Ahmed Shide
Ahmed Shide (Somali: Axmed Shiide) is an Ethiopian-Somali politician and the former chair of the Somali political party of the Somali Regional State.[1] He is a member of the Federal parliament and was a member of the ruling party Ethiopian Somali People's Democratic Party (ESPDP). Currently an influential member of PM Abiy Ahmed's Prosperity Party. He has also been serving as Minister of Finance in the government of Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed since 2018.[2] Shide hails from the Gurre from madaxwayne that is a sub clan of Dir there a Somali clan in the Horn of Africa including Ethiopia, Djibouti Somalia and Kenya.
Ahmed Shide | |
|---|---|
| Minister of Finance | |
| Assumed office 16 October 2018 | |
| President | Sahle-Work Zewde |
| Prime Minister | Abiy Ahmed |
| Preceded by | Abraham Tekeste |
| Personal details | |
| Born | January 1, 1977 (age 46) Negele Borana, Sidamo Province, Socialist Ethiopia |
| Political party | Prosperity Party |
| Other political affiliations | |
| Residence(s) | Addis Ababa, Ethiopia |
Early life and education edit
Ahmed Shide was born in Nagele to a less well off Gurre parents belonging to the Madahweyne a subclan of the Dir Somali. Ahmed completed his primary, secondary and tertiary education in Ethiopia. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in Economics from Ethiopian Civil Service College, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.[3]
Shide also holds a Masters of Arts in Participation, Development and Social Change from the Institute of Development Studies, University of Sussex, United Kingdom, Post-Graduate Diploma in Managing Rural Resources and Resource Conflicts from the Institute of Social Studies, The Hague, the Netherlands, and MBA from Greenwich University, London, United Kingdom.
Career edit
Before assuming office as minister of finance, Shide served as Minister of Transport and also as Minister of Government Communication Affairs of Ethiopia. Even before that he served as state minister of the ministry of finance and economic development for more than eight years, where he led the countries economic cooperation and regional development and integration agenda. He was the one who championed and spearheaded the economic reform of Ethiopia and contributed to the significant development achievements of the country recorded over the past decades. At the moment he is the one leading the economic reform, which aims at boosting private participation and better economic efficiency. He also served the government at regional state level.
Shide assumed the office of Minister of Finance on 16 October 2018, replacing Abraham Tekeste.[4][5][6] By mid-2019, he proposed to parliament 386.9 billion birr ($13.48 billion) in government spending for the 2019/2020 budget.[7] Also during his time in office, Ethiopia announced plans to split its state telecoms provider Ethio telecom into two business units along infrastructure and service sector lines before it is privatized.[8] In late 2020, he oversaw negotiations with the International Monetary Fund on a $2.9 billion programme, one of the biggest in the fund’s history in Africa.[9]
In addition to his role in government, Shide has been a member of the World Bank Group’s (WBG) Advisory Council on Gender and Development.[10]
Other activities edit
- African Development Bank (AfDB), Ex-Officio Member of the Board of Governors (since 2018)[11]
- World Bank, Ex-Officio Member of the Board of Governors (since 2018)[12]
References edit
- ^ Lamberti, Marcello (1986). Map of Somali dialects in the Somali Democratic Republic. H. Buske. p. 15. ISBN 3871186902.
- ^ Aaron Maasho (October 16, 2018), Ethiopia's PM names Ahmed Shide as new finance minister Reuters.
- ^ "Ahmed Shide Minister of Finance, Ethiopia".
- ^ Tom Wilson (October 16, 2018), Ethiopia appoints new finance and defence ministers in major reshuffle Financial Times.
- ^ Aaron Maasho (October 16, 2018), Ethiopia's PM names Ahmed Shide as new finance minister Reuters.
- ^ "Ethiopia's PM names Ahmed Shide as finance minister". Reuters. 16 October 2018.
- ^ Dawit Endeshaw (June 11, 2019), Ethiopia finance minister proposes 386.9 billion birr for 2019/2020 budget Reuters.
- ^ Maggie Fick (June 17, 2019), Ethiopia to split state telecoms provider into two before privatisation Reuters.
- ^ David Pilling (March 5, 2020), [1] Financial Times.
- ^ World Bank Advisory Council on Gender and Development World Bank Group.
- ^ 2019 Annual Report African Development Bank (AfDB).
- ^ Board of Governors World Bank.