Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed Ali has been awarded Nobel Peace Price today October 11 for his effort to “achieve peace and international cooperation”

Out of 301 nominees for the reputable Nobel Peace Price, The Norwegian Nobel Committee awarded today October 11 the Prime Minister of Ethiopia Abiy Ahmed mainly for his efforts in settling the 20-year border war with its northern neighbor Eritrea.

In a phone conversation with Olav Njølstad, Secretary of the Norwegian Nobel Committee, the 43-year-old Prime Minister was informed of the committee’s decision to award him the organization’s 100th award, to which Ahmed Ali responded that he was “humbled and thrilled”.

In the conversation, which was recorded and published on Nobel Prize’s Twitter account, the awarded Prime Minister said that this achievement “was given to Africa” and that the rest of the African political leaders “will take it positively to work on [the] peace-building process on our continent.”

The Prime Minister of Ethiopia won the Nobel Prize when all eyes were on climate change activist Greta Thunberg. the 16-year-old led a massive climate change protest in New York lately, which put her at the center of media focus for the past few weeks.

Why the Ethiopian Prime Minister? 

The Nobel Prize Committee states in its website that the decision to award Abiy Ahmed was to honor him for his “decisive initiative to resolve the border conflict with neighbouring Eritrea”, adding that it is “also meant to re cognise all the stakeholders working for peace and reconciliation in Ethiopia and in the East and Northeast African regions.”

The committee also stressed that “peace does not arise from the actions of one party alone,” giving credit for Eritrean President Afwerki for helping “to formalise the peace process between the two countries.” The committee also hoped that the achieved peace would “bring about positive change for the entire populations of Ethiopia and Eritrea.”

The Ethiopian president, continues the statement, helped broker many peace process in a number of African countries, such as the agreement between the leaders of the military in Sudan and the opposition following ‘the Sudanese revolution’.

Inside Ethiopia

Soon after he became Prime Minister, numerous reforms were introduced, changing the face of Ethiopia at more than one level. Thanks to these reforms, thousands of political prisoners were freed and dissidents returned after exile. He is also credited for enhancing the position of women in Ethiopia, especially in political representation.