Ethiopia’s New Cabinet 50 Percent Women, Including Defense
Written by Lindah Nduwumwami on October 17, 2018
Ethiopia’s new Cabinet is now a record 50 percent female, including the country’s first woman defense minister, after lawmakers on Tuesday unanimously approved the nominations put forward by reformist Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed.
The Horn of Africa power joins a handful of countries, mostly European, where women make up 50 percent or more of ministerial positions, according to the Inter-Parliamentary Union and U.N. Women. Aisha Mohammed Musa will lead Ethiopia’s defense ministry. Another woman, former House speaker Muferiat Kamil, will lead the new Ministry of Peace at a time when Africa’s second most populous country faces sometimes violent ethnic tensions as the wider political freedoms are explored.
