Zahara Mohammed elected President
A theatrical saga involving the Addis Ababa Chamber of Commerce, plans to overhaul its election procedures, a court-ordered injunction, and allegations of government interference has culminated in a contentious general assembly and vote, which has seen businesswoman Zahara Mohammed elected as the organization’s next president.
A dispute over a decision from the Chamber’s board and outgoing management, led by outgoing President Mesenbet Shenkute, to drastically alter the organization’s election bylaws led to a lawsuit, which was filed by board member Abera Abegaz in recent weeks.
Abera accused Mesenbet and other members of Chamber leadership of bending the rules by scrapping a credential committee that, by regulation, is in charge of facilitating an election.
Chamber members previously told The Reporter they believed the move was designed to accommodate the City Administration’s interests by allowing the government to place its preferred nominees in the running for Chamber leadership positions.
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A judge at the Federal First Instance Court subsequently ordered an injunction on the Chamber’s plans to conduct a general assembly and election.
However, the injunction was quickly lifted after Abera and Chamber leadership, headed by Mesenbet, reportedly came to an agreement.
The assembly took place on January 16, 2025, at a conference hall in Piassa’s Adwa Museum. Abera was seen on the stage with Mesenbet, but six of the Chamber’s 11 board members were reportedly absent.
The event was closed to mainstream media outlets.
Chamber members told The Reporter that invitations were distributed at the sub-city level, and members who are critical of Mesenbet’s management and the controversial election process were not called to attend.
An amendment to the Chamber’s regulations, which members say they had little knowledge of and which was approved on the day of the assembly, now allows any business holding a valid license in Addis Ababa to take part in the election. Proponents of the amendment argue it is necessary for the Chamber’s inclusivity.
During previous assemblies, the presentation of the Chamber’s annual report would precede the election. However, things were the other way around this time. A chaotic election process unfolded before Mesenbet made a 30-minute presentation.
Participants told The Reporter that no less than five individuals from each of the capital’s 11 sub-cities took part in the vote. They allege the process was rigged to accommodate the City Administration’s interests.
“We started the election process in December and we had a total of 55 nominees whom we called on a day before the general assembly to allow them to fill the membership forms,” said Hagos Hailemikael, head of the new committee that facilitated the vote.
Facilitators disclosed they later downsized the nominee pool to fit the number of positions on the board of directors: 11.
“We have elected the board members. Our laws clearly stipulate the president has to be from the commerce association while the deputy must be among members of the sectoral associations. Because the president had to be officially elected by the general assembly, we have put forth two nominees for your vote,” Hagos told attendees.
Attendants were then presented with a short introduction of the candidates: Sara Solomon, who was on the Chamber board, and Zahara Mohammed, head of the city’s business association.
During the chaotic election process on Thursday, Zahara was chosen as the new president, replacing Mesenbet for a two-year term. Abebe Gurmesa was elected vice-president.
The new board was chosen from the pool of sub-city representatives. Seven of the board members were drawn from the commerce wing, while four others represent sectoral associations.
A source who spoke anonymously told The Reporter that Chamber members opposed Sara’s nomination, arguing her seat on the board of directors was secured through membership in the sectoral associations.
“Several members complained that she became a board member through the other association and that she cannot use the other card if she wants to become president,” said the source.
However, another source told The Reporter that the candidate argued her possession of a business license validated her candidacy.
“Members’ debate over the nominees was very heated. People were talking over each other for several minutes, to the point that the facilitators decided to only take the opinions of two randomly selected individuals. Both of them opposed Sara,” a source told The Reporter.
More than two-thirds of the members in attendance then voted for Zahara.
Chamber members say they resent the amendment that grants full voting rights to anyone who holds a valid business license and has paid membership dues.
“Many members revealed that they were not presented with the amendment ahead of the event and opposed its ratification. But, the former president said approving it is a must-do task,” said one source.
Mesenbet has a different perspective about the whole process. She argued the new process is part of ongoing reforms at the Chamber.
“We recently conducted an investigation into the existing chamber system and found corruption, policy, administrative and operational breaches. Reform was necessary to amend that. We have introduced new laws, and established new teams. We have changed the Chamber structure, and also manpower,” said the outgoing President.
She stated that only 4,000 of the 482,000 businesses in Addis Ababa are Chamber members.
“Over 482,000 businesses in Addis Ababa do not know about AfCFTA [African Continental Free Trade Agreement]because they were excluded from the Chamber. We have created a Chamber that is inclusive of all businesses,” said Mesenbet.
During her presentation, she disclosed the City Administration has provided a plot of land for the construction of the Chamber’s headquarters in Bole Sub-city.
The City Administration has also agreed to co-develop the Addis Ababa Exhibition Center with the Chamber, according to the outgoing President.
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