Skip to main content

Meet Sahile-Work Zewde, the top UN official who has been appointed as Ethiopia's first female president



Ambassador Sahle-Work Zewde has been nominated as the new president of Ethiopia, the State's news agency reports.

Zewde, a top official with the United Nations (UN) replaced Mulatu Teshome, who tendered his resignation before the parliament on Wednesday.
By her appointment though ceremonial, Amb. Zewde will be first Ethiopia's female president and the second African president after Sirleaf Johnson of Liberia who served as the 24th President of Liberia from 2006 to 2018.

Who is Sahle-Work Zewde?

The 68-year-old diplomat studied natural science at the University of Montpellier, France. She is fluent in Amharic, French and English.
She was previously the special representative of the United Nations secretary general to the African Union.
She also served at the organization’s Nairobi office with a rank of undersecretary general.
Sahile-Work Zewde began her diplomatic career as ambassador to Senegal in 1989 with responsibilities in neighbouring African countries and later went to Djibouti before eventually serving as ambassador to France.

She is also a one-time Ethiopian Ambassador to France – Permanent Representative to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) and accredited to Tunisia and Morocco (2002-2006).
In 1993 she served as Ambassador to Djibouti and Permanent Representative to the Intergovernmental Authority for Development (IGAD) till 2002. She also served as an ambassador to Senegal, with accreditation to Mali, Cape Verde, Guinea-Bissau, Gambia and Guinea (1989-1993).

Her role as president is ceremonial according to the Ethiopian constitution and limited to two six-year terms in office.
The president is limited to two six-year terms.
Since Abiy Ahmed became the Prime Minister in April 2018, things have changed for the East Africa nation.
He had released political prisoners, promote peace with Ethiopia’s main enemy, Eritrea, and with the hope of opening up the economy for potential investors.
Last week, he also slashed ministerial positions and made an unprecedented move by constituting a new cabinet that is half female.


Comments

Popular posts from this blog

President George Weah's One Day National Forum Successfully Attended by 26 Political Parties

On Thursday, August 8, 2018, President George Weah had a sit down with 26 political parties of Liberia.  The meeting aimed at advancing ideals that promote the spirit of national unity and political tolerance between opposition political parties and the government.  ANC, LP and UP attended the meeting as a team. According to Deputy Minister Eugene L. Fahngon, Deputy Minister for Press and Public Affairs at Ministry of Information, Cultural Affairs & Tourism, all 26 political parties attended and participated from start to finish.  Even though, social media was buzzing about AB Dillion walking out of the meeting, he walked out as an individual and not a political party, "the invitation was extended to political parties and not to individuals," Minister Fahngon stated in his live video.  Each political party gave ideals and recommendations, which made the meeting a great success.  According to  Deputy Minister Fahngon, "there will be future engagements as such.&quo

What President Trump and Kim Jong Un Ate

The historic summit between President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un continued midday Tuesday, as the leaders satisfied their appetites while holding negotiations with a contingent of advisers over a working lunch. The lunch, which followed a 45-minute one-on-one meeting between the leaders earlier in the morning and bilateral discussion with senior aides, was held at the Capella Hotel on Singapore’s Sentosa Island. It was far from an intimate affair, with each leader accompanied by a bevy of senior staff, according to the White House. Joining Trump were Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, Chief of Staff John Kelly, National Security Advisor John Bolton, U.S. Ambassador to the Philippines Sung Kim, press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders, and Deputy Assistant to the President for Asian Affairs Matthew Pottinger. Kim was accompanied by Kim Yong Chol , the former spy chief and one of North Korea’s chief negotiators, as well as Foreign Minister Ri Yong Ho, former

Liberia: Kpanto Entertains Small Crowd at Australia Concert

Kpanto's Australia tour's first night in Perth on April 1st was a tour in terms of attendance, but the artist still managed to put up a fantastic show in spite of the low crowd. Despite Kpanto's tremendous popularity, the attendance was unsatisfactorily low. A video that was just found online shows that there were between 25 and 65 people present. According to the promoter who planned the event, the actual number was 210. Despite all, the musician provided a standout performance.