The 38th Ordinary Session of the Executive Council of the African Union held on 3 and 4 February 2021 unanimously endorsed the candidature of Dr. Arkebe Oqubay of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, as the sole African candidate for the post of Director-General of the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO).

Dr. Arkebe has spent more than thirty years at the forefront of implementing inclusive and sustainable industrial development policies and as a champion of transformational economic development in Africa.

African leaders emphasized the importance of UNIDO being led by a competent Director-General, and voiced their confidence in the world-class caliber of Dr. Oqubay’s candidature including his formidable leadership qualities to ensure equitable and sustainable global industrialization.