Women Make Up 50% Of Ethiopia’s New Cabinet

The list for Ethiopia’s new cabinet is out and the names are 50% female.

Ethiopian Prime Minister, Abiy Ahmed, declared that the women now make up 50% of the cabinet and that the “women ministers will disprove the old adage that women can’t lead.” He said, “This decision is the first in the history of Ethiopia and probably in Africa.

Of the 20 cabinet positions, 10 went to women including the minister of defence, Aisha Mohammed the first woman to hold that position in the country. The appointment of the Minister of Peace was also awarded to Muferiat Kamil, former house speaker. Her duties involve overseeing the country’s National Intelligence and Security Service, the Information Network Security Agency, the Federal Police Commission and the Finance Security and Information Center.

Prime Minister Ahmed, defending the appointments said, “This is to show respect to the women for all the contribution they have made to the country. The new cabinet is expected to reform their respective ministries, remove the walls of bureaucracy, and bring innovation and technology to provide services efficiently.”

The appointments were approved by Ahmed’s fellow politicians because women were “less corrupt than men”.