Mulugeta Gebrehiwot (Ethiopia)

Master in Public Administration / Mid-Career (2005)

Who I am:

After more than a decade of struggle against the Mengistu regime in Ethiopia that ended in the collapse of the dictatorship, I committed myself to facilitating a transition to democracy. Between 1991 and 1997 I led a successful demobilization process for 350,000 soldiers and 30,000 veterans of the Mengistu regime and the liberation movement. As Head of the Demobilization Commission I planned and managed the implementation of the demobilization and reintegration process and was in charge of mobilizing and managing funds from multilateral and bilateral funding agencies. The process was deemed successful by all the stakeholders and became a model for demobilization efforts for other parts of Africa. In 1995, I was elected a member of the constituent assembly that ratified the constitution of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia. I was one of the leading spokespersons of the majority position. Between 1997 and 2001, I was Executive Director of the Human Resources Development for the Endowment Fund for the Rehabilitation of Tigray (EFFORT). From 2001 to 2003 I was Head of the Head Office of the Ethiopian Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF).

Why I chose KSG:

I preferred to attend at Harvard KSG because I believed it is the center of excellence in the training of public servants and thought this would be the right program to take in the mid of my career. I actually found it to be so exciting and educating. I am using myself and my past experiences as a case study which makes it very lively education.