Updated: PM Abiy Ahmed appoints 55 state ministers today
Additional Update: According to Fitsum Aregaa, Chief of Staff at Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed’s office, PM Abiy has appointed a total of 55 state ministers “for his newly established Cabinet.”
Accordingly, the following is a list containing all the 55 names and the ministries they are assigned to.
ED”s Note: The list of the four state ministers and their respective ministries remained unchanged as was reported by Addis Standard.
Addis Abeba, Oct. 22/2018 – Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed is expected to appoint new state ministers at various ministerial offices this afternoon, sources tell Addis Standard.
Among notable appointees will be Eyob Tekalign Tolina, minister in charge of the National Planning Commission (NPC), now renamed Planning and Development Commission (PDC).
Addis Standard confirmed that Eyob will be a state minister at the ministry of finance, where he will be “closely working” with the new minister, Ahmed Shide. Eyob was appointed to lead NPC, an autonomous federal institution responsible for planning government development projects, on July 06/2018. He replaced Yinager Dessie, who was moved to lead the National Bank of Ethiopia.
During last week’s cabinet reshuffle, NPC was renamed PDC with a new minister, Fitsum Assefa , as one of the ten women ministers. A mother of three, Fitsum is studying in Giessen, Germany but she told DW Amharic that she will return to Ethiopia to assume her her role.
Zeynu Jemal
Confirmed as of now is also the appointment Zeynu Jemal as a state minister at the newly formed ministry of peace. Zeynu is the federal police commission commissioner general. he was the Deputy Director of the Administration for Refugee and Returnee Affairs before being appointed as commissioner general on June 06/2018 after then commissioner general Yared Zerihun resigned citing health issues. The federal police commission will have a third commissioner general in just ix months since PM Abiy Ahmed came to power.
Ambassador Misganu Arga
The third appointee confirmed by Addis Standard is Ambassador Misganu Arga, former Ethiopian Ambassador to the state of Qatar. Misganu will be a state minister at the ministry of Trade and Industry where Fetlework Gebregziabher was appointed as the minister last week. Ambassador Misganu was appointed as State Minister for Labor and Social Affairs in May this year.
Dr. Abdiwasa Abdilah Bade
A new comer to a government position is Dr. Abdiwasa Abdilah Bade, a well respected academician at the Addis Abeba University (AAU). The Assistant Professor at the Department of Political Science and International Relations recently came to prominence among Ethiopians following his scathing criticism of former Somali region president Abdi Mohammed Omer, A.k.a Abdi Iley. Unless last minute changes are made, Addis Standard confirmed that Dr. Abdiwasa will become a state minister at Ministry of Science and Higher education, where he will be joining Dr. Hirut Woldemariam. AS
