Famous Ethiopian Leaders

Abiy Ahmed is an Ethiopian politician and the current prime minister of Ethiopia. Since becoming the prime minister, Abiy Ahmed has been lauded for launching a wide program of economic and political reforms in Ethiopia. He also played a major role in ending the 20-year Eritrean–Ethiopian War for which he was honored with the 2019 Nobel Peace Prize.

Tewodros II of Ethiopia reigned as the Emperor of Ethiopia from 11 February 1855 until his demise on 13 April 1868. An important and influential ruler, Tewodros hold an important place in Ethiopian history. Many plays, books, songs, and art works have been influenced by the life of Tewodros II of Ethiopia.

Initially an army officer, Mengistu Haile Mariam later rose to lead his country, Ethiopia, as its president. He also served as the general-secretary of the Workers' Party of Ethiopia. He was solely responsible for overthrowing the monarchy in Ethiopia and also tried turning the country into a Communist state.

Sahle-Work Zewde is an Ethiopian diplomat and politician. In 2018, she became the first woman to be elected to the president's office in Ethiopia and has been serving as the president of Ethiopia since then. Sahle-Work Zewde has been featured on Forbes magazine's World's 100 Most Powerful Women list.

Ethiopian revolutionary-turned-politician Meles Zenawi served as the prime minister of Ethiopia. A medical school drop-out, he abandoned his studies to join the Tigrai Peoples Liberation Front. His reforms made Ethiopian economy as well as its education and agricultural sectors stronger. He died of an undisclosed ailment.

Abraha was an Aksumite army general who proclaimed himself as King of Himyar. He went on to rule much of modern-day Yemen and Arabia. Today, Abraha is seen as an important figure in the history of Yemen where he promoted the cause of Christianity.

Hailemariam Desalegn is an Ethiopian politician best known for his service as the prime minister of Ethiopia from August 2012 to April 2018. An important politician, he served as the Deputy Prime Minister of Ethiopia from 2010 to 2012. Hailemariam Desalegn also served as the Minister of Foreign Affairs from 2010 to 2012.

Makonnen Wolde Mikael served as Shum of Harar from 1887 to 1906 under Ethiopian monarchs Yohannes IV and Menelik II. The governor of Harar province and a military leader, Mikael is best-remembered for his role as an effective general during various military-campaigns, most notably during First Italo–Ethiopian War when he played a key role at the Battle of Adwa.

The current director-general of the WHO, Tedros Adhanom is an Ethiopian politician who has previously led his country as its minister of health and minister of foreign affairs. He scripted history as the first African to head the WHO. He is known for his efforts in resisting AIDS, Ebola, and the COVID-19 pandemic.

Zinash Tayachew is an Ethiopian politician, gospel singer, and philanthropist. She is currently serving as the First Lady of Ethiopia. As the First Lady, Tayachew is committed towards alleviating the difficulties faced by children in Ethiopia. Zinash Tayachew also works for the disabled.  

Ethiopian politician Girma Wolde-Giorgis served as President of Ethiopia for two six-year terms from 2001 to 2013. He was the second person who assumed office as president after Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia was founded in 1995. Girma earlier held several government positions and was elected speaker of the Imperial Ethiopian Parliament’s lower house for three years in a row.

Imru Haile Selassie was an Ethiopian soldier, diplomat, and noble. He is perhaps best remembered for his service as the acting Prime Minister of Ethiopia in 1960 after the murder of Prime Minister Abebe Aregai. Imru Haile Selassie also served as the Governor of Gojjam from 1932 to 1936.

Aklilu Habte-Wold was an Ethiopian politician. He is best remembered for his service as the Prime Minister of Ethiopia from 17 April 1961 to 1 March 1974. A logical thinker, Aklilu Habte-Wold was also an astute politician who earned the respect of his contemporaries.

Ras Mengesha Yohannes who was considered a nephew of Emperor of Ethiopia Yohannes IV was acknowledged by the latter on his deathbed as his natural-son and heir. Negus Menelik of Shewa however proclaimed himself as Emperor and eventually Mengesha had to drop his claims to throne and submit to Menelik who in-turn inducted Mengesha as governor, not negus of Tigray.

