Ethiopia has taken a significant step toward reshaping its investment climate through the enactment of Council of Ministers Regulation No. 586/2026. The new Regulation introduces a modernized tax and customs incentive framework aimed at attracting strategic, export-oriented, technology-driven, and capital-intensive investments. For both local and foreign investors, the Regulation presents …
There was a legislative need for classification, declassification and handling of national security information generated by the Ethiopian government and its employees and contractors as well as information received from other governments. Hence the Council of Ministers on September 6,2023 has issued ‘Government Secret Information Classification and Protection Regulation No 539/2023 (hereafter the Regulation). The National Intelligence and Security Service (NISS) is entrusted with oversight of the implementation of classification and protection of information carried out by government bodies.
Ethiopia has four levels of classification: Top Secret, Secret, Confidential and Restricted. Each level of classification indicates a decrease in degree of sensitivity.
The classification of information shall be done by the government body whom the information generates or obtained in the course of performing its duty. However NISS may classify top secret information.
Classified information shall be accessible only to persons with security clearance to the extent necessary to perform their duties.
Declassification or revision of classified information shall be done by the government body that classified the information. As an exception, declassification for top secret information shall be done by NISS. As a rule any information cannot be kept classified for more than 30 years. However the government may request non-declassification with reasonable grounds and make the information remain classified. On the other hand classified information shall be reviewed every 10 years with a possible extension for force majeure up to a period not exceeding two years.
Thus Ethiopia has embarked up on a system that enables the classification of government secret information with clear, uniform and accountable legislative rules. Such measures shall ensure the country to be protected from threats posed on national security and interest.
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Ethiopia has taken a significant step toward reshaping its investment climate through the enactment of Council of Ministers Regulation No. 586/2026. The new Regulation introduces a modernized tax and customs incentive framework aimed at attracting strategic, export-oriented, technology-driven, and capital-intensive investments. For both local and foreign investors, the Regulation presents substantial opportunities — but also…
The enactment of Ethiopia’s Asset Recovery Proclamation No. 1364/2025 on 2nd May, 2025 marks a major development in the country’s fight against corruption, illicit enrichment, money laundering, and economic crimes. The proclamation was introduced in response to growing concerns regarding unexplained wealth, illegal financial flows, abuse of public resources, and the limitations of previous fragmented…
The Startup Proclamation No. 1396/2025, done at Addis Ababa, 2nd day of September ,2025, explores an important improvement in the legal and economic framework by addressing the long-standing absence of a specialized regime governing startups. Prior to its enactment, startups operated under general commercial and investment laws, which were not designed to accommodate the unique…
By Esayas Kefyalew Associate at DMR Law Firm AbstractThis article examines the legal implications of conditional wills in Ethiopian succession law, with particular focus on the consequences arising when a testamentary beneficiary predeceases the testator. By analyzing the recent Cassation volume 28 Case No. 217114, the study highlights the principles governing conditional dispositions and the…
By Esayas Kefyalew, Associate at DMR Law Firm 1. Introduction The Property Tax Proclamation No. 1365/2025 represents a significant development in Ethiopia’s fiscal and urban governance framework. It introduces a modern property taxation system designed to replace fragmented and outdated approaches to taxing urban land and buildings. As Ethiopian cities continue to expand rapidly, the…
