Initiative Africa (IA) organized a workshop and invited participants from the private sector to contemplate its potential role in the upcoming National Dialogue (ND). The private sector should understand its role as well as its own capacity and seize the moment to invest in the National Dialogue (ND) knowing that its outcome (whatever it might be) would anyway affect the sector. Thus the support and investment in the process of ND are tantamount to an insurance v that would avertthe risks and tradeoffs the ND might entail.

The National Dialogue (ND) must be approached with an outcome in mind that would determine its objectives and what to do to meet the objectives. There might be various possible scenarios as potential outcomes of the ND; however, whatever the outcome might look like, weneed to approach the ND as a cultural moment for us Ethiopians to learn the culture of dialogue rather than to resort to machineguns to solve our political differences

Initiative Africa was part of an event organized by the Institute of Security Studies (ISS) together with Bahirdar University under the theme “Importance, Process, Stakeholders’ Role, and Scenario Analysis of the National Dialogue for Ethiopia’ (አገራዊ ምክክር ለኢትዮጵያ አስፈላጊነት፣ ሂደት፣ የባለድርሻ አካላት ሚና እና የቢሆን ትንታኔ) at Bahirdar Kuriftu Resort on June 29, 2022. As part of its initiative to engage the private sector in peacebuilding and National Dialogue, Initiative Africa (IA) in collaboration with the Ministry of Peace has organized a half-day dialogue forum in Adama city on July 26, 2022, for businesses operating in the Oromia region including business owners, and business chambers.

Initiative Africa in its part believes that the private sector can help to preserve the social and civic fabric by continuing to do business across different conflict lines and work together with other civil society groups. The sector can, at both the macro and micro levels, be a catalyst for positive change in the relationships between conflicting factions; act as a facilitator of constructive activities with other actors that have an interest in peace; and be an influencer of actors who, by virtue of their official position or informal authority and legitimacy, can say “yes” or “no” to peace. Initiative Africa takes this as an opportunity to support the flourishing of dialogue culture within the private sector, on the one hand, and the latter’s role in the upcoming National Dialogue, on the other. Initiative Africa (IA) will thus work closely with the Ministry of Peace, the Ethiopian Chamber of Commerce, regional chambers, associations, and like-minded organizations towards boosting the sectors’ role and potential in peacebuilding.