ADDIS ABABA — Ethiopia's Minister of Transport and Logistics, Alemu Sime, has asserted that the nation's leadership must be committed to utilizing its natural resources effectively to eliminate aid dependency. Federal government officials are currently engaged in discussions under the theme "From Aid Dependency to Productivity for Complete National Pride, Freedom, and Sovereignty."

According to Ethiopian News Agency, there is an urgent need to shift away from the mindset of aid dependency and ensure food security at the household level. During his speech, Alemu Sime emphasized that despite Ethiopia's wealth of diverse resources across all regions, the country has struggled to break free from aid dependency due to the failure to develop these resources adequately. The Minister described aid dependency as demeaning and underscored the necessity of harnessing the country's potential resources to transition from aid dependency to productivity.

Alemu pointed to recent achievements in various development sectors as evidence that eliminating aid dependency is possible. He highlighted successes in agriculture, particularly in irrigated wheat production during the dry season, as well as advancements in the industry sector. The Minister stressed that national sovereignty is fully realized when the mentality of aid dependency is eradicated and productivity is significantly increased, leading to self-reliance.

The Minister elaborated that the primary objective of the current discussions is to foster a mutual understanding among leaders about their role in breaking free from aid dependency and enhancing productivity. Alemu stated that leadership holds a great responsibility in this regard.

Commissioner of the Ethiopian Disaster Risk Management Commission, Shiferaw Teklemariam, presented a paper during the discussion, emphasizing the importance of ensuring food security at the household level to overcome the aid dependency mentality. He suggested that understanding, preparation, and accelerating development efforts in a coordinated manner would help eliminate the undignified state of aid dependency.

The discussion saw participation from ministers and other high-ranking federal government officials.