Addis Ababa, October 7, 2026 (FMC) — Ethiopia’s House of Peoples’ Representatives has endorsed a new legal framework reconfiguring four federal ministries and sharpening the institutional mandates of the federal executive, as the country’s 22-ministry structure continues into the new five-year government term.
The House approved the legislation unanimously during its first extraordinary session of the first working year of the 7th parliamentary term, enacting it as Proclamation No. 1440/2019.
The proclamation establishes the designation, organizational structure, powers and functions of federal executive organs, with the stated objective of creating a clearer and more effective institutional architecture in which the respective mandates and responsibilities of ministries and affiliated institutions are more distinctly defined.
The framework was developed following extensive study and consultations with federal ministries and affiliated institutions, with inputs gathered to address institutional limitations observed over the preceding five years and strengthen the effectiveness of government institutions.
While the number of federal executive organs remains at 22, four ministries undergo significant changes in their institutional configuration, designation and mandates.
The former Ministry of Culture and Sports is reconstituted as the Ministry of Youth and Sports, while the former Ministry of Tourism is reconstituted as the Ministry of Culture and Tourism.
The Ministry of Planning and Development is redesignated as the Ministry of National Strategy, while the Ministry of Transport and Logistics is redesignated as the Ministry of Logistics.
The reconfiguration is intended to bring institutional structures and mandates into closer alignment with the responsibilities of the respective executive bodies, while creating more efficient organizational arrangements capable of translating government priorities into effective implementation.
Government representatives presenting the legislation to Parliament emphasized that clearer institutional delineation would help strengthen the implementation capacity of executive bodies, while enabling officials to exercise their responsibilities and manage government and public resources within clearly established mandates.
The framework is also intended to facilitate public service delivery and contribute to improved living standards, while supporting the protection of citizens’ human and democratic rights through more effective institutional performance.
During the parliamentary deliberation, members further underscored the importance of ensuring that changes involving affiliated institutions reflect their respective operational characteristics and institutional significance.
The legislation therefore goes beyond the redesignation of individual ministries, establishing a broader institutional framework for defining responsibilities, strengthening executive performance and improving coordination across federal government bodies.
The proclamation comes into force at the outset of Ethiopia’s new parliamentary term and following the formation of the new federal government, providing the administration with a legally defined institutional architecture as it begins its five-year mandate.
The measure marks a recalibration of Ethiopia’s federal executive without expanding its existing 22-ministry structure, with the emphasis placed on clearer institutional mandates, stronger implementation capacity, responsible resource management and more effective delivery of government services.