Economics & Development

Ethiopia is one of the fastest growing countries in East Africa and the most populous African nation after Nigeria. More than two million job seekers enter the market every year. In order to meet its developmental needs, Ethiopia needs to ensure that its justice system delivers effectively and efficiently. This study stems from the willingness of the Government of Ethiopia (GoE) to improve the quality of its justice system and to further solidify its reform programs. In order to support the GoE’s reform efforts, this study assesses key strengths and challenges the justice system faces through the JUPITER (Justice Pillars towards Evidence-based Reform) methodology. Using qualitative and quantitative data, JUPITER identifies the main gaps in the delivery of justice and provides metrics for benchmarking against countries in similar contexts. The GoE has undertaken multiple initiatives thus far at the federal level to modernize its delivery of justice. These initiatives include the establishment of a Wide Area Network (WAN) to connect all federal courts in one intranet network, the introduction of automatic transcription and video conferencing in some of the federal court rooms, and the transfer of the judicial training institute and the development of online training programs from the Ministry of Justice (MOJ) to the Federal Supreme Court (FSC). These initiatives are guided by three separate strategic documents: the FSC’s Federal Courts Transformation Plan, the FSC’s Third Strategic Plan, and the MOJ’s Three-Year Transformation Plan (2022–2025). This assessment considers ongoing efforts, and its recommendations attempt to build on current initiatives. This report, therefore, can serve as the basis for policy dialogue with various stakeholders and can inform subsequent programmatic interventions.