Shimeles Eshete (Eng), the longest serving acting general manager of Midroc Construction Ethiopia Plc, was replaced on Friday, July 16, 2010, with Nigussie Abera (Eng), who has been serving as project manager in the company.

Shimeles, who had served as deputy general manager, was appointed acting general manger in 1999, three years after Midroc Construction was established with a paid-up capital of 43 million Br, with Mohammed Hussein Ali Al-amoudi and his wife, Sofia Saleh Al-amoudi, as shareholders.

Shimeles, who was sent on forced leave on Friday, is known to have ruffled some feathers within Midroc's management by a remark he made to journalists during a press conference on September 3, 2009, about some of the company's projects that were in delay at the time.

An engineer by profession, Shimeles's capacity as a manager has been an issue of contention and a source of tension in the company, sources close to the company revealed.

His replacement, Nigussie, aside from his responsibilities at Midroc, chairs the technical committee of the Addis Africa Trade Centre. He also served two terms on the board of directors of the Addis Abeba chamber of Commerce and Sectoral Association (AACCSA).

With Shimeles as acting general manager at the helm of Midroc Construction, the company has undertaken various construction endeavours including building Equitorial Business Group's (EBG) headquarters (worth 14 million Br), the Nani Building, Selam General Hospital, the residence of the secretary general of the African Union (AU), and the AU conference centre (worth 43.3 million Br).