Who Is the New Broadcasting Authority Director General, Mrs Haimanot Zeleke Workneh?
(By Ezra Ejigu)
It is well known that the Tewedaje Media and Communication, Encyclopedia of the Mind (Amharic Encyclopedia) project documents the biography of individuals who have served the country. This history is presented through digital media, books, audio narration, and other means. In particular, individuals whose histories could not previously be found on Google now have their professional contributions clearly presented and easily accessible online. Over the past four years and five months, we have managed to document the life and work histories of 423 people, and we have ensured that these histories endure across generations by publishing them in two separate books, each with 600 pages.
Among these are media professionals and theater artists. In total, 74 senior media leaders, more than 50 film and theater professionals, ministers, state ministers, founders of private media outlets, chief editors, and mid-level leaders are included. About 35 of them have served at the chief executive level, and the histories of all have been fully documented. Although documenting and making accessible the histories of these leaders and media professionals has been challenging, we have succeeded, and we will continue to strengthen this effort.
In this bio- article, the professional biography being documented is that of Mrs Haimanot Zeleke, who has worked in the media sector for 27 years and who, as of today, is being appointed by parliament as Director General of the Broadcasting Authority.
Mrs Haimanot is a professional who has served from news agency to communication leadership positions. Ezra Ejigu has compiled her professional h biography as follows.
Mrs Haimanot is a professional with more than 20 years of experience in the media sector and has sought to leave her mark in public relations and journalism. She has served at all levels of work, from reporter to general director, and her professional competence has been widely recognized. She is known for her active participation in developing national communication strategies and continues to strengthen these efforts.
Educational Background
MRS Haimanot completed her Master’s degree in Sociology (Social Studies) from Indira Gandhi National Open University in June 2009 (Gregorian calendar). Previously, in 1992 (Ethiopian calendar), she earned a BA degree in Foreign Languages and Literature from Addis Ababa University.
Entry into the World of media
Mrs Haimanot joined the Ethiopian News Agency in May 1991 (Ethiopian calendar), where she worked as a reporter in the Addis Ababa desk management unit, demonstrating her capacity in news gathering. After serving for two years as a reporter, she was promoted in 1993 to senior reporter, where she planned project-based news and wrote nationally relevant stories, demonstrating the extent of her journalistic skills.
Career Advancement
In recognition of her dedication to work, Mrs Haimanot was promoted to Assistant Editor. In this role, beginning in 1995, she worked on producing news, editing, identifying newsworthy plans, and providing sufficient guidance to new professionals so they could gain direction, serving until February 1998.
As an Editor
At the Ethiopian News Agency, Mrs Haimanot further strengthened her capacity, becoming a full editor. While producing news, she also reviewed the work of other reporters and carried out appropriate leadership duties, serving in this role for one year.
Move to a New Institution
In July 1999, Mrs Haimanot joined the Ministry of Communication, serving as Head of the Radio and Television Team for two years. While there, she worked on and coordinated communication research. In particular, she successfully fulfilled her professional responsibilities in scriptwriting and directing, editing, documentary production, and television production.
Advancement to General Director
On March 10, 2001, Mrs Haimanot Zeleke served as General Director for Government Communication Affairs. She is widely recognized for leaving a strong mark through the development of communication strategies. She successfully carried out her professional duties by preparing videos, posters, brochures, and printed materials for both international and domestic media.
Beyond this, Mrs Haimanot played a significant role in developing project proposals and ensuring their implementation. She also carried out monitoring and evaluation activities in the media sector and mentored other professionals, doing all she could to enhance the professionalism of media and communication work. Under her coordination, event programs were conducted with full competence, and she provided strong leadership direction. She served in the communication office for a total of six years, until November 2008.
Move to EBC
In November 2008, MRS Haimanot joined EBC (Ethiopian Broadcasting Corporation), entering the Online and Monitoring Department, where she served for eight months. While at EBC, she worked extensively in translation and international monitoring tasks, demonstrating strong capacity. In particular, she focused on providing analyses of current government activities.
Recognizing her efforts, Mrs Haimanot was appointed in June 2008 as Coordinator of the New Media or Social Media Division at EBC. At the time, fast-growing social media platforms such as Facebook were emerging, and her department was responsible for producing content for EBC’s digital platforms. Using her extensive experience,Mrs Haimanot outlined approaches for what types of messages should be communicated on social media in line with government direction. She also contributed her part in enabling other professionals to fully utilize their potential in new media.
In July 2010, Mrs Haimanot Zeleke served for one year as Deputy Head of Communication for the Addis Ababa City Administration. In June 2011, she served for four years as Deputy General Manager of the Addis Ababa City Administration Sanitation Management Agency.
Until recently, mrs Haimanot Zeleke had been serving as Head of the Communication Sector at the Addis Ababa City Administration Mayor’s Office, holding the position of Deputy Office Head.
Research Works፦
Major Research Activities
“Ethiopian Women Journalists’ Status in the Media” – Research publication, June 2003, Ethiopian Journalism Review, a quarterly journal of the Ethiopian News Agency, Brana Printing Press.
“How to Organize and Manage Events” – May 2010, a training paper prepared for the training of federal and regional public relations heads.
