Debretsion Gebremichael
| Debretsion Gebremichael ደብረፅዮን ገብሬሚካኤል | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Deputy Prime Minister of Ethiopia | |
| Incumbent | |
| Assumed office 29 November 2012 Serving with Demeke Mekonnen and Muktar Kedir | |
| Prime Minister | Hailemariam Desalegn |
| Preceded by | Hailemariam Desalegn |
| Minister of Communications and Information Technology | |
| Incumbent | |
| Assumed office 10 October 2010 | |
| Prime Minister | Meles Zenawi Hailemariam Desalegn |
| Preceded by | Position established (Promoted to ministry status) |
| Director of the Ethiopian Information and Communication Development Agency | |
| In office 19 September 2005 – 10 October 2010 | |
| Prime Minister | Meles Zenawi |
| Preceded by | Ayenew Bitewelign |
| Succeeded by | Position abolished (Promoted to ministry status) |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Shire, Tigray Province, Ethiopian Empire |
| Political party | Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front |
| Other political affiliations |
Tigrayan People's Liberation Front |
| Alma mater | Addis Ababa University (BSc, MSc) Capella University (PhD)* |
| Religion | Ethiopian Orthodoxy |
| *It has been claimed that Debretsion received his PhD from Harvard University, but these claims have not been verified.[1] | |
Debretsion Gebremichael (Tigrinya: ደብረፅዮን ገብሬሚካኤል?) is the current Minister of Communication and Information Technology and one of the three deputy prime ministers of Ethiopia.
Early life
Debretsion was born and raised in Adwa, Tigray Province, from which his parents hailed.[1] He was described by some as being one of the best students in the province and was purportedly received a perfect score on his entrance examinations.[1] He was admitted into Addis Ababa University, however he forwent his studies to join the Tigrayan People's Liberation Front (TPLF) and fight the communist Derg.[1]
He was sent to Italy by the TPLF and received training in communications technology. He led the team that launched the Dimtsi Woyane Tigray (The Voice of Tigray) radio station in 1980.[2] Debretsion, along with "General Santim", were famous hackers during the Ethiopian Civil War. They routinely hijacked, jammed and sabotaged the Derg's radio, TV and military communication systems.[1]
After the Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front's 1991 victory, he joined Addis Ababa university while working full-time as the second man to Kinfe Gebremedhin. He earned his Bachelors and Masters degree in electrical engineering from. Addis Ababa University.[1] While it has been claimed he pursued doctoral studies at (or even received a degree from) Harvard University, he is on record as having received a PhD from a distance program at Capella University in 2011.[1][3][4] His dissertation was on "Exploring the Perception of Users of Community ICT Centers on the Effectiveness of ICT on Poverty in Ethiopia".[4]
Information and Communication Development Agency
In 2005, Debretsion was appointed Director of the Ethiopian Information and Communication Development Agency (EICDA).
EICTDA was established in 1995, its major objective was to create a conducive environment for the development of information and communications technology, and for its effective application to the process of Ethiopia's national development with major functions to use information and communications technologies, in such a way that it contributes to the nation’s socio economic development and the building of democracy and good governance. As Director, Debretsion worked to improve the public service activity by launching the Public Service Capacity Building Program (PSCAP). In this program, ICT is treated as an important enabling tool to improve the delivery of public services and considered as one component of the program with its own action plan and earmarked budget. [5]
Personal life
Debretsion is an avid tennis player. He often works on Saturdays, due to the pressures of the job, saying, "My life is odd."[6] He is a fan of the music of Mahmoud Ahmed, Tilahun Gessesse, and Teddy Afro.[6] He is a supporter of the Arsenal football club, although his support has waned since his favourite player, Thierry Henry, left the team.[6] However he still often watches their matches on DSTV's SuperSport channel.
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 Mengedi, Halafi. "The real profiling of Dr. Debretsion G/Michael by Beleche". Ethiopian Review. Retrieved 19 June 2013.
- ↑ "Dimtsi Woyane Tigray (DWET)". Infoasaid. Retrieved 19 June 2013.
- ↑ "Cyber crime: current and future threats". Retrieved 19 June 2013.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 "Alpha Mission". Retrieved 19 June 2013.
- ↑ "The Ethiopian Information and Communication Technology Development Agency (EICTDA)". ZUNIA Knowledge Exchange. Development Gateway. Retrieved 20 June 2013.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 Tigabu, Tibebeselassie (18 December 2010). "Acquaintance with Minister Debretsion Gebremichael". Retrieved 19 June 2013.