Prime Minister tells Africa’s political parties that growth must reach people’s doorsteps or public trust will erode
Addis Ababa, 06 November 2026. Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed (PhD) told African political leaders that the central test of any party’s policies is whether they have improved the daily lives of ordinary people, warning that failure to deliver development risks eroding public trust in the entire political system.
Speaking at the opening of the second Africa Political Parties Summit, held at the Adwa Victory Memorial, the Prime Minister, who is also President of the Prosperity Party, said every political leader should ask whether the policies and beliefs they follow have made their people’s lives better. He called this the “central measure of survival” for political leaders.
The summit is being held under the theme “Leading for Growth: Political Parties as Africa’s Future Economic Architects.”
Public trust at stake
Abiy said a parent takes a child to school out of great hope that the country will build a better future for that child. If growth and development do not reach people’s doorsteps, he warned, citizens will lose faith not only in parties but in the political system as a whole.
Ethiopia’s “Medemer” approach
Presenting Ethiopia’s experience as a possible answer to this continental challenge, the Prime Minister pointed to Medemer, the Prosperity Party’s guiding principle. He explained that Medemer means coordinating diverse national capacities toward a common purpose.
He said that by merging organizations built on different regional bases into one national party, Ethiopia has built a party of more than 17 million members that evaluates its own performance effectively.
Inclusion and competition
Citing what he described as historic steps toward political inclusion and democratic maturity, Abiy said the Prosperity Party did not field candidates for about 15 percent of legislative seats during the election. He added that the party formed a Medemer government that includes opposition party leaders. According to the Prime Minister, these steps balanced political competition with national responsibility.
He said that, political differences aside, jointly building national institutions is the true expression of Medemer thinking.
Closing message
Abiy stressed that, whatever the election outcome, a parent’s hope in sending a child to school and the nation’s journey will not stop. African leaders, he said, must prove the political ideas they believe in through improvements in citizens’ lives and tangible results.
