For much of the past two decades, Sufian Ahmed’s attention has been focused on rebuilding Ethiopia’s economy after years of war and famine, eventually helping turn it into one of the fastest-growing in Africa.
Of late, he’s been busy overseeing the implementation of the country’s grand infrastructure projects, which is a key component of the government’s five-year growth and transformation plan — all part of the country’s goal to become middle-income country by 2025.
Perhaps this is why Ethiopia’s long-serving economic and finance minister has relatively been quiet compared with his peers who are also vying for the top position at the African Development Bank. At last month’s AfDB candidates’ forum co-hosted by the Center for Global Development, he was the only one who wasn’t in attendance.
About the author
Jenny Lei Ravelo@JennyLeiRavelo
Jenny Lei Ravelo is a Devex Senior Reporter based in Manila. She covers global health, with a particular focus on the World Health Organization, and other development and humanitarian aid trends in Asia Pacific. Prior to Devex, she wrote for ABS-CBN, one of the largest broadcasting networks in the Philippines, and was a copy editor for various international scientific journals. She received her journalism degree from the University of Santo Tomas.
