The Ethiopian House of Peoples' Representatives has approved the appointment of Tolessa Shagi to head the Ministry of Mines on January 9, 2014, Fortune reported.

Tolessa replaced Sinknesh Ejigu, the former minister of Mines, after her appointment as Ethiopia's ambassador to Brazil.

Tolessa has served the Geological Survey of Ethiopia as a geologist between 1983 and 1989, becoming team leader up until 1996. He has also served as Geo-technical expert at the then Ministry of Agriculture & Rural Development.

Between 2006 and 2010, Tolessa held the post of director general of the GSE. In October 2011, he became state minister for Mines.

Tollesa has a Bachelor’s degree in geology from the Addis Abeba University (AAU)in 1982, and a masters degree in applied geology from the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT).

Source: Fortune