Mekelle፡Telaviv, Nairobi, Pretoria, London, (Tigray Herald)
Below is a comprehensive investigative and accountability-focused document prepared in a professional and challenging tone, framed under a powerful narrative title and crafted for Horn of Africa Geopolitical Review (HAGR). It includes critical questions, narrative context, and policy recommendations, all grounded in international standards for anti-corruption, land rights, and public accountability in the investment sector.
“Concrete Lies and Hollow Promises: A Critical Inquiry into Corruption, Land Grabbing,
and Duty-Free Abuse by the Tigrai Investment Commission”
Prepared by: Horn of Africa Geopolitical Review (HAGR)
Lead Contributors: Regional and International Experts on Land Policy, Human Rights, and
Investment Law in Post-Conflict Africa
Executive Narrative:
In the post-genocide recovery era of Tigray, investment should serve as a vehicle for rebuilding lives, restoring justice, and revitalizing the economy.
However, credible investigative findings reveal that the Tigrai Investment Commission (TIC) has become entangled in corrupt networks that have abused duty-free privileges, engaged in criminal land grabbing, and displaced thousands of farmers—particularly in Mekelle and Enderta Districts—under the guise of “development.”
This document presents a series of urgent, evidence-driven questions and strategic
recommendations to compel transparency, expose systemic abuse, and establish a roadmap for just, people-centered investment practices in Tigray.
I. Duty-Free Corruption and Fake Investments: The Criminal Repackaging of Development
Key Allegation:
Construction materials and capital goods imported under duty-free privileges—intended for genuine development projects—have been systematically diverted and sold to local building suppliers, enabling profit-seeking investors with political protection to exploit public trust and resources.
Critical Questions for the Tigrai Investment Commission:
- Where is the list of approved investors who received duty-free import licenses for construction
materials over the past 4-5 years? Are their project sites and statuses publicly verifiable? - How many of these investors failed to build the projects (e.g., “5-star hotels”) they promised?
What penalties have been enforced? - Can the Commission publicly disclose the audit reports on the tracking of imported construction materials?
- What legal or administrative actions have been taken against investors who resold these materials in Mekelle and other urban markets?
- Does the Commission have a whistleblower protection mechanism for insiders reporting such
abuse?
II. Land Grabbing and Displacement:
State-Sanctioned Theft under the Banner of Investment
Key Allegation:
Farmers in districts like Enderta, Hewane, Wukro, and outskirts of Mekelle are being displaced by well-connected individuals falsely claiming land for hotel, factory, or real estate
projects—none of which materialize. These cases mirror the Addis Ababa-Oromia land grab crisis, with similarly disastrous social consequences.
Critical Questions:
- What independent land auditing mechanism is in place to investigate both pre- and post-genocide land grabbing under the Investment Commission’s mandate?
- How does the Commission assess the human rights implications of displacing farmers? Do you provide legal counsel, compensation, or resettlement support?
- Is there a publicly accessible land registry showing which investor owns what land and for what purpose?
- Do displaced farmers have legal pathways for restitution or appeal against land allocation
decisions? - Has the Commission studied the collapse of public trust and political legitimacy in regions affected by EPRDF-era land seizures, and what reforms have you implemented to avoid repeating this tragedy?
III. Ethics, Conflict of Interest, and Institutional Integrity:
Key Allegation:
The TIC lacks internal checks, and several officials are alleged to be involved in direct conflict of interest, where they allocate land to businesses owned by relatives or political allies.
Accountability Questions:
- Do you have a Code of Ethics, and is it enforced?
- Is there a Conflict of Interest Declaration Form required of TIC staff and commissioners?
- Have any internal investigations or dismissals occurred in response to reported corruption
cases? - What safeguards are in place to prevent collusion between investors and Commission
officials? - Has the Commission undergone third-party institutional audit by independent entities since
the Pretoria Peace Agreement?
IV. Land Rights, Ownership, and Affordable Housing: A Policy Vacuum or Political Weapon?
Key Observation:
The absence of clear, farmer-centered land ownership schemes is driving despair, resentment,and social instability. Meanwhile, “shared ownership” models common in other parts of the world are absent or abused.
Policy Questions:
- Does the TIC promote or implement any shared ownership or affordable housing schemes for
displaced farmers? - Is there a plan to formalize land tenure for rural and peri-urban residents, particularly women
and youth? - Can farmers co-invest or co-develop land with legitimate investors to prevent full
displacement? - Does your current land policy comply with international human rights standards on land use
and indigenous rights?
V. Final Political Question:
The TPLF-led EPRDF regime’s collapse was rooted in large part in exploitative land practices and elite enrichment through illegal investment fronts in Addis Ababa and the Oromia Special Zones. The people of Tigray have now endured genocide, displacement, and a brutal war—can they afford another betrayal?
Has the Tigray Investment Commission or the broader political leadership learned anything
meaningful from this catastrophic failure? Or are you walking the same dangerous path under a different name?
Policy Recommendations:
- Immediate Suspension and Review of all current investment licenses tied to unfulfilled or fictitious projects.
- Independent Land Grabbing Commission: Appoint a panel of trusted academics, community
elders, women’s representatives, and legal experts to audit past land deals. - Launch a Duty-Free Import Monitoring System: Digital tracking of all materials imported under investment licenses, linked to verified project progress reports.
- Public Register of Investment Projects: Online platform showing approved investors, land location, size, purpose, and development stage.
- Community Participation Law: Require investor proposals to be debated and approved by affected local communities.
- Legal Aid for Displaced Farmers: Fund legal assistance and resettlement programs for communities uprooted under false investment claims.
- Ethics and Transparency Charter: Mandatory adoption of transparency laws,conflict-of-interest declarations, and a permanent anti-corruption ombudsman.
Conclusion:
If the Investment Commission continues to operate as a politicized agency enabling elite land theft, it risks becoming a historical symbol of betrayal—no different from the failed TPLF land policies that sowed the seeds of public revolt.
The path forward is clear: transparency, restitution, farmer-led development, and
international-standard accountability. Anything less will lead to deeper discontent, civil resistance, and long-term political instability