Ethiopian army commander, Haile Selassie Gugsa, a member of Imperial family from Tigray, was son-in-law of Emperor of Ethiopia Haile Selassie. Gugsa gained notoriety for betraying the Emperor during Second Italo-Ethiopian War and announcing his submission to Italian rule. He was eventually tried, declared a fascist collaborator and traitor, and placed under house-arrest, and later at Ambo for 28 years.

Belay Zeleke was an Ethiopian military commander who played a vital role between 1936 and 1941, during which Ethiopia was occupied by Italy. Zeleke spearheaded the Arbegnoch resistance movement against the Fascist Italians in Gojjam in an attempt to drive the Italians out of Ethiopia. Today, Belay Zeleke is considered a hero in Ethiopia. 

Ethiopian politician Birtukan Mideksa began her career as a judge. She chairs the National Election Board of Ethiopia and is a founder-leader of the party Unity for Democracy and Justice. She has spent 7 years in exile in the US after being jailed in Ethiopia for voting irregularities in the 2005 election.

Ethiopian army commander Seyoum Mengesha was a part of the royal family of Ethiopia. He commanded the Army of Tigray and was later suspected of supporting the rebels of the Woyane Rebellion. He was machine-gunned to death by members of the Imperial Guard after a conflict between the emperor and the Guard.

A part of the imperial family of Ethiopia, Mengesha Seyoum had been the governor of Arsi and Sidamo and the governor-general of Tigray. An Ethiopian Democratic Union politician, he had also served as the minister of public works and communications. He went into exile after being ousted by the Derg.

Ethiopian nobleman Mikael Sehul ruled as a regent for 25 years and successfully put an end to the 27-century-old Solomonid dynasty. He first got the opportunity to be a regent when he was asked to assist the emperor Iyoas to counter an invasion by the Oromo community.

The son of the Sahle Selassie, the king of Shewa, Darge Sahle Selassie was an able general. He later became the governor of Shewa and an advisor to his nephew, Menelik II, or Sahle Maryam, the emperor of Ethiopia. He also often served as a regent in the emperor’s absence.

Ethiopian slave Abū al-Misk Kāfūr initially worked for Ikshīdid dynasty founder Muḥammad ibn Ṭughj, who later promoted him to a military officer. Kāfūr had successful campaigns in Syria and the Hejaz. He eventually became the wazir of Egypt and reigned as its de facto ruler after Muḥammad’s death.

Ethiopian politician Muferihat Kamil is the incumbent Minister of Labour and Skills Development in Ethiopia. She was the first woman to hold office as Speaker of the House of People's Representatives in Ethiopia. Muferihat also served as Leader of SEPDM; and as first Minister of Peace, a position that led her to oversee agencies like NISS and Federal Police Commission.

A qualified civil engineer, Ethiopian politician Aisha Mohammed Mussa is the country’s current minister of irrigation and lowland areas development. She has previously led the country as its first female defense minister and has also been Ethiopia’s minister of urban development and construction.

A member of the banned left-wing paramilitary group Tigray People's Liberation Front, Ethiopian politician Keria Ibrahim has also headed women’s affairs. She also served as the Speaker of the House of Federation until she resigned and then surrendered to the federal forces, which accused her of treason and corruption.

An army commander and a member of the Ethiopian royal family, Gugsa Araya Selassie was the son of the disputed king of Tigray, Araya Selassie Yohannes. He is known for his conflict with Iyasu. He disregarded the advice of doctors and traveled on a traditional war mule, thereby affecting his heath and eventually dying.

Kitaw Ejigu was an Ethiopian-American engineer and one of Ethiopia’s first aerospace scientists. He worked for NASA as a system engineer and space research scientist and managed a joint NASA/ESA International Solar Polar Mission Spacecraft Systems Interface. He is also credited with the invention of two aerospace mechanisms which were patented under NASA's new technologies programs.