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AFP
Aisha Mohammed was Minister of Construction before becoming Ethiopian Prime Minister of Defense
Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed has appointed women to half of his government's ministerial posts, including that of the Minister of Defense.
Explaining his decision in a speech to Parliament, Mr. Abiy said that women are "less corrupt than men" and that they will help restore peace and stability.
Ethiopia is now the only African state, after Rwanda, to have equal representation of men and women in government.
Mr. Abiy has also reduced the number of ministerial jobs from 28 to 20.
Since he became prime minister in April, he has conducted many in-depth reforms.
It ended two decades of conflict with neighboring Eritrea, released thousands of political prisoners and released state control over parts of the economy.
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- Abiy Ahmed: the man who changes Ethiopia
Aisha Mohammed has been named Ethiopia's first woman defense minister. She is from the Afar region of the north-east of the country and had held the post of Minister of Construction.
Muferiat Kamil, the former speaker of Parliament, became the country's first peace minister. She will oversee the country's intelligence and security services, including the federal police.
Mahlet Hailu, Deputy Permanent Representative of Ethiopia to the UN, tweeted the list of new ministers:
Abiy said his reform process must continue to tackle the structural and strategic problems that have plunged the country into chaos.
He said women had done much to restore peace and stability, were less corrupt, respected their work and could support the will to change.
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Reuters
Abiy Ahmed made tremendous changes during the six months of his tenure
Aged 42, he became prime minister in April after the unexpected resignation of Hailemariam Desalegn.
The protest followed three years of Oromo-led demonstrations calling for an end to what they saw as their political and economic marginalization.
Mr. Abiy is himself Oromo, but his call for trust and unity to "heal our wounds … and work together for the development of our country" has been cautiously welcomed by many locals. # 39; Ethiopia.
Learn more about the impact of Abiy:
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Main facts about Ethiopia
You can now get the latest news from the BBC in Afaan Oromo, Amharic and tigrinya.
