Ethiopian Review has asked scholars and prominent individuals what 10 things they would do immediately if they are elected president or prime minister of Ethiopia. The following is by Ato Teddy Fikre. (Click here to read what others wrote.)

If I were the president or prime minister of Ethiopia, here are the things I would do immediately:

1) I would abolish all aid and donations that have strings attached to them where investment in infrastructure, roads, schools, and human capital is not viewed as the prime targets of stated AID.

2) I would feed the people, the countless many in Ethiopia who struggle to make ends meet. Feeding is not only nourishment, but also feeding them with the proper tools to grow their own food or sustain their own family. I would implement a program whereby each person is given tools such as shovels, hoses, and various farming tools that is either given for free or subsidized heavily so that anyone that is willing to empower themselves is given the means to do so.

3) I would require all or most foreign capital that is invested in Ethiopia to build assets in Ethiopia whereby it is managed and operated by Ethiopians. These assets, for example factories, would have to then export products that are finished goods instead of exporting raw resources.

4) I would implement a “made in Ethiopia by Ethiopians” label to be placed on all products that are shipped overseas.

5) I would invest a significant sum of money to then start branding these products and marketing them in the Western world as “Ethiopian made” products. These products would not be marketed for their affordablity, rather, these products would be marketed to the “socially conciseness” consumer, consumers that are willing to pay a premium for products that are lifting a community or a country

6) I would implement a going wage rate in Ethiopia, a sort of a minimum wage so that the gap between the haves and the have nots is lessened and the prosperity enjoyed as a result of this economic development is shared by more than just a few.

7) I would insist that the education system teaches the totality of Ethiopian history so that everyone shares in the pride that is Ethiopia. Thus, the History of the Oromos, Gambella, Tigreys, Amharas, and the rest of the Ethiopian culture is taught to all without prejudice.

8) I would abolish a Presidential Palace, this one is a bit impractical perhaps, but I would require the President to be with the people, thus the President or Prime Minister would be hosted by various Ethiopians for one week. Of course, the “hosts” would be screened to ensure the safety of the President or Prime Minister, but in the end, he/she would live with the people, get to know the pulse of the people and not be walled off by an ivory tower. The annual salary of the President would be that of the lowest paid worker in Ethiopia

9) I would implement a one term restriction on the Prime Minister of five years, and at any time, the Prime Minister could be recalled by a 3/5th vote of no confidence by the people of Ethiopia. The President or Prime Minister would have to give a State of the Country speech twice a year which will be broadcast live and where “common folk” get to ask the Prime Minister or the President questions as if though it was a Press Conference

I have many more ideas, but I would live peacefully in the countryside organizing Ethiopians to make sure that their elected office holders are held accountable.

(Teddy Fikre is an activist with Ethiopian-Americans for Change. For more info, visit ea4c.org)