H.E. Hailemariam Dessalegn Boshe
CGIAR Board Chair and Independent Member
H.E. Hailemariam Dessalegn Boshe served as Prime Minister of Ethiopia from 2012 to 2018, having previously held the position of Deputy Prime Minister & Minister of Foreign Affairs. He was a principal architect of Ethiopia's Growth and Transformation Plans, which drove significant investment in agricultural development and infrastructure, and contributed to the Malabo Declaration on accelerated agricultural growth in Africa. He served as Chairperson of the African Union from 2013 to 2014 and represented Africa's Heads of State and Government as lead negotiator at the Paris Climate Change conference (COP21).
Since leaving office, he founded the Hailemariam & Roman Foundation, a non-profit organization that champions science-based solutions to enhance crop and livestock productivity among other development programs. He currently serves as Board Chair of AGRA and TradeMark Africa, and as co-founder and Board Chair of the African School of Governance, a multi-stakeholder institution developing the next generation of African public leaders. He also chairs the Partners Group of the Africa Food Systems Forum.
H.E Hailemariam Dessalegn Boshe was appointed Chair of the CGIAR Board, effective on 1 August 2026. He holds a postgraduate qualification in water and environmental engineering and began his career as a lecturer, overseeing academic and research programs on water conveyance and irrigated agriculture.
