Sat 19 October 2019:
Medemer (an Amharic word for Synergy), a book by Ethiopia’s Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed has been launched.
Thousands of residents, government officials and diplomats attended the launching of the book held at the millennium hall in the capital Addis Ababa on Saturday.
Synergy is a worldview that essentially expounds of the need for ‘adding up’ as opposed to ‘zero sum game’ as a means to economic and social development and a foreign relation based on cooperation and healthy competition for a win-win.
Winner of the 2019 Nobel Peace Prize, Ethiopian Prime Minister authored the book after taking on the mantle of government as Prime Minister on April 2, 2018 – a watershed moment in Ethiopian history that ushered in a plethora of reform measures.
The coming to power of Abiy followed a three-year incessant anti-government protests across Ethiopia, especially in the two most populous regional states of Oromia and Amhara, resulting in ending a 27-year hegemony of the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) within the ruling Ethiopian Peoples’ Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF).
The book is tipped to become a policy document of the government once popularized and accepted by the general public through discussions and debates.
The book came in three languages: Amharic, Afan Oromo and English and has a price tag of 300 Birr (A little over $10).
The 278-page book has about 16 chapters with over 60 bibliographies including references and a glossary.
Sketch of the Prime Minister
Ethiopia’s Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed was born on August 15, 1976. Hailing from the Oromo ethnic groups – the largest ethnic group in the country, Abiy Ahmed was born to a Christian mother and a Muslim father.
He was born in Agaro in Oromia and his political career began when he joined the Oromo People’s Democratic Organization (OPDO) in the late 1980s.
The 43-year-old became prime minister of Ethiopia on April 2, 2018.
During the 1990s he was in the military and he rose to the rank of lieutenant colonel, before becoming the founder and director of the country’s Information Network and Security Agency (INSA). His fame began while he worked at INSA, which is responsible for cyber-security of the country.
May 2018 – Frees thousands of political detainees, including opposition leader Andargachew Tsege.
5 June 2018 – Lifts state of emergency two months early – a state of emergency that was in effect for over 10 months.
5 June 2018 – Agrees to accept border ruling of an international border commission adjudicating Ethiopia – Eritrea dispute.
9 July 2018 – Prime Minister Abiy was joined by Eritrean president to declare the war over (after a bloody 1998–2000 war that claimed 70,000 lives on both sides, the two countries lived in a no-peace-no-war situation).
11 September 2018 – Reopens land border with Eritrea.
16 October 2018 – Appoints women to half of ministerial posts.
10 October 2019 – Transforms history-packed palace adjacent to his office into major tourist site in the presence of leaders from IGAD region.
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