She was the first female Vice President of Addis Ababa University and, in a political arena dominated by men, served as her country’s Minister of Science, Minister of Culture and Minister of Labour. In our interview, the Ethiopian DAAD alumna Hirut Woldemariam Teketel explains how campaigning for more women in leadership positions became her life’s mission.

Professor Woldemariam, in August 2024 you gave a keynote speech to DAAD scholarship holders in Cologne entitled “Empowering Women: A Pathway to Sustainable Development”. How is female empowerment related to sustainable development?
Removing obstacles to women’s careers is not only a moral imperative; it is also essential if society is to exploit its full potential. To achieve sustainable development we need all the people, not just half of them! There are enough capable women, but not enough opportunities for them. Societies must change their norms and expectations – especially in Africa, where patriarchal mindsets are still very widespread. Empowering women must be an objective for society as a whole. To achieve this, female role models are important because people learn by watching and imitating others.

Do you believe that gender quotas make sense in certain positions? 
Yes. When I became Minister of Science in 2018, I introduced the rule that at least two women have to hold high-level positions at every state university in Ethiopia. Even though this rule no longer applies, it has changed the management levels at universities significantly. We also established a women’s network at the time which still exists. We meet regularly to share ideas and to encourage and support one another. Such networks have a great impact, as do mentoring programmes for women. Women often lack self-confidence no matter how well qualified they are, whereas men tend to have an inflated sense of their abilities.

You yourself were appointed Vice President of Addis Ababa University in 2009, the first woman to hold this office …
Which is why I know just how it feels to be the only woman among lots of men! A few years earlier I had already been the first woman to head the linguistics department. Back then we introduced new master’s and PhD programmes in linguistics, launched new research projects and hosted a regional conference. My term as Vice President was the biggest challenge, however: there was enormous pressure on me because people can be incredibly prejudiced against women in leadership positions. I had to work very hard in administration, teaching and research to prove that I was, in fact, capable. I have three children and it wasn’t easy to reconcile the needs of family and work life. But I was determined to be successful and came out on top in the end.

How did you get into politics?
I was asked because the government wanted to have some neutral academics in the cabinet. First I was appointed Minister of Culture and Tourism; after a cabinet reshuffle I then took over the Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs, and in 2018 another reshuffle saw me become head of the Ministry of Science and Higher Education. My most important task – and at the same time a great opportunity to improve society – was to reform the Ethiopian higher education system, which had been hugely expanded since the late 1990s. There were 50 state and 250 private universities, each offering all kinds of programmes at all levels, from bachelor’s to PhD – regardless of their individual resources and capacities. The reform divided universities into three categories: research universities, universities of applied sciences that cooperate with industry in their local region, and comprehensive universities offering bachelor’s degree courses. The universities also developed clear specialist profiles, such as in agriculture, medicine or tourism. The length of bachelor’s degree programmes was extended from three to four years. Courses in soft skills such as critical thinking, communication, emerging technologies etc. were also introduced to better prepare students for the labour market. All of this has really improved the quality of higher education in Ethiopia.

You went to the Institute of African Studies at the University of Cologne on a Humboldt research fellowship in 2021. Why did you return to academia?
I had left the government to apply for a position with the African Union but didn’t get it for reasons of regional proportional representation. I was frustrated at first but then accepted the fellowship that the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation had already been keeping open for me for several years. I had never lost contact with Cologne and the German friends I had made during my PhD. My time as a doctoral candidate was inspiring and life-changing, while immersing myself in German and European culture opened a door to a new world for me. That’s why returning to Cologne felt like coming back home. I enjoy working in science again. I have always loved language, ever since I was a child. Languages are like living organisms that can change, become endangered and die. My research areas include African languages, sociolinguistics and language policy.

Alongside your academic work, you have also been involved in politics again since February 2024 – as Under-Secretary-General of the Organisation of Southern Cooperation (OSC). What are its goals?
Established in 2020, the OSC is a rapidly growing intergovernmental organisation that currently has 28 member states from the Global South. My responsibilities include knowledge generation, democratisation and transdisciplinary research. At present, we are working on an intercontinental academic mobility programme based on the Erasmus+ model. We also organise scientific conferences to find ideas for sustainable development and set up transdisciplinary research centres to address regional challenges. We are also working to cultivate endogenous knowledge in the region and are building up a digital information system for the Global South. The idea of the OSC is for the countries of the Global South, which are struggling with similar problems, to work together to tackle them collectively. We must find our own, home-grown solutions to achieve sustainable and inclusive development.

Miriam Hoffmeyer (20 September 2024)