Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed (PhD) named former head of the Oromia Cooperative Promotion Agency, Dagnachew Shiferaw, as the new head of a federal agency charged with overseeing the leather industry.

Dagnachew replaced Bogale Feleqe, whose appointment of just six months was terminated on May 21, 2019. Dagnachew will be leading the Leather Industry Development Institute (LIDI), which oversees the leather industry that has been grappling with multiple challenges in the last couple of years.

Before his new position, Dagnachew served in various capacities in Oromia Regional State, including as manager of Oromia Transport Agency, deputy manager of Oromia Road &  Transport Authority and as an administrator in various Zonal administrative offices.

Bogale has now moved to Oromia Regional State where he will serve as commissioner of the region's Disaster Risk Management Commission. He had previously replaced Wendu Legesse, the long-serving head of LIDI who resigned to join UNIDO.

Before he came to the short-lived director generalship at LIDI, Bogale had served as a state minister at the Ministry of Trade & Industry for two years in charge of textile and leather industries. Bogale, who holds an MA degree in Educational Planning & Management, has also served as state minister of social policy and planning sector under the Office of the Prime Minister.

Last Thursday, May 30, 2019, Dagnachew met with the management staff of the Institute for a welcome gathering and to bid farewell to the outgoing director general.

The Institute is mandated to keep and update information on the leather industry, prepare and promote project profiles for investment opportunities, and provide services and production of leather industry products by training skilled workers, conducting market research and supporting the product value chain.

It supports 39 Technical, Vocational, Educational & Training (TVET) Colleges across the country that provide schooling in the leather industry. In addition, it assists 22 private shoe export factories and 300 small and medium-size shoe and leather product enterprises.