Micheal Francom is an agricultural counselor and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) liaison to the African Union. He has been in Ethiopia for more than three years following various activities that relate to agriculture.

Selamawit Samuel is the Vice President of Sunshine Investment, founded by her father Samuel Tafese, a local contractor and business tycoon. Involved in the areas of construction, hospitality and philanthropy, the family run company has been a pioneer on many fronts in Ethiopia.

Heldana Tekeste is an Ethiopian-American who returned home in 2016. She has been involved in many areas, including the issues of startups and some humanitarian work.

A great advocate for the rich bilateral relationship between his nation and Ethiopia, Ambassador Giuseppe Mistretta of Italy to Ethiopia as well as to the African Union, United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA) as well as Djibouti and South Sudan is departing to take up his next big assignment as Director for Africa at the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation.

Benjamin Schraven (PhD) is a social scientist based at the Deutsches Institut für Entwicklungspolitik/ German Development Institute (DIE-GDI).

Brita Wagener is the new German Ambassador to Ethiopia. She arrived in Addis Ababa a month ago after the passing of her late colleague Ambassador Joachim Schmidt. Wagener came directly from New York where she was a consul general.

Vital events registration in Ethiopia In 2011, only seven percent of Ethiopian children under the age of five were registered at birth. With no proof of age or identity, children do not have the minimal protection needed against child marriage, child labor, trafficking or detention and prosecution as an adult.

In a very dynamic and turbulent global airline industry Ethiopian Airlines has managed to grow fast in the past ten years. Volatile oil price, terrorism, conflict and epidemic out break are the biggest challenges facing airlines.

Sydney Chaffee was recently named the 2017 national teacher of the year by the Council of Chief State School Officers. A teacher in humanities, history and literature, she is a noted teacher from the Codman Academy Charter Public School in Boston.

David Carter, a seasoned United States judge, visited Ethiopia recently to attend a conference hosted by the International Institute for Justice and Rule of Law.