Arkebe Oqubay is a Senior Minister and Special Adviser to the Prime Minister of Ethiopia. He has been at the centre of policymaking in Ethiopia for over 25 years and is a former mayor of its capital, Addis Ababa.
In recognition of his efforts to transform Addis Ababa, Dr Arkebe was named Best African Mayor of 2006 by ABN and was a finalist for the World Mayor Award in the same year. He was recognised by the New African as one of the 100 Most Influential Africans of 2016 and a “leading thinker on Africa’s strategic development” for his work on industrialisation and industrial policies, both theoretical and practical.
His widely published research focuses on:
- structural transformation
- technological learning and catch-up
- industrial policy
- sustainability and urban transformation
- China-Africa ties
- emerging and developing economies, with a special interest in Africa.
His most recent publications include: African Economic Development: Evidence, Theory, Policy (2020) (PDF), Made in Africa (2015), The Oxford Handbook of the Ethiopian Economy (2019), How Nations Learn: Technological Learning, Industrial Policy, and Catch Up (2019) and China-Africa and an Economic Transformation (2019). He is a Research Associate at the Centre of African Studies, University of London, and holds a PhD in Development Studies from SOAS, University of London.
In 2018, Dr Arkebe was awarded the Order of the Rising Sun, Gold and Silver Star by the Emperor of Japan.
