Eleni gebremedhin biography of michaels
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Much has recently been made of my ethnic identity although this is a matter of no relevance whatsoever to a reasoned discourse on the existence of the Ethiopia Commodity Exchange. However, when the unnecessary gets in the way of the important, however unpleasant it may be, it must be faced. I am Ethiopian, as truly and wonderfully as that is, and no one has the right to define, reduce, or otherwise dismiss my identity. I do not apologize for or defend who I am, as each one of us, whoever we are, has a God-given set of circumstances that uniquely defines us.
My reality is that, born in Addis Ababa, I first left Ethiopia with my family at the age of four to live in New York city, accompanying my father, Zaude Gabre-Madhin, who was a senior United Nations official, prior to which he served in the Imperial government. Upon returning a few years later, my family then left Ethiopia again, escaping the chaos of the new Dergue regime, this time to Rwanda and later Togo, Malawi, and Kenya
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The Global Economy Prize is awarded to pioneers of a cosmopolitan, economically liberal, and public-spirited society. This year, the award focused on the development of Africa.
The Global Economy Prize was awarded for the 18th time by the Kiel Institute for the World Economy together with its partners, the state capital Kiel and the Schleswig-Holstein Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
Read press release
Download group photo
Award Ceremony Global Economy Prize - Livestream Replay
Prize Winners
Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala
Director General, World Trade Organization
The jury's reasoning:
"Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala is a strong and powerful leader, a global finance expert, a renowned economist and an international development professional with over 30 years of experience. She was being key to developing the economic reforms that helped stabilize Nigeria’s economy and improve fiscal transparency. Her strong personal commitment
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By Eleni Zaude Gabre-Madhin
Many Ethiopians have been intrigued bygd the advent of the Ethiopia Commodity Exchange and many voices have been heard from around the world in our virtual cyber-community and in private communication, some encouraging, some thrilled, some questioning, some skeptical, some downright opposed. I would like to thank all of those who have taken the time to express their interest, whatever their viewpoint. Open dialogue on important ideas, in a mutually respectful manner, is grundläggande to our ability to grow and evolve as a samhälle and as an economy. As we proceed in our dialogue, I trust that those who organize these forums will enforce the necessary standards of courtesy worthy of our age-old civilization.
To quote Victor Hugo, “there is ingenting so powerful as an idea whose time has come.” In response to the many thoughtful and sometimes provokativ questions that have been raised, inom would like to take this opportunity to share with you why we believe that th