Meaza Ashenafi is Ethiopia’s first female President of the Federal Supreme Court, appointed by the Prime Minister of Ethiopia in November 2018. She was born in the Asosa zone in the Beninshangul-Gumuz region of Ethiopia in 1964. She was educated at Addis Ababa University, where she received her Bachelor of Laws (LL.B.), and then went on to receive a master’s degree in international relations and gender studies from the University of Connecticut.

Following her graduation with her master’s, Ashenafi served as a Judge of the High Court of Ethiopia from 1989 to 1992. She also served as a legal adviser for the Ethiopian Constitution Commission in 1993. In 1995, Ashenafi founded the Ethiopian Women Lawyers Association (EWLA). She became the executive director for the association and used the organization to campaign for women’s rights in Ethiopia, to contribute to legal reform, and to provide legal aid to impoverished women. Through the development of EWLA, Ashenafi represented a teenaged girl who killed her kidnapper who was attempting to force the girl into a marriage in 1997. By winning the case, she directly challenged the country’s laws surrounding forced marriage.

Ashenafi became an adviser for gender and women’s rights at the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa in the Capacity Development Division in 2011 and continues to provide a conceptual analysis of how to best protect women’s rights throughout Africa. Additionally, Ashenafi assisted with the founding of the first women’s bank in Ethiopia, Enat Bank, which was established in 2011, and on which she chairs the board of directors as of 2016. This previous history of advocating for gender reform and operating in the legal arena in Ethiopia enabled Ashenafi to be appointed by the new prime minister of Ethiopia to become the President of the Federal Supreme Court.

Meaza Ashenafi is Ethiopia’s first female President of the Federal Supreme Court, appointed by the Prime Minister of Ethiopia in November 2018. She was born in the Asosa zone in the Beninshangul-Gumuz region of Ethiopia in 1964. She was educated at Addis Ababa University at which she received her Bachelor of Laws (LL.B.) and then she received a master’s degree in international relations and gender studies from the University of Connecticut. Following her graduation with her master’s, Ashenafi served as a Judge of the High Court of Ethiopia from 1989 to 1992. She also served as a legal adviser for the Ethiopian Constitution Commission in 1993. In 1995, Ashenafi founded the Ethiopian Women Lawyers Association (EWLA). She became the executive director for the association and used the organization to campaign for women’s rights in Ethiopia, contribute to legal reform and provide legal aid to impoverished women. Through the development of EWLA, Ashenafi represented a teenaged girl who killed her kidnapper who was attempting to force the girl into a marriage in 1997. By winning the case, she directly challenged the country’s laws surrounding forced marriage. Ashenafi became an adviser for gender and women’s rights at the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa in the Capacity Development Division in 2011 and continues to provide conceptual analysis of how to best protect women’s rights throughout Africa. Additionally, Ashenafi assisted with the founding of the first women’s bank in Ethiopia, Enat Bank, which was established in 2011, and on which she chairs the board of directors as of 2016. This previous history of advocating for gender reform and operating in the legal arena in Ethiopia enabled Ashenafi to be appointed by the new prime minister of Ethiopia to become the President of the Federal Supreme Court.