Girma Wolde-Giorgis is an Addis Ababa-born Ethiopian politician best known for being the former president of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia. Born in 1924 into “Omoro”, an ethnic group of Ethiopia, Girma was elected twice as the president of his nation and served from 2001 to 2013 as the head of the nation. Previously an aviator, Girma is an independent politician who is also one of the richest people in Ethiopia.
A personality who has served as the president of a nation for 12 years, how wealthy is Girma now? As of 2015, Girma has an estimated net worth of $1.5 million, an impressive amount in a poor country. Obviously, his career in politics has been his major source of amassing this wealth, while his time in Ethiopian aviation has also added to his riches.
Girma Wolde-Giorgis Net Worth $1.5 Million
Raised in Addis Ababa, the capital of Ethiopia, Girma has degrees in management from Netherlands, air traffic management from Sweden and air traffic control from Canada. One of the first native Ethiopians to be a part of their air force – into which he enlisted in 1941 – which was previously dominated by technicians from America, Girma has been a pioneering person in his field. He held various position in the air force and aviation in general, becoming head of civil aviation in 1957. Along with this involvement, he became an active independent politician, first being elected a deputy in 1961, and being an activist who opined for making Ethiopia a democratic republic.
Girma served in various positions, including speaker of the parliament, and was elected as the president of Ethiopia in 2001 by unanimous votes from the parliament. He was the second president of the country after it became the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia in 1995. As he served his six years term as a president in 2007, he was re-elected in October, 2007, and served a further six years as president of his nation before his time of service ended at 7 October 2013. His salaries and other benefits while he was the president for that long a period have helped him amass his net worth over time.
Apart from being a noted politician of Ethiopia, Girma has also been active as a philanthropist and social worker. He was formerly the president of the “Ethiopian Red Cross Society”, and has also founded different organizations which work for the improvement of agriculture in Ethiopia such as “Ghibe Agricultural Association”. Apart from these, Girma has also managed to become an activist in the matter of environmental protection, and has launched a project in Ethiopia working for the same cause named “Lem Ethipia”.
As for his personal life, Girma is a married man who has five children. He is a religious person who is also the member of Ethiopian Orthodox Church. As he lived across different countries during his student life, he is fluent in six different languages including English, French, Italian, Tigrinya and others. As of now, Girma Wolde-Giorgis is living in Addis Ababa with his family being engaged in different social works. Obviously, his life as a successful politician in Ethiopia is complemented by his present relatively impressive net worth, which he uses to cater to his and his family’s needs.
