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Ethiopia

The Food Systems Secretariat

Ethiopia coordinates food systems transformation through a secretariat convened jointly by the agriculture and health ministries. Cluster working groups of state and non-state actors develop policy proposals, which the secretariat conveys to an interministerial steering committee that decides.

Institutional set-up and structure

A multisectoral technical core team was established in 2022, followed by the Food Systems Secretariat in 2023. The Secretariat is convened by the Ministry of Agriculture and the Ministry of Health, and is organised around seven cluster coordinators alongside cross-cutting coordinators for private sector engagement and climate change. Sixteen of the country's ministries take part. Regional food system councils operate at subnational level, and an interministerial steering committee meets three times a year.

Mandate and decision-making power

The Secretariat supports coordination and cooperation among state and non-state actors in the agriculture and food sectors, convening stakeholder engagement and consultation, and provides technical support for policy planning, development and implementation, including legal frameworks. It also supports the joint working group between government and development partners on rural economic development and food security. Cluster working groups develop policy alternatives; decisions are taken by the interministerial steering committee.

The Secretariat and its working groups are tasked with the following roles (building blocks):

  • Agenda setting: advocacy and dialogue; deciding on goals and strategic priorities

  • Policy formulation and decision making: providing technical advice; coordinating policy development; developing policies for consideration by the relevant authorities

  • Implementation: coordinating policy and programme delivery

  • Monitoring and evaluation: tracking progress, evaluating and reporting

Who is involved

  • Government: 16 ministries, convened by agriculture and health

  • Private sector: a dedicated working group with business and farmer associations, enterprises and larger companies

  • Development partners: United Nations agencies, bilateral agencies and international non-governmental organisations

  • Civil society: community organisations and local non-governmental organisations

  • Subnational: regional food system councils, represented by their presidents at a joint annual meeting

  • Academia

How it works in practice

  • Cluster working groups meet quarterly, with synthesis workshops and joint planning

  • The interministerial steering committee meets three times a year and takes decisions

  • Decisions are generally implemented by the state and non-state actors represented in the working groups

  • Working groups conduct monitoring and evaluation and report to the steering committee

  • Steering committee meetings are reported publicly by government communication services; working group minutes are shared with members

  • Conflict-of-interest procedures are under development, oriented towards managing rather than excluding private sector involvement

Opportunities for improvement

  • Broadening private sector engagement across a wider range of actors would strengthen the transformation agenda

  • Confirming where responsibility for monitoring and evaluation sits would settle current arrangements

  • Continued investment in shared understanding would support the shift from sectoral to food systems thinking

Evidence base: key informant interviews and policy documents, 2026. Last updated: September 2026.

Strengths

  • Joint convening by the agriculture and health ministries broadens the framing beyond production

  • Whole-of-government and whole-of-society design brings state and non-state actors into the same working groups

  • More than 60 per cent of the food system transformation budget is met from government resources

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