By Benadeta Mwaura - Reporter
Ethiopia, 15 May 2026 - Ethiopia’s national reconciliation process has reached what officials are calling a decisive stage, with the Ethiopian National Dialogue Commission reporting that it has completed agenda collection in 93% of the country as it prepares to move into the next phase of talks aimed at building national consensus.
The commission presented its latest implementation report in Addis Ababa in the presence of Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, senior federal and regional officials, and parliamentary representatives, marking one of the most closely watched milestones in the country’s ongoing political reform and reconciliation agenda.
According to the commission, one of its key achievements so far has been the identification of inclusive and representative participants for the dialogue process.
Officials also reported that public agenda collection has been completed in 1,234 woredas across the country, reflecting what they describe as broad-based engagement with communities at local level.
The process, however, has not been without significant challenges. The commission acknowledged that it was unable to conduct consultations in parts of the Tigray region due to what it described as “unfavourable conditions,” a reference that underscores the lingering fragility in a region still recovering from years of conflict and displacement.
Instead, alternative arrangements were made, with agenda collection sessions held in Addis Ababa involving representatives from Tigray and members of the Tigrayan community living elsewhere in the country.
While this approach allowed partial inclusion, it also highlights the ongoing logistical and political constraints facing the dialogue process in conflict-affected areas.
This gap is significant because inclusivity is central to the legitimacy of any national dialogue. In countries emerging from internal conflict, the absence, whether physical or political, of key groups can shape how outcomes are perceived and whether recommendations are ultimately accepted or implemented.
Despite these limitations, the commission says the groundwork for the next phase is now in place.
Priorities going forward include strengthening political participation, finalising national dialogue agendas, convening a national conference, and ensuring that agreed recommendations are translated into actionable policy.
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The government, for its part, is framing the process as a cornerstone of long-term stability. Speaking during the presentation of the report, Abiy Ahmed urged stakeholders to remain committed to peace, unity, and sustained national cohesion as the dialogue enters what he described as a “critical stage.”
As Africa’s second-most populous country and a key geopolitical player in the Horn of Africa, the success or failure of the dialogue process carries implications far beyond its borders. Internal stability in Ethiopia directly affects regional security dynamics, trade corridors, and migration patterns across East Africa.
The emphasis on structured consultation across thousands of local administrative units reflects an attempt to build legitimacy from the ground up. But the uneven participation, particularly in regions with unresolved tensions, continues to raise questions about how comprehensive the final consensus will be.
At its core, the national dialogue is designed to address long-standing political grievances, ethnic tensions, and governance challenges that have shaped Ethiopia’s modern history.
The ambition is not just reconciliation, but the creation of a shared political framework that can hold under pressure.
Whether the process can achieve that goal will depend not only on how well it is managed at the technical level, but also on whether excluded or partially represented groups feel genuinely reflected in its outcomes.
For now, the transition into the next phase signals progress. But it also marks a shift into more politically sensitive terrain, where participation, trust, and implementation will matter far more than process alone.
In the words of the commission’s own report, the focus is now moving from consultation to consolidation. And it is in that shift that the real test of Ethiopia’s national dialogue will begin.