The 2010 Heritage Foundation’s Index of Economic Freedom has ranked Ethiopia’s economy the 136th freest out of 179 countries in the world with a score of 51.2. Its overall score fell 1.8 points when compared to 2009 as a result of deteriorating trade freedom, monetary freedom, and investment freedom. Ethiopia is ranked 28th out of 46 countries in the Sub-Saharan Africa region, and its overall score is just below the regional average.
According to the Heritage Foundation:
Economic freedom is the fundamental right of every human to control his or her own labor and property. In an economically free society, individuals are free to work, produce, consume, and invest in any way they please, with that freedom both protected by the state and unconstrained by the state. In economically free societies, governments allow labor, capital and goods to move freely, and refrain from coercion or constraint of liberty beyond the extent necessary to protect and maintain liberty itself.
Ethiopia’s Economy Is Fragile
Ethiopia has achieved considerable economic growth over the past five years, driven mainly by exports of agricultural products. The double-digit growth rate of over 10 percent, however, is fragile due to the lack of economic dynamism, and the economy remains highly vulnerable to external shocks. Progress toward greater economic freedom has been uneven and sluggish.
Government Distortions of Prices and Interest Rates
Ethiopia underperforms in many of the 10 economic freedoms. The business and investment regime is burdensome and opaque. The overall quality and efficiency of government services have been poor and are further undermined by weak rule of law and pervasive corruption. Monetary stability is hampered by state distortions in prices and interest rates, and trade freedom is hurt by high tariff and non-tariff barriers.
Party-Owned Companies Receive Preferential Access
Corruption is perceived as pervasive. Ethiopia ranks 126th out of 179 countries in Transparency International’s Corruption Perceptions Index for 2008. Despite legal restrictions, officials have been accused of manipulating the privatization process, and state-owned and party-owned businesses receive preferential access to land leases and credit.
Read the Entire Report on Ethiopia – the 2010 Heritage Foundation’s Index of Economic Freedom)
There you have it. Economic and political freedom of indivials, not ethnic rights the Ethiopians have to strive for to bring about true democracy to Ethiopia both at home and in the Diaspora by dismantling the multi-layer, hierarchical political model of TPLF/eprdf regime and its mirror images.
Let see:- over 5000000 parasite woyane army–food, clothing,armament, health ant loot fro woyane officials. Over 50000000 people on starvation.waiting the world’s genourcity for survival. Spending for its adventurist war. The population in agonizing with all kind of diseases which made a come with woyane in power. there is no any work for the vast number of students who graduated form high school and university. By what magic woyane show this economic figure. Either woyane is cooking the book ooops!!!!woyane is too dumb to cook any book, or you know, woyane’s handlers they spew out this figure make woyane look “beautiful”. What ever make up they give woyane Meles stays to be “GORDENDINOS”