Last week marked the second time that Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed (PhD) faced question time from members of the media since his rise to political power. In a few days, the week will usher in the end of his first year in office, a time that was anything but dull.

Members of the media accredited to the Prime Minister’s Office were shuffled on Thursday into a small, if not stifling, conference room where the inhibiting gaze of the Prime Minister’s security detail was on them. They met him seven months after his first press conference, during which time Abiy has taken the nation through a breathtaking journey consequential to many.

Speaking for close to two hours, the Prime Minister addressed several issues but was preoccupied with controversies concerning the status of Addis Abeba and the absence of law and order in many parts of the country, as well as the straining interparty relationship among members of the ruling coalition. Abiy took credit for what he believed are accomplishments on the diplomatic front and no less success in “arresting economic recession”.

Agreeably, Abiy’s first year has been consequential in many aspects ever since he pledged to make political reforms when he was sworn in before parliament on April 2, 2018. True to his promise, he took bold measures in opening up the political space, earning acclaim near and far.

His administration pursued the policy of freeing dissidents from jail, including prominent personalities such as Andargachew Tsegie, Eskinder Nega, Bekele Gerba, Andualem Aragie and Merera Gudina (Prof). He pushed parliament to lift a state of emergency and delist political parties in exile from being considered terrorist groups, eventually seeing them return home. Insurgencies such as Ginbot 7, the OLF and the ONLF have returned and joined close to 107 parties in signing a party code of conduct.

Abiy’s administration took initiative in forming a legal reform advisory council where laws blamed for constraining the political space were reviewed. An amended law on civil society organisations has already passed the floor of parliament, while laws on media and fighting terrorism remain in the legislative grill.

The Prime Minister’s decision in bringing gender parity after filling half of his cabinet with women was hailed as a beacon of equality across the world. Equally, his diplomatic overture in mending the “no-war and no-peace” deadlock with Eritrea tempted many Ethiopians to collect petitions to nominate him for the Noble Peace Prize.

Indeed, Abiy’s unprecedented popularity peaked when meeting a massive crowd inside the Millennium Hall during a historic visit by Eritrea’s President, Issayas Afeworqi, in July 2018. A month earlier, hundreds of thousands of his supporters rallied behind him in Mesqel Square, where an attempt on his life was foiled, ending the rally abruptly.

It was a solemn moment indicating the challenge his administration was to face in running a highly divided and polarised nation. Holding the centre and ensuring law and order remains to date one of his daunting tasks.

During last week’s press briefing, however, the Prime Minister defended his administration’s record in keeping the country at peace, disclosing the arrest of thousands of suspects allegedly involved in violence in Hawassa, Burayu, Shashemane, Gedio, Benishangul and Addis Abeba. He cited the containment of what he said was “a major crisis” in Somali Regional State where there was a 30,000-member armed militia. The region’s president at the time, Abdi (Illey) Mohamed Omar, has been arrested and charged with gross human rights violations.

The administration’s Achilles Heal remains on the macro-economic front, although Abiy characterised it last week as a front for success. An economy exposed to growing external debt and suffering from a painful forex crunch, Abiy told the media the worst was behind. Despite strong austerity measures mainly criticised by experts as untimely, he claimed the economy is now out of the swamp.

As the backdrop for such mega moves in the political and economic fronts, there have been a couple of projects showing the passion the Prime Minister has for symbolic significance. Sourced from off-budget expenditures, renovating the Prime Minister’s Office, restoring the Menelik Palace and rehabilitating rivers and their banks across Addis Abeba were the most visible. Before the press briefing began, members of the media were given a tour of the palace in an attempt to dazzle them on the quality of the restoration work.

One of the landmarks given a significant facelift is a dining hall built a century ago during the reign of Emperor Menelik. It is now expected to host a fundraising gala dinner, dubbed ‘Dine for Sheger,’ where close to 1,000 people are expected to attend in mid-May. They will have to pay five million Birr for a plate, helping the Prime Minister raise five billion Birr to finance the riverside development work.

The Prime Minister is planning to host the dinner in Emperor Menelik’s ‘Enqulala Bet,’ literally translated as egg house, where royal feasts were once held, attended by the nobility, dignitaries, officials and members of the public. It has a capacity of hosting up to 3,000 guests and will be open for public events in the future.