The President of Amhara Region of Ethiopia, Gedu Andargachew has resigned, state media reported.
Following Mr. Gedu, the Amhara Regional Council today appointed Dr. Ambachew Mekonnen as President of the Region. Migbaru Kebede is also appointed by the ruling party of the region as deputy President of Amhara Region, according to the state broadcaster -ETV, which didn’t mention the reason for the resignation of Mr. Gedu. Mr. Gedu has served as President of Amhara Region for the past five years.
In his resignation speech, Mr. Gedu indicated that the people of Amhara should unite and continue peaceful engagement with the people in the neighboring regions to disprove the false narration that has been portraying the Amhara people as enemy of the rest of the people in Ethiopia in the past few decades.
Ambachew Mekonnen earned a master’s degree in public policy in 2000 from Korean Development Institute. Leading Ethiopian delegation to Korea in March 2016 Ambachew told The Kora Times: “My country is striving to follow the Korean model of development. I have been speaking a lot about Korea’s miraculous economic performance with the astonishing features of rapid economic growth coupled with declining income inequality.”
He has served as infrastructure and urban development advisor at the Prime Minister Office. Dr. Ambachew, who is the central committee member of ADP, has served as construction Minister and later became Minister of Industry of Ethiopia before taking advisory position at the PM office.
The ruling party in Amhara Region is the member of the Amhara Democratic Party, which one of the four member of the ruling coalition in Ethiopia – Ethiopian Peoples’ Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF).
About a year ago, Gedu Andargachew and Demeke Mekonnen of ADP have played critical role to come together with Team Lemma of Oromo Democratic Party (ODP), to end dominance of Tigray Peoples Liberation Front (TPLF) in the ruling coalition, which lasted almost for three decades.
Who is Dr. Ambachew
Born 48 years ago in in south Gondar, Amhara Region of Ethiopia, Ambachew Mokonnen Sisay got his first degree in Economics from Ethiopia Civil service University.
He then got his MA in Public Policy and Economics from Korea Development Institute. Then he got his third degree in International Finance and Economic Development from University of Kent in England from where he also got his PhD in Economics.
Since 1991 Ambachew has been in politics joining the Amhara National Democratic Movement (ANDM), which recently rebranded itself into Amhara Democratic Party (ADP). The institutions he served includes Amhara Region leadership institute where he served as director, and first secretary of the Central Committee of ANDM.
Ate federal level, he served as Construction Minister, Minister of Urban Development and Housing; Minister of Industry and recently he was serving as an Advisor to the Prime Minister on Infrastructure Development.
His Focus areas:
- Strengthening government institutions and build strong leadership.
- Exercising of the rule of law and maintaining peace, security and rehabilitation of displaced people in the region.
- Expansion of manufacturing industries, tourism development, and improving the lives of citizens and job creation for the youth.
- Infrastructure development and maintenance, as well as improving social services.
- Protecting the rights of children women, elders and others.
- He also indicated that his administration will work towards maintaining peace, justice, equality for all Ethiopians in collaboration with the rest of the people of Ethiopia.
- Focusing on urban development, his administration will also work towards improving the status of the cities in Amhara Region to make them suitable for the inhabitants and tourists.
Dr. Ambachew urged the youth in Amhara region to promote peace and avoid conflicts. He indicated that spreading hate and conflict against one another is backward attitude and is not something expected from at this age of globalization.