Siraj Fegessa (born 1971) is an Ethiopian politician who served 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 ...
from 2008 to 2018 and
Minister of Transportation
A ministry of transport or transportation is a ministry responsible for transportation within a country. It usually is administered by the ''minister for transport''. The term is also sometimes applied to the departments or other government ag ...
from April to October 2018.
He 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 ...
, a member of the
Silte people Silt'e (also transliterated Silte) can refer to:
* Silt'e people of Ethiopia;
* Silt'e language, which they speak;
* Silte Zone, where most live;
* Silte (woreda) Silti (ስልጢ) is one of the woredas in the Southern Nations, Nationalities, and ...
, as well as a member of the
South Ethiopian Peoples' Democratic Front
The Southern Ethiopian People's Democratic Movement (SEPDM) was a political party in Ethiopia.
At the last legislative elections, 15 May 2005, the party was part of the Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front, that won 327 out of 527 s ...
, which is part of the ruling coalition, the
. From 2006 until his appointment as Defense Minister on 30 October 2008, Siraj was
Minister of Federal Affairs.
He has graduated with his first degree in Forestry at
Haramaya University
Haramaya University (HU) ( am, ሐረማያ ዩኒቨርሲቲ; Oromo: ''Univarsiitii Haramayaa'') is a public research university in Haramaya, Oromia Region, Ethiopia. It is approximately east of Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. The Ministry of Science a ...
in 1995 and has two master's degrees; an MA from Azusa Pacific University in Leadership in the
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
and MSC degree in Security Sector Management from Cornfield university in London (UK)'. He is the first Silte minister to be appointed in Ethiopia as well as the first to be from his party as a Defense Minister.
He joined EPRDF in his twenties as a Woreda administrator in early 1990s. He served as a chief administrator of Siltie zone and played crucial role in promoting development and mobilizing the Siltie community to fight against poverty. He became minister of Federal Affairs after EPRDF won the 2005 national election because of his exemplary leadership as a zonal administrator. and his outstanding performance in addressing the public interest of economic, social and good governance compared to the other zonal administrators. He also has done his best to built the beautiful city known as Worabe which is the capital city of the zone from the scratch within few years by mobilizing the Siltie community across the nation. because of his this extraordinary performance he has been directly promoted to the ministerial post after the 2005 national election. During his high school studies, Siraj was known as one of the brightest minds among his friends. He is married and has children.
References
External links
Fegisa Siraj (Ethiopia)AfDevInfo website (Wayback machine archive)
1971 births
Ethiopian Muslims
Living people
Government ministers of Ethiopia
Defence ministers of Ethiopia
Southern Ethiopian People's Democratic Movement politicians
21st-century Ethiopian politicians
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