Fitsum Arega Gebrekidan () is an Ethiopian diplomat who is the current Ethiopian Ambassador to Canada. He was the

Director General A director general, general director or director-general (plural: ''directors general'', ''general directors'', ''directors-general'', ''director generals'' or ''director-generals'') is a senior executive officer, often the chief executive officer ...

of the Ethiopian Investment Commission and the Chief of Staff of the

Prime Minister of Ethiopia The prime minister of Ethiopia is the head of government and chief executive of Ethiopia. Ethiopia is a parliamentary republic with a prime minister as head of the government and the commander-in-chief of the Ethiopian Armed Forces. The pri ...

and also served as Ethiopia's Ambassador to the United States. He presented his credentials to

Governor General of Canada The governor general of Canada () is the federal representative of the . The monarch of Canada is also sovereign and head of state of 14 other Commonwealth realms and resides in the United Kingdom. The monarch, on the Advice (constitutional la ...

Mary Simon Mary Jeannie May Simon (born August 21, 1947) is a Canadian civil servant, diplomat, and former broadcaster who has been serving as the 30th governor general of Canada since July 26, 2021. She is Inuit, Inuk on her mother's side, making her th ...

in September 2022.

Early life and education

Fitsum was born and raised in

Addis Ababa Addis Ababa (; ,) is the capital city of Ethiopia, as well as the regional state of Oromia. With an estimated population of 2,739,551 inhabitants as of the 2007 census, it is the largest city in the country and the List of cities in Africa b ...

, and received his higher education in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

. He attended the

University of Manchester The University of Manchester is a public university, public research university in Manchester, England. The main campus is south of Manchester city centre, Manchester City Centre on Wilmslow Road, Oxford Road. The University of Manchester is c ...

, where he received a master's degree in Development Economics and Policy Management. He later received an

MBA A Master of Business Administration (MBA) is a professional degree focused on business administration. The core courses in an MBA program cover various areas of business administration; elective courses may allow further study in a particular a ...

degree from

Open University The Open University (OU) is a Public university, public research university and the largest university in the United Kingdom by List of universities in the United Kingdom by enrolment, number of students. The majority of the OU's undergraduate ...

(OU) Business School, as well as a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) from the

University of Birmingham The University of Birmingham (informally Birmingham University) is a Public university, public research university in Birmingham, England. It received its royal charter in 1900 as a successor to Queen's College, Birmingham (founded in 1825 as ...

Diplomatic career

Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD)

In 2020, Fitsum opposed reported plans by the United States government to cut funding to Ethiopia over the

Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam The Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD or TaIHiGe; , , ), formerly known as the Millennium Dam and sometimes referred to as the Hidase Dam (, ), is a gravity dam on the Blue Nile River in Ethiopia. The dam is in the Benishangul-Gumuz Region ...

(GERD). He described the dam as a project that "will pull Ethiopia out of darkness". Fitsum celebrated reports that the U.S. would restore aid to Ethiopia in February 2021, reiterated his support for the GERD. Fitsum claimed it would help provide electricity to 60 million people and boost environmental efforts.

American Ethiopian Public Affairs Committee (AEPAC)

In 2021, Fitsum announced the establishment of the American Ethiopian Public Affairs Committee (AEPAC). The stated purpose of the newly-formed organization is to entrench the bilateral relationship between the United States and Ethiopia.

References

Living people Addis Ababa University alumni Alumni of the University of Manchester Year of birth missing (living people) Ambassadors of Ethiopia to the United States Ambassadors of Ethiopia to Canada {{Ethiopia-politician-stub