His Excellency Dr. Abiy Ahmed Ali: The Peacemaker Politician of Ethiopia, Part 1 of 2

His Excellency Dr. Abiy Ahmed Ali, a Shining World Leadership Award for Peace Laureate, is the fourth Prime Minister of Ethiopia. Through his leadership, His Excellency Dr. Abiy Ahmed has taken significant strides towards advancing peace to his fellow citizens and in the African continent. For his work to restore harmony with Eritrea, he was awarded the 2019 Nobel Peace Prize. “I believed peace between Ethiopia and Eritrea was within reach. I was convinced that the imaginary wall separating our two countries for much too long needed to be torn down. And in its place, a bridge of friendship, collaboration and goodwill has to be built to last for ages.” Dr. Abiy Ahmed Ali dedicated the award as “a prize given to Africa, given to Ethiopia, and I can imagine how the rest of Africa’s leaders will take it positively, to work on the peace-building process in our continent.” They lived by a truism called “Medemer,” a diction that resonates to the tenet, “I am my brother’s keeper. I am my sister’s keeper.” Dr. Abiy Ahmed Ali learned the horrors of conflict early on. His experiences furthered his determination to restore peace in his country and in the African continent. Through his relentless drive and determination, he came into office as Ethiopia’s prime minister in 2018. During his inaugural address, he said: “Justice should be our main principle; love and respect for all human beings ought to be our moral compass.” As a liberal politician, His Excellency Dr. Abiy Ahmed seeks to nurture a culture of political pluralism. With a vision of the Horn of Africa becoming a treasury of peace and progress, he has already implemented a number of reforms. Under Dr. Abiy Ahmed Ali’s premiership, detention centers have closed and all political prisoners and journalists have been released. There is freedom of the press. Opposition leaders are free to engage in political activity of a peaceful nature. The public can take the government to task without fear since the judiciary is governed by the rule of law. A free and fair election is scheduled for 2021.