About

Deriba Kuma

Coach

Former Minister of Transport and Telecommunication of Ethiopia and Former Mayor of Addis Ababa

 Deriba Kuma has served as a Minister of Transport and Telecommunication of Ethiopia for five consecutive years. He played a leading role in developing and implementing National Transport policy, National Transport Master Plan and Public Transport Safety Strategy. Following the rectification of these strategic policy documents many transformative infrastructure projects including roads, railway, dry port, cool chain and speed limit systems have been developed and implemented under his leadership. He has also served as a member of national export coordination committee contributing to improving transport and logistics cost, efficiency and effectiveness.

Furthermore, he has served as a chairperson of boards of directors of many public enterprises such as Ethio-Telcom, Ethiopian Road Authority, Ethiopian Railway Corporation, and Ethiopian Insurance Corporation delivering many transformative road, rail-way, telecom, dry port and airport projects. He has also played a leading role in reforming shipping lines and maritime services as well as multi-modal logistics system. Under his leadership as a minister of transport and chairperson of board of director of Ethiopian Road Sector Development agency he has played a leading role in developing Universal Road Access Program which has not only transformed connectivity between different rural areas but also greatly advanced urban-rural linkages.  

Moreover, he served as a mayor of Addis Ababa for five years delivering many transformative development initiatives. He also chaired the board of directors of Addis Ababa master plan development project office for four years where a new Master Plan was developed for the city. He also played vital roles in planning and implementing various socio-economic policy initiatives, and projects to enhance sustainable urbanization, affordable housing, botanical gardens, parks, transport infrastructures including highways, LRT and BRT, improved access to water and sewerage services.

Deriba has an experience of working with different groups of global and local partners in developing and implementing transformative projects such as the World Bank, C40, Bloomberg philanthropy, GIZ, sister networks, global business companies in developing and implementing infrastructure projects. He has also served as a Ethiopia’s Ambassador to Nordic countries and currently leads an organization responsible for regulating quality and safety of imported and exported agricultural inputs, commodities, and technologies, assisting private companies to build capabilities to comply with international requirements.

Deriba has a BA degree in Economics, MA in Organizational Leadership from APU of USA, MA in International Relations from Queen Mary University of London, MSC in Cities from London School of Economics and Political Science, and a Certificate in Strategic Leadership from MIT.