Aisha Mohammed Mussa (born 1970) is an Ethiopian engineer and politician who is currently serving as

Minister of Defense A defence minister or minister of defence is a cabinet official position in charge of a ministry of defense, which regulates the armed forces in sovereign states. The role of a defence minister varies considerably from country to country; in som ...

since 20 May 2024 for second time in that position, the first time from October 2018 to April 2019. She had previously served Minister of Irrigation and Lowland Areas Development from 6 October 2021. She previously served as Minister of Construction and Urban Development from 18 April 2019 to 6 October 2021.

Early life and education

Aisha Mohammed is a

Muslim Muslims ( ar, المسلمون, , ) are people who adhere to Islam, a monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God of Abrah ...

from the country's Afar Region in the north east Ethiopia. She has a degree in Civil Engineering and a masters in Transformational Leadership and Change.

Career

Mohammed is a civil engineer and previously served as construction minister. She also served as Minister of Tourism and Culture. She was appointed Defence Minister by Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed on 16 October 2018, one of ten women appointed to the twenty member cabinet, making Ethiopia and

Rwanda Rwanda (; rw, u Rwanda ), officially the Republic of Rwanda, is a landlocked country in the Great Rift Valley of Central Africa, where the African Great Lakes region and Southeast Africa converge. Located a few degrees south of the Equator ...

the only African countries to have equal

gender representation Gender diversity is equitable or fair representation of people of different genders. It most commonly refers to an equitable ratio of men and women, but may also include people of non-binary genders. Gender diversity on corporate boards has bee ...

in their cabinets. Mohammed was the country's first female defence minister. On 18 April 2019, she was appointed Minister of Urban Development and Construction. On 20 May 2024, she has been serving as Minister of Defense again.

References

1979 births Living people People from Afar Region Women government ministers of Ethiopia Female defence ministers Culture ministers of Ethiopia Defence ministers of Ethiopia Tourism ministers of Ethiopia Urban planning ministers of Ethiopia 21st-century Ethiopian politicians 21st-century Ethiopian women politicians {{Ethiopia-politician-stub