Semereta Sewasew is the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia’s State Minister of Finance for Economic Cooperation.  In this role, she leads the Ministry of Finance’s international economic cooperation policies and operations, with a focus on ensuring external resources are effectively managed and mobilized to provide maximum benefit and results for the people of Ethiopia.  She also oversees the Ministry’s public-private partnership (PPP) policies and operations in an effort to deepen private sector engagement in Ethiopia’s projects and infrastructure.  Prior to her service as State Minister, Semereta served in several roles within the Ministry of Finance, including Director of Public Affairs, where she managed public communications and outreach on the Ministry of Finance’s activities. She also served as a senior communication advisor for the economic reforms and Privatization Secretariat Coordinator where she managed a range of initiatives and technical work. 

Semereta began her career over 20 years ago in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs where for seven years she provided guidance on strategic and diplomatic partnerships, economic and trade relationships, and related issues for countries in Asia and the Middle East.  Semereta’s passion for improving the lives of disadvantaged and marginalized groups, including children, led her to work in senior leadership positions and on the governing boards of several civil society and international development organizations, including the Jerusalem Children and Community Development Organization               (2007-2009) and the Christian Children’s Fund of Canada (2009-2019). 

Semereta holds a Master’s degree in Journalism and Communications and a Bachelor’s degree in Political Science and International Relations both from Addis Ababa University.

Dr. Eyob Tekalgn Tolina is currently a State Minister of Ethiopia’s Ministry of Finance. Previously, he was Minister in charge of Ethiopia's National Planning Commission. Mr. Tolina has spent over eighteen years helping shape Ethiopia’s economic and social development through various responsibilities within leading public, private, supranational, multinational, and academic institutions.

Mr. Tolina’s diverse background has spanned a variety of roles such as Minister Counselor at the Embassy of Ethiopia in Washington D.C., advisor to the Ethiopian governors of the IMF and World Bank, government and public affairs consultant to Fortune 500 multinational Dow Chemical, and his work for different government agencies including Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Ministry of Trade. Mr. Tolina has managed the Ethiopian Public Private Consultative Forum(EPPCF), the major platform for policy deliberation between the government and the private sector in Ethiopia. Mr. Tolina has also worked for a number of regional and international organizations including UNECA, COMESA, UNCTAD, the World Bank Group and the International Finance Corporation (IFC). Before his current role, Mr. Tolina has served as a director at SGI Frontier Capital, an American investment firm focused on the World's Frontier Markets.

These experiences have given Mr. Tolina a unique, balanced perspective on the challenges and opportunities facing developing countries like Ethiopia, a country that is aspiring to become the economic growth engine of Africa in the decades ahead.

Mr. Tolina is a political economist with strong skills in team building, effective advocacy, private equity investing, strategic planning, portfolio management, public relations, private sector development, and policy analysis. Mr. Tolina has a Masters from the George Washington University in Washington D.C and a PhD from University of Maryland’s School of Public Policy focusing on political economy.