Ethiopia

Ethiopia is one of the fastest-growing non-oil economies in Africa, with agriculture accounting for about 45% of gross domestic product (GDP) and 85% of the labour force; coffee is a key export. However, despite the importance of agriculture to its economy, Ethiopia is heavily dependent on food aid. This is often attributed to natural disasters such as drought (the worst was in 1983, which killed 300,000 people), although some suggest that a growing population and damaging land policies are also to blame. Under Ethiopia’s constitution, the state owns all land and provides long-term leases to tenants. This discourages farmers from investing long-term on land they do not own and makes it impossible for them to make use of productive agricultural technologies.

Internal and external conflicts have added to Ethiopia’s problems. The first free and democratic election took place in May 1995, and brought the Ethiopian People’s Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF), made up of the Tigrayan People’s Liberation Front as well as other small ethnic groups, to power. Since then, multi-party elections have been disputed, most notably those in 2005, which led to violent protests and the arrest of many members of the opposition, and in 2010, when the EPRDF won by a massive majority. Secessionist groups, such as the Ogaden National Liberation Front and the Oromo Liberation Front, maintain a low-level armed struggle.

Ethiopia has also been involved recently in conflict with two of its neighbours. A border dispute with Eritrea escalated into full-scale war in 1999 which lasted two years (although tensions still persist). Following the takeover of Mogadishu and other parts of southern Somalia by militias loyal to the Union of Islamic Courts, Ethiopian troops entered the country in 2006 and engaged in fierce fighting, formally withdrawing in 2009.

Humanitarian aid to Ethiopia peaked in 2003 (US$804 million) and 2008 (US$886 million), when severe drought affected large numbers of people. In 2003, 12.6 million people were affected, while the drought in 2008 affected 6.4 million.

The overwhelming majority of humanitarian funding to Ethiopia (80.5% between 2005 and 2009) is in the form of emergency food aid. Just over 0.5% of humanitarian aid was spent on disaster prevention and preparedness between 2005 and 2009.