Ethiopia Africa

List of Ministers in Ethiopia 2026 and Their Portfolios

By Amina Diarra · October 13, 2026 · 8 min read

Aerial view of Addis Ababa at dusk with apartment blocks, a roundabout garden and lit avenues — Aerial view of Addis Ababa near the CMC area, the capital where the new cabinet sits. File photo, 2024. (Photo: PMO Ethiopia, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons)

ETHIOPIA · GOVERNMENT

Key Facts

—The country Ethiopia, in the Horn of Africa, is forming its new government after the 1 June general election.
—What happened Parliament approved the list of ministers in Ethiopia 2026, 22 ministers and a deputy prime minister, on Thursday, 8 October.
—Finance Fitsum Assefa, who ran the planning ministry, now leads finance and the debt restructuring backed by the International Monetary Fund.
—New this week Fana reported new state ministers for revenues and for urban and infrastructure on Tuesday, 13 October.
—Prediction markets Polymarket gives Abiy Ahmed leaving office in 2026 a 5% chance (13 October, 8:31 a.m. ET).
—Still open Who will lead Ethiopia’s debt talks day to day under the new finance minister.

The full list of ministers in Ethiopia 2026 counts 22 cabinet posts, approved by parliament on Thursday, 8 October, for Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed. Below is every minister by portfolio, as published by the Ethiopian News Agency (ENA), the state news service.

For investors, the names that matter most on the list of ministers in Ethiopia 2026 sit at finance, mining, trade and foreign affairs. Our report on the cabinet approval covered the vote; this directory adds who moved, who is new, and the appointments made since.

The Full List of Ministers in Ethiopia 2026

ENA’s official list of ministers in Ethiopia 2026 names 23 people: Deputy Prime Minister Temesgen Tiruneh plus 22 cabinet ministers. Temesgen, who held the same post in the last government, ranks directly below Abiy.

Four ministers handle diplomacy, security and the law. Gedion Timothewos keeps foreign affairs, Mohammed Idris takes defence, Hanna Araya-Selassie stays at justice and Musa Adem takes the peace ministry.

The economic team is led by Fitsum Assefa at finance and Aynalem Niguse at revenues, the tax ministry. Yasmin Wohabrebbi runs trade and regional integration, Fisseha Yitagesu industry, and Alemtsahay Paulos mining.

Bereket Fissehatsion heads the Ministry of National Strategy, the renamed planning ministry. Habtamu Itefa stays at water and energy, while Sadat Nesha takes logistics, the renamed transport ministry.

Mohammed Abdurahman leads urban and infrastructure, and Sultan Weli irrigation and lowlands. Frehiwot Tamiru takes the ministry of innovation and technology.

Addisu Arega stays at agriculture, Birhanu Nega at education and Mekdes Daba at health. Awelu Abdi leads labour and skills, and Shewit Shanka women and social affairs.

Selamawit Kassa takes culture and tourism, and Aklilu Tadesse youth and sports. Women hold nine of the 22 ministries, about 41 percent, according to Fana Media Corporation, a state-aligned broadcaster.

Who Stayed, Who Moved and Who Is New

Seven people on the list of ministers in Ethiopia 2026 kept their posts, Dawan Africa, a Horn of Africa news site, reported. They are Gedion, Addisu, Birhanu, Hanna, Habtamu, Mekdes and Aynalem, while Mohammed Idris moved to defence from the peace ministry.

Fitsum ran the planning ministry for eight years before moving to finance, Dawan reported. She replaces Ahmed Shide, who was elected speaker of the lower house on Monday, 5 October.

Ten ministers are new to the cabinet, according to Dawan. They include Musa Adem, associated with the Afar People’s Party, a regional party, and Frehiwot Tamiru, former head of the state operator Ethio Telecom.

Mohammed Abdurahman is the first federal minister from the Harari Region, home of the walled city of Harar, according to Fana. Birhanu Nega is associated with Ethiopian Citizens for Social Justice, a party outside the ruling Prosperity Party, Fana reported.

New Appointments Since the Vote

The appointments made since the vote have left the list of ministers in Ethiopia 2026 unchanged. On Saturday, 10 October, Abiy named a new round of state ministers, the deputies who run daily work inside each ministry.

Several senior posts carry ministerial rank without being one of the 22 ministries. On 8 October, Ambassador Betre Mengistu became head of the Prime Minister’s Office and minister of cabinet affairs, the office said.

Fikadu Tesema serves as government chief whip, and Adem Farah coordinates democratic system building with the rank of deputy prime minister. On Saturday, 10 October, Abiy also reappointed Getachew Reda, former head of Tigray’s interim administration, as his adviser on East African affairs.

On Tuesday, 13 October, Fana reported seven more appointments by the prime minister. Berhanu Zewde becomes state minister for urban and infrastructure, and Tamrat Beyene state minister for revenues.

The same notice named two assistant government whips and three officials at the Coordination Office for Democratic System Building. All three hold the rank of state minister, Fana said.

Lamp-lit garden path in Unity Park with Addis Ababa high-rise towers behind at dusk — Unity Park in Addis Ababa, with the city skyline behind it. File photo, 2021. (Photo: ምቅ37382, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons)

What the Key Appointments Signal for Investors

Finance is the post creditors watch most, because the minister steers the debt restructuring. The IMF approved a loan programme of about US$3.4 billion for Ethiopia on 29 July 2024, meant to frame that restructuring.

After taking office, Fitsum told Fana on 9 October her priorities include digital public services, higher productivity and more value from Ethiopia’s minerals. At a forum on 29 September she said average inflation had fallen from above 26 percent before the reforms to slightly above 16 percent.

Ethiopia’s economic team is already back at the table with its lenders. A delegation led by central bank governor Eyob Tekalign, with State Minister of Finance Tigist Fisseha, began talks in Bangkok on Monday, 12 October.

The venue is the annual meetings of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank, which run until 18 October. The delegation discussed a new World Bank partnership framework, with priorities including private-sector growth, exports and farm modernisation, Fana reported.

Fana reported on Tuesday, 13 October, that the delegation also discussed more IMF technical help for the finance ministry and the central bank. Parliament has also approved a US$145.8 million World Bank loan to upgrade the power grid in Addis Ababa, the capital.

Foreign affairs signals continuity, with Gedion beginning a second term. He also carries Ethiopia’s push for access to the sea, which President Taye Atske-Selassie restated on Monday, 12 October.

Trade and mining pass to new hands, Yasmin Wohabrebbi and Alemtsahay Paulos. Yasmin told Fana on 9 October she would build on recent export gains and create a modern, accessible trade system.

What It Means for US Readers

The list of ministers in Ethiopia 2026 tells US companies and funds who runs the budget, taxes, trade and mining policy for five years. Lenders and bondholders will deal with Fitsum’s team on the debt restructuring that the IMF programme is meant to frame.

Security remains the main caveat for visitors and business travellers. The US Embassy in Addis Ababa asks Americans to reconsider travel to Ethiopia and not to travel to Tigray, Amhara or Afar.

The embassy issued a security alert on Wednesday, 7 October, over possible long-range attacks on Ethiopian military sites. It describes Addis Ababa as stable.

What Prediction Markets Say

On Polymarket, bets on Abiy Ahmed leaving office in 2026 priced Yes at 5% on 13 October at 8:31 a.m. ET. About US$13,000 has been traded, so the market is thin.

Why we show this: prediction markets turn real-money bets into a live probability that moves within minutes of the news, which is why investors, campaigns and newsrooms in the United States now follow them closely. We show them next to polls and official results, never instead of them.

What Is Not Known

It is not known who will lead Ethiopia’s debt negotiating team day to day under the new finance minister. Parliament’s approval was reported as unanimous, but no vote tally has been published.

Fana did not say whether the parties linked to Birhanu Nega and Musa Adem have formally joined the government. The size and signing date of the new World Bank partnership framework have not been announced.

More: Ethiopia news in English, every day from The Rio Times.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many ministers are in Ethiopia’s 2026 cabinet?

The list of ministers in Ethiopia 2026 has 22 cabinet ministers plus Deputy Prime Minister Temesgen Tiruneh. Parliament approved all of them unanimously on Thursday, 8 October.

Who is Ethiopia’s finance minister in 2026?

Fitsum Assefa, who previously ran the planning ministry, is the new finance minister. She replaced Ahmed Shide, who became speaker of the lower house on 5 October.

Who is Ethiopia’s foreign minister?

Gedion Timothewos was reappointed and begins a second term as foreign minister. He took the oath for his second term on 8 October, Fana reported.

How many women are in the new Ethiopian cabinet?

Women hold nine of the 22 ministries, about 41 percent. They include finance, justice, trade, health, revenues, mining and innovation and technology.

The Big Picture

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This article was produced by The Rio Times’ automated newsroom system. How we use AI · Report an error · Editorial responsibility: Matthias Camenzind, Editor-in-Chief