Reviving Education in Tigray: A Path to Recovery and Resilience

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By: Daniel Mekonnen Yilma 

Executive Summary

The Tigray region of Ethiopia is grappling with a profound educational crisis resulting from the compounded effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and a devastating conflict that has spanned two years. The education system has faced near-collapse due to prolonged disruptions. The Pretoria Peace Agreement, signed in November 2022, offers a critical opportunity to address these challenges and restore educational services. However, despite this peace agreement, significant issues remain that hinders the return to normalcy in education.

The purpose of this policy brief is to present a comprehensive analysis of the current state of education in Tigray, highlighting the severe impacts of the conflict and the pandemic, with the intention of informing and influencing the action of civil societies, NGOs and IGOs working in the education sector and regional and federal government officials. The data reveals that a substantial portion of students remains out of school, and many schools are either severely damaged or occupied by internally displaced persons (IDPs). The recommendations outlined herein aim to restore and improve the education system, focusing on infrastructure repair, provision of scholastic materials, support for Accelerated Learning Programs (ALP), and addressing security and human resource challenges.

Key points

  • Severe Educational Disruption: The Tigray region’s education system has been severely disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic and a devastating two-year conflict, leading to extensive damage to school infrastructure and significant drops in student enrollment.
  • Low Student Enrollment: Only 40% of the targeted students were enrolled in the 2023/24 academic year, leaving 1,487,600 students, including 729,267 girls, out of school. The Central and North Western zones are particularly affected by high rates of out-of-school children.
  • Widespread Infrastructure Damage: The conflict has resulted in extensive damage to educational infrastructure, with 74.9% of schools partially damaged and 19.1% completely destroyed. Many students are forced to learn in temporary or unsafe conditions, severely impairing their educational experience.
  • Teacher and Human Resource Shortages: The region faces a critical shortage of teachers, with 16.1% (2,434) more teachers needed. The conflict has also left many teachers demotivated due to prolonged unpaid salaries, further exacerbating the educational crisis.
  • Psychological Trauma: The war has caused widespread psychological trauma among students and teachers, with significant learning loss and evidence of substantial psychological distress, including high levels of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) among teachers.
  • School Feeding Programs as a Solution: School feeding programs are identified as a critical intervention to mitigate the effects of drought and famine, enhance students’ ability to attend school, improve their health and concentration, and incentivize parents to send their children to school.
  • Crowd-funding as a Strategic Policy Option: Crowd-funding is proposed as an innovative mechanism for raising funds for school feeding programs, engaging NGOs, IGOs, the private sector, and the diaspora to expand and sustain these initiatives effectively.
  • Increased Focus on Female Students: The educational crisis disproportionately affects female students, necessitating targeted interventions to address their specific needs and challenges, particularly in the aftermath of the conflict.
  • Need for Comprehensive Psychosocial Support: Comprehensive psychosocial support for both students and teachers is essential to address the widespread trauma, reduce learning loss, and promote mental well-being, which are critical for restoring the education system in Tigray.
  • Call for Collaborative Efforts: The policy brief emphasizes the need for collaborative efforts among various stakeholders, including the government, NGOs, international organizations, and the private sector, to rebuild the education system in Tigray and ensure long-term resilience and sustainability.

Full Policy Brief: https://initiativeafrica.net/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/Policy-Brief-Final-4.pdf

Farewell to Sovereignty: The National Bank of Ethiopia Slips Away

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By Kebour Ghenna


The first warning to the Government of Ethiopia came straight from the IMF: Shape up, or you’re not getting a dime!

Whether this government thinks it’s outsmarting the IMF or simply doesn’t understand who it’s dealing with, last week’s developments suggest we’re in for a surprise.

Dear Readers, buckle up—we’re about to delve into what the IMF-imposed changes could mean for Ethiopia’s economic future. On the surface, the requirements to overhaul the governance of the National Bank of Ethiopia (NBE), enhance decision-making structures, and improve transparency and accountability sound beneficial. But the reality is far more complex. Implementing these reforms without careful adaptation to Ethiopia’s unique context could lead to instability rather than progress.

The pressure to align Ethiopia’s financial governance with international standards might force the country to adopt policies that don’t fully address its local challenges. Now, let’s talk about “external control.” Imagine this: You’re the captain of a ship (Ethiopia), and suddenly, someone else (the IMF) grabs the wheel. They assure you it’s for your own good, but there’s a good chance they don’t know these waters as well as you do. Sure, they might help avoid a few rocks, but what if they steer you straight into a storm? By handing over control of its National Bank, Ethiopia risks losing its ability to navigate its own economic challenges. Instead of solving Ethiopia’s problems, these one-size-fits-all solutions could exacerbate them. The risks of disrupting existing financial systems and creating new problems are real and demand serious consideration.

Why does the IMF insist on making the NBE independent? The obvious reason: it wants to control it.

How else do you explain the fact that the NBE is now required to submit comprehensive draft legal amendments to the Ethiopian Parliament… in consultation with IMF… and by December 2024!!

Yes, Dear Readers, we are about to hand over control of one of the most important institutions in the country—the NBE—to the IMF. Once this monetary law act is passed, the NBE, the key economic institution, becomes “independent,” giving it the power to make or break any government with its monetary policies. No one will have the right to interfere with its decisions. Citizens can elect whoever they want, but they will no longer have control over their country.

And trust me, once the NBE becomes independent, who do you think will control it? Not the people of Ethiopia, not even the wealthy elites of Ethiopia. It’s going to be the global elites who will pull the strings of our economy through the central bank.

Maybe I’m paranoid, but I see danger ahead.

Original source: https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7231297338378457090/

Initiative Africa Awarded Malala Grant to Empower Female Students in Conflict-Affected Areas

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Initiative Africa, a leading non-profit organization dedicated to empowering vulnerable youth, has recently received a substantial boost in its efforts to support young women affected by conflict. The organization has been awarded a prestigious Malala grant totaling $300,000 as part of its enrollment in the Education Champion Network. This grant is set to significantly enhance Initiative Africa’s project aimed at helping female students who have been impacted by conflict to regain access to education and develop essential skills for future success.

The project, spearheaded by Initiative Africa, focuses on implementing a comprehensive Accelerated Learning Program (ALP) coupled with a Life Skills program. This innovative approach is designed to address the unique challenges faced by female students who have been displaced or otherwise affected by conflict. By providing access to education and essential life skills training, Initiative Africa aims to empower these individuals to rebuild their lives and pursue opportunities for personal and professional growth.

The significance of this grant cannot be overstated, as it represents a vital step forward in Initiative Africa’s mission to make a meaningful impact on the lives of vulnerable youth. With the support of the Malala grant, the organization will be able to expand its reach and provide critical resources to a greater number of young female students in need.

Crucially, the success of Initiative Africa’s project in gaining the fund has been further facilitated by the invaluable assistance of the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (sida). Through its constant support for the Business for Peace project, sida has played a pivotal role in helping Initiative Africa sharpen its expertise in the field of conflict resolution and peacebuilding. By leveraging sida’s support, Initiative Africa has been able to strengthen its programs and maximize its impact on the ground.

Fellowship launch

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One among the many programs Initiative Africa (IA) has been implementing under the Business for Peace Project, the Business for Peace Fellowship is designed to introduce business owners, business advisors, business aspirants, entrepreneurs and start-up owners, etc., to the various peacebuilding approaches and the analytical tools needed to understand, analyze and resolve conflicts. Offered in three cohorts, the Fellowship is deemed to be instrumental in allowing the business community to have a say in and foster local ownership of peacebuilding activities. It will also allow business owners to critically engage in peacebuilding processes with a clear understanding of the cycle of conflict and interventions designed at each state.

By promoting ownership and knowledge of peacebuilding, this fellowship is a timely investment in “peaceful means” to peace and security. It has the following interrelated objectives:

  • To introduce the business community to key concepts of peacebuilding and promote effective participation through leadership training
  • To boost the capacity of the private sector toward active participation in peacebuilding in Ethiopia
  • To mobilize the business community to engage in peacebuilding and conflict resolution

The program’s contents are designed in various pedagogical formats. It follows hybrid modes of content delivery e-learning, in-person practicum, field visits and action learning for a duration of three months. Each month consists of a two-day in-person workshop with an intensive list of seminars. Besides, the program involves two field visits: one local and another international.

Initiative Africa officially launched the ‘Business for Peace Fellowship’ with eight fellows who have taken part in the First Cohort of the program. The three-month fellowship program was designed to introduce business owners, business advisors as well as business aspirants to the various peacebuilding approaches and the analytical tools they will use to understand, analyze and resolve conflicts.

The program is deemed to be instrumental in allowing the business community to have a say in peacebuilding activities and in fostering local ownership. The seminars of the First Cohort Fellowship Program have been implemented in partnership with the Institute of Security Studies (ISS).

Fellows have taken various seminars on such topics as conflict, violence, peace and business leadership, the economic cost of conflict, and doing ethical business as well as other supplementary workshops meant to boost fellows’ media and communications skills.

The Fellows also had a field visit to Arba Minch where they participated in a seminar held with Gamo elders who shared their traditional conflict resolution mechanisms followed by visits to Dorze Village, Crocodile Ranch, and the 40 Springs. The visit afforded fellows to get insights into the practical application and importance of knowledge and practices of customary institutions in conflict resolution and transformation.

Following the launching event, in collaboration with the Institute of Security Studies (ISS) Initiative Africa (IA) conducted the first Business for Peace Fellowship seminar for first cohort fellows. The seminar lasted for consecutive two days, August 1 & 2, 2022 at Hilton Hotel.

The two days allowed the fellows to gain necessary knowledge about Conflict, Conflict analysis, the Economic cost of Conflict, Gender Dimension of conflict, Peace and also opened the door for them to test their leadership and media skills and let them exchange experiences among their peers.

The Private Sector, National Dialogue and Peacebuilding in Bahirdar and Adama

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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.

Africa Day 2021: Arts, Culture and Heritage

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Aspiration 5 of Agenda 2063 envisions ‘An Africa with a strong cultural identity, common heritage, shared values and ethics’. This calls for an African cultural renaissance which is pre-eminent and that inculcates the spirit of Pan Africanism; tapping Africa’s rich heritage and culture to ensure that the creative arts are major contributors to Africa’s growth and transformation; and restoring and preserving Africa’s cultural heritage, including its languages.

Globally, the Cultural and Creative Industries (CCIs) play a key role in contributing to GDP. In recognition of the importance of CCIs in achieving the Agenda 2063 objectives of regional integration, inclusive and sustainable economic growth and development, the African Union declared the Year 2021 as “The AU Year of the Arts, Culture And Heritage: Levers for Building the Africa We Want”.

Culture incorporates social behaviour and norms of a society as well as the language, knowledge, beliefs, traditions, arts, customs, capacities and habits of a certain community and the 2021 Theme is a declaration at a continental level for member states to invest more resources in promoting national and regional cohesion by investing in African culture and heritage as a vehicle for promoting and achieving the national economic and social development goals outlined in Africa’s Agenda 2063.

The Year of Arts, Culture and Heritage is happening at a time when the continent is still grappling with the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic which has imposed heavy human, financial and economic costs to Africa. However, during the pandemic the Creative and Cultural Industries in Africa have played a key role in contributing efforts towards prevention and combating the spread of Covid-19 and furthermore the increased use of technology has created new spaces for CCIs sector to thrive by using digital platforms to promote their goods and services. The pandemic has provided an opportunity to re-examine the continent’s socio-economic priorities, including the role of cultural workers, towards contributing to building stronger and more resilient health and social sectors, promoting equality, inclusion, social cohesion and African Renaissance, as inspired by the Ubuntu Philosophy ‘I AM because you are; You are because I Am’.

Activities and programmes to be implemented under the 2021 Theme will prioritise the following:

  1. Arts and Culture;
  2. Health, Wellness and Post COVID-19 Response;
  3. African Languages;
  4. History and Oral Traditions; and
  5. Heritage.

Source: https://au.int/en/theme/2021/arts-culture-and-heritage