Tadesse Daba, (phD) Director of Biotechnology Research at EIAR

Tadesse Daba (PhD) is Director of Biotechnology Research at the Ethiopian Institute of Agricultural Research (EIAR), where he worked for over 20 years. He holds a PhD in Enzyme Biotechnology from Kyoto University, japan. Apart from witnessing the state of biotechnology in labs around the world, especially in USA and Europe, Tadesse currently works with major biotechnology institutions in Africa, including: the African Agricultural Technology Foundation (AATF) based in Kenya, International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (known by its Spanish acronym CIMMYT), International Potato Center (CIP), and Michigan State University, among others. Tadesse underlines GMO is the best and safest instrument for countries like Ethiopia to detach from the vicious circles of poor agricultural output and food insecurity.

EABSC Gazes at the Sunshine Across from the Discomfort of the Eye of the Storm

Daryl Wilson, CEO of East African Bottling Share Company (EABSC), arrived in Ethiopia just last year. Originally from south Africa, he was Managing Director of Nairobi Bottlers of Kenya for nine years before coming to Ethiopia. With 27 years in the business, Daryl Wilson has seen the troughs and the picks of the industry even before the turn of the century. He is already overseeing construction of two epic factories in Hawassa and Sebeta with an outlay of a staggering USD300 million. The two factories will triple the volume of coke products in Ethiopia, besides launching new products. He says Ethiopia is the fastest growing beverage consumer market in Africa. Nonetheless, the humorous CEO is not all that excited. The company already lost over 15Pct of its sales revenue due to the new Ethiopian excise tax regime and COVID-19. EBR’s Ashenafi Endale spoke to the CEO on various issues.

Mussie Mindaye, Ethiopia’s Top Expert and Negotiator in AfCFTA

Muse Mindaye has been Ethiopia’s top expert and negotiator in the African Continent Free Trade Agreement negotiation forum since the beginning of the effort to create a single African market. He is also director of Multilateral Trade Relation and Negotiation at the Ethiopian Ministry of Trade and Industry. An Economist in profession, Mussie predicts the hour of Africa’s economic redemption against globalization is at the door, only clouded by COVID-19. EBR spoke to him to further understand what Ethiopia would benefit from AfCFTA and how the future will look with the implementation of the agreement.

State Minister of Finance on COVID-19, Economic Reforms

With a PhD in Political Economy, and Masters in International Policy earned from the University of Maryland and the George Washington University in Washington D.C, in the United States, respectively, Eyob Tekalign is currently serving Ethiopia as a state minister of Finance. Since graduation from Mekele University with a BA in Economics in 2000, he has been actively engaged in public service leadership in Ethiopia and overseas. He was a minister counselor at the Ethiopian Embassy in Washington D.C., advisor to the Ethiopian governors of the IMF and World Bank Group, and government and public affairs consultant to Dow Chemical, a Fortune 500 multinational. Eyob had previously worked for intergovernmental organizations such as the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa, the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa, and the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development. He had also worked for the International Finance Corporation (IFC), World Bank’s private sector financing arm.

Yared Molla has been in the insurance industry for over 27 years. Before joining NyalaInsurance seven years ago, he worked for Ethiopian Insurance Corporation. After assuming the role of CEO at Nyala Insurance, he has stirred the company to the forefront of the insurance business as it became the most profitable insurer in the country for almost half a decade. Under his leadership, Nyala grossed a profit of ETB184 million in 2019/20, which is a record-high in the private insurance industry and ETB15.5Pct higher compared to the preceding financial year. Its gross written premium also reached almost half a billion birr, while having an asset of over ETB2.1 billion. Enthralled by his performances, African Insurance Organization (AIO) bestowed up on Yared the prestigious ‘CEO of the Year’ award for his unparalleled leadership capability and outstanding contributions to the insurance industry. EBR sat down with him to clear the recent confusion over the coverage of pandemics under life insurance policy and his career in the insurance industry.

Tsegaye Kemtsti joined the insurance industry almost half a century ago. After joining the sector at his first employer, The Imperial Insurance, he spent five decades to culminate his career as Chief Executive Office of Awash Insurance, which he founded and led for a quarter of a century, until his departure earlier this year. Although he did not push his formal education further than the College Diploma he received from Addis Ababa Commercial College during the Imperial regime, Tsegaye has the entire history of the sector for an experience. He has also proven himself as one of the most successful CEOs in the insurance industry.

David Phiri (PhD) is FAO Sub-regional Coordinator for Eastern Africa (SFE) and Representative to the African Union (AU) and to the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA). Prior to this post, Phiri was FAO Sub-regional Coordinator for Southern Africa and Representative to Zimbabwe, Swaziland and Botswana. He joined FAO in 1991 as Policy Economist and then served in the Cabinet of the FAO Director‐General. EBR’s Ashenafi Endale sat down with him to understand threats to the food security situation in Ethiopia and the Horn of Africa. Originally from Malawi, David Phiri specialized in Agricultural Economics.

Andualem Admassie (PhD.) is the Director General of the Higher Education Relevance and Quality Agency (HERQA). Before assuming his current position, he served as Ethio telecom’s CEO from June 2013 to July 2018.
He was also its Chief Internal Audit Officer and Chief Human Resource Officer. Andualem earned his B.Sc and MA degrees in business education and education leadership and management from Addis Ababa University . He did his PhD in Business Administration from Bulacan State University, Philippines.
Andualem has taught in several higher education institutions including at the International Leadership Institute (ILI), Ethiopian Civil Service University, Ethiopian Defense Command, and Addis Ababa University (AAU).
Andualem used to deliver consultancy and training services in collaboration with Crown Agents Advisors to the Ethiopian Revenue and Customs Authority, Ethiopian Civil Service University, and other top officials and offices.
EBR’s Kiya Ali sat down with him to learn about the current state of higher education in Ethioipa.

If there is anyone that has a high level expertise over land related issues, Desalegn Rahmato, in his mid 80s, is definitely one. He spent much of his life undertaking researches regarding the agriculture sector, landholding system, and other land related issues. In fact, he is the most cited scholar on land policy, agriculture, and food security in Ethiopia. His presentations and intensive and authoritative researches are published on numerous international journals, earning him international awards.

Tadesse Tilahun, CEO of NOC Ethiopia, Discusses the 2019 Financial Performance of his Company, the State of the Oil Industry

Born in 1950 in Wollega, western Ethiopia, Tadesse Tilahun, a father of three, made tremendous strides in his career before becoming a Shareholder and General Manager of National Oil Ethiopia (NOC). After studying accounting in the School of Commerce and Addis Ababa University, he directly joined the Shell Group where he acquired professional trainings in several countries. At Shell, he served in many African countries at numerous managerial positions.

Operations, Oil and Chemical Marketing General Manager of Shell in Nigeria; Shell East Africa Hub Regional Supply and Operations Manager (based in Kenya and encompassing 11 countries); and Country Chairman and General Manager of Shell Ethiopia Limited are among his former posts at the Shell Group. Before he was invited to NOC, Tadesse had already accumulated deep expertise on the east African oil market.