A high-level team of officials led by the Deputy Director General of the Authority for Civil Society Organizations (ACSO), Ato Fasikaw Molla, paid an official visit to the Forum for Social Studies (FSS) headquarters on Monday, 16 April, 2026. The delegation was warmly welcomed by FSS Executive Director, Dr. Yeraswork Admassie, who introduced the team with FSS staff and guided the team through the newly constructed two‑storey office building.

During the visit, Dr. Yeraswork provided an overview of FSS’s institutional journey and achievements, emphasizing its extensive policy‑oriented research, publications, and public dialogue initiatives carried out over the past 28 years since its establishment in 1998.

He also highlighted the organization’s income‑generating activities (IGA), including office spaces rented in accordance with Directive to provide for Income Generating Activities  by Charities and Societies (No. 7/2011) which allows CSOs to establish IGAs to support program financing.

In the course of discussions, Dr. Yeraswork raised concerns regarding challenges in utilizing IGA-generated funds. He noted that although FSS pays a 45 percent tax as a profit‑making entity, it is legally restricted to using these funds solely for direct program activities, leaving limited resources for administrative and sustainability-related costs. The ACSO team acknowledged and concurred with these concerns.

Responding to the issue, Ato Fasikaw acknowledged the broader implications of such constraints on local CSOs operating IGAs, particularly in the current uncertain funding environment, and encouraged organizations to collectively raise their grievances for possible resolution.

The visit concluded with the ACSO delegation expressing appreciation for FSS’s longstanding contribution to the nation as a center of policy research and public dialogue, and gratitude to Dr. Yeraswork Admassie for hosting the team.