Ethiopia Appoints Lemlem Fiseha as Ambassador to African Union

Ethiopia has appointed Ambassador Lemlem Fiseha Minale as its new permanent representative to the African Union (AU), replacing Ambassador Hirut Zemene, who completed a two-year tenure in the role.

The appointment was formalized on Wednesday when Ambassador Lemlem presented her credentials to the Chairperson of the African Union Commission, Mahmoud Ali Youssouf, at the AU headquarters in Addis Ababa.

According to the African Union Commission, Youssouf congratulated the new envoy and said her experience and leadership would help strengthen cooperation between Ethiopia and the continental body. He also praised Ethiopia’s continued support for the African Union and welcomed what he described as the peaceful and orderly conduct of the country’s recent electoral process.

The two officials discussed regional and international developments, as well as priorities facing the African Union, the commission said in a statement. Youssouf reaffirmed the commission’s commitment to working closely with Ethiopia in advancing the AU’s objectives and addressing emerging challenges across the continent.

 Lemlem reiterated Ethiopia’s commitment to supporting the African Union and its continental agenda, according to the statement. She said Addis Ababa would continue to work closely with the commission and conveyed greetings from Ethiopia’s leadership.

Ethiopia hosts the headquarters of the African Union and remains one of the organization’s most influential member states.

Ambassador Lemlem succeeds Hirut Zemene, who served as Ethiopia’s permanent representative to the African Union and the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa for the past two years.