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Read, Debate: Engage.
| topic: | Good Governance |
|---|---|
| located: | Ethiopia, Eritrea |
| editor: | Bob Koigi |
For 43 year old Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, peace inspires a country’s hope and makes the world go round. He has fervently carried this message,
Medemer - meaning togetherness and inclusiveness, in his speeches and to audiences both in his country and globally. Ahmed has actualised his passion for peace, brokering a 20-year old conflict with neighbouring Eritrea that opened up a border traditionally christened the Berlin Wall of Africa. Living true to his word, Prime Minister Ahmed has, since coming into power last year, freed thousands of opposition members, journalists and activists from prison, welcomed dissidents in exile to return home and allowed the free press to flourish – a development that has been alien to Ethiopians for decades.
Indeed one of the top bloggers who was jailed and tortured by the former regime, in an interview with FairPlanet said, "Ahmed’s administration heralds a new dawn for our country, something we never dreamt of." Beyond his borders, he has been instrumental in mediating peace talks in the Horn of Africa, where protracted conflicts abound in Somalia, Djibouti and Sudan.
It has therefore been timely and deserving that he has been awarded this year’s Nobel Peace Prize in what the committee attributed to "important reforms he has instituted that have given citizens hope for a better life and a brighter future."
While the youngest head of government in Africa has since his formative years pursued peace from being part of the armed struggle, fighting former communist military junta, pursuing a doctorate degree in peace and serving as a UN Peacekeeper in Rwanda, his style of leadership that marries pursuit for peace with development, has ultimately won him global admiration.
And even as peace in Ethiopia and the rest of Africa remains volatile, his recognition will go a long way in inspiring more leaders to embrace lasting truce. To quote him after he was named the Nobel Peace Laureate:
"This prize is 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 on our continent." Viva Abiy Ahmed, the icon of peace.
Image: Office of the Prime Minister - Ethiopia
