Wolle Chekol

Minister of Finance, Deputy Prime Minister, Ethiopia.

Award Motivation

For his leadership in developing the Ethiopian economy.

Award details

Wolle Chekol was an Ethiopian politician who served as the country’s Minister of Finance from 1987 to 1990. Born in 1941, he earned a degree in Economics from Haile Selassie I University and then an MA in Economics from the Centre for Development Economics in Massachusetts. Mr Chekol served as a senior expert in the Development Commission of Ethiopia before acting as the Africa Group’s Vice Chairman at the 1976 United Nations Conference on Trade and Development. The following year he was promoted to Chairman and served as the Africa Group’s Chairman at the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development. In 1979 he became the Minster of Foreign Trade, a position he held until 1987 when he became the Minister of Finance. After completing his term as Minister of Finance he was appointed Deputy Prime Minister of Ethiopia, a position he held from 1989 to 1991. During his career he also embarked on business ventures, acting as the General Manager of the Micor and Small Enterprise Development Programme (MSEDP) as well as being a Founding Partner and Deputy General Manager of Afroconsult PLC.

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