Addis Ababa, Ethiopia — The President of the South Ethiopia Chamber of Commerce and Sectoral Associations (SECCSA), Engineer Bogale Bitane Menza, has called for the establishment of a Peace Fund under a Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) framework to proactively address insecurity and instability affecting Ethiopia’s private sector.
The call was made during a recent Private Sector Engagement Forum held at Skylight Hotel in Addis Ababa, organized by the Ethiopian Chamber of Commerce and Sectoral Associations in collaboration with the World Bank.
During the forum, Engineer Bogale emphasized the significant and often overlooked impact of instability on businesses, entrepreneurs, investors, and communities.
“Instability destroys private-sector equity long before it makes headlines,” he emphasized, highlighting the urgent need for proactive mechanisms to prevent insecurity before it escalates into major economic and social crises.
Ethiopia has witnessed situations in which businesses and productive assets have been destroyed, families displaced, and years of investment and hard work lost within a short period. Such instability not only affects individual businesses but also undermines investor confidence, employment opportunities, local economic development, and long-term national prosperity.
Engineer Bogale therefore proposed the establishment of a Peace Fund, spearheaded by the Chamber movement and supported through Corporate Social Responsibility contributions from the private sector and other stakeholders.
The proposed initiative would focus on supporting proactive peacebuilding, conflict prevention, community resilience, dialogue, and other interventions aimed at addressing potential insecurity risks before they develop into major crises.
“This should not be viewed merely as charity,” Engineer Bogale noted. “It is a strategic investment in our collective survival, business continuity, resilience, and prosperity.”
The initiative reflects a growing recognition of the important role that the private sector can play in promoting peace, stability, and sustainable development. A peaceful and stable business environment is essential for investment, trade, job creation, entrepreneurship, and inclusive economic growth.
SECCSA appreciates the organizers of the forum for providing an important platform for constructive dialogue between the private sector and development partners.
The Chamber believes that Ethiopia must increasingly move beyond reactive crisis management toward proactive crisis prevention, with the private sector playing a meaningful role in building resilient, peaceful, and economically vibrant communities.
Peace and stability are not only social priorities—they are fundamental economic infrastructure for sustainable private-sector growth.
