Girma Wolde-Giorgis

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Girma Wolde-Giorgis
5th President of Ethiopia
Incumbent
Assumed office October 8, 2001
Preceded by	Negasso Gidada
Succeeded by	Incumbent

Born	December 1924 Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
Political party	?
Spouse	Married, Wife's name?

Girma Wolde-Giorgis (born December 1924 in Addis Ababa) is the President of Ethiopia. He was elected on October 8, 2001, as a relative unknown and a surprise choice, by a unanimous vote of the Ethiopian Parliament.^[1] The Ethiopian presidency is largely a symbolic office with little power. Presidents serve six-year terms.

Girma Wolde-Giorgis is from the Oromo ethnic nation of Ethiopia. He is a married father of five children.

Girma first attended Ethiopian Orthodox Church school and later joined the Teferi Mekonnen School in Addis Ababa where he followed his education until the Italian invasion. Then he studied at an Italian school "The Scuola Principe Piemonte" in Addis Ababa.

Between 1950 and 1952, he received certificates in Management (from Holland), in Air Traffic Management (in Sweden) and Air Traffic Control (in Canada) under a training programme sponsored by the International Civil Aviation Organization.

1 Government Services
2 honor/awards
3 Experience in non-governmental offices
4 Reference

[edit] Government Services

in 1941 he was enlisted at the Ethiopian Military Radio Communication set up by U.K.
in 1944 graduated from the Genet Military School as a Sub-Lieutenant
joined the Air Force in 1946 and took various Air Management courses
became assistant teacher in Air Navigation and Flight Control in 1948
became head of Civil Aviation of Eritrea in 1955 (Eritrea, at the time, was federated with Ethiopia by order of HIM Haile Selassie I)
assumed the post of Director General of the Ethiopian Civil Aviation Authority in 1957 and was Board member of the Ethiopian Airlines during the same period.
became Director General of the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Planning at the time of establishment in 1951
became member of parliament in 1961
was elected speaker of the parliament for three consecutive years.
helped win a seat for the Ethiopian Parliament in the International Parliamentary Union and attended conferences of the IPU in Switzerland, Denmark and former Yugoslavia and was elected as Vice President of the 52nd Meeting of the International Parliamentary Union.
served as Manager of the Import and Export Enterprise(IMPEX).
served as deputy Commissioner of the Peace Programme drawn up in 1977 by the provisional military government of Ethiopia (Derg) to settle the Eritrean problem peacefully.
became member of the House of Peoples Representatives of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia (FDRE) after winning in the Becho Woreda constituency, West Shoa Zone of Oromia State, as an independent candidate in the second round elections in 2000.

[edit] honor/awards

Girma Wolde-Giorgis has been recognized for various humanitarian contributions and initiatives. In October, 2004 President Girma Wolde-Giorgis was awarded a UNAIDS' Medal for his outstanding contribution. ^[2]

[edit] Experience in non-governmental offices

between 1965-1974

Board member of the Ethiopian Chamber of Commerce
Representative for Australian Trade Mission in Ethiopia
Founder and Director of the Ghibe Agricultural Association
Founder and Director of the Keffa and Illubabor Timber Processing Industry

While in Eritrea before 1990

President of the Ethiopian Red Cross Society- Eritrea Branch (Asmara)
Board President of Cheshire Home
Managing Director of Leprosy Control Organization

Upon returning to Ethiopia from Eritrea in 1990, he served as Board Member of the Ethiopian Red Cross Society and Head of its International Logistics Department.

Launched an environmental protection association called 'Lem Ethiopia' in 1991 to date serving as Vice President of the Board of the Association.

Girma Woldegiorgis speaks many languages fluently. They are: Afan Oromo (Oromiffa), Amharic, Tigrinya, Italian, English and French.