Diplomatist Magazine Diplomatist January 2019

AFRICA DIARY Abiy Ahmed: Quick points Full name Date of Birth Place of Birth Education Position Political Party Abiy Ahmed Ali 15 August 1976 Agaro, Oromia PhD (Addis Ababa University) MA (University of Greenwich, London) Prime Minister of Ethiopia -assumed oﬃ ce 2 April 2018 Oromo Democratic Party Additionally, although in recent years Ethiopia has been hailed as a “development darling” and one of the top performing African economies, regularly posting impressive economic growth ﬁ gures (albeit clouded by widespread scepticism about the validity of reported ﬁ gures), it has also been plagued by high levels of poverty and inequality, heavy foreign debt, rising inﬂ ation, a rapidly growing trade deﬁ cit, and a critical shortage of foreign currency, all of which put the economy in a perilous state. It was against this backdrop of turmoil, mounting discontent, and widespread unrest, and with the EPRDF regime beginning to fall apart, that Hailemariam Desalegn, who succeeded the late Meles Zenawi, resigned as prime minister in February. Abiy, son of an Oromo Muslim father and Amhara Christian mother and Chairman of the Oromo Democratic Party (formerly known as the Oromo People’s Democratic Organization [OPDO]), was installed as Desalegn’s replacement in large part because it was believed his appointment would help to ease the tension, quell the protests, and keep the country from completely disintegrating. About Dr. Abiy Ahmed Relatively unknown prior to being appointed, Abiy is the ﬁ rst prime minister from Ethiopia's largest ethnic group, the Oromo. Born in the city of Agaro, in Oromia, in 1976, Abiy is Africa’s youngest leader. He is also the leader of the recently rebranded Oromo Democratic Party, one of the four ethnic- based parties which make up the ruling EPRDF coalition. Highly educated, Abiy holds a master's degree in transformational leadership and change and a Ph.D. in conﬂ ict mediation, and is ﬂ uent in several languages, including Oromo, Amharic, Tigrinya, and English. As a teenager, Abiy joined the armed struggle against the Marxist Derg regime of Mengistu Haile Mariam and, after its demise, went on to join the Ethiopian army where he worked in the intelligence services and rose to the rank of lieutenant colonel. After the Rwandan genocide of 1994, he served with the United Nations peace mission in Rwanda and also later served in the Ethiopian military during the 1998-2000 war with Eritrea. In 2010, after heading Ethiopia’s cyber-intelligence service, INSA, Abiy transitioned to politics and quickly rose within the ranks of the OPDO. He was elected to the House of Representatives, and in 2016 he became the Federal Minister of Science and Technology in Addis Ababa. However, he soon returned to his native province of Oromia to take up the position of Head of the OPDO Secretariat. Key Reforms Since assuming oﬃ ce in April, with the pressing need for fundamental changes abundantly clear – even the former leader Desalegn acknowledged as much in his resignation letter and televised address – the bold new PM got down to work quickly. Abiy has pursued an aggressive, reformist agenda, promising a more inclusive form of politics, calling for tolerance and preaching reconciliation. At times, the speed of the changes has been dizzying. Abiy loosened the state’s tight grip and control on the economy, privatizing key state-owned enterprises, unblocked hundreds of websites and television channels, lifted a contentious state of emergency and overhauled the intelligence agency, pledged multi-party elections, publicly denounced the government’s use of torture and apologized for the killing of protestors, released thousands of prisoners and opposition leaders, and promoted reconciliation with exiled dissidents and critics. In mid-October, he slashed the number of ministries from 28 to 20, with 10 of the 20 ministers being women and many ministries being run by members of ethnic and religious groups that have historically been marginalized. The wide-ranging reforms have also extended to dramatically shift the country’s longstanding policy toward Eritrea, its long time regional foe. In June, shortly after coming to power, Abiy announced that Ethiopia would ﬁ nally unconditionally accept and fully implement the UN-backed Eritrea Ethiopia Boundary Commission (EEBC) ruling of Ethiopia: Quick points Capital Leader Population Area GDP per Capita GDP Growth Rate (2017 est.) Currency Youth Literacy Rate Infant Mortality Rate Country Calling Code Addis Ababa Abiy Ahmed 105 million 1,104,300 km2 795 8.45 Birr (ETB) 55 41 +251 Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Diplomatist • Vol 7 • Issue 1 • January 2019, Noida • 11

Diplomatist Magazine Diplomatist January 2019 | Page 11