Addis Ababa, January 5, 2021 (FBC) –The New African magazine has selected four Ethiopians in its ‘The 100 Most Influential Africans of 2020’ list.
Ethiopians who made the list are Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, WHO Chief Dr. Tedros Adhanom, CEO of Ethiopian Tewolde Gebremariam and Admassu Tadesse, head of Trade and Development Bank.
Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed had won the Nobel Peace Prize, brokered peace with neighbour Eritrea and launched a whole raft of reforms in his country.
He had also set about to unite the various ethnic groups and religions that make up Ethiopia.
According to the magazine, Dr. Tedros has undoubtedly been the most prominent African voice on the international stage this year.
But in this global role, it is not the voice of Africa that he represents, although he is its most prominent ambassador, but that of the poor, the weak, the most vulnerable: the voice of humanity.
The CEO Ethiopian Airlines (Ethiopian) has this year had to navigate the biggest crisis in the history of the international aviation sector as Covid-19 grounded planes and emptied the continent’s busiest airports.
Tewolde made an early decision during the pandemic to temporarily switch to transporting cargo, which he says helped to avert financial ruin by allowing the airline to maintain an income stream when around 90% of its passenger fleet was grounded.
Under Admassu Tadesse’s leadership, the Trade and Development Bank has grown its assets seven-fold to $7bn.
He’s known for his sharp analysis and also his uncanny diplomatic skills, designed to elicit the appropriate policy action. He championed Africa’s cause well beyond its borders