Girma Wolde-Giorgis Facts for Kids

In this Ethiopian name, the name Wolde-Giorgis is a patronymic, and the person should be referred by the given name, Girma.

Quick facts for kids Girma Wolde-Giorgis ግርማ ወልደ ጊዮርጊስ
Girma in 2006

President of Ethiopia
In office 8 October 2001 – 7 October 2013
Prime Minister	Meles Zenawi Hailemariam Desalegn
Preceded by	Negasso Gidada
Succeeded by	Mulatu Teshome

Personal details
Born	(1924-12-28)28 December 1924 Addis Ababa, Ethiopian Empire
Died	15 December 2018(2018-12-15) (aged 93) Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
Resting place	Holy Trinity Cathedral, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
Political party	Independent

Girma Wolde-Giorgis (Amharic: ግርማ ወልደ ጊዮርጊስ) was an important politician from Ethiopia. He was born on December 28, 1924, and passed away on December 15, 2018. He served as the President of Ethiopia for many years, from 2001 to 2013. He was the second person to hold this high office after Ethiopia became the Federal Democratic Republic in 1995.

Early Life and Education
Political Career
Personal Life
Public Service Roles
Community and Environmental Work
Images for kids
See also

Early Life and Education

Girma Wolde-Giorgis was born in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, on December 28, 1924. He first went to an Ethiopian Orthodox Church school. Later, he attended the Teferi Mekonnen School in Addis Ababa. His schooling there continued until the Italian invasion. During that time, the school was renamed after the Crown Prince of Italy.

Between 1950 and 1952, Girma received special training. He earned certificates in management from the Netherlands. He also studied air traffic management in Sweden and air traffic control in Canada. This training was part of a program supported by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO). He was one of the first Ethiopians to join the Ethiopian Air Force. At that time, many American experts worked there. Girma worked to encourage more Ethiopians to join the airlines. He even wrote a book about the basics of air travel. He was also an activist. At a meeting in Yugoslavia, he spoke out against the unfair system of apartheid in South Africa. Girma could speak Afan Oromo (Oromiffa), Amharic, and English very well.

Political Career

Girma in 2008

Girma was chosen as president on October 8, 2001. His election was a surprise because he was not very well-known at the time. The Ethiopian Parliament voted for him unanimously. In Ethiopia, the president's job is mostly symbolic. This means the president represents the country but has little actual power. Most of the power belongs to the prime minister. Presidents serve for two six-year terms. Girma was re-elected for his second term on October 9, 2007.

Personal Life

Girma was part of the Oromo ethnic group. He was married and had five children. He was a member of the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church. He was well-known for attending the Meskel Demera Festivals of the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church.

Girma passed away from natural causes on December 15, 2018. This was just 13 days before his 94th birthday.

Public Service Roles

Girma Wolde-Giorgis held many important roles throughout his career:

1941: He joined the Ethiopian Military Radio Communication team, set up by the United Kingdom.
1944: He graduated from the Holetta Military Academy as a sub-lieutenant.
1946: He joined the Ethiopian Air Force and took various courses in air management.
1948: He became an assistant teacher in air navigation and flight control.
1951: He became the director general of the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Planning when it was first created.
1955: He became the head of Civil Aviation for Eritrea. At that time, Eritrea was part of the Federation of Ethiopia and Eritrea.
1957: He took on the role of director general of the Ethiopian Civil Aviation Authority. He was also a board member of Ethiopian Airlines during this period.
1961: He became a member of the lower house of the Imperial Ethiopian Parliament.
He was elected as the speaker of the lower house for three years in a row.
He helped the Ethiopian Parliament get a seat in the International Parliamentary Union. He attended their conferences in Switzerland, Denmark, and former Yugoslavia. He was also chosen as the vice president of the 52nd Meeting of the International Parliamentary Union.
He worked as a manager for the Import and Export Enterprise (IMPEX).
He served as a deputy commissioner for the Peace Programme in 1977. This program was created by the government to peacefully solve the problem in Eritrea.
2000: He became a member of the House of Peoples' Representatives of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia. He won the election in the Becho woreda area as an independent candidate.

Community and Environmental Work

Between 1965 and 1974, Girma was involved in several non-governmental groups:

He was a board member of the Ethiopian Chamber of Commerce.
He represented the Australian Trade Mission in Ethiopia.
He started and directed the Ghibe Agricultural Association.
He also founded and directed the Keffa and Illubabor Timber Processing Industry.

While he was in the province of Eritrea before 1990, he held more important roles:

He was the president of the Ethiopian Red Cross Society – Eritrea Branch in Asmara.
He was the board president of Cheshire Home.
He was the managing director of the Leprosy Control Organization.

After returning to Addis Ababa in 1990, he continued his work. He served as a board member of the Ethiopian Red Cross Society. He also led its International Logistics Department.

In March 1992, he started an environmental protection group called Lem Ethiopia. He served as its vice president.

On January 5, 2014, just before Ethiopian Christmas, he made a clear statement on Ethiopia TV. He called for peace between Ethiopia and Eritrea. He said this was his last personal task and fight. He worked from his office to coordinate a group of people. They aimed to start peace talks after 15 years of disagreements, which included the Eritrean–Ethiopian War from 1998 to 2000.