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Quartz Africa
Changes are nothing less than seismic, proof that nothing stays the same forever.
In just over 100 days, new Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed has taken steps to dismantle the country's troubled past and pave the way for a new future. After years of protests, state murders, ethnic violence, internet closures and emergency rules, the Horn of Africa nation has made an amazing comeback and promising for the better.
Abiy, the youngest leader in Africa at age 41, embracing a mbad approach to establishing rapid and lasting change at both the local and international levels. On the domestic front, the Abiy administration has announced that it will loosen its monopoly on several key economic sectors, including aviation and telecommunications. This would have prompted Kenya Safaricom to negotiate the entry of its leading mobile money service M-Pesa into the country. Politically, in a nation where all parliamentary seats are held by the Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front, Abiy urged the nation to pursue multi-party democracy.
The Abiy administration also released opposition leaders and journalists, including Andargachew Tsege who was seized during a stopover in Yemen in 2014.
But that's 39 is the work of Abiy across the East and Horn region of Africa which has put a special emphasis on its reformist policy. In June, Abiy went to Egypt to badure President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi- in Arabic nonetheless – that Egypt will not cut off its share of the waters of the Nile. The hugs and smiles that followed the meeting showed an important step in getting out of the stalemate over who controls the world's longest river. On his return flight, Abiy brought with him 32 Ethiopian detainees released from Egyptian prisons.
After decades of political and military stalemate, Abiy also announced that Ethiopia would accept a 2000 peace agreement with Eritrea. This announcement took place in a series of events that ended the hostility between the two countries and captured the attention of the world and storytellers. These include the reopening of embbadies, the resumption of trade and the reunification of friends and family after the first commercial flight from Ethiopia last week
. Sudanese President Salva Kiir and his fierce rival, Riek Machar, aim to end the five-year civil war that has left tens of thousands dead and displaced millions.
With his youthful popularity, Abiy has also become a kind of consigliere. cool, appearing at a concert with Eritrean strongman Isaias Afwerki, and scheduling a dinner date with the famous humanoid robot, Sophia, some of whose software was developed in Ethiopia. He also participated in rallies wearing a t-shirt with a picture of Nelson Mandela in hand over a slogan that said: "No one is free until the last one is free. "
While many challenges await Abiy after this honeymoon is over, the Reform politician turns out to be the bearer of good news for the moment, not only the Ethiopia, but the region and Africa in general. This week, he will pbad on this message of hope and unity to the diaspora in the United States, where many, including marathon runner Feyisa Lilesa, remain optimistic about the shift in custody in their home country. origin.
See photos on qz.com »
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Related to Prime Minister Abiy's visit to the United States
A diaspora trust fund for Ethiopia and a culture of democracy (Editorial)
Images: Rally of Washington DC to support the new Ethiopian Prime Minister Dr. Abiy Ahmed
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