Ethiopia PM wows LA, concludes diaspora tour in Minnesota

Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed is heading to Minnesota on the final leg of his three-state tour of the United States.

Abiy last week started his tour in Washington DC where he held a series of high-level engagements with development partners before addressing the Ethiopian diaspora.

He oversaw the reconciliation of rival synods of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church, addressed political parties in a forum, he met the Muslim community at an event before attending a mega rally where he addressed concerns by the diaspora community.

“The Ethiopian diaspora embodies our rich, diverse nationhood and are our global ambassadors. We come to you not because of our immediate needs. It’s because you’re integral to our identity, our renewal, our democracy, our growth, our healing and our human capital,” he told the gathering on July 28.

Whiles in Washington, the 41-year-old met with vice-president of the United States Mike Pence, head of the World Bank Group Jim Young Kim and head of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) Christine Lagarde.

He arrived in Los Angeles, the second leg of his tour on Sunday. Abiy and his delegation met with Ethiopians as he reiterated his message of love and unity.

His chief of staff wrote on Twitter, “He urged them to tear down the wall of hatred and bring home the culture of innovation that LA is known for. He challenged the fervent crowd to demand from themselves in service of their country they so love.”

The last leg of his visit will be in Minnesota – a state referred to as Little Oromia due to the sheer numbers of Ethiopians living there.

PM Abiy tells the diaspora “you are not Ethiopia’s stepchildren. Come home and do your part to transform it.” The LA speech covered diverse themes: Equality, diversity, unity, reconciliation, exodus of young Ethiopians who died trying to cross into Europe and Arabia.

— Mohammed Ademo (@OPride) July 30, 2018