Did PM Abiy Ahmed Appoint Dr. Dessalegn Chane as Minister of Labor and Skills?

A claim circulating on social media says that Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed appointed Dr. Dessalegn Chane, a former member of the House of Peoples' Representatives (HoPR) and a member of the National Movement of Amhara (NaMA), as Minister of Labor and Skills. The claim emerged amid uncertainty over which ministers would serve in the new federal government after the HoPR reappointed Abiy Ahmed as prime minister for a second term on October 5, 2026.

Several social media platforms have circulated the claim. One of them is the Facebook page Wolaita Media Corporation (WMC), which has around 47,000 followers. On October 6, 2026, the page published a post under the hashtag #BreakingNews, claiming that Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed had appointed Dr. Desalegn Chane as Minister of Labor and Skills. The post described Dr. Desalegn as someone who had represented Bahir Dar and the Amhara people in parliament for the past five years. Desalegn is a former member of the House of Peoples' Representatives, former chair of the National Movement of Amhara (NaMA).

Screenshot of Wolaita Media Corporation Facebook post

A screenshot of a Facebook post by Wolaita Media Corporation (WMC) on October 6, 2026

The post quickly drew attention, receiving around 1.5K likes, 141 comments, and 27 shares. It included a portrait of Desalegn wearing a dark blue suit, white shirt, and light-blue tie, looking slightly upward. The photograph was posted alongside the text making the claim about his alleged appointment as Minister of Labor and Skills.

After seeing the claim circulating across several social media platforms, CARD's fact-checking team contacted Dr. Dessalegn Chane directly to verify whether he had been appointed Minister of Labor and Skills. He confirmed that he had not been appointed to the position and that the circulating report had no basis.

Verdict: False

The claim does not reflect any genuine government action. Dr. Dessalegn Chane confirmed to CARD's fact-checking team that he was not appointed Minister of Labor and Skills and that the circulating report had no basis. The person who circulated the claim appears to have used the current context surrounding the formation of the new federal government to make the alleged appointment appear credible. Based on the evidence and Dr. Dessalegn Chane's direct confirmation, the team found that the claim is false.