Meaza Ashenafi
A prominent women rights activist, Ashenafi is one of Ethiopia’s most seasoned lawyers and the founder of the Ethiopian Women Lawyers Association, having served as High Court Judge between 1989 and 1992. She also served as an adviser on women’s rights at the Addis Ababa-based United Nations Economic Commission for Africa. Ashenafi played an influential role in the development of the first women’s bank in Ethiopia, Enat Bank, established in 2011 and as of 2016, having chaired its board of directors.
She was appointed by the Federal Parliamentary Assembly as President of the Federal Supreme Court of Ethiopia in November 2018.
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Meaza is well known for her philanthropy and leadership. She has won awards including the African Leadership Prize and Grassroots Ethiopian Women of Substance Africa Prize. She became a Hunger Project Award Laureate in 2003, being nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize later in 2005.
Her biggest case as a lawyer was turned into the 2014 Ethiopian film Difret, which won the World Cinematic Dramatic Audience Award at the 2014 Sundance Film Festival.
