Somalilandsun- Only six months ago, Ethiopian Prime Minister Haile Mariam Desalegn was serving as a discrete vice premier to the late omni-present Meles Zenawi.
The 47-year-old academic saw himself propelled to the helm of affairs in the 83 million strong Horn of Africa country after Zenawi’s death in August 2012.
As Ethiopia continues to establish itself as a regional economic and military power, it looks less likely to dissociate Meles Zenawi’s strong personality from the country’s performance.
Hailemariam Desalegn is not only intent staying on track with Ethiopia’s development plans, he is also seducing foreign investors by showing them that the country has remained stable and well governed.
Either by a stroke of luck or an unprecedented sense of timing, he was inducted as president of the African Union (AU) on 27 January 2013, taking over from Benin’s Thomas Boni Yayi.
His first meeting with Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, president the AU Commission went well.
The Africa Report
