Arkebe Oqubay

Arkebe Oqubay, PhD, is a Senior Minister and Special Adviser to the Prime Minister of Ethiopia, and has been at the centre of policymaking for over 30 years. He has served as a chair and vice-chair on the boards of several leading public organizations and international advisory boards. He is the former mayor of Addis Ababa, won the ABN’s Best African Mayor of 2006 award for transforming the city, and was a finalist in the World Mayor Award 2006. Dr Arkebe was recognized by the New African as one of the 100 Most Influential Africans of 2016 and a “leading thinker on Africa’s strategic development” for his work on industrialization and industrial policies, both theoretical and practical. The Order of the Rising Sun, Gold and Silver Star, was presented to him by the Emperor of Japan in recognition of his distinguished achievements. He is a Professor of Practice at the University of Johannesburg (South Africa), a visiting professor at Sciences Po (Paris) and Nanyang Technological University (Singapore), and a distinguished visiting professor at Fudan University (Shanghai). Dr Arkebe is a UNU-WIDER Honorary Research Fellow, a Distinguished Fellow at the London-based think-tank the Overseas Development Institute (ODI), and a research associate at the Centre of African Studies in the University of London. He holds a PhD in development studies from SOAS, University of London.