Mulu Solomon is currently Designated Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Ethiopia to Germany
What was your childhood days like? What was your dream job as a kid?
I was born in the countryside. At that time it was called Shewa province that encompassed Selale. To be more specific I was born in a place called Gohatsiion, found 186 KM away from Addis Ababa as one moves towards the North. Despite financial constraints, it was a place where inhabitants enjoyed affectionate bonds and throwing wedding and similar parties.
They used to click each other easily with understanding. There was no electricity, tap water, no road, except a narrow and winding asphalt road from Addis Ababa towards Nile gorge and Gojjam.
My parents belonged to the gentry. My father was a much-loved person in our locality. He was a parliamentarian before he was cut in the prime of his adulthood—he was only 39 years old. My mom who was not well educated took the responsibility of bringing up six children under her wings without a father.
My siblings and I were happily and actively brought up. We were sent to the only one school called Gohatsion Elementary School. As my mother was a self-trained leader or manager. She led and managed the family well. Especially, she made hardworking and goal-oriented citizens out of her children. She instilled self-confidence in us. After class hours, though we didn’t like it, she was mobilizing all of us to work with the housemaids and field workers.
My childhood dream was to be a physician. But later I changed my mind. While I was 9th or 10th grader I saw some people hauled to a clinic sustaining accident injuries.
Their faces and legs were covered with blood. I was shocked to the extent of fainting. Then, I understood I cannot help myself leave alone helping patients. So I decided not to aspire to be a medical doctor.
What challenges did you pass through as a child? If any?
Since there was no high school in our locality, after I studied up to grade 8, it was a challenge for me and my elder sister to continue education. We owe a gratitude to mom who faced all blames for sending us to school. She did that against opposing family members, close relatives and elderly people. To continue our education we had to travel or move to a place, 85 kilometers away from home.
Regarding my elementary and high school education, I was an active participant of extra-curricular activities. I was very loved and cared for by my mom, brothers and sisters, house maids, mom’s farmers, relatives, neighbors, etc. I was very inquisitive.
Though blissful my childhood was full of challenges. Specially, regarding early marriage in my birthplace most of my close relatives ( girls ) were forced to marry at the age of 6, 7 , 8….. 12. Against this backdrop it is not hard to surmise sending us to school was almost a miracle.
My mom was facing a cold shoulder treatment for not forcing us to marry. With my effort and mom’s support, I and my sisters managed to continue our education.
Brief us also about your academic pursuit
Though, due to family health and different problems which required my time and attention, I had disrupted my PhD studies abroad.
Yet I am currently working on my PhD studies. My Master’s degree is in Environment and Development and My BA is in accounting and minor Business Administration.
In addition I had taken countless capacity building trainings abroad and locally.
What was the contribution of your parents towards your success like?
My father passed away while I was a kid. But, as mom told me, he was also doing all his best to send us to school against outmoded culture. Before he breathed his last, he had advised mom not to let us discontinue our education. The biggest assets I got from my parents are self-confidence, integrity, love for labor and hate to dependency.
Often people pose the question “Who is your role model?” Sometimes they ask me “Have you studied in Harvard?” I tell them “My mom is my role model?” They find it had to stomach “How could an uneducated woman be a role model?” But, leave alone me, the world can learn from such type of individuals. She was an extraordinary woman, who brought up 7 children without father and without any help from others.
The hurdles she faced and the way she surmounted all, deserve a full book. I drew a great lesson from her life experience punctuated by cultural odds and social barriers.
Overcoming all mental and physical battle, she has served us a university for us. Her life changing passion serves a source of passion for us affording us involved in most actions. My father had also trained her in self-defense. The children have inherited all, though, not as outstanding as mom.
What contribution have you made to your country to this point?
Pertaining to what I want to do for my country, for Africa and the world, I believe I haven’t done much. But I have maintained my integrity. I had contributed my share in bringing up responsible children of my own. I had helped some to learn.
I had also built their confidence. On top of my job, I had served more than 50 professional, social and humanitarian associations at different leadership levels being President, Chairperson, Board Director, etc.I had taught, trained and inspired many in different universities, high schools, elementary schools.
Association leaders, ministers, parliamentarians, company leaders and workers, women, youth, street boys & girls, street baggers had taken courses from me helpful for their personal and professional development. Many had changed their lives to the better. Yet, I feel my contribution is so small compared to what I want to do.
As a citizen, I have shared some from my small knowledge, wisdom and time. I always aspire to genuinely serve my country, continent and the world. I want to do things in my capacity. I want make a drip into the jar. I give, not only from what I have, but from what I do not have, by creating a means. People say “devote your extra money, time, etc.,” I believe there is no extra money or time.
But we have to share even from our meager resource to be happy and make others smile.
To mention few, devoting my time, knowledge….for example I had shared my ideas to the world being a panelist, a topic speaker and motivational speaker. As a poet I convey social messages. Also I am serving as ambassador of peace, ethics, and menstrual hygiene management. I had served as a judge for National and International Entrepreneurship Competition. I perform my work ethically.
I have served as 1) a Governing Board Member of the International Federation of Red Cross & Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) 2) Member of Africa TVET Expert Group 3) Member of Policy Advisory Group (TAPAG) of TUNING Africa Academy – Higher Education 4) Chair of the IFRC Governing Board Advisory Group for Effective and Efficient Humanitarian Response.,
5) Member of Board of Directors for Wachamo University 6) Honorary President of Ethiopian Chamber of Commerce and Sectorial Associations 7) Member of the Ethiopian Public Diplomacy. 8) National Board Member of Ethiopian Red Cross Society 9) Ambassador for Business Community – Addis Ababa Chamber of Commerce & Sectorial Associations, 10) Revenue Ambassador of Ethiopian Ministry of Revenues 11) Member of the Trustee Board of Directors – Hamelin Fistula Ethiopia 12) First Female President of Ethiopian Chamber of Commerce and Sectorial Association 13) V. Chair of Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) Business Council 14) V. President of Pan-African Chamber of Commerce & Industry 15) Founder and President of Ethiopian Women Writers Association 16) Founder of ( the then) African Women Authors Association, 17) Steering Committee Member of Ethiopian Development Research Institute, 18) Chair of Publicity and Fund Raising Committee of Ethiopian Women Layers Association 19) President of EEBS – Association of Ethiopian Entrepreneurs 20) Advisory Group Member of Sub-Sahara Africa (AGSA) to IMF, World Bank Group and many others.
As one of the pioneer female executives, how was the task? Were there challenges and success stories?
I have been involved in leadership and management duties. Like any other human being I have faced challenges and successes. Actually, I can say I was successfully in many cases. Working in leadership and management positions I had won awards and appreciation.
Limited time and your newspaper pages may not be enough to tell stories of challenges and success. But generally, I can tell you one thing surely. Since I always consider challenges and problem as opportunities, my successes overweigh the challenges I faced. Let me start from my current work. I think it is a very small contribution but an impactful one. Before I am appointed to be an ambassador of Ethiopia to Germany I was the chair of the council of EiABC – Addis Ababa University.
Though, most of the council members were PhD holders and Professors, we built a great team spirit to confront challenges and to throw full weight behind the goal of the institute. Letting people see the bigger picture is not an easy task, but it is possible. We were not working as one person. We were acting as different persons, having different opinions. But we well led and managed things towards the benefit of the country.
I was also Chair holder of the Entrepreneurship Chair of EiABC-Addis Ababa University. Though there is a lot to be done, I had managed to coordinate and make the teaching and learning process handled well. Since I was also an instructor to Masters and Bachelor students on courses like Entrepreneurship, Quality Management, Communication and Leadership, I had received Honorary Award for Quality Teaching. My performance evaluation every semester, every year always turns out to be great. If I must mention some challenges, except in masters’ classes one of the challenges is the large number of students in a class.
The other challenge, in the extension and regular programs, students were late to come to class due to transport unavailability and other factors.
But I have managed to successfully tackle the challenge creating ground rules and putting them in place with full agreement of the students. We agreed not to be late more than two minutes and to submit our assignments before or on the deadline.
If anyone becomes late (including myself) more than two minutes, we set different penalties. For example, to perform some energizers , like traditional dance (‘Eskista’ of any culture ) for a minute or two, paying for 5 to 10 students for tea or coffee, buy telephone card of 15 to 20 birr for other students, etc., Because we all agreed with our own consent, we were all in time. The other issue is that inspiring student to feel great and building their own confidence to walk with a square shoulder.
In class or out of class, allowing them to freely talk to me in person or through phone if they need any explanation. This is another success of changing to a better culture of relationship.
If I allude to where I worked as General Manager, Commercial Manager, Operations Manager, among others, I had played a major role in bringing the company’s systems to a better position— towards their goals.
Regarding challenge, I have learnt the hard way, where I assigned someone to run my company and there was an error of including cost component, where the company went to a loss which was not shortly recovered.
Discontinuing education due to life and family problems had beset me many times. Whenever I experience a lapse due to reasons beyond my control, I do not remain there. I always get up and keep on walking. Regarding Social Service, When I was the President of Ethiopian Chamber of Commerce and Sectoral Associations, the major success stories registred through my leadership are 1) Bringing Ethiopian Chamber of Commerce and Sectoral Associations (ECCSA) and Addis Ababa Chamber of Commerce and Sectoral Association (AACCA) in to peace.
From where they were in bitter condition since more than 40 years. 2) Bringing Chamber Academy to operational action. We were using the name Chamber Academy since I was in the AACCSA Board of Directors as international name. But I still prefer the name to be Chamber, Leadership, Entrepreneurship and Management Training Centre to focus on learning by doing. 3) Bringing Public Private Dialogue (PPD) to operational action.
It was a historic and surprising moment for the journalists when the government accepted our researched requests through first dialog in my term.
The other contribution through the PPD was that the government accepted the need to establish a joint committee to develop a document 4) Opening UN documentation / Reference Centre 5) Establishing Women and Youth Business Support Unit 6) Hiring consultants that prepare and publisher a book of ethics for the business community.
Books that would help the business community to be ethical citizens that feel pride when paying their taxes properly, by caring for the society through providing the right and genuine products and services, by caring for women and youth, for people with disabilities, for the environment, for their employees, by developing ethical and healthy competition, etc., The book was inaugurated after I left the position of presidency.
The Ethical Business People Award process was discussed with the then President of Ethiopia, Dr. Mulatu Teshome. So,accordingly, they will be awarded by the President. Fact finding and measuring procedures and implementation require serious and gregarious effort. But to start the idea is a step ahead. 7) Since it was the first time for Ethiopia to host Africa Growth and Opportunity Act (AGA0A) (an act which allows African countries to export specific products like textile free of quota and free of tax to USA)
ECCSA under my leadership has played great role with the ministry of trade in which we all received great appreciation. 8) Mobilized the business community mentally and financially to support the ‘Hdasse’ dam(GERD). 9) Though most successful business community’s even countries under free market economy have got a law which forces business companies to be members of their Chambers of Commerce and Industry.
But here since the existing government took over the leadership of the country from the Military regime, members became voluntary. Thus, the number of members was minimal when I was elected a president. Within one term, the number increased by 500%.Making the business community understand to be a member is not only getting benefit, but also giving time money and knowledge, etc., to take the business community forward so that it could stand for its rights with full voice, 10) luckily the OAU – AU 50th year anniversary was celebrated colorfully during my term as a president of Chamber.
Thus, the ECCSA’s contribution through its special magazine and exhibition was one of the successful activities which showed Ethiopia’s greatness.11) Improving the image of the business community through activities and representation to International, regional and National initiatives and organizations. ..
Tell us about the journey towards the presidency of the Ethiopian Chamber of Commerce and Sectoral Associations
I was elected the first female president in 67 years of the Ethiopian Chamber of Commerce and Sectoral Association’s history, where more than 95% of the voters were men. Actually I didn’t want to run for the post or to be a board member.
The Ethiopian Herald May 12/2019
BY ADDIS ALEM MULAT
