Ethiopian PM Abiy Ahmed on an Official Visit to Djibouti

September 14, 2022 

Ethiopian PM Abiy Ahmed (front left) and Djibouti’s president, Ismail Omar Guelleh (front right) in Djibouti where Abiy is in unspecified working visit

Borkena 

Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed is on an official working visit to Djibouti. He was greeted by Ismail Omar Guelleh, president of Djibouti, on arrival at the airport. 

However, the state media, the office of the prime minister or the ministry of foreign affairs unspecified the nature of the working visit and how long the working visit is. 

There had been reports that the new U.S. special envoy to the Horn of Africa, Mike Hammer, met with the authorities in Djibouti and with TPLF representatives.

The United States has recently been renewing pressure on the Ethiopian government after the TPLF Force’s ambitious military plan to control areas in the Afar and Amhara regions of Ethiopia was curbed. 

Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed was in Kenya, for the Inauguration of William Ruto as the fifth president of Kenya, before he headed to Djibouti along with the first lady, Zinash Tayachew. 

PM Abiy’s presence in Djibouti has triggered speculation that it might have something to do with peace talks with the TPLF representatives. 

This week, the TPLF announced that it has accepted the call for peace talks under the auspices of the African Union. 

Not much is known about the state of war in the Tigray region of Ethiopia. However, the TPLF made claims of victory against the Ethiopian and Eritrean forces.

Global Islamic Finance Award  

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed is awarded the Global Islamic Finance Award. 

The award was established in 2011 and is an award in the finance and banking sector. GIFA described the awards as   “… a prestigious label of excellence that recognizes governments, institutions and individuals who have exhibited outstanding achievements in their respective fields, contributing to the sustainability of Islamic banking and finance as a viable system within the global international financial architecture.” 

Ethiopia saw the expansion of Islamic banking services under the leadership of PM Abiy Ahmed.