President Says It’s People-to-People Connections that Make Lasting Impact

Addis Ababa, May 20/2020(ENA) People-to-people connections are critical to make a true and lasting impact and bond to harmonize with the increasingly globalized world, President Sahlework Zewdie said. 

In an interview she gave to Forbes Africa which listed her among “Africa’s 50 Most Powerful Women” for its March issue, Sahlework said leaders have to detach themselves from traditional views and adopt the more global perspective the time requires.

Responding to the question about the trends of  power and soft power, the president said while the first uses any means to achieve a goal, the latter relies on influence through communication, understanding and healthy discourse.

According to her, soft power does not resort to violence or coercive methods to achieve the results sought. “Serving as a diplomat for a quarter century and at the United Nations for over a decade, I became very knowledgeable of the utility of soft power to reach consensus and effectuate change,” she added.

Sahlework further stated that “the idea of soft power is what we need to promote as a continent. For decades, our continent has been ravaged by civil war, ethnic conflict and infighting.”

However, Africa is now enjoying more economic growth than it has ever had. Citing the significance of soft power, she noted that “what we need now is more leaders to exercise soft power, finding what unites us to achieve a vision of shared growth.”

Traditional governance sees the government as the sole owner and executer of international relations. Yet, she added that “with our increasingly globalized world, it’s the people-to-people connections that make a true and lasting impact and bond. Leaders of today have to detach from traditional views and adopt the more global perspective the times require”.

Regarding gender proportionality, Sahlework said, “I see my being in this position as both an opportunity and responsibility. I know that it is political will that has opened the way for me and many other women to assume positions of power and influence in the presidency and the ministerial cabinet in Ethiopia.”

She stressed that this stride is a major step forward for Ethiopia as a nation and also for the continent. “As a continent, we must go beyond the rhetoric and provide tangible solutions for African women in all sectors.

The ‘Africa we want’ will only become a reality with the positive and significant transformation of women’s lives and the extent of their participation in all walks of life.”