma 

Introduction

Ethiopia, once a symbol of resilience and a beacon of independence in Africa, now teeters on the edge of humanitarian catastrophe under the administration of Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed. Behind the façade of reform and prosperity lies a tragic reality: massive embezzlement, irresponsible spending, and the deliberate abandonment of millions of Ethiopians to hunger, disease, and homelessness. This article critically examines how the Abiy administration is misappropriating the country’s scarce resources in a context of escalating humanitarian need, invoking relevant conceptual frameworks and comparative international examples to underscore the urgency of global and national action.

1. Governance Failure: Between Predation and Predicament

PM Abiy’s administration is a textbook case of what political economist Robert Klitgaard calls “systemic corruption,” where corruption is not the exception but the organizing principle of state governance. This aligns with predatory state theory, where ruling elites extract resources from society for personal enrichment and political control, rather than serving the public good.

The administration’s multi-billion-dollar spending on vanity projects—most notably, the $15 billion palace compound and the luxury riverside developments—reflects neopatrimonialism, where state resources are used for regime legitimation and personal aggrandizement rather than development. These projects proceed while more than 10 million Ethiopians face hunger, displacement, and destitution.

2. Humanitarian Crisis Amid Opulence

Under the basic needs theory, a government’s legitimacy rests on its ability to meet the minimal needs of its citizens—food, shelter, health, and education. In Ethiopia, these needs remain unmet. Internally displaced persons (IDPs), deportees from the Gulf and elsewhere, and conflict victims are warehoused in corrugated tin shelters—or worse, left in the open—without food, medicine, or protection.

This stands in stark contrast to the “Addis Ababa Beautification Projects” and massive security expenditures. Such disparity can be interpreted through Amartya Sen’s capability approach, which argues that poverty is not just a lack of income but a deprivation of basic capabilities. By diverting resources to elite projects, the Abiy regime effectively denies millions their basic human capabilities.

3. Legalized Looting: Rule of Law as a Facade

Ethiopia under Abiy is also exhibiting traits of what constitutional scholar David Landau terms “abusive constitutionalism”—using laws not to uphold justice but to institutionalize power and suppress dissent. The introduction of taxes on unrented homes, despite being struck down by the courts, is a chilling example of how the administration uses “lawfare”—legal tools as weapons of coercion.

This aligns with Guillermo O’Donnell’s theory of “delegative democracy”, in which elected leaders claim legitimacy from elections but act with authoritarian discretion, ignoring legal constraints and accountability mechanisms.

4. Propaganda and International Complicity

The international community’s complicity—through silence or active engagement with the regime—mirrors what Noam Chomsky terms “manufacturing consent.” Western governments and development agencies often uncritically echo state propaganda that paints a picture of reform and development, while turning a blind eye to humanitarian suffering.

Like the Rwandan regime’s international image in the early 2000s, Abiy’s government has mastered the art of “developmental authoritarianism”—combining selective economic performance with brutal suppression, misleading metrics, and international branding, even while overseeing mass suffering and displacement.

5. Benchmarking Against Sensible Governance

In sharp contrast, consider Botswana—a country with fewer resources but strong institutions, rule of law, and a track record of using public revenue transparently to support public services. Or Ghana, where fiscal responsibility is embedded in democratic oversight mechanisms. These countries, while not perfect, provide examples of how statecraft can avoid the twin traps of authoritarianism and corruption.

Even in post-conflict societies such as Rwanda or Liberia, investments in health, housing, and reintegration took priority over grandiose projects. Ethiopia’s current trajectory under Abiy is thus a deliberate deviation from both continental best practices and global development norms.

6. Call to Action: Breaking the Silence

The silence of Ethiopia’s intellectual class, civil society, and international partners is as dangerous as the regime’s actions. It echoes what Martin Luther King Jr. called “the appalling silence of the good people.” Ethiopia stands on the brink of systemic collapse. If unaddressed, the current conditions could trigger a regional humanitarian spillover, destabilizing the Horn of Africa, the Middle East, and even parts of Europe.

The international community must uphold its own doctrines—such as Responsibility to Protect (R2P)—before the situation descends into an irreversible crisis. Domestically, Ethiopians must rekindle a culture of civic resistance, intellectual debate, and moral clarity.

Conclusion: A Moral and Political Reckoning

The Abiy Ahmed regime’s actions represent not only a betrayal of public trust but a violation of the moral and political contract between state and society. It is a regime that has weaponized hope and converted democratic dreams into authoritarian nightmares.

To avert one of the 21st century’s worst human tragedies, now is the time to speak truth, demand accountability, and organize for justice. Silence is complicity. History will not forgive inaction.

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

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