You know, the Revolutionary Democrats have this adage they are very fond of: "The dog barks and the camel continues on its journey". Their reformist group within government is pursuing its agenda of rocking the boat in a fashion it deems is appropriate in spite of the uproar and criticism from the otherwise angry public.

Those who are crowned at the helm of the state machinery, whether state owned companies such as the Commercial Bank of Ethiopia (CBE), or bureaucratic agencies such as the Customs Authority, are challenged about their perceived lack of experience and youthfulness. Regardless, the reformers are continuing to bank on young appointees in their early 30s.

The sword of reform being pursued in the state owned financial institutions actually started last October with the blessing of Tefera Walwa, the minister for Capacity Building who is renowned for his politically incorrect remarks. He set the pace in an October meeting by saying that what was really wrong with the banks was not an absence of a system but a management team qualified to fit into it.

The CBE management became the first causality of this assessment a month ago, with the sweeping away of all but one senior official of its top management.

The latest victim is to be the nation's bank, created to provide long-term loans to vast projects and sizable investments. Top management of the Development Bank of Ethiopia (DBE) will soon be history, with a planned reshuffle due to be executed in the middle of this week, according to the rumour-mill in the gossip corridor.

The reshuffle will see the removal of its longest serving president, Moges Chemere, and practically all his deputies, including one of the vice presidents, believed to be his closest confident. Finally, those who were longing for the departure of Moges, a man who until lately was believed to have been well connected with the powers that be, will see their dreams come true.

According to gossip, Moges is to be replaced by one of his junior staff in his management: Wondwosen Teshome. Although little is known about the new appointee and all the others who will be appointed as vices (there will be at least seven of them), gossip claims that the would-be president has been informed about his knew role and has agreed to assume it with little hesitation.

The change will not be limited to that of management team alone, according to gossip. The composition of the board of directors will also see the surgeons knife at work with the new Minister of Revenue, Melaku Fenta, taking over the chairmanship from Abi Woldemeskle, director general of the Ethiopian Investment Agency. Abi will continue to serve the board as a regular member. Hmmm, something seems to be changing in the power dynamics of the federal government.

These changes are crucial in light of the new attention paid by the federal government to the DBE. The Prime Minister, for one, is getting impatient with the slow pace DBE has shown in supporting businesses engaged in the export sector. For a government desperate to get as much foreign currency as it ought to in order to cover its oil bills, there seems to be little tolerance for those who are only interested in maintaining the status quo.

The tide is changing for a traditional manager of a state owned enterprise, advises gossip.