In a recently announced cabinet reshuffle, Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed has appointed Dr Yeshurun Alemayehu, former Deputy General Director of the Ethiopian Space Science & Geospatial Institute (ESSGI), as the new Deputy Minister of Innovation and Technology. 

As part of his major tasks, Dr Yeshurun Alemayehu will be overseeing the Ethiopian Space Science & Geospatial Institute (ESSGI), the agency in charge of developing the nation’s space capabilities and technologies.  

Before this appointment, Dr Alemayehu served as the Deputy General Director of ESSGI for three years. He has been working at the Ethiopian Space Science & Geospatial Institute in different positions since November 2017, starting from Associate Researcher and Director of the Aerospace Engineering Research & Development Directorate to Project Manager of the Satellite Manufacturing & AIT Center Project and then Deputy General Director of Ethiopian Space Science & Geospatial Institute.

In addition, Dr Alemayehu’s passion for STEM education and space human capacity development is evident in his track record as a teacher. Since 2009, he has been lecturing at various public universities (including Addis Ababa University, Adama Science & Technology University, Hawassa University, Mizan-Tepi University, Wolaita Sodo University, Dilla University, Wachamo University, Wolkite University and Ambo University). He was the founder and the first dean of the College of Engineering and Technology at Mizan-Tepi University from 2009 to 2011. 

Dr Yeshurun Alemayehu Adde has a PhD in Business Administration from New Life College, USA, and is a PhD Scholar in Mechanical Design Engineering, focusing on Space Robotics, at Addis Ababa University, Ethiopia. He also has an M.Sc in Mechanical Design Engineering from Addis Ababa University, a Postgraduate Diploma in Marine Engineering from Bahir Dar University, Ethiopia, and a B.Tech. in Mechanical Engineering from Defense University.

He is the founder and chairman of a civil society called “The African Aeronautics & Astronautics Center.”