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Girma Wolde-Giorgis is the current president of Ethiopia. He was chosen to be president by the predominantly Tigrayan government (6% of total population) despite his contrasting Oromo background, which makes up approximately 35% of the population of 88 million. Ethiopia is an eastern African country, lying west of Somalia. A high plateau and mountain range is divided by the Great Rift Valley. Natural resources on the land include small deposits of gold, platinum, copper, potash, natural gas, and hydropower.

The environmental status of Ethiopia is a concern, causing Wolde-Giorgis to launch an environmental protection agency. Agriculture is a major source of food in the country, though efforts to advance in farming technologies have failed to take place. A goal of the president and country is to dedicate more land towards mechanized farming so that the country will never have to face another food shortage again. Wolde-Giorgis feels that using land for the production of bio-fuel is harmful to the environment, so they instead use land for sugar and ethanol. Agriculture accounts for about 45% of the GDP in this impoverished country, and approximately 85% of total employment. In 2001 Ethiopia received debt relief from the Highly Indebted Poor Countries initiative. Due to AIDS, lack of food and clean water, and other factors, there exists low life expectancy, high infant mortality, high death rates, and low population growth.

Much of Girma Wolde-Giorgis's focus before becoming president involves his dedication to aviation. He was the director of the aviation department in 1955 and a board member of Ethiopian Airlines in 1958. The next year, he moved his focus more towards direct government service and was elected to parliament, in which he was a speaker. He later contributed his efforts towards the Red Cross. After being away from parliament for 35 years, he was elected a position in the House of People's Representatives, and eventually became president.

A few leaders that share concerns with Wolde-Giorgis are the president of the Democratic Republic of the Congo - Joseph Kabila - who supports environmental conservation; Ghana's president John Atta Mills, who is against such acts as deforestation and wishes to improve environmental awareness; and Thomas Yayi Boni, president of Benin, who has a major focus on West African development. Ethiopia has content relations with neighboring Djibouti and Kenya, though they continue to have border tensions with Eritrea, Sudan, and Somalia.

Human Development and Safety and Rule of Law of Ethiopia is slightly below average in comparison to other African Countries. They also have a rather low Participation and Human Rights rating. Sustaining Economic Opportunity in Ethiopia is a bit better; currently being average to slightly above average.

Safety and rule of law is important to Wolde-Giorgis himself, who served in parliament as a speaker for 3 years and earned Ethiopia a position in the International Parliamentary Union. Additionally, he demonstrates an active concern for participations and human rights, having graduated from a military school and joining the Air Force, as well as being president of the Ethiopian Red Cross Society. Wolde-Giorgis is also a former Director General of the //Ministry of Trade, Industry and Planning// and the founder of the Ghibe Agricultural Association, which promotes sustaining economic opportunity and human development. He is well known for creating an environmental protection association called Lem Ethiopia in 1992.

Works Cited

"CIA - The World Factbook: Ethiopia." //CIA.gov//. Central Intelligence Agency, 11 Feb. 2011. Web. 24 Feb. 2011. .

East, Roger, Richard Thomas, and Carina O'Reilly. //Profiles of People in Power: the World's Government Leaders//. London [u.a.: Routledge, 2006. Print.


 * "Exclusive Interview H.E. President Girma Woldegiorgis." Interview by Abiy Demilew. //CapitalEthiopia.com//. Crown Publishing PLC, 9 June 2008. Web. 24 Feb. 2011. .

Rosenfeld, Chris Prouty. //Empress Taytu and Menelik II: Ethiopia 1883-1910//. London: Ravens Educational & Development Services, 1986. Print.