Ambachew Mekonnen

This is an Ethiopian name. The last name is a patronymic, not a family name; this person is referred to by the given name Ambachew.

Ambachew Mekonnen (Ge'ez: አምባቸው መኮንን; c. 1971 – 22 June 2019) was an Ethiopian politician and economist who served as the president of the Amhara Region of Ethiopia from March 2019 until his assassination in a coup attempt on June 22, 2019.^[1]

Ambachew Mekonnen
አምባቸው መኮንን
Chief Administrator of Amhara Region
In office 8 March 2019 – 22 June 2019
Prime Minister	Abiy Ahmed
Preceded by	Gedu Andargachew
Succeeded by	Temesgen Tiruneh
Minister of Trade and Industry
In office 19 April 2018 – 22 October 2018
Prime Minister	Abiy Ahmed
Preceded by	Gedu Andargachew
Succeeded by	Fetlework Gebregziabher
Minister of Housing and Urban Development
In office 1 November 2016 – 19 April 2018
Prime Minister	Hailemariam Dessalegn Abiy Ahmed
Preceded by	Mekuria Haile
Succeeded by	Jantirar Abay
Minister of Construction
In office 6 October 2015 – 1 November 2016
Prime Minister	Hailemariam Dessalegn
Preceded by	Mekuria Haile
Personal details
Born	c. 1971 Aketo, Gayint, Begemder Province, Ethiopian Empire (now Debub Gondar Zone, Ethiopia)
Died	22 June 2019(2019-06-22) (aged 47–48) Bahir Dar, Amhara Region, Ethiopia
Manner of death	Assassination by gunshots
Political party	Amhara Democratic Party
Other political affiliations	Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front
Alma mater	Ethiopian Civil Service University (BA) KDI School of Public Policy and Management (MPP) University of Kent (MSc, PhD)

Life

Ambachew Mekonnen was born in Tach Gayint, South Gondar, to a family of farmers.^[2] His secondary education was interrupted due to the Ethiopian Civil War, when his school was closed, and he joined the Ethiopian People's Democratic Movement (EPDM, later ANDM) as a guerrilla in 1990. He completed his secondary studies via distance education and was appointed an administrator in Abichuna Gne'a and Sheno in North Shewa.

He went on to receive a BA in economics from the Ethiopian Civil Service University, an MPP from the Korea Development Institute, and an MSc in international finance and economic development and a PhD in Economics from the University of Kent, writing his dissertation on "Economic growth, trade and investment in sub-Saharan Africa: nexus and determinants”.^[3]

Before his appointment as president of the Amhara Region, he served in various roles, including the Ministry of Housing and Urban Development, Ethiopia. He also served as an infrastructure adviser in the Prime Minister's office prior to his selection as regional President on 6 March 2019, replacing Gedu Andargachew.

Death

Ambachew was shot dead on 22 June 2019 in Bahir Dar, Ethiopia, by a supposed hit squad during a coup attempt in the Amhara region.^[4] His adviser was also killed in the coup.^[5]