In an unusual trend the House of Peoples’ Representative approves the electronics transaction proclamation to be in effect as of the day the house ratifies the proclamation.
The draft proclamation has been under review by Human Resource and Technology Affairs Standing Committee for almost a month since it was tabled to the parliament on April 30.
The committee, who discussed with relevant government bodies and stakeholders, has come with some correction and the proclamation that will transfer the electronic transaction to the other step is ratified by the parliament unanimously.
On its proposal the standing committee requests the parliament to approve the proclamation no.35/2020 to be effective as of the ratification.
In its explanation it said that the draft proclamation article 46, which is the last article of the proclamation, stated that ‘this Proclamation shall enter into force as of the date published on Negarit Gazeta (Gazette) to be annulled and become affective at the same day the proclamation ratified by the parliament’.
“Because of the current situation the proclamation should be effective as soon as possible,” the proposal explained. Based on that, the parliament has approved the proclamation unanimously in its session held on Friday May 29, at the hall of the Office of the Prime Minister.
The closures of most of the proclamations added that the effectiveness of the proclamation will be bind by the publication of Negarit Gazeta, while experts argued that it is not mandatory to make effective laws.
Experts said that the proclamation shall mention a given date of the effectiveness of the proclamation. In this point the electronics transaction proclamation stated that the effectiveness of the proclamation would be as of the date it ratified by the parliament.
Initially the electronics transaction proclamation has given a new move for the federal law implementation process.
As a trend most of the proclamations and other federal laws should be published on the Negarit Gazette to be effective. However the new proclamation has also introduced an electronic Negarit Gazeta make effective laws.
The draft proclamation was stated that to ‘provide for electronic transaction’ that aims to develop digital economy and help improve the capability of the technology and expand the job creation in the sector has stated that the electronic Negarit Gazette will be considered equally acceptable as the printed paper gazette.
Sub article 4 added that if differences occurred in publication date between the printed version (Federal Negarit Gazeta) and the electronic one it will be applicable based on the prior publication date of any of two versions.
The proclamation that targets to undertake electronic transaction and digital business operation has also allowed the government to provide electronic government services besides the rational paper system.
The preamble of the proclamation stated that using electronic commerce positively affects market opportunities, thereby empowering citizens to be included in the economy and also enable Ethiopia to be part of the digital era.