Chatham House, a non-profit and non-governmental organisation based in London, announced the nominees for the Chatham House Prize 2019 one of whom is Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed.
The three nominees are Ethiopia’s Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, Sir David
Attenborough and the BBC Natural History Unit, and Katrín Jakobsdóttir.
The Ethiopian Prime Minister is nominated for his efforts to transform civic leadership and advance plural politics and free speech in Ethiopia, as well as for ending decades of hostility with Eritrea, progressing gender equality and injecting hope for a more peaceful and integrated Horn of Africa.
Within months of coming to power, Prime Minister Abiy released thousands of political prisoners, decriminalize opposition groups, and initiate reforms to repressive laws.
He also appointed a gender-balanced cabinet along with the country’s first female head of state and first female president of the supreme court.
Under PM Abiy, Ethiopia has moved from being one of the world’s worst jailers of journalists to a country with growing press freedom.
The prime minister’s swift action to bring about peaceful relations with Eritrea paid immediate dividends, bringing neighboring countries into the fold and boosting plans for regional integration.
The speed at which he opened civic space and moved to dismantle the
politics of animosity and suspicion in the sub-region has been striking given Ethiopia’s entrenched political, security and economic challenges.
He has fostered optimism about his potential to help develop good governance and effect positive change in national, regional and global affairs.
Abiy’s dramatic appearance on the political scene in 2018, and the once unimaginable achievements registered within such a short period, make him a source of hope for the youth in Ethiopia and throughout Africa.
MG/as/APA