Japan Gives Highest Award to Former Ethiopian Prime Minister

Addis Ababa  August  3/2019 Former Prime Minister Hailemariam Dessalegn was awarded yesterday the Grand Cordon of the Order of the Rising Sun for his distinguished service to society and Ethio-Japanese relation.

During the ceremony, Japanese Ambassador to Ethiopia Daisuke Matsunaga said “Hailemariam kept promoting the bilateral relations of Ethiopia and Japan.”

He stated that Hailemariam during his tenure has helped his country to open Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO) office in Addis Ababa and begin inaugural direct flight of Ethiopian Airlines to Japan.

“He committed himself to the introduction of the spirit of kaizen into both public and private in Ethiopia,” Ambassador Matsunaga pointed out.

The ambassador further pointed out that Hailemariam was instrumental in collecting donations as much as 25 million yen to the Japanese tsunami victims in 2011.

Former Prime Minister Hailemariam Dessalegn on his part said “the award belongs to our diligent team work. It is an award to our collective leadership.”

Stating that he received the award simply because he was a team leader, Hailemariam noted “I dedicate this award to Kebede Michael, one of our distinguished authors.”

“I dedicated this award to Kebede Michael, simply because he was the first person who has tried to research on a developmental model that can suit to developing countries like Ethiopia,” he explained.

Hailemariam underscored that developmental state is a prerequisite for Ethiopian transformation.