National Dialogue Progressing Well: Chief Commissioner

Addis Ababa, July 23, 2026 (ENA) — The ongoing Ethiopian National Dialogue Conference is progressing well, Ethiopian National Dialogue Commission Chief Commissioner Mesfin Araya said.

Briefing the press today, the Chief Commissioner stated that the dialogue at the conference is advancing as scheduled.

During the consultation sessions held over the past few days, delegates have been organized into working groups and generating and consolidating ideas.

Commissioner Mesfin explained that since the conference convened on July 15, 2026, participants have been working in sub-groups of 50 and smaller units of 10 to execute the initial idea generation and synthesis phase.

Assembling in teams of 10 helped build strong interpersonal rapport among participants, allowing them to acquaint themselves with one another and engage in thorough, articulated discussions about their designated agendas.

He added that experts have delivered detailed briefings and context across various thematic areas to delegates organized in eight working groups today.

Scholars and experts with extensive expertise in nation-building, history, federalism, and identity delivered keynote presentations to provide crucial input for the delegates, while also addressing questions raised by participants.

Starting tomorrow, the next phase of deliberations will commence, with reports compiled by the 10-member sub-groups being presented to their respective 50-member groups.

Highlighting that organizing 4,000 delegates at the national conference demands extensive operational preparation, Professor Mesfin commended health, security, and transportation institutions for their coordinated support.

Previous session proceedings were structured within eight primary divisions, each comprising 500 delegates.

He elaborated that starting tomorrow, the 50-member groups will submit their compiled synthesis to transition into the next stage, which involves fifty groups of 250 members each.

Next week, all 4,000 participants will continue the dialogue, deployed across 16 designated venues.