Advertisement Proclamation No. 759/2012.

The Ethiopian Advertisement Proclamation establishes a comprehensive legal framework governing advertising activities, defining key actors (advertisers, agents, disseminators), requiring licensing, and setting broad rules on content, dissemination, and accountability. It mandates that advertisements be truthful, non-misleading, respectful of social values, and not harmful to consumers, public morals, or national dignity, while prohibiting deceptive, unfair, or harmful practices (e.g., false claims, denigration of competitors, exploitation of vulnerable groups, or incitement to violence). It also includes specific protections for minors, restrictions on immoral or unsafe content, and requirements for prior certification where applicable. The law includes relevant norms affecting food-related promotion — most notably a prohibition on advertising infant formula or similar products as equivalent or superior to breastfeeding for children under six months — alongside general rules on misleading claims about product composition, quality, or health-related attributes.