Ethiopia Will Have a Competitive National Football Team in Africa and on the World Stage Within 10 Years – PM Abiy

Addis Ababa, September 17, 2025 (FMC) — Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed (PhD) said Ethiopia will have a national football team recognized across Africa and the world within the next ten years, highlighting sports development as part of the broader national transformation outlined in his fourth book, Medemer State.

The Prime Minister explained that although it may be difficult to build a strong team in two or three years, the government is committed to long-term planning and implementation.

“This is not wishful thinking but action,” PM Abiy said, pointing to more than 100 junior stadiums constructed in Addis Ababa as a foundation for nurturing talent and fostering youth development.

Abiy connected sports development to Ethiopia’s broader vision of prosperity and national excellence.

The Medemer State, he said, emphasizes the need to lay groundwork today for future achievements, demonstrating that action and strategic investment are key to long-term success.

He further stressed that Ethiopia has the knowledge, resources, and capability to become a model nation, not merely by emulating others, but by leveraging its strengths and lessons from other countries to create unique solutions.

“When we create a sum of capabilities and positions in Ethiopia, we can do miracles,” he said.

Through investment in youth, infrastructure, and national unity, Abiy emphasized that Ethiopia’s football ambitions align with Medemer principles—harnessing collective effort, innovative thinking, and synergy to achieve shared goals.

The vision, he said, is for Ethiopia not only to compete but to become a respected football nation on the African continent and globally.