ADDIS ABABA, Nov. 6 (Xinhua) -- The Ethiopian parliament on Tuesday passed a resolution slashing the number of parliamentary standing committees from 20 to 10.
Tagesse Chafo, Speaker of the Ethiopian parliament, said the downsizing was done to ensure work efficiency, boost inter-related activities coordination and reduce unnecessary cost.
"The new standing committees will be able to better monitor the activities of the executive branch of the Ethiopian government, will streamline related government structures under one administration and ensure better utilization of human resources," said Chafo.
"The parliamentary committees downsizing will mean executive organs' monitoring activities will become more clear and fruitful, thus ensuring parliamentarians are better able to address their respective constituents' questions," he further said.
The 10 standing committees will monitor the executive organs' activities in key sectors such as justice, agriculture, foreign relations, government spending, and auditing and revenue allocation.
Each standing committee will have its own chairperson and between 20-45 members.
In October, Ethiopia reduced its ministerial cabinet positions from 28 to 20, in a bid to boost government efficiency, stop unnecessary costs and avoid overlapping of functions in government organs.
