Chairperson of the African Union
Which position did Hailemariam Desalegn hold from 2013 to 2014?
Hailemariam Desalegn Hailemariam Desalegn Boshe ( ; born 19 July 1965 ) is an Ethiopian politician who served as Prime Minister of Ethiopia from 2012 to 2018 . He also previously served as Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs under Prime Minister Meles Zenawi from 2010 to 2012 . After Meles death in August 2012 , Hailemariam succeeded him as Prime Minister , initially in an acting capacity . He was then elected as the Chair of the EPRDF , the ruling party , on 15 September 2012 . Hailemariam also served as the Chairperson of the African Union from 2013 to 2014 . He submitted his resignation as Prime Minister of Ethiopia and EPRDF chairperson on 15 February 2018 in response to the fallout from mass protests and unrest in 2016 . His resignation was accepted on 11 March 2018 , but he stayed in office as caretaker Prime Minister until 2 April 2018 . Hailemariam is the first ruler in modern Ethiopian history to step down ; previous leaders have died in office or been overthrown . He said he wanted to clear the way for reforms . Background . Early life . Hailemariam was born in 1965 in the Boloso Sore District Hombba of the Wolayita Zone in southern Ethiopia . Hailemariam is from Wolayta ethnic group of Ethiopia , the first largest in the Southern Nations , Nationalities , and Peoples Region ( SNNPR ) . His family belongs to the Apostolic Church of Ethiopia , a Oneness Pentecostal denomination that is not part of the mainstream Ethiopian Protestant Christianity ( Pentay ) , which believes in Trinitarianism . Married to Roman Tesfaye , he is well known to be both a religious and family man . Education . In 1988 , Hailemariam received a bachelors degree in civil engineering from Addis Ababa University . He subsequently worked as a graduate assistant in the Arba Minch Water Technology Institute ( now Arba Minch University ) . After two years of working in this capacity , he won a scholarship to Tampere University of Technology in Finland , where he earned a masters degree in sanitation engineering . Upon his return to Ethiopia , he served in different academic and administrative capacities , including the dean of the Water Technology Institute , for 13 years . In between , he also earned an MA in Organizational Leadership at Azusa Pacific University , California , US . Political career . Ethiopian Peoples Revolutionary Democratic Front . In the late 1990s and early 2000s , he became seriously involved in politics as a member of the EPRDF ( Ethiopias ruling party ) and became the deputy president of the SNNPR . He replaced Abate Kisho who was removed from power on corruption charges , but it is believed that Abate was demoted for supporting the anti-Meles Zenawi faction when the Tigrayan Peoples Liberation Front ( the core of the EPRDF ) split in 2000 . Another widely accepted belief about Abate was that he was less educated and exercised poor leadership while he was in power . President of the Southern Nations , Nationalities , and Peoples Region . Hailemariam was President of the SNNPR from November 2001 to March 2006 and was promoted to Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs in October 2010 . He has been Deputy Chairman of EPRDF , Chairman of SEPDM , Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs . He has served as Vice President of the SNNPR ( 2000–2002 ) ; President of the SNNPR ( 2002–2005 ) ; Member of the House of Peoples Representatives ( 2005–present ) ; Social Affairs Special Advisor to the PM , then Public Mobilization & Participation Special Advisor to the Prime Minister ( 2005–2008 ) ; Government Chief Whip , with a Ministerial portfolio ( 2008–2010 ) . Party Posts : Member of the Executive Committee of the EPRDF and the SEPDM ( 2000–present ) ; Chairman of the SEPDM ( 2002–present ) ; Deputy Chairman of the EPRDF ( since Sept 2010 ) . After his tenure as President of the SNNPR , Hailemariam worked in the Prime Ministers Office as the advisor on Social Affairs and Civic Organizations and Partnerships for two years . He led the team that drafted the Charities and Societies Proclamation law ( CSO law ) that limits the interference of international non-governmental organizations ( NGOs ) in local political activities . The law was adopted by the Ethiopian Parliament in 2009 . He is also credited with pushing EPRDF to re-organize its structure after the contentious 2005 elections via the 1-to-5 model ( one member recruits five new people - አንድ ለአምስት አደረጃጀት ) that boosted the number of party members from 400,000 to five million by the 2010 elections . In 2010 , Hailemariam was sworn into dual ministerial positions as Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs . Prime Minister of Ethiopia . Appointment . Following the death of Ethiopias longtime Prime Minister Meles Zenawi on 20 August 2012 , Deputy Prime Minister Hailemariam was appointed as the acting Premier . Hailemariam became the permanent Prime Minister on 21 September 2012 . European Parliament President Martin Schulz , after meeting with Hailemariam , said that his desire to strengthen democracy in the country , allowing for greater pluralism and a freer civil society , to uphold the freedoms enshrined in the Ethiopian Constitution was clear . Ethiopia-Somalia cooperative agreements . In February 2014 , Hailemariam met in Addis Ababa with a visiting delegation from Somalia led by Somali Prime Minister Abdiweli Sheikh Ahmed to discuss strengthening bilateral relations between the two countries . Hailemariam pledged his administrations continued support for the peace and stabilization efforts in Somalia , as well as its preparedness to assist in initiatives aiming to build up the Somali security forces through experience-sharing and training . He also suggested that Ethiopia and Somalia should increase bilateral trade and investment . Additionally , Hailemariam described the growing ties between both nations as a break from the counter-productive policies of past administrations , marking instead of the opening of a new chapter where mutual stability is beneficial . For his part , Ahmed commended Ethiopias role in the ongoing peace and stabilization process in Somalia as well as its support against the Al-Shabaab militant group . He likewise welcomed the Ethiopian militarys decision to join AMISOM . The meeting concluded with a tripartite Memorandum of Understanding agreeing to promote partnership and cooperation , including a cooperative agreement to develop the police force , a second cooperative agreement covering the information field , and a third cooperative agreement on the aviation sector . Economic policy . Hailemariam Desalegn has sustained economic progress in Ethiopia after the sudden death of his predecessor in 2012 . He played role to complete the implementation of the Growth and Transformation Plan ( GTP I ) and to start with GTP II . Between 2012 and 2018 , major projects like Hawassa and Mekelle industrial park , Addis Ababa Light Rail , Gilgel Gibe III Dam , the new Addis Ababa–Djibouti Railway , as well as Bahir Dar Stadium and other stadiums in Mekelle and Hawassa are completed . Hailemariam is accredited for the countrys continued rapid and double-digit economic growth , and Hailemariam led Ethiopia to partner Kenya in the ambitious US$24.5bn Lamu Port Southern Sudan-Ethiopia Transport ( LAPSSET ) Corridor – which includes a railway , highways , and an oil pipeline – which will provide his landlocked country and South Sudan with a new export pathway and reduce Kenyas dependence on the heavily congested port of Mombasa . Moreover , Hailemariam has partnered Ethiopia with Djibouti to sign an agreement for a $1.55 billion fuel pipeline with developers Mining , Oil & Gas Services and Blackstone Group LP-backed Black Rhino Group . Both countries which are in the Horn of Africa signed framework agreements in September 2015 for construction of the 550-kilometer ( 340-mile ) line to transport diesel , gasoline and jet fuel from port access in Djibouti to central Ethiopia . The joint project construction is scheduled for completion in two years . Hailemariam continued with the ambitious projects like the Ethiopian Electric Power Corporation construction of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam , which was launched by his predecessor , Meles Zenawi . Financially , Hailemariams government welcomed its first sovereign credit ratings from global agencies in 2014 – a B1 from Moodys and B ratings from both Fitch and Standard & Poors , which opened the door to international capital markets and foreign direct investment . However , the foreign investment capital comes from China , which has committed hundreds of millions of dollars in loans and grants to assist the government-owned corporations’ ambitious initiatives , as well as other capital intensive projects like roads , bridges and railways . Resignation . Hailemariam Desalegn said in a televised address that he has submitted his resignation as both Ethiopias prime minister and chairman of the countrys ruling coalition . His resignation makes him the first leader to do so in the countrys recent history . Hailemariams announcement comes amid a political crisis and lingering unrest in the Horn of Africa country , which has been releasing thousands of political prisoners to ease tensions . Unrest and a political crisis have led to the loss of lives and displacement of many , he added , however , that he will stay on as prime minister in a caretaker capacity , until the ruling Ethiopian Peoples Revolutionary Democratic Front ( EPRDF ) and the countrys parliament accept his resignation and name a new premier . Board membership . Hailemariam is a member of the board of numerous international organizations such as International Crisis Group , Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa , Tana High Level Forum on Security in Africa , Brenthurst Foundation , IBA Ethiopia Center for Innovation , and the Ethiopian Reconciliation Commission . Prime Minister of Ethiopia ( 2012–18 ) ; Chair , Ethiopian Peoples Revolutionary Democratic Front ( 2012–18 ) ; Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs ( 2010–12 ) ; Advisor to Prime Minister with the rank of Minister ( 2007-2010 ) ; Chair , African Union ( 2013–14 ) ; University lecturer and Dean , Arba Minch University for 12 years ; Vice President and President of the Southern Nations Nationalities and Peoples’ Regional State ( 2001–06 ) . Currently : Board Chair , Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa ; Founder and Board Chair , Hailemariam and Roman Foundation ; Board Chair , Tourism Ethiopia ; Board of Trustees , International Crisis Group ; Advisory Board Member , The Brenthurst Foundation ; Member of Parliament for 21 years ; Member of different professional Associations .