The Whereabouts of Ethiopia’s Pastoral Policy and Development Strategy

It is known that all the peoples of Ethiopia have become participants and beneficiaries of the gains of the government. However, Pastoralists that contribute 12% of the Ethiopian population and inhabit 60% of the area of Ethiopia have been neglected and forgotten for the entire memory of this country. The pastoral people have their own particular way of life in a peculiar environment. Ethiopian Pastoralists have not been beneficiaries of the development underway in the country to the expected level because of the absence of pastoral development policy and strategy that translates their constitutional rights and that takes the ecology, livelihood, and lifestyle of pastoral areas into account.

In principle, we know that including pastoralists in the development endeavours of this country is a fundamental human right. We know that without including these historically disadvantaged pastoralists into the play, let alone we see a prosperous Ethiopia the life of this hundred million-plus complex nations and nationality could diminish in general if corrective measures are not implemented to overturn the discombobulated political, social, and economic injustices will not see an Ethiopia that secures.

It was the current government led by His excellency, Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed recognized that while pastoralists are out of the vehicle and lots remaining to bring these citizens that are far left behind on board - there is no room for complacency in Ethiopia and drafted a pastoral policy and Development strategy. But that policy still demands approval from the government that initiated yet – while it was supposed to be approved last year according to Shanko Delelgn, Research and Resource Mobilisation Director-General at the Ministry of peace and become operational by the Ethiopian budget year of 2013.

I know the faces that this policy went through different stages including the consultative workshop to get the final comments for approval last year here in Somali Regional State. But to me, I wonder whether the Ministry of peace is doing good work or they are doing ignorant work – really ignorant; having said this I saw tonight a post on Ministry of Peace saying together with seven other ministers discussed the plan of the pastoralist community development project and approved by all the members of the committee while the policy doesn’t get the ratification of the House of People’s representative Until I know.

How that can happen? How can they develop a development project in which its policy doesn’t is on air and yet demands approval?

So that I'm here asking the Ethiopian Government including the Ministry of Peace where is the policy, why it is not yet approved? If the policy, you drafted was not a trick that the incumbent party intended to bring pastoralists parties into the bellies of your party; pastoralists whom you claim to represent still look for the approval of the full policy. On the other hand, I am suggesting to the Ministry of Peace to do their work and stop playing.

Finally, I am here advising Leaders of the pastoral regions — from Somali to Afar, from Binishangul-Gumuz to Gambella add their voices together and push the federal government to approve the first-ever policy that these marginalized people would have by now.

References

Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia pastoral policy and strategy, Final draft Submitted to GOE for Approval