The newly assented and revised regulations for the Institute of Strategic Affairs has transferred accountability for the Institute back to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. For the past two years, the Institute has been reporting to the Ministry of Peace since the premiership of Abiy Ahmed (PhD) began.

The regulation, which was approved by the Council of Ministers at the end of last week and was in the making for the last year, created the new label of the organisation, the Institute of Strategic Affairs.

The regulation has also gone through consultation with the ministries of Foreign Affairs and Peace, the National Intelligence & Security Service, and the Office of the Attorney-General. Going through a revision after six years, the regulation has also made the Institute a host of research-based policy.

"Complex developments need to have a research-based decision," said Hallelujah Lulie, director of the Institute.

The Institute has broadened the scope of its focus to foreign policy, geopolitics, international relations and regional mandates. It also plans to expand the reach of its analytics to the Horn of Africa, the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden, among others.

The Institute, which is formerly known as the Ethiopian Foreign Relations Strategic Studies Institute, is also undergoing a thorough restructuring. The re-engineering of the Institute involves the organisation restructuring and rebranding itself, developing a five-year strategic document and redefining its duties.

It mapped out a five-year strategic document that has outlined the details of the aim of the operations of the institution, including training, public consultations, workshops, seminars and conferences. The document is expected to be given the green light before the end of 2020.

The reformation of the Institute had recently witnessed a hiccup when the headquarters of the organisation, where it had been residing for the last 24 years was taken away by the Addis Abeba City Administration to situate a project office and a city museum for the Mesqel Square Municipality Rehabilitation Project. The project, which is expected to cost 2.5 billion Br, is scheduled to be delivered within the next three months.