The diplomat who broke a century of gender barriers in Ethiopian power
In short: In 2018, Sahle-Work Zewde became the first woman to lead Ethiopia as president. While her role was largely ceremonial, her ascent represented a historic shift for a nation where women had been excluded from the highest office since the era of Empress Zewditu.
Sahle-Work Zewde’s path to the presidency was forged in the corridors of international diplomacy rather than domestic politics. A veteran of the Ethiopian foreign service, she served as an ambassador during both the communist People's Democratic Republic of Ethiopia and the post-civil war Transitional Government. Her career spanned critical roles, including serving as Ambassador to Senegal (1989–1993), Djibouti (1993–2002), and France (2002–2006). Notably, her time in Djibouti provided her with deep experience in trade issues, as the landlocked nation served as a primary maritime gateway.
Her international stature was solidified through high-level United Nations appointments. Following her role as Ban Ki-moon's Special Representative for the Central African Republic ending in 2011, she assumed leadership of the United Nations Office at Nairobi (UNON). In 2018, she was appointed by António Guterres as the first woman to serve as his Special Representative to the African Union. This global expertise preceded her domestic appointment; when Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed chose her as president following Mulatu Teshome's sudden resignation on October 24, 2018, it was a deliberate move toward gender equality.
While the executive power in Ethiopia resides with the prime minister, Zewde’s presidency carried significant symbolic weight. At the time of her election, she was the only female head of state in Africa—a distinction she shared with Tanzania's Samia Suluhu by 2021. Her tenure has been marked by high-stakes actions, including pardoning over 5,500 prisoners during the COVID-19 pandemic in early 2020 and commuting the death sentences of former Derg officials who had lived in an Italian embassy since 1991.
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Sources
- Summary by Intellect · source: Sahle-Work Zewde
- Also: Wikidata — Sahle-Work Zewde · CC0
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