HONOUR & ADORATION

May 4 , 2019.

Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed (PhD) took selfies, shook hands with admirers and had his hands kissed by an adoring fan on his way out of the Sheraton Addis Hotel, after addressing the international media corps at a gala dinner called for the awarding of the Félix Houphouët-Boigny Peace Prize on May 2, 2019. It was given to him in recognition of the role he played in bringing about rapprochement between Ethiopia and Eritrea.

“The jury considers this distinction as an encouragement to pursue his commitment to the promotion of a culture of peace in the region and across the African continent,” said UNESCO’s statement.

This marked the 30th anniversary of the peace prize, whose jury for this year included Nobel Laureates Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, former president of Liberia, and Muhammad Yunus, founder of Grameen Bank.

The Peace Prize was awarded to the Prime Minister behind the backdrop of the World Press Freedom Day, which was held for the first time in Ethiopia and ran from Wednesday to Friday last week. With ceremonies held at the headquarters of the UNECA and the African Union, the nation’s progress in press freedom was praised.

Ethiopia, after removing restrictions to websites, blogs and satellite television stations and releasing all journalists from prison, jumped 40 places on the World Press Freedom Index in its 2019 edition, landing at 110th place.

There has not been a similar optimism on the professionalism of the media industry. Critics stressed that professional journalism continues to elude the media industry in the face of fake news and partisan, as well as polarising, content on social media.

PUBLISHED ON May 04,2019 [ VOL 20 , NO 992]