Quick Facts
Biography
Shiferaw Shigute Wolassa (Amharic: ?) is an Ethiopian politician who is currently the country's Minister of Education, and previously served as President of the Southern Nations, Nationalities, and Peoples' Region from 2006 to 2013.
Career
Shiferaw has served in regional government of the SNNPR as departmental head in different sectors such as the Regional State Audit Bureau and the Capacity Building Coordination Bureau. He also served as Deputy-President of the region's government. Finally, before becoming the Minister of Education, he was President of the SNNPR for more than seven years.
As Governor, Shiferaw was the subject of controversy over alleged forced relocation of some 25,000 "ethnic Amharas" from the Guraferda woreda of the Bench Maji Zone. A letter dated to August 2007 claimed that Shiferaw, with the cooperation of Amhara Region administrators, authorised the deportation of the migrants back to their region, in contravention to the provisions of Article 32 of the Ethiopian constitution permitting free movement between regions. Shiferaw denied the allegations and said they were still living in the district.
Shiferaw Shigutie received his master's degree in Organizational Leadership from the Azusa Pacific University in the United States.